Hi Everyone! I am so happy to be back today as Ella’s guest blogger. I have a few
new sketches to share with you as well as a fun tip to help you get the most from your
sketches.

Today I wanted to share with you how you can stretch your sketches in ways that you
may not have previously thought about. The idea was originally inspired by a set
of die-cut sticker photo frames made by K & Company. When I first received this product
I’ll admit, I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. The frames are very cute, but they are all
for small cropped photos. As I started taking the frames out of the package I noticed three
photo-strip style stickers and I lined them all up together on my work table. They reminded
me of a 5x7 photograph and it immediately struck me that that is how I should use them,
not as three separate items but as a single element. With that idea in mind I searched through my sketch notebook for a sketch featuring a single 5x7 photo. Here is the sketch I chose:


And an 8.5x11 version of the sketch:



Here is the layout I created using the photo-strip frames in place of the 5x7 photo:



This time around I actually worked backwards. I made the “stretched” layout first and
then decided to make a layout using the sketch in its original form. Here is the layout I
made using a 5x7 photograph:



Other ideas for stretching your sketches in this way are to replace one or more of the
photographs in a sketch with tags, patterned paper, or memorabilia (truly, the list could
go on and on). Maybe you have a product that has you stumped and you’re not sure how
to use it? Sketches are meant to aid the creative process. Use a sketch as a starting off
point and then perhaps look at that product in a different light. I want to challenge you to
think outside the box and beyond photographs to see how you can get creative with your
sketches and your scrapbooking stash. And, if you make a layout using this idea or any
of the sketches I’ve shared with you today I’d love to see your creation.

Finally, here are some bonus sketches to help kick-start your creative process:






Get more of Donna's sketches from her Ella eBook, Stretch Your Sketches

In the introduction to my eBook Stretch Your Sketches I talk a little about my love of sketches.  I have used sketches ever since I started scrapbooking a little over three years ago.  They are an essential part of my creative process – I cannot make a layout without one.  One of the goals of my book is to teach scrapbookers how to get the most from sketches and their own layout designs.

I have mentioned this before, but one reason that I love sketches so much is because I tend to take a long time selecting products.  For me that is the fun part of the process.  I save time by having a design in mind before I start working, which allows me a little more time to play with different papers and embellishments during the creative process.  Sketches set the foundation for my page; they give me an idea of where I will place my photos, title and journaling. From there I let the photos and the story be my guide when choosing papers, embellishments and their placement.

Today I want to share with you two layouts that both started from the same sketch.  When seen side-by-side the similarities between the two layouts are obvious.  But these layouts won’t be in an album side-by-side and by using a sketch and applying a simple principle to “stretch” my sketch I was able to create two layouts that I love easily and quickly.

Here is the sketch that I started with, it is a simple single photo design and featuring a 4x6 photo:



Here is the layout I created using that sketch:

 

I want to take a moment here to thank my sister Deborah for allowing me to post her photo here.  I know that the time spent in the hospital after giving birth is not when most woman feel particularly attractive.  But really, few things are more beautiful than a happy family.

In order to stretch this sketch, I simply replaced the single 4x6 photo with two 3x4’s:



and here is the layout I made from this sketch:



I think it is nearly impossible to get two children under the age of 4 to both look into the camera at the same time.  I couldn’t choose just one photo from the set we took at church on Easter Sunday.  So instead I chose the best one with Gabe making eye-contact and one with Nathan making eye-contact.  I figured the two photos average each other out.  That works, right?

This is just one example of the many tips and techniques outlined in my eBook.  Whether you love sketches as much as I do or you just need a little creative push every now and then to get you going I think you’ll find Stretch your Sketches to be a great resource for teaching you how to get the most from your sketches.

 

And just like in my eBook here are some bonus sketches to help spark your creativity:

Because I can never pick just one favorite photo:

 

Inspired by a Container Store Ad in Real Simple Magazine:



Because I *love* trios of photos:



Have fun stretching!

And if you leave a comment on this post, I'll pick a random winner who will get a free copy of my eBook. Let's hear it!

Can you believe that it is the final week of our challenge?  I have had so much fun working on new sketches for you all during the past six weeks.  I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the great participation and the wonderful comments left by you all.  It makes me so happy that you have enjoyed these sketches!  And I love seeing how one sketch can be the inspiration for so many layouts each with their own style and personality.

Here is the final sketch of our Six Weeks of Sketches challenge:


The 12x12 version features one 4x6 photo with three smaller photos on the upper left-had side of the page.  The smaller photos are sized 2x3, very small indeed but perfect for detail shots.  Also, there have been some requests for single-photo sketches so if you’d like you can always replace those small photos with patterned paper squares or create little mini-collages in that area.

The 8.5x11 sketch is below:

 
Now admittedly, it’s a little squished.  It doesn’t have exactly the same feel as the original, but I think it is a great sketch on its own.
 
As a bonus for our last week together I’ve drawn two more sketches based off of the original design.  Each is a two-page version of the original sketch - one 12x12 version and one 8.5x11 version.  I think that the 8.5x11 two-page spread is a little closer to re-creating the feel of the 12x12 since it has a lot more white space.
 



 
Finally, in my take on this week’s sketch I took the three photos on the left-hand side of the page and put two photos there instead:
 


I recently decided to take up running again.  I haven’t run since before my two boys were born.  As I took out my new running shoes and prepared to throw away the old ones I couldn’t help but notice the difference in the two pairs.  The old shoes show proof of what almost seems like another life.  I ran a lot of miles in those shoes.  But, I’m not hanging on to the past.  I’ve set some goals for myself this year and even if I can’t run as fast as I used to or train as often as I’d like, I’m going to get moving.  I’m actually excited about getting back into shape.  It’s definitely going to be hard work, but I think its’ also going to be lots of fun.  Wish me luck!!

So, let’s see what you do with this final sketch.
Post a link to your layout in the comments of this post by Thursday, February 25 to enter this week's contest! Three winners will each receive a free eBook. And everyone who participates this week will get another entry into our grand-prize drawing for a Cricut Expression (a $349 value)!

Hi Everyone!  For week 5 of our 6 week challenge, I did things a little differently.  I wasn’t lying when I said that I have been inspired by all of the participants in this six week sketch challenge!  I looked through the comments on last week’s blog post and saw this great idea from reader Christy (clcbug1):

"I love the sketches! Thank you for doing the challenge for us. I do love the challenge of putting lots of photos on a single 12 by 12 page. I am normally a double page scrapper. Having said that, how about a double page spread with multiple photos? If you do 7 of them, the 365 folks can jump on it as well."

So I took up Christy’s challenge and I created a two-page spread with 7 photos.  Now, I know you’ll just have to take my word for it, but this time around I also designed the 8.5x11 spread first and then adapted it to 12x12.  This was a definitely a change from how I normally work, but I’m hoping you like the results.  The 8.5x11 spread features three 4x6s, one 4x4 and three 3x4s.



For the 12x12 spread I enlarged the photo sizes of some of the photos so that the spread would be more balanced; it features one 5x7, two 4x6s, a 4x4 and three 3.5x5s.  Even though one page has three photos and the other page has 4 the margins on the side of the spread are the same.  Having the enlargement on the side with fewer photos also helps the spread to feel more balanced even if the overall design is asymmetric.



For my take on this sketch I decided to do only one side of the 12x12 spread.  I just took these photos of Nathan learning to use a fork on Sunday and as I was looking through them I realized they would be perfect for this sketch.  I did have a lot of shots but I didn’t really want to include 7 of them which is why I decided to go with one page instead of two.  I shifted the design upwards to make room for my border and I also trimmed my 3.5x5s to make room for journaling, but you’ll see that the basic arrangement of the photos and the title stayed the same.



I hope you’ll find this sketch a lot of fun.  I think it is really versatile since you can always do just one side of the spread like I did, you can do both pages, you can flip the pages, etc.  The possibilities really are endless.  I think it’s a sketch I will turn to again in the future and I can’t wait to see what you all do with it.  I have loved looking through the flickr gallery and visiting everyone’s blog these past weeks.  And thank you for all the comments and suggestions on last week’s post.

Post a link to your layout in the comments of this post by Thursday, February 18 to enter this week's contest! Three winners will each receive a free eBook. And everyone who participates this week will get another entry into our grand-prize drawing for a Cricut Expression (a $349 value)!

For this week I’ve simplified the design a bit.  The sketch features three photos:  one 4x6 and two 4x4’s.  Ideally the 4x4’s would be crops of 4x6 prints.  I wanted to share a sketch that didn’t require any photo editing.

In the 11x8.5 version, I’ve kept the main photo a 4x6 and I reduced the smaller photos to 3.5x3.5.  You can either crop your 4x6’s to this size, or you can crop a 3.5x5 to a square.  I realize that this may require some photo editing, but it is a fairly standard size print and I know it is one that a lot of 8.5x11 scrapbookers use often.  I really was trying to make this easier this week, but I think when you convert a 12x12 sketch to a smaller size something has to give (which gives me an idea for next week.  Hmmm, stay tuned). 

Here is my take on the sketch:

I wanted to share the journaling on this page since it’s the only way that the title will make sense.

Journaling reads:  We were at the doctor’s office because I had a suspicion that you might have a UTI.  We needed to collect a urine sample but you were absolutely terrified of the collection cup (who knows why).  I didn’t really know what to do… We were going to give you this crane anyway so I promised you this toy as a reward.  Truth is, I was so proud of you for peeing in that cup.  You were really and truly scared but you did it anyway.  I think you were proud of yourself too.

My dad made fun of me when I told him this story.  But you know, you can’t make a child use the restroom.  I was truly proud of Gabe for confronting his fear and doing what I was asking of him even though he didn’t want to do it (and he did it without crying).  Was it a bribe?  I don’t like to think of it that way.  Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures… I certainly wouldn’t offer him a special toy for eating his vegetables - thank goodness he does that anyway!

Remember that we are half-way through our challenge; just three more weeks to go. 

What do you all think so far? 

Do you like the sketches? 

Do you have any requests?

Post a link to your layout in the comments of this post by Thursday, February 11 to enter this week's contest! Three winners will each receive a free eBook. And everyone who participates this week will get another entry into our grand-prize drawing for a Cricut Expression (a $349 value)!

Hi Everyone! I have really enjoyed reading through the comments on the challenge posts and seeing that you have been inspired by Ella’s sketch challenge. It has been a lot of fun for me too and I can’t believe we are already at week three! Oh, and talk about an amazing grand prize – a Cricut Expression! I wish I were eligible to win! Unfortunately I’m not, but what I can do is present you with this week’s sketch.

As for the 8.5 x11 version of this sketch, it pretty closely resembles the original design. I decided to adapt it to the landscape orientation (so it’s actually 11x8.5) and the photo sizes have been decreased in order to maintain the overall feel of the 12x12 sketch. Sometimes when converting sketches that have a lot of photos I like to break them up into two pages but since this design is asymmetric I decided to keep it to one page.

(By the way, you can see examples of how to convert a one page design into two pages in Angie’s article Stretch your Sketches in this month’s issue of Scrapbook Ellaments.)

Finally, here is the layout I made using this sketch. I documented one of our family’s weekly activities – our visit to Trader Joe’s. Usually I go by myself with Gabe and Nathan, but sometimes we all go as a family. What can I say? We really do love TJ’s! I kept my page fairly simple since I had a lot of photos on my page. And, notice the wording on the top left-hand corner? In the sketch, I included a space for additional journaling in that spot but you can always place some word stickers or an embellishment there instead.



Have fun with these, can't wait to see what you do. Post a link to your layout in the comments of this post by Thursday, February 4 to enter this week's contest! Three winners will each receive a free eBook. And everyone who participates this week will get another entry into our grand-prize drawing for a Cricut Expression (a $349 value)!

(And remember to check out my new eBook, Stretch your Sketches)

The sketch for week 2 of our sketch challenge features three photos:  one 4 x 6 and two 3 x 4s. I often like to make layouts that feature one prominent photograph with other smaller detail photos.  I also like to mix-up sizes and orientations. So, for example you'll notice that one of the photographs is a different orientation from the other two.



This week, and in the weeks that follow I will also present an 8.5 x 11 version of the sketch. For this week's sketch, I chose to adapt the design in the portrait orientation. I cropped the photos so that the white space surrounding the trio of photos is maintained. You could however adapt the sketch in the landscape orientation and keep the main photo in the 4 x 6 size. You would lose that cushion of white space from the original sketch, but I think it would make a great adaptation!


 
In the layout that I made based off of this sketch I actually substituted the 4 x 6 with a 3.5 x 5. I wanted a lot of white space on this layout because part of the inspiration for making the layout was to document one of our family's fall traditions. (Mmm, yummy pumpkin scones.  Say, is it fall yet?) But the other was to pay a little homage to one of my favorite (but sadly no longer in business) scrapbooking companies. As I said last week, I like to keep my sketches very simple. I almost never sketch the background elements or the embellishments into my designs. So while the sketch for this layout is very basic I did layer a lot of patterned papers to create the backdrop for my photos (patterned paper is my favorite scrapbooking supply). And in order to make sure my photos stood out I matted them on white cardstock (you can also have them printed with a white border from the photo printer, but I'm sure you all already knew that).
 

 
Feel free to alter or change this sketch to fit your needs. Or, if you want to use it just as it is, that's great too!  There is no wrong or right when using sketches. They are meant to be starting points for your creativity. Keep up the good work this week; I loved seeing all your submissions from last week.
 
Just leave me a comment with a link to your layout, and we'll pick three winners by Thursday, January 28, who will each receive a coupon code for a free eBook. Winners will be posted on Friday or Saturday (January 28-29). If you don't have a blog, just post your layout to our Flickr group. Everyone who participates this week will also get an entry into our Grand Prize drawing five weeks from now. For every week you post a layout, you get one more entry in the drawing.

WE'RE READY TO ANNOUNCE OUR GRAND PRIZE!!!

After all the entries from every week of the contest have been gathered, we'll draw one random winner who will receive a Cricut Expression (MSRP around $300)! Important note: grand prize winner will pay shipping, whether domestic or international. If grand prize winner chooses to decline the prize, we'll pick another random winner to win the Cricut Expression. And we'll expect the winner to create a project or two with the Cricut to be featured on our blog.

Note: The three winning layouts for week 1 will be posted later today or tomorrow (Saturday), because the whole Ella staff is busy at CHA! Each weekly winner will get a coupon code for a free eBook.

Hi Everyone!  I’m so excited about the upcoming release of my eBook Stretch your Sketches. I had so much fun working on this book with Angie and the Ella team!

I’m here to host the first sketch challenge here on the Ella blog. Come back every Friday for the next six weeks to enjoy a new sketch and to see our winners from the previous week. Here is this week's sketch:


This sketch features two 4x6 photos in the center of the page with the journaling and title lined up along the right-hand side of the page. Some of the journaling is featured above the photo and some just below the title.

A little bit about the inspiration behind this sketch: I have an obsession with two- and three-photo layouts. In particular, if you could peek into my sketch notebook you would see that I am constantly playing with different ways to place two 4x6 photos on a scrapbook canvas. This just happens to be one of the variations.

And now, I know what you’re thinking: this sketch is really simple. In the weeks ahead, you’ll see that all of my sketches are very basic - I prefer this. It allows me a lot of freedom to be creative later on. For me, sketches simply set the foundation for my page; they give me an idea of where I will place my photos, title and journaling. From there I let the photos and the story be my guide when choosing papers, embellishments and their placement.



Which brings me to the next step, creating! One of the reasons I love sketches so much is because I tend to take a long time selecting products. For me that is the real fun of scrapbooking. I save time by having a design in mind beforehand, which allows me a little more time to play with different papers and embellishments during the creative process.

In the layout above, I decided to use a die-cut circle in the background. I already knew that I wanted the photos to be in the center of the page. I also knew that I wanted the journaling to be both on top and below the photos. But after choosing this background I decided to shift the journaling on the bottom of the layout to fit within the circle. So instead of placing it underneath the title I shifted it to the side of the title. I layered some strips of patterned paper horizontally across the page and I backed the titled with a die-cut sticker so that it would really stand-off from the page. The finishing touches include poinsettia flowers, buttons and twine.
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch. I know the Ella readers are a talented bunch. I can’t wait to see your interpretations!

Just leave me a comment with a link to your layout, and we'll pick three winners by Thursday, January 21 who will each receive a coupon code for a free eBook. (AND, they'll be entered into our Grand Prize drawing six weeks from now. And this is no ordinary prize. It's a GOOD one!)

Winners will be posted on Friday, January 22. If you don't have a blog, just post your layout to this Flickr gallery.