Monday, October 31, 2011

Card Week, Part 1

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 Card Sketch #13


You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the card sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.


"Happy Birthday" card by Christine Chain
Supplies - patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey; letter stickers: American Crafts, Basic Grey; brads: unknown (in my Green Tangerine's Kit Club March kit); buttons: American Crafts; ink: Tsukineko; other: embroidery floss

1) I really stuck to the sketch for sizes this time. I really like how having all of the strips 1/2" made it easy for me to play around with what order I wanted them in (I trimmed the length after I made my decision).

2) I swapped out the flowers, purely because I didn't have any flowers that matched, but I had some buttons and brads!

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"Wish" card by Melissa Elsner
Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper, Stickers: Pink Paislee; Brad: My Minds Eye; Ink: Versafine; Stamp: Fiskars; Pen: Zig Memory Systems; Corner Punch: EK Success

Variation #1: For the banner strips I chose to use some banner stickers instead of cutting out paper. Worked perfectly and less work.

Variation #2: For the triple flowers, as shown in the sketch, I gained inspiration by doing a triple layered flower and just made it larger to take up the space.


Variation #3: I chose to matte the top layer of paper to help offset the bold colors and it also helped so my sentiment didn't get too lost in the card.

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"Thank You" card by Noey Hunt
Products used - Patterned papers: DCWV, My Mind's Eye, October Afternoon, Bo Bunny; Epoxy Stickers: SEI; Journaling Block: Colorbok; Tools: Cricut Calligraphy cartridge (sentiment)

Variation #1: I changed the shape of the banners. I used my corner rounder to double round the ends of my paper strips.

Variation #2: I used a journaling block as the background for the sentiment. The block ended up being wider than the paper strips.

Variation #3: I moved the flowers over to the left (well, they are a printed part of the journaling block, but I rotated it) to make room for the title I chose.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Card Sketch #13 and our November Guest Designer

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You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the card sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.

The month's card features several strips, great for using up some scraps. A good variation for this sketch would be to alter the strips and use different sizes, incorporate some ribbon, or use a decorative strip punched from a border punch. 

Check back Monday to see what our talented creative team did with this sketch!

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November Guest Designer - Janice Daquila-Pardo


Hi! I’m Janice, and I am so happy that my turn as guest designer has arrived! I really love the Sketch Support style and what using these sketches does for my designs.

I grew up in Ohio, moved to North Carolina after graduate school where I met my husband of 14 years, and have now lived for 10 years in Austin, Texas. Matt and I run an information technology company together and are also quite involved in volunteer animal rescue.

Although I consider entrepreneurship a creative endeavor, my creative brain needed more. So in 2003 I started scrapbooking. It was intimidating at first, with all the worries about using only acid-free products and learning the elements of good design. But in the years between buying that Fiskars shape cutting set (my first purchase) and now I have done a lot of practicing. :-)

I would describe my style as clean and color rich. I love patterns and typography, so I pay a lot of attention to choosing and combining those elements into layouts that make me happy. Because I have a lot of vintage photos from my family as well as my husband’s, one of my favorite types of layouts to create is one that marries great new products with my older photos (which I am diligently scanning and rehabbing with Photoshop). My greatest weakness is for patterned paper, and my favorite tool is my Silhouette cutting machine. A year ago I took my love of scrapping to the blog world and launched http://www.theconstantscrapper.com. I love sharing techniques I’ve learned, layouts I’ve made, stories that go with my layouts and the occasional card. I have other hobbies (baking, cross stitch and crochet), but I’ll admit that they don’t get a lot of attention now that I’m devoted to scrapping. ;-)

Please visit me at my blog and leave a comment so I can visit yours!
Blog: http://www.theconstantscrapper.com
 Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theconstantscrapper
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Saturday, October 29, 2011

One-page Week, Part 6 - Guest Designer Sue Althouse

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One-page Sketch #14


You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the one-page sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.


"Summer" by Sue Althouse
Supplies used - Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee (Hometown Summer); Embellishments: Pink Paislee (Hometown Summer Border Stickers), American Crafts (Remarks); Letters: American Crafts (Thickers)

I've so enjoyed being the Guest Designer this month! The sketches are fabulous and so versatile, what's not to love? For this 1-page sketch, I made some significant changes to the original design, using what Allison calls in her sketch class an enhanced or extreme approach.

Variation #1 - Flipped the sketch.

Variation #2 - Added an extra border at the top and moved the banner to the bottom.

Variation #3 - Kept the photo groupings, but adjusted the size and orientation to fit my photos and the page.

Variation #4 - Mounted each photo on white cardstock.

Variation #5 - Kept the title vertical, but changed the length and orientation of the journaling strips.

Variation #6 - Changed the embellishments and their placement on the page.

Variation #7 - Omitted the sewing and added embellishments.


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Friday, October 28, 2011

One-page Week, Part 5 - Simple Stories Product Challenge

It's time for the Simple Stories product challenge! We're sharing another round of projects from the challenge today.

If you missed the product challenge for Card Week, Two-page Week, or Add-on Week, Simple Stories has provided a kit of the same materials for each member of the Sketch Support Creative Team. Together with the October sketches we have been showing you how using the same products and even the same sketches can produce so many different results.

Since it is One-page Week all of the projects (and we've got a lot of them!) we are posting today are based on One-page Sketch #14.
One-page Sketch #14


You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the one-page sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.


"Celebrate" by Jill Sarginson
Supplies Used - Patterned Paper: Simple Stories; Ink: Vibrance; Stickers: Simple Stories; Adhesive: Pop dots; Miscellaneous: Dymo Gun

As per usual, I stuck closely to the sketch here, I think I even kept my photos the same size! This page was very easy to create because Simple Stories kits are jammed packed with stickers and all sorts of fun designs you can cut out and adhere to your page!

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"Yummy" by Christy Arthur
Products - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Simple Stories (Happy Day Make A Wish, It's Your Day; 100 Days of Summer Flash Cards); Mist: Studio Calico (Mister Huey Lemonade, Piglet, Orchard and Bluegrass); Stickers: Simple Stories (Happy Day Fundamental Cardstock); Punch: Martha Stewart (Classic Butterfly); Floss: Brown Twine

Variation #1: Instead of the flag banner at the top, I moved the banner to the left side and used butterflies.


Variation #2: I used less photos than are shown in the sketch. I simplified and used two smaller photos at the top, similar to the sketch, and one larger photo below.

Variation #3: I moved the larger photo up on my layout, even with the title.

Variation #4: I moved the journaling to the right side, instead of below the title.


Variation #5: I did not add stitching along the borders of my layout.

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"Happy Birthday" by Melissa Bell
Supplies - Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Simple Stories; Stickers: Simple Stories; Pop Dots: EK Success; Floss: DMC

Variation #1 - I used a cardstock border sticker instead of patterned paper for the far left vertical strip.

Variation #2 - I hand stitched across the top of the banner.

Variation #3 - I didn't stitch around the center 6x4 rectangle and embellished it differently.

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"Celebrate" by Mireille Divjak
Supply list - Cardstock: Canvas Corps (kraft); Patterned Paper: Simple Stories (Happy Day collection); Ink: Colorbox cat eyes (Black); Adhesives: Aleene's (tacky glue); Borderpunch: EK Success; Stickers: Simple Stories; Pens: American Crafts and Sakura

Variation #1: I used balloons instead of candle.

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"Celebrate" by Suzanna Lee
Supplies used - cardstock: Coredinations, Bo Bunny Press; patterned paper: Simple Stories; mist: Maya Road; stickers: Simple Stories

Variation 1: I flipped the picture placement with my larger picture up top and a row of smaller pictures at the bottom.

Variation 2: Title is still in the box per the sketch but my journaling is there as well. I omitted the journaling strips as a result.

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"Sweet Birthday Memories" by Lynette Jacobs
Supply List - cardstock: bazzill; patterned paper: Simple Stories; banner stickers: Simple stories; ink: Versa Magic; brads: Upikit, doodlebug.

Variation 1: I replaced the photos with different size photos.

Variation 2: I replaced the solid strip of paper with the doodle border.

Variation 3: I added the brads to the title block.

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"Happy Birthday" by Jennifer Larson
Supplies - cardstock: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper, stickers: Simple Stories; ink: Stampin' Up!; floss: DMC; other: buttons

1. I used the basic layout of the design, but the photos I had were mostly vertical in orientation. To avoid cutting anyone out of the photos, I didn't use any 2x2 photos and created another vertical print instead.

2. I deleted the actual stitching and chose a stiched sticker instead.

3. I added some embellishments - buttons and flourishes.

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"Making Grandma Laugh" by Noey Hunt
Products used - Patterned papers and stickers: Simple Stories; Letters: Authentique, Creative Memories, Making Memories; Cardstock: Bazzill

Variation #1: I left off the bottom right photo and replaced it with one of the calendar blocks from Simple Stories.

Variation #2: I wanted to anchor the left side of the banner so I added balloons and then repeated the balloons over the journaling block.

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"A Baseball Birthday" by Katrina Hunt
Supplies - Patterned Paper: Simple Stories (Happy Day Collection); Adhesives: Scotch ATG, Fabri Tac and Scrapbook Adhesives; Buttons: Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker; Twine: The Twinery Baker’s Twine; Punches: Ek Success, Fiskars; Stickers: Simple Stories (Happy Day Collection); Chipboard Letters: American Crafts Thickers

Variation 1 - Centered everything, instead of placing over to the left more.

Variation 2 - No picture at bottom and centered the three pictures on top.

Variation 3 - Added lots of layers where there were none before (under my centered pictures and at the sides).

Variation 4 - Title moved down.

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"Happy Birthday to You" by Allison Davis
Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: Simple Stories; Stickers: Simple Stories; Mickey punch: EK Success

Variation #1 - I had so many pictures I wanted to include on this layout that I had no choice but to turn it into a two-page layout. I started by moving the design on the one-page sketch all the way to the right edge of the left page. For the rest of the layout I used my own design.

Variation #2 - I added a 4 x 6 photo to the left of the one-page sketch design.

Variation #3 - Instead of using the candles, as suggested on the sketch, I used a birthday cake and some Mickey ears to go with the theme of Jackson's birthday party.


Variation #4 - Because of my photo options and the design I wanted with the two-pages, I changed up the picture sizes a little. On the top I used a wallet size print, a 2 x 2, and a 2-1/2 x 2-1/2. On the bottom I used one 2 x 2 and then two 2-1/2 x 2-1/2.

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"Make a Wish...or Not..." by Amy Roller
Supplies - All products are Simple Stories unless listed below; Baby Stamp: Stampin UP!; Cardstock: Close to my Heart; Letters: American Crafts, Thickers

For this page, I used two of the 4 x 6 blocks from the Simple Stories line and put them down on my cardstock first. Then I cut a 4 x 6 block from pattern paper to make the bottom piece. I also cut out another block for the title "Make a Wish" which I layered over the middle tag.


I added some handcut birthday candles from the sticker sheet and added confetti streamers for my flames. I then added the green swirl and the rest of the title, "or not" along with a small stamped image.


Next I used the scalloped sticker strip and stripe that I had pieced together from another Tag sheet up the side of row of tags.

For the top tag, I added a banner sticker strip and moved my photos over to the right to be able to fit it all in. I had a larger photo I couldn't crop that small.


I also added some confetti around the photos and the word "surprise!" I made arrows to point to the focal point of the pictures, which was the baby doll. I did this by cutting a strip from a sticker and adding a triangle banner piece to the end of each strip.

Because I didn't have a large enough photo for the bottom tag, I used 3 smaller photos that played out the events of the day. The whole story behind the layout is added in the journaling strips beside and below the pictures.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

One-page Week, Part 4

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One-page Sketch #14


You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the one-page sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.



"Geburtstag Fete" by Jennifer Larson
Supplies - cardstock: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper: American Crafts (crosshatch), Studio Calico/Sassafras (stripe), Basic Grey (text), My Mind's Eye (polka dot); letter stickers: American Crafts (Chipboard), My Mind's Eye (brown circle); stickers: American Crafts (sayings, hearts), Basic Grey (flowers), Studio Calico/Sassafras (numbers), Jillibean Soup (date); brads: Making Memories; buttons: Fancy Pants; stamp: Studio Calico (banner); ink: Stampin' Up!; floss: DMC; punch: EK Success; baker's twine: Doodlebug

1. I turned this sketch into a two-page layout because I had too many photos to fit on one page. It might be hard to see, but if you look at the original sketch and just stretched the right and left sides, pulling the center block of patterned paper to extend the whole 2-page spread, that's what I did.

2. I had already printed the photos out, so I used the sizes I had, grouping them into like groups in the center patterned paper block, similar to what the sketch did.

3. I added one focal point photo to the right of the title, then the extra photos I had I added to the right of the focal point photo.

4. I moved the journaling to the left, since that was the best spot for it.

5. Finally, the vertical decorative edges on the original sketch I moved to the horizontal strip of patterned paper that spans the pages.

Here's a closer look at some of the details:



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"Twelve" by Suzanna Lee
Supplies used - cardstock: Bazzill Basics; patterned paper and stickers: Crate Paper; mist: Maya Road, Studio Calico; ink: Quick Quotes; stamp: Martha Stewart; misc: ScorTape, tissue paper

Variation 1: I flipped the sketch horizontally. In doing so the banner needed moving so that stayed put.

Variation 2: I wanted the box where the title is for journaling so the title got relocated.

Variation 3: Instead of the striped strip below the "body" of the layout, I used homemade washi tape made from ScorTape, tissue paper and stamped images.

Variation 4: The smaller picture by the 5x3 was omitted.

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"Ghost Cookies" by Allison Davis
Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: American Crafts; Alphabets: Making Memories (ghost) and My Mind's Eye (cookies); Word stickers/die cuts: American Crafts, My Mind's Eye, 7Gypsies, and Making Memories; Ghost embellishment: American Crafts

Usually when I make a two-page layout from a one-page sketch I stretch the design to cover both pages. This time I took a different approach.

Variation #1 - I kept the one-page design as it is for the left page and then added my own design to the rest of the layout.

Variation #2 - To play around with the Halloween theme, I used a hand stitched spider web with a hanging spider in place of the banner on the sketch.



Variation #3 - I needed a larger space for my journaling so I moved it to the right page where I had plenty of room. To replace the journaling strips on the one-page sketch I used several "Boo" stickers.


Variation #4 - I had a larger title so I didn't add the embellishment (candles on the sketch). Instead I used a patterned paper covered in ghosts.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

One-page Week, Part 3

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One-page Sketch #14


You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the one-page sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.


“Cute Girl” by Robbie Herring
Supplies - Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; Layered Stickers and Stickers: My Mind's Eye; Title Card: My Mind's Eye; Canvas Banner: Maya Road; Ribbon: May Arts; Border Punches: EK Success and Fiskars; Embroidery Floss: DMC

Variation #1 – I changed the size of the bottom two pictures to 4x6” and 3x3”.

Variation #2 - I omitted the top three pictures.

Variation #3 – The background rectangles were changed to 3x6”. I left a space between the bottom two rectangles and placed one of the journal stickers there.

Variation #4 – I added borders to the right side and used a circular title card in place of a rectangular one.

Variation #5 – I used two separate banner groupings instead of using one. I also changed the placement as shown.


Variation #6 – I moved the stitching to the right side and substituted a large ribbon with a bow on the left.

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"Autumn" by Carolyn Wolff
Supply List - Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned Paper and Stickers: American Crafts (Nightfall); Distress Tool: Making Memories; Stamps: My Favourite Things and Papertrey Ink; Ink: Ranger Distress Ink; Sanding Files: Basic Grey; Floss: We R Memory Keepers.

Variation #1 – I used three photos instead of the five that are shown on the sketch. I matted the small photos and sanded the edges of the larger ones.

Variation #2 – I placed the title block in front of the photos and not tucked behind like it was shown on the sketch.


Variation #3 – I used a stamp to create my journal area instead of the strips of paper.

Variation #4 – I eliminated the banner and added the falling leaves on the right side of the layout.


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"Wonderful, Ordinary, Everyday" by Megan Bickers
Supplies Used - Cardstock: Bazzill (Red), The Paper Studio (Grey), Close To My Heart (White); Patterned Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle (Love Letters), Fancy Pants (Fabulous); Inks: Tsukineko (Black StazOn), Ranger Distress (Pumice Stone, Barn Door, Chipped Sapphire), Marvy Uchida (Black Marvy Matchables); Stamps: Technique Tuesday (Ordinary Days), Hampton Art (Memories Mix & Match, This Day Sentiments Mix & Match), Maya Road (Clocks), Martha Stewart (Patterns Background), Close To My Heart (Ritzy Ribbons), Glitz Designs (Love Games); Stickers: 7 Gypsies (Date Mini Label); Embellishments: The Paper Studio (Clear Gemstones), Martha Stewart (Twill Tape-Putty), Making Memories (Scrapbook Stitches-Black Thread); Tools: Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher), WeR Memory Keepers (Sew Easy-Orange Head), Ranger (Foam Blending Tool), Exacto Knife; Pens: Close To My Heart (Outdoor Denim Marker), EK Success (Zig Black Writer).

Variation #1: Instead of using small square photos as shown on the sketch, I used 2.5 x 3.5 wallet photos. I also varied their placement on the page and lined them up more so they were all visible. Because my photos are larger, I have less white space on the right side of my layout.

Variation #2: For my title, I stamped the words with StazOn ink in the corner of my largest 4x6 photo. I used the photo in place of the title block because it was the main focal point of my layout.



I also stamped the words "never forget" and "today" above and below the photo and accented them with gemstones. I completely omitted the candles and stars as shown in the sketch.

Variation #3: Because my photos were larger than the sketch photos, the banner would not fit across the top of my page. So I created a custom banner with a variety of clocks, ribbon images and banners that were all created with white cardstock, stamps and inks. I added clear gemstones to three of the banners to add some detail.



Variation #4: Instead of adding my journaling in strips under my title, I created a custom stamped journaling tag and added a stamped word border along the top.


To hide this journaling section on my page, I used an exacto knife and created a slit in the layout and made a pocket. I added some ribbon to the journaling piece so it was easy to pull out to read.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

One-page Week, Part 2

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One-page Sketch #14


You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the one-page sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.


"Strike a Pose" by Lynette Jacobs
Supply List - patterned paper: Bo Bunny Press, Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon; banner stickers: October Afternoon; letter stickers: American Crafts; ink: Versa Magic; flowers: Prima; Trim: Fancy Pants and Prima; brads: Upikit; Punch: Martha Stewart.

Variation 1: I did not use three 4x6 blocks. I used a 6x12 piece of printed paper.

Variation 2: I used two 5x3.5 photos.

Variation 3: I added a punched border and lace to separate the photos and make them stand out.

Variation 4: I placed my title down the side of the printed paper.

Variation 5: I replaced the one strip of paper with a scalloped felt trim.

Variation 6: I added a row of flowers down the side of the photos.

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"First Subway Ride" by Katrina Hunt
Supplies - Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Amy Tangerine Collection); Cardstock: American Crafts; Die Cut Embellishments: American Crafts (Amy Tangerine Collection); Journaling Tag: Maya Road; Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. (Just Circles) and Amy Tangerine; Adhesives: Scotch ATG, Fabri Tac and Scrapbook Adhesives; Punches: Martha Stewart; Chipboard Letters: American Crafts Thickers; Stapler: Tim Holtz Stapler; Stitching: Machine

Variation 1 - Pictures centered across more, instead of clustered.

Variation 2 - Added the stamped embellishments to the right side.

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"2 Blessings" by Christy Arthur
Products - Bazzill: Kraft Cardstock; Studio Calico: Shortbread, Homefront Dollhouse, Mister Huey Orchard and Pony; October Afternoon: Report Card Story Hour, Schoolhouse flash cards, Thrift Shop Word Stickers; Crate Paper: Portrait Bridesmaids, Journal Card; Emma's Shoppe Inventory, Trims, Phrase Stickers; My Minds Eye: Lime Twist Fly a Kite Spring Zag, Stella and Rose Gertie Little One Stickers; Hero Arts: Typewriter Stamps; Ranger: Adirondack Black Ink

I used two 3x3 photos in my layout.

In my layout, the top banner is shortened and uses a ribbon on top.


I moved the title to the side and layered my photos in the middle with a small word sticker and a date sticker. These layer over two different types of square patterned paper, similar to the sketch.

I added a hidden journal card instead of the journal strips.


I added some mist under the title.


I centered an alternate strip of patterned paper over another strip of patterned paper on the left side of the layout.
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