Stretching the Sketch with PageMaps

I think just maybe I've mentioned what a sketch-a-holic I am....just maybe (HA!).  I have a ton of challenge sites I frequent to get new, fabulous sketches to try (look in my sidebar ------> and scroll down a bit for a list of some of my favs).  If I really love a sketch I'll print it out and use it several more times.  To keep my layouts from looking like a carbon copy of the first, I've learned to stretch the sketch by changing up certain elements.  I try to keep things in the same place as in the sketch, but where one place might call for 2 photos, I'll do a photo and a journal box.  Or instead of using 2 squares of patterned paper, I'll do one plus stitching for the other square.  Lots of great ways to stretch your sketch if you just keep the shapes in the same spot and let yourself get creative as to what can fill that shape!!

For the PageMaps sketch below I did change up quite a bit, but hopefully the original sketch is still pretty obviously my inspiration.  Instead of a large vertical photo, I added an additional patterned paper.  I switched the title and the date spots and used a sun as the circle the title sits on.  Instead of having a strip of 3 photos, I used one square photo and repeated the block with 2 additional tree elements.  I used a flower cluster and a flamingo (this pic was taken during our Orlando vacation a few years ago, so I wanted to sneak in a touch of Florida somewhere) in place of the circle cluster and cupcake.  Everyone I talk to that is not a fan of sketches, has the same complaint...."it's just too confining!"  Hopefully this fuels your creative jet just enough to try a sketch if you've been iffy about them in the past.  :)

I also have to ooooze love about this new paper stack.  Michaels has them all on sale for $9.99 this week, and even though my Joanns sells the DCWV for that price nearly weekly, I thought I'd pop in to see if they have any variety I can't find elsewhere.  Enter DCWV-The Playtime stack. You HAVE to go looking for this stack...it is the most amazing find I've come across in a looong time!  And since it was such worthy paper, I decided to use up my best flowers on the layout.  These colors I am running dangerously low on and had been hording them for the right project.  I so love my Prima flowers!!!  In fact they are probably my favorite thing EVER to add to a project.  So this project is particularly fitting for The Paper Variety's blogoversary celebration...day 5!