Today I’ve got another layout based on a sketch from the Ready, Sketch, Go class. I’ve been trying to spend less time stressing over each and every element and choice when I’m scrapbooking and this sketch seemed like a good one for that.

I don’t have any little kids in the house anymore, so some of the papers in Shimelle’s True Stories collection don’t fit most of the stories I have to tell. The numbers patterned paper is one of those. But when I found these photos of my niece, I knew it would be perfect.

Most of the layout came together pretty quickly. I like how straightforward it is with the line of embellishments separating the vertical pictures from the journaling. It was a great way to use up some of the larger ephemera I had that doesn’t always work well when doing smaller embellishments clusters.

This puffy star sticker and the pale yellow banner came from the Elle’s Studio latest kit. I’d seen Crafty Jen Schow use their products in several of her videos, but it was the first time I’d ordered from the company. And let me tell you- everything is awesome. I love the quality and weight of the journaling cards and the puffy stickers are to die for! If you haven’t checked them out, I highly recommend it.

The “giving new things a whirl” circle was perfect for the layout! For my niece’s 7th birthday, I got her a felt sewing machine. She came over one afternoon and we had lunch and got down to business. I was impressed by how determined she was to get it right and not get frustrated. I take every opportunity I can to encourage her and her brother to do something crafty and they’ve come to expect all sorts of projects when they come to visit.

This date/place tag is another one of my favorite pieces from the Elle’s Studio kit. It was one of several in different colors on a cut apart sheet and was a great way to bring the turquoise from the star to the bottom of the photo.

The title was the hardest part of this sketch for me. It was quite a large space and I wanted to use the  plaid Thickers from the True Stories, but they just weren’t the right size. I grabbed some leftover Simple Stories sticker sheets, added a couple of words, a chipboard heart and called it done. I’m not in love with it, but I told myself I wasn’t going to agonize over it.

To be honest, I had hoped to get more crafting done this weekend, but I bought my first DSLR and couldn’t stop playing with it! More on that another time 🙂 How about you? What constitutes a productive crafting weekend for you?

Related Posts: Using Brush Lettering on Your Scrapbook Layout; Ready, Sketch, Go. My Latest Obsession; A Multi Photo Scrapbook Layout