Sometimes the greatest and most unexpected surprises are found in the little things, the details that we might otherwise overlook. On a layout, even the tiniest bits and pieces can make a significant impact. Today we feature a sketch that is bound to make you take a second look at the nuances of the patterns and accents that can be found in October Afternoon’s collections.
Keeping in mind that this is just a sketch, and that you can take this in any direction that you would like, this sketch welcomes an abundance of details, multiple photos, and room for lots of journaling. The blocks need not be interpreted literally as rectangles, but rather, as spaces where you might create “homes” for embellishments and photos. It actually takes its inspiration from a wall full of framed photos and artwork, as seen in a movie set that many of you might recognize. I love the idea of frame upon frame, little pieces coming together to make a grand statement.
Speaking of grand statements, how amazing is Roree Rumph’s interpretation of the sketch?
Roree hand-picked an assortment of bright, bold, and colorful accents from the Schoolhouse, Campfire, Modern Homemaker, and 5 & Dime collections to create a page that is true to its sentiment. This makes ME happy just looking at it!
Among the details are stitched buttons, tin pins, and alphabet and label stickers (some of which are raised with adhesive dots to give them an extra boost).
Roree adapted the journaling area in the sketch to accommodate a photo (a really-quite-lovely self-portrait) and her title block, which makes brilliant use of the pennants from the 5 & Dime Shape Stickers sheet.
Roree even found a way to work in some stamping action, using the star stamps from the 5 & Dime Stamp Set to create these little beauties.
Like Roree’s layout, my own interpretation of the sketch hones in on the details, and celebrates them! 
The colorful assemblage of bits and pieces comes together in the name of all that is delicious and fattening. Every detail, culled from the 5 & Dime and Modern Homemaker collections, connects in some way to the one dozen malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery that I purchased (and inhaled) on Malasada Day a few weeks ago.
Since Leonard’s Bakery has been around since the 1950s, the retro-cool accents and patterns were right at home on this page. The number 12 appears often in this layout, as I wanted to emphasize the idea of a dozen. The snippet of a recipe that you see above is from the “Snickerdoodles” paper in the Modern Homemaker line; I was delighted to find that it contained some of the ingredients that actually go into malasada dough. 
One of my favorite aspects of “mining” papers for striking and meaningful details is helping each fragment, each piece, to find its home. This whisk? The word strip? The square that reads “Something For All in Your Family”? Yet another 12? It all just clicks.
I find it both hilarious and affirming that both Roree and I included banners on our layouts and in our titles, and that where she put her rectangular photo, I added a rectangular journaling block. This wasn’t in the sketch, but our minds took us both there for some reason.
Now I’m curious to see where the sketch will take you, and what treasures you’ll find in your October Afternoon stash when you take a closer look. Be sure to share your layouts (or projects or cards riffing on the sketch in some way) in our Flickr gallery. I’ll be on the lookout!
Jill