Customer Reviews

Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have bought a few sketch books including the other "Becky" books and the Close To My Heart series and this one is FAR superior! Save your money on the others and invest in this one that will certainly inspire you. Not only did I get idea's from the sketches for my layouts but I also came away with quite a few idea's for using embellishments I already had in a new and fresh way.

The sketch idea's are shown in double page spreads, single page spreads, 8 1/2 X 11 spreads and even some examples adapting them to cards. The layouts show you how to rotate the sketch, how to subsitute picture sizes and how to even elimanate pictures. They use enlargements as well as standard 4X6 pic's. Just about any inspiration you need you will find within these pages.

The added (and priceless) bonus is the cards at the back of the book. You can pop out cards that have not only the sketch on them but also a completed page idea using the sketch and carry them in the box (also provided)to your crops. To me these cards were WELL worth the price of the book!

Don't hesitate on this book. Chances are your other sketch books will become obsolete.

If you only could buy one idea book (GASP! What an awful thought!) this would be the one.

The layouts are beautful and well-balanced. As another reviewer mentioned, they are very doable as opposed to many ideas that I would NEVER take the time to do. On the other hand, I suppose if you enjoy extremely elaborate LOs, you could do that too. The embellishments are given a spot on the map, but it is never spelled out what they have to be, so you could get as intricate as you want. There is plenty of creative freedom available. The sketches are also very versatile. I scrap 12x12, and for most of the 8-1/2 x 11 LOs I was immediately able to see how to translate them into the larger size. The book shows variations for each sketch, which gives you many ways to use them. They show rotation, inversion, direct copies and looser "interpretations" of the sketches. My head was all abuzz with ideas after I read this book.

Of course... the cards! They are beautiful and compact, including a full-color copy of the LO, the sketch, a shopping list, and titled by the number of photos in that LO. They come with their own carrying box that will keep them coralled and slip easily into your scrapbooking tote. Finally, they are heavyweight cardstock and they are laminated, so they should be very hardy. I organized my cards according to the number of photos on that LO. When I have pictures to scrap, I can flip immediately to the corresponding sketches, choose a LO and get working!

Also, this has not been mentioned, but this book is bound by a hidden spiral binding. This means that it fits perfectly on your shelf, with the title easily visible. It also means that it lays flat, which is invaluable when you are working with a sketch. I love this style of binding, and it is not easy to find. I would warn you, be gentle when you tear out your index cards. I tried to pull several pages worth out at once, and I bent the spirals open and pulled the book out of the cover! It was no big deal, as I was able to put it right back in and bend the spirals closed, but do be gentle.

Overall, one of the best sketch/LO books I have ever owned. I am quite pleased with my purchase

First the pros: Becky Fleck does beautiful work, her sketches are detailed and the scrapbook pages pictured are wonderful. She uses a lot of paint in her designs, which I don't. The spiral binding makes it really simple to open it to the page you like and keep it there! There are cards in the back of all the sketches with an example on the back of the card. The idea is that you can carry the cards more easily than the book to a crop or to the craft store to buy supplies. Awesome, right!?

The cons: The biggest con for me is that Becky Fleck mostly does one page designs. Most scrappers I know, myself included, tend to work on two page spreads. So this is a major disappointment for me. And I know the one page sketches can be carried over into a 2 page spread, but I'd rather just see the whole double page spread all sketched out for me. That's why I buy these books! Fleck shows examples of 8 1/2 x 11" layouts with single pages, double pages and pages that have the layout turned to be 11" x 8.5". But I would not have bought it if I'd known it was 80% single page sketches.

But the bright side is that on Amazon.com, the list price is an affordable $14.99 (unlike me, who paid full list price of $24.99 to get it NOW). So it isn't much of a budget breaker. But for me, I wish I'd have spent the money on scrapbooking supplies.

This book is so well thought out and presented..
Hard outside cover is very durable, inner spiral allows the book to lay flat on a table so it's EASY to use and the cards and box in the back are alone worth the cost of the book. Layouts are easy to interpret, great for beginnier or advanced and it can be used endlessly for years to come. Make a page from a sketch, wait a week, make another one, they will look nothing alike! Way to go Becky, Hurry up I can't wait for the next one! The tips and pointers on each page are interesting and easy to incorpoate in everyday scrapping. Just a fantastic book and you can tell right away, done by a seriously great scrapper herself, that's where all the little extra's conveniences come in to play, would only be thought of if you actually are a true scrapper!

Becky's book is absolutely the best sketch book I've ever bought - and I have them all. Her designs are as simple or complicated as you want them. I like them because they are not just a bunch of boxes thrown on a page but well thought out designs with an eye for the proper use of embellishments. She utilizes the 1/3 2/3 design principle and also the use of 3's to draw the eye across the page. I've been reading each page from top to bottom so as not to miss a single tip or suggestion. Having the cards in the back to slip in a page kit was the most awesome time saver anyone could have thought of. I like that you can turn the designs left or right or even upside down and get a completely different look that is still balanced. Becky Fleck has thought of everything for this book, from the binding, to the great weight of the paper, the designs and tips inside, shopping lists and the special gift of the cards in the back. I can hardly wait for her next book. Don't forget to check out her blog and online sketches too. [...] Happy Scrapping.

Becky Fleck's sketches are great, and this book proves that! A great value - 60 new sketches, with full-color layouts to show variations on them. The best part of this are the laminated cards - a quick and easy way to keep a bunch of sketches handy, whether at home or at a crop. A must-have for scrappers!

If you scrapbook then you must get this book. You will love it!! It is AWESOME! No wasted moments trying to figure out a layout. Try it, you will be glad you did.

Enjoyed the illustrations in this book. It is an inspiration for scrapbooking ideas. I can see that I will be using it over and over....love the pull out card set in the back. Easy to take along with you to crops! A must buy item!

This sketch book was very nice. The hardbound spiral book is very convenient to take with you to crops and the tear out cards make it especially nice. While I was able to get a few ideas from the book, I found it lacked double page layout ideas. If you are in to making single page layouts, this is the book for you. Some of the layouts were a bit outdated but it's still a good book for the money.

I am a NEO-SCRAPPER. I LITERALLY just started two weeks ago and though I am continually inspired by the layouts and beautiful pages that have been created, I have also been intimidated by the intricacy and skill that veteran scrappers have displayed. Suffice it to say, I went looking for resources and THIS BOOK IS WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION. I echo EVERYTHING that has been said by others who have found this book to be a TREMENDOUS guide for beginners and veterans alike There are things I cannot WAIT to try and the process has become so much less intimimdating. AND THE CARDS! The pop-out cards at the end that can be taken to Crop Nights is AWESOME! I just read that there is a 2nd Page Maps book coming and I am pre-ordering it NOW!!