Scrapbooking layout sketches are templates you can use again and again for designing attractive scrapbook pages.  Most scrapbooking magazines have a featured column offering scrapbooking sketches.  In Simple Scrapbooks magazine, the feature is called Simple Schemes, and in Creating Keepsakes, look for Becky Higgins' sketches.  The idea behind these are to offer you creative inspiration for your scrapbooking page layouts.  Here are a few tips and suggestions for using scrapbooking layout sketches.

1. Follow the Plan: The easiest and simplest way to use a scrapbooking sketch is to follow it "as is."  Gather your photos, paper, embellishments and basic scrapbooking tools, and use the sketch as a template for your page.  You will want to find a layout for the same number of photos that you want to use on your page, and you also need to consider the paper size that the sketch uses.  Common paper sizes are 6x6, 8x8, 8 1/2x11 and 12x12.

2. Flip It Around: Consider turning the sketch upside or on its side in either direction.  This turns one sketch into four different sketches.  It also allows you to use a sketch that may have been designed for photos with a different orientation then those you plan to use.  By turning the sketch on its side, sections for landscape photos are now for portrait-oriented photos.

3. Dress Your Sketch Up or Down:  I love Becky Higgins' reference to her sketches as "little black dresses."  You can keep the page templates as simple as you want, or you can add additional page elements or embellishments to make it even more decorative.

4. Mix it Up:  You can change out elements on a scrapbooking layout sketch.  Consider moving the page title to where a few embellishments were to go.  Change out photos with journaling blocks or vice versa according to what you need for the layout.

5. Vary Your Techniques:  Use techniques such as inking, painting, paper tearing or chalking according to your own scrapbooking style to make your page layout unique each time you use a sketch.

6. Resize Page Elements:  Enlarge a photo to fit 2 photo spaces, or crop 2 photos to fit in one photo space.  The same can be done for embellishments. Use 3 small accents instead of one larger one.

7. Double the Pages:  Make a 2-page layout from one sketch by creating a mirror image of the layout.

Scrapbooking layout sketches are rough drawings that you can use a springboard for your pages.  Begin collecting some sketches and group them by page size or number of photos.  You might use a notebook or file folder to store them.  Index cards work very well for sorting and organizing sketches, as well.  These simple drawings with a title, photo spaces, journaling blocks, and accent or embellishments can inspire and enhance your scrapbooking page designs.