There’s something about September that always makes me ready for fall crafting! The leaves start to change and showcase their beautiful fall colors and suddenly all those fall collections and products start calling my name!

For this month’s 1-2-3+ Sketch and Layout, I decided to lean right into the season and create with the new 2026 Croptoberfest products from Creative Memories, along with the Scattered Leaves Embossing Folder.

If you’re new to my 1-2-3+ layouts, each one starts with just one piece of double-sided designer paper, two base pages of your choice and three cuts to create a quick two-page scrapbook layout. If you want to level it up, the + Cutting Guide gives you the option of adding another piece of paper or cardstock for photo mats, borders and extra details.

You can keep it super simple or add as much—or as little—as you like. That’s one of the things I love most about the 1-2-3 method: the basic formula gives you a place to start, but your finished layout can still be completely your own.

This month’s layout holds six photos, and the Croptoberfest papers gave me a great starting point for the warm, autumn feel of the pages. But I also wanted to show you another way to add interest to a layout without adding lots more product—and that’s where the Scattered Leaves Embossing Folder came in!

Embossing adds texture and dimension using something many of us already have in our creative stash: cardstock. It’s a simple little detail, but it can completely change the look of an otherwise plain piece of paper. I swapped out the Dark Sea Green paper strips in the layout above for the teal, orange and brown embossed borders for a completely different look!

Ready to make either (or both!) of these layouts? Grab a cozy fall beverage and join me at my craft table as I choose my products, make those three simple cuts and put together the September 1-2-3+ layout.

Want to create this layout?

Download the free September 1-2-3+ Sketch handout here!

You can also find this sketch, along with lots of other free scrapbooking resources, in my Free Resource Library.

And since we’re talking Croptoberfest... if you liked today’s Croptoberfest-themed 1-2-3+ layout, you’ll love finding a couple of earlier Croptoberfest layouts tucked away in the Free Resource Library too! Look for:

Croptoberfest 2018 1-2-3 Sketch and Layout & September 2020 1-2-3 Sketch and Layout – Croptoberfest

They’re a fun way to pull out some of those Croptoberfest products you may still have in your stash and give them another chance to make it onto your scrapbook pages!

Once you’ve created your own September 1-2-3+ layout, I would love to see what you make. Share your finished layout in our private 1-2-3 Scrapbook with Noreen Layout Sharing Facebook Group. It’s always fun to see how many completely different layouts can come from the exact same sketch and cutting guide!

And if you enjoy the 1-2-3+ sketches, you can explore the earlier 2026 layouts too. Then check back on or after the second Wednesday of each month for a brand-new 1-2-3+ Sketch and Layout.

Want to save these ideas for later? Pin one or both!

Happy Scrapbooking!