Wanderlust

I finished a page with Studio Calico's Boardwalk (same kit as the cards from yesterday) and thought I'd go through my 'scrap process'.
I tend to spend a lot more time staring at paper than actually making anything, truth be told. So for this page, I thought it best that I sketch out what I wanted to do first, so I wouldn't have to worry about where to start. I came up with this:

Granted, I'm no Becky Fleck, but using a sketch saves a ton of that "pre-scrapping" phase and allows me to get directly to cutting up paper! I also usually have a problem knowing what size photos I want to use- seeing it all laid out in a sketch gives me a better idea. You can definitely try this with a hand-drawn sketch too, don't be afraid to test something out on paper before you get to it.
While coming up with the sketch I thought it would be fun to try small pieces of patterned paper (the 2.5X3.5" pieces) that are embellished separately. This is another technique I try to use when I'm not sure of the final outcome- getting started on a small section usually helps spark some more creativity and gets my steam going!
From there it was smooth sailing. I'm a very literal sketch user so I didn't deviate at all. I printed my photo, started embellishing my rectangular pieces and the rest just came together!

Click to view larger

I paper pieced the globe in the center too- that was a lot of fun. I just punched the circle from patterned paper, drew out the continents while looking at a reference photo and then cut them out. Easy!
I'm really happy with this one, even though I messed up my journaling and had to re-do it. Twice.
Anyway, feel free to use the sketch however you want. If you make something, link me up so I can see it!