Happy Monday!  Today over at the Stylin’ Stampin’ INKspiration blog, we are sharing a fun scrapbook sketch idea. 

I didn’t create the sketch, but let me tell you how much I LOVE designing off of sketches.  It makes the scrapbooking process so much easier for me because I don’t have to think too hard about the set-up of the page (or card!) and instead can focus on things like which color do I want to use and what should I write in my journaling.

Oh, and did I mention that my layouts are typically like my cards…. I start from a sketch or design, pull in key elements, and then totally change everything else up.  But hey!  It’s the inspiration that is important – and the fact that I’m actually getting my photos in an album!

You may be wondering how I got that honeycomb look on my base paper for my scrapbook…. well, check this out… I used my embossing folder as a stamp!!!

Seriously, its totally cool!  First I wiped my ink pad across the raised side of the embossing folder to ink it up.

Then I just flipped over the embossing folder and pressed it down like I would a stamp!  I liked the distressed (didn’t get all the ink down on the paper) look, so I didn’t worry about evenly pressing and getting it all off on the base paper.

Then for my accents, I created my own layered ribbon banners in the upper corner.  I took some of the Strawberry Slush Ruffle Trim and the Natural Trim ribbons and layered them.  Then snipped the ends at an angle.  Then to soften it even more, I use the Flower Shop bundle to get the simple flower to go on top.

Finally, I needed a title and ended up actually cutting out my letters using the Typeset Alphabet Bigz dies in the same Wisteria Wonder as the background paper.  But that was a little too tone-on-tone and so I drew around the outside of the letters with my white gel pen to make them pop a bit more. 

I would say that it worked!  And look at that face… isn’t Sweet a good title too?    Ok, I really didn’t know what to title these too pictures but I loved them so much that I had to scrap them somehow!

So, I hope you got some inspiration!  Play along and create your own scrapbook page with this sketch and let me know what you think!