Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing a post for a series of postings I've wanted to do for a while. I am one of those people who reads every word in a user manual and hopes there is one for everything, haha! While I am still learning new things everyday, I think I should go ahead and document what I've learned. I will share simple bite-size tips in the hope that they will be helpful to someone else too. When I first stumbled across card sketches, I felt like that I found a piece of that missing manual for card making. A sketch takes out the majority of the "guess work". I believe limitation is what stimulates creativity! The example I'm using today is the sketch for our current Waffle Flower Challenge. It was based on the card on the right. We can follow a sketch closely or give it a little twist to make our card standout. Stretch a sketch is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Rotate the sketch

This should be the first thing we try whenever we get a new sketch. Rotate the sketch, see the options and discover the possibilities. In my case today, I rotated the sketch 90 degrees clockwise.

2. Give it Meaning

I've found the most effective way to make a card standout in a sketch challenge is to give it meaning. Remember all the elements in a sketch can be replaced with other shapes, images or embellishments? When I saw these circles, I wanted to make them into balloons! So I pulled out my Flower Circles Stamp Set and picked a couple of circles to stamp on a scrap piece of white cardstock. I used both sides of the circle stamps. I then used a pencil to draw a little triangle tail for each balloon. Cut them out as shown and I had my "meaningful" elements for the card.

3. Add a Special Touch

As I was playing with the layout elements, I decided to create a birthday scene for my card. At this point, we were getting close to make a card that makes people wow. But it still needed something special. For example, the white piece of cardstock looked plain. So I replaced it with a cloud patterned paper (I think we need cloud stamps, anyone?). Balloons don't just float in the air, right? No brainer, let's add the strings! The sentiment form our Surface – Tag Stamp Set is just perfect for this card! I popped the pieces on with some foam adhesive to add dimension. I stopped here for a clean look but you can continue to add special touches here and there to make your card you!

• Add glitter to the balloons?
• Use a white pen to add highlights?
• Stamp some cloud with Versamark ink on the card base to create a subtle background?
• Add Enamel dots? Sequins? Buttons?
• Ink the edges? Round the corners?

The possibilities are endless, right? :) Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you are inspired to create something with a sketch! Happy Crafting!