Hello, everyone! It’s Allison Davis here today with a fun twist on using and adapting sketches. I always say never let the size of the sketch determine the size of your layout. There are always ways you can adapt a one-page sketch to work for a two-page layout or an 8-1/2 x 11” sketch to work for a 12 x 12” layout, or in the case of my layouts today using a card sketch as inspiration for a scrapbook layout. I have three layouts to share that all use one of the card sketches from the Winter 2023 Issue as the starting point.

Click HERE to download all of the Winter 2023 Issue sketches!

Supplies | Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Cocoa Vanilla Studio and Simple Stories; Ornament cut file: Silhouette Design Store #340037; Stickers, foam stickers, chipboard stickers: Simple Stories; Glitter paper: DCWV; Star punches: Fiskars; Nuvo Drops: Tonic Studios; Embroidery floss: DMC; Computer font: Century Gothic

For this layout, I took the idea of the hanging ornament on the card and multiplied it several times to create a large grouping of hanging ornaments on my layout. I have one large patterned paper ornament and three photo ornaments that make up the base of this design. Then I added lots of smaller ornament stickers as accents.

Each ornament has a stitched line so that it appears to hang from the top edge of the layout. I also added extra details and dimension to some of the ornaments with Nuvo Drops and sticker accents.

Supplies | Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Vicki Boutin for American Crafts American Crafts, Simple Stories; Foam stickers, chipboard pieces: Vicki Boutin for American Crafts; Snowflake die cuts: Simple Stories; Embroidery floss: DMC; Font: Century Gothic

The Christmas tree on this card sketch is one of my go-to tree designs that I love using over and over. It’s so easy and fun to adapt to different sizes and decorations and it always turns out super cute!

I created a larger version of this tree to go from the top to the bottom of my layout, just like it does on the card sketch. Instead of just using the plain strips I cut a fringe along the bottom edge of each strip and then roughed them up to add lots of dimension. To decorate the tree I used circle, heart, and star foam stickers as ornaments.

To adapt this card sketch to work as a layout, I added two photos to the left edge of the tree along with a title. Then I added my journaling in the opposite corner with a few snowflake embellishments.

Supplies | Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper, stickers, foam stickers, and wooden hearts: Simple Stories; String lights die cuts: Fancy Pants; Glitter paper: DCWV; Star punch: Fiskars; Nuvo Drops: Tonic Studios; Embroidery floss: DMC; Font: Century Gothic

I’m not a card maker, but this card sketch almost made me one! It was actually what sparked the idea for this whole post. I wanted to use this sketch so badly and thought, “I’ll just create a layout with this design instead.” I loved the tree design so much that I multiplied it four times for this layout! This tree is so easy to make! All you have to do is cut squares in varying sizes and then cut them in half diagonally for the triangles. My squares ranged from 3” to 1”.

I added a hand-stitched border on each triangle and as I was finishing up these trees I kept thinking of all the possibilities with this design. You could use the same paper for each triangle, you could alternate two papers, you could use an ombré effect, or you can go crazy like I did and use a bunch of different patterns and colors.

To finish the layout, I added my photo, journaling, and title grouped on the left side and then added Christmas string lights and hanging ornaments in the top left corner.

Card sketches can be such a fun source of inspiration for us scrapbookers. What I love is that oftentimes these card sketches spark an idea that I might not have ever thought of for a layout! I recommend and encourage you to give a card sketch a try and see what unique ideas you can come up with. If you need a little help getting started you can download the bonus sketches from the Winter issue. There are extra layout sketches that are based on each of the card sketches. Remember, there are no rules when it comes to using sketches. Stepping outside of the box and changing up the intended size can be a fun challenge!

Hi, I’m Allison and I’ve been scrapbooking for about 17 years. I got my start when my family decided to open a scrapbook store in Springfield, MO called Scrapbook Generation. A few years after we opened the store I started creating sketches and producing monthly sketch bundles and books while teaching and sharing how to adjust and customize sketches through my website, online classes, and YouTube channel. I have been married to my husband, Mike, for almost 19 years and we have two sons, Drew and Jackson. Drew is continuing the “generation” element of SG as the third generation working at our store. It truly is a family business!

Find more of Allison’s work here: Website | Sketches | Facebook | Instagram

If you loved Allison’s blog post today, you will love her year long sketch class, Sketches 2024, starting next month!

On the first Friday of each month, you will receive a printable PDF with a brand-new, exclusive sketch created by Allison in your class dashboard hosted on our website. In addition to the sketch, the PDF printable lesson will include three layout examples featuring the newest collections and a process video sharing how Allison created one of the layouts featured that month. Each lesson will have Allison’s favourite tips and techniques you’ll use over and over again as you create your own pages!

But wait, there’s more! Taking this class will also give you access to a private Facebook Group to connect with Allison and your Sketches 2024 classmates. Want even more? Each month Allison will provide a challenge for all students along with a monthly prize! Allison will also host a YouTube LIVE each month where she will share some of the layouts that have been posted in the group along with her examples, too.

Are you ready to create your favourite layouts with Allison in 2024 and learn more about how you can use sketches to help you create? Sign up today so that you won’t miss the first lesson!

Click HERE to learn more about Sketches 2024 with Allison Davis!