Using Card Sketches

I have learned a great lesson. Card and Scrapbook sketches are wonderful tools to help you create your projects. Just like a budget, sketches are meant to be used as a guide. They need to be followed but if a slight variance is needed, that is OK, too. The sketch or budget helps you focus on the original plan.

Today is Wednesday, which means there is a new sketch challenge on SplitCoast Stampers. I have to work a later shift today so I had time to create a card this morning. Here is the original sketch from SCS...
I will be doing some spring Craft Fairs so I need to get started on items to sell. I wanted to play with my Copics and the CTMH stamp set called "Now and Forever" this morning so the sketch challenge was right on time. One problem though, the bouquet stamp was vertical not horizontal...so I flipped the sketch!

If yo look closely, the sketch remains the same...it is just turned on it's side! To make this card, I started with a 5 x 7 inch base. The mats were cut to act as a frame for the stamped images. I heat embossed the bouquet in black and colored it with my Copics. Both the sentiment and bouquet were "popped up" to add dimension. The pattern paper is from the retired set called Silhouette Creative Basics; however, the corresponding paper collection called Silhouette is still available. It is a perfect set for Weddings, don't you thing? Other colors used include Colonial White, Bamboo and Hollyhock.

I love playing with my new Copics. I have found that they work best for me when I first heat emboss the image. It helps keep the inks from bleeding together. The colors I used include: E07, R02, R20, R27, RV 29, RV34, YR00, YG01 and YG09.

Don't be afraid to use sketches. They don't limit your creative abilities, but rather, they enhance them because you spend much less time designing your project. Sketches are a starting point and can be modified to meet your needs without altering the basic sketch.

On January 15th, I will be participating in a Blog Hop that highlights scrapbook layouts from the Close To My Heart book called "Imagine." CTMH has 5 great sketch books for both scrapbooking and card making. I use them all the time and have been able to dramatically reduce the time it takes me to make a project! Check the books out on my website.

I have also been playing around with the idea of starting my own weekly challenge using sketches and other creative techniques. I might even have some blog candy. :o) Let me know what you think! For Now, Happy Crafting!