NEW 12x12 Sketchbook and a Back to School Layout...

Start With a Sketch…Then Make It Yours!

Do you ever sit down to scrapbook, pull out your photos and supplies…and then stare at that blank 12" x 12" page wondering where in the world to start?

That is EXACTLY why I love working with sketches!

A sketch takes away that initial “blank page” moment. You already have a roadmap for where your photos, patterned papers, title and embellishments could go—but notice I said could. A sketch isn’t a set of rules. It’s a jumping-off point!

One Sketch + Eleven Photos

For this layout, I started with a sketch from our NEW Scrapbooking Sketchbook Vol 7 and used it to document a mother/daughter shopping day.

And apparently I had a LOT to document because I ended up with ELEVEN photos!

Coffee, Bath & Body Works, Target, back-to-school shopping…it was one of those ordinary days that turned into a memory worth keeping.

The “Nine for Nine” trend gave me a fun little theme for the page, but the sketch helped me figure out how to actually get all those photos onto the layout without making the finished pages feel like a giant photo collage.

That’s one of my favorite things about using sketches.

You don’t have to follow them exactly.

Change the photo sizes.
Add another photo.
Remove a photo.
Flip the sketch.
Stretch it across two pages.
Move the title.
Add more patterned paper.

The sketch gets you started—and then YOU make it yours.

That’s Exactly Why We Create these Sketchbooks!

If you enjoy having a starting point when you scrapbook, you’re going to want our Scrapbooking Sketchbook nearby when you sit down to create.

Instead of spending your crafting time trying to figure out where everything should go, you can choose a sketch that works with your photos and start creating.

And remember: you're not trying to recreate the sketch perfectly.

Think of it as your creative roadmap.

👉 [GET THE SCRAPBOOKING SKETCHBOOK HERE]

Want to See This Sketch Come to Life?

I filmed the entire process so you can see how I took the original sketch and adapted it to work with my photos, patterned papers and embellishments.

You’ll see how I worked nine photos into the design, balanced the patterns across the two pages and made changes along the way to make the sketch work for my story.

▶️ [WATCH THE 11 PHOTOS, ONE SKETCH VIDEO HERE]

And here's my challenge for you:

The next time you're staring at a pile of photos and aren't quite sure where to begin, don't start with the paper. Start with a sketch.

Pick one. Gather your photos. Give yourself permission to change it.

You might be surprised how quickly that blank page disappears!