erin terrell clarkson [etc]

SKETCH: So Loved

Ready for another sketch?

I created this layout so I could journal about my favorite great aunt (Betty) and great uncle (James). Uncle James passed away about 10 years ago, and Aunt Betty is still going strong. If you live in North Carolina and you happen to know her, give her a big hug from me. She is one fantastic lady, and she happens to make the most delicious recipe for fried chicken with crushed potato chips that I've ever tasted. (Now, tell me that's not a southern dish?!). Uncle Spec (as I called him) was a history professor at UNC Chapel Hill for over 30 years and was adored by his students. If you knew him, or knew of him, and have stories to tell...please, please let me know.

For the layout, since I knew I was going to do quite a bit of journaling, I wanted the journaling strips to be colorful and a main focal point of the layout. I chose a kraft colored card stock for my background and then used jewel tones for the journaling strips and accents. Here is the page:

 

Here is a detailed shot (aren't they a lovely couple?):

This layout was posted as a Make It Yours challenge on the Scrapbooks etc. challenge blog. That means readers of the magazine looked at my layout and created one of their own, based on certain elements of my page. They could directly scraplift (copy) the page, use the same color scheme, copy the style of the layout...whatever happened to inspire them. There are a ton of great ideas in the gallery if you want to check them out. In the meantime, I'll highlight a few here. THIS ONE by scrappin_tam is a sweet one about her puppy, Archer. HERE is a touching one by scraplooker. Scrapbooks etc. reader lacycompton created one with a twist on the subject matter HERE. I love them all, and more are posted...so check out the inspiration! I'd love to see your page if you happened to be inspired by mine!

Download SKETCH (SoLoved)

SKETCH: Maddie

Another day, another sketch.

This is a layout I adore, mainly because of the cute little girl who stars in it. This layout appeared in the April 2009 issue of Scrapbooks etc. magazine. The article discussed ways to "go green" and reuse scraps from  packaging on your layouts. I trimmed mini print samples from artwork on the cover of a paper pack to use on my layout. I also punched a few butterfly shapes from clear acrylic packaging and painted them.

As seen in Scrapbooks etc. April 2009 issue (pg. 33). SOURCES:  Cardstock: American Crafts. Font: SP Chi Town. Product Packaging: Heidi Swapp (clear plastic), Fancy Pants Designs (patterned paper). Rub-ons: Doodlebug Design (journaling), Kaiser Craft ("a moment in time"). Punches: Marvy Uchida (circle), Martha Stewart Crafts (butterfly). Floss, paints, sandpaper: Making Memories.

This page works well as a sketch, because you can insert photos in place of a few extra patterned paper squares and really fit quite a lot of photos onto one page. Here is a detailed shot so you can see the painted butterflies and the stitching detail on them. I also sanded the edges of all of the patterned papers, the journaling, and my photos for a cool distressed appearance:

If you're interested in the sketch, here it is (and I'd love to be linked to anything you create with it!):

Download SKETCH (Maddie)