I have a problem. I buy paper collections. Okay, so that doesn’t really sound like a problem. It’s just that I don’t USE collections. Even the Disney collections that I purchased for our trip are rarely used as I scrap Disney layouts. I think I like the idea of a collection, but prefer to pull individual papers from various companies to scrap a page. There have been some exceptions to the rule. Once in a blue moon, a collection comes along and just calls to me. There are 3 collections that I love so much, that I’ve used just about every tiny little piece of them. Fancy Pants’ “What a Wonderful Day,” Echo Park’s “Everyday Eclectic,” and Echo Park’s “We are Family” inspire me.
I pulled the few papers I had left from “We are Family” in order to make this layout. I am down to literally pulling scraps. See that green piece and the blue polka dot paper? Yeah, that’s all I had left of those. I love how Echo Park made their papers work together. Yes, that is the point of a collection. However, too often, collections have papers that actually DO NOT go together. I was able to pull my last few scraps, and they magically coordinated without any work from me.
I chose to finish off the collection because I felt they matched my photos so well. The flower paper works with the floral pillows. The blues and teals match the decor and the clothing of my family. (No, I didn’t make them wear clothes to match my paper. There are some people that do that!) I also chose this collection because it brings me joy. The people I love should be documented using products that make me happy.
The layout is a pretty typical style for me. It’s really just strips of papers going up the page. I cut the floral paper down so it wasn’t as wide. Then two matted 4 x 6 photos were placed on top. I added a journaling card to the side. My embellishments travel down in a diagonal in order to draw the eye to the photos. I did use some stickers from the collection, but then added die cuts and chipboard pieces from others. It’s nothing super fancy. Still, look how eye-catching it is. That’s the sign of a good collection.