Make Designer Scrapbooking Pages

Yep, I called you all ‘designers’. That is because each time you create something, you ARE the designer. Maybe you don’t think you have an ounce of scrapbooking designer in you and you have to borrow (scraplift) ideas from others. Or maybe you are so fabulous that you probably could be published in next month’s issue of Creating Keepsakes or Simple Scrapbooks. Either way, we all want our pages to look great.

Recently I have been using ’sketches’ to create my pages. What is a scrapbooking sketch? It is an outline of how to layout your scrapbooking pages. Sometimes a sketch just tells you where to put a title or pictures. Other times, it gives you everything you need (including scrapbooking supplies), except the photos. Now that I have begun using sketches, I am loving how my pages and projects turn out! Oh, and another thing I love, you can get these sketches for free all over the internet.

Below I have listed some of my favorite sites for sketches. My “Layout of the Week” was also created using a sketch.

1.) Little Book of Sketches (www.littlebookofsketches.blogspot.com/) - This site is great because there are sketches for 12×12 and 8.5×11. There are also sketches for 6×6 and 8×8 page layouts (single and double). You can also use their cards and tags sketches.

2.) Creating Keepsakes (www.creatingkeepsakes.com/mag/sketches/) - Becky Higgins' fun, simple, and creative style works for the seasoned as well as beginning scrapbooker.

3.) Scrap Maps (www.scrap-maps.com/) - A site devoted only to sketches with several hundreds to choose from.

4.) Scrapjazz Sketches (www.scrapjazz.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=807) - They have a new sketch each month and scrapbookers send in their take on the sketch. Not only do you get to see the sketch, but you get lots of ideas for creating it yourself.

5.) Queen Geek Sketches (www.scrapforums.com/gallery/index.php?cat=687) - Great sketches by a fellow scrapbooker!

6.) The Scrap Witch Sketch Challenges (www.scrapwitch.com.au/community/mediagallery/album.php?aid=18&page=1) - Join their scrap challenge each month using their sketches and win a prize. Or just check out what others have done.

7.) Scrap Dreamer (www.scrapbookdreamer.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=591) - Their sketches for tags are amazing!

8.) Digital Scrapbook Place (www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=544) - Lots of different entries - makes for several different styles.

9.) Pencil Lines (www.pencillines.com/) - The international sketch challenge blog. Not just great sketches here. I love the finished pages to give you even more ideas for scrapping. ,

10.) Scrappin’ Stuff (www.scrappinstuff.com/sketches/index.htm) - View sketches and the layouts scrappers have created using those sketches.

11.) 3 Scrapateers (www.3scrapateers.com/gallerypp/showgallery.php/cat/572) - I love the updated style of many of these sketches and the wide variety of photo sizes.

Want to see some more great sketches, but hate searching the web? Check out these great books of sketches: Creative Sketches for Scrapbooking by Becky Higgins ($14.95), Quick & Easy Sketches for Scrapbookers ($19.99), and Creative Sketches Volume 2 by Becky Higgins (14.50).
I hope you all can save yourself time and come up with fabulous pages using sketches (or maybe you can create some sketches yourself - please share them with me if you do!).

Robin M. King is a photographer and long-time scrapbooker. She is a contributer to ScrapbookFinds.com, a comparison shopping tool for scrapbooking supplies. Read her ScrapBlog and “Ask Robin” questions.

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