One of my favorite aspects of working with a themed kit is the opportunity to play with the environment of my layout—bringing the feeling of a place right onto the page. For this layout, I wanted to lean into the tropical vacation vibe, so I created a custom palm tree using patterned papers from the Where the Sea Dreams 12x12 Paper Kit. The leaves were hand-cut from a green map print, and the trunk came from a sandy-colored paper that I deepened with brown ink for contrast. It added so much texture and movement to the layout!

 

  

Layering the palm tree over the photo cluster helped frame the pictures and made the layout feel more immersive, like we’re tucked into the landscape. Because the palm tree was such a strong vertical element, I kept the rest of the design more grounded with horizontal lines and strips, including the woodgrain and anchor patterns. 

  

  

This whole layout became a great reminder that you don’t always need pre-made die cuts or embellishments—sometimes the best accents come from your scissors and a little imagination. It’s one of the reasons I love mixing in the Where the Sea Dreams 12x12 Paper Kit with my kits; there’s just so much room to create something unexpected.

  

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