There are almost as many different scrapbooking preferences as there are scrapbookers, from the style of the kits they choose to the size they scrap in. As 8.5×11 scrapping has started to gain popularity because it’s easy and affordable to print from home, a lot of scrappers have found a challenge in searching for products that are the right size for their scrapping style!
I’m going to show you how to use a 12×12 template for an 8.5×11 page! After reading this post and following along with the techniques, you’ll be able to utilize almost any template for your scrapbooking needs, no matter what size you preserve your memories in… and, you’ll have no problem participating in the Blueprint Challenge each month!
For my first layout, I took Courtney VanSickle’s Candy Crush Template and opened it in Photoshop. You can follow along in Photoshop or your program of choice.
After opening the template you’ve decided to use, go ahead and open a blank document, 8.5×11 inches, 300 dpi.
At this point, I decided this template might look better on the page if I rotated it to match the orientation of my 8.5×11 layout, so I went ahead and rotated the entire template using Image, Rotation, 90 degrees CW.
In the Candy Crush Template, I Shift-Clicked and selected all of the layers of the template, then dragged them over to my blank page.
Then, I took a couple of minutes to re-size and re-position the template pieces until they looked like they fit on the page nicely.
I like how that looks, so from there, it’s time to add my papers, elements, and photos to create my perfect page!
This is how my finished page turned out:
I love how it turned out, and can now easily print that and slip it into my scrapbook from the comfort of my home. After creating that layout, I actually decided to make a second layout with the same photos; this layout would go as a gift to my grandmother, and the second would have more journaling for my personal album.
For the second layout, I used my free Whimsy template that is currently used for the Blueprint Challenge. That means you can snag that template, play along with me on this post, and then upload it to the gallery and share it in the Blueprint Challenge for a chance to win a gift card!
Once again, I opened the template I was using.
I opened a separate document, 8.5×11, and put my template layers in there.
I could use it like this, but I think I’m going to play around with it just a little bit.
See how that uses the space a little bit better and has a bit more balance now? Sometimes it takes a little bit of trial and error with your template to see how you’re filling the space.
See? That turned out pretty cute, and once again, I can print it on my home printer because 8.5×11 is a standard size.
At first, a store can seem intimidating when products come in a 12×12 size, and you’ve chosen to scrap in a different size, but with a little ingenuity, you, too, can use templates and participate in things like the blueprint challenge, without having to feel left out. As a template scrapper, I love to tweak and modify templates, combine two templates together, or even resize clusters or pieces of a template to change the look completely.
If you take time to step out of the 12×12 box and try a new size, you might just love the results you get!
Credits:
Layout 1– Candy Crush Template by Courtney VanSickle, A Little Whimsy Paper Pack by Angie Hinksman, Whimsy and Wonder Grass-stained Papers by Jenni Schoenberger, Whimsy and Wonder Solid Papers by Jenni Schoenberger, Whimsy and Wonder Patterned Papers by Jenni Schoenberger, Whimsy and Wonder Elements by Jenni Schoenberger
Layout 2– Whimsy and Wonder Blueprint Template by Jenni Schoenberger, Whimsy and Wonder Solid Papers by Jenni Schoenberger, Whimsy and Wonder Grass-stained Papers by Jenni Schoenberger, Whimsy and Wonder Elements by Jenni Schoenberger
Let me know in the comments, What Size Do You Scrapbook In?
