Today I am sharing a layout using my September Clique Kits Farmhouse kit (Main Kit). I have found that there are two main ways to incorporate a large number of photos on a single page layout. The first way is to create a grid design with photos of a uniform size. The second way is to use a cut file where the design includes frames suitable for multiple photos. For this layout, I obviously chose the latter technique.
I customized this cut file by duplicating it and then making the duplicate a mirror image just below it on the 12 x 12 cutting space. 
This file had an additional layer which I cut from a different contrasting color pattern paper. It was interesting to use a vector file that was designed to use in laser cutting wood- for my purpose it worked well for paper too!
First I created a simple background with just a little bit of the black and white papers in the kit keeping it simple stitching triangular shaped borders at the top and bottom of the page. Then I used some gesso and acrylic paint to create a distressed painted background. I wanted to tie together the blue-grey siding on my parent’s house which shows in most of the photos because they were taken on the front porch.
I printed all of my photos on one page by creating a collage of different sized and shaped photos to be cropped as closely as possible to the dimensions in the frame. They did not need to be exact because I was able to trim them when backing the cut file to just the right size.
I loved the black word/phrase stickers in the kit because they allowed me to use them for journaling without distracting from a layout where there is already quite a bit going on. This family reunion was the first time in years that my siblings and I were all together with our children and my parents had almost all of their grandchildren in the house at the same time! Actually, 3 out of 17 were missing, which is pretty amazing considering we live all around the world and came together for just 1 week around my father’s birthday. I will probably make a mini album using all of the candid photos from the reunion but wanted to include a 12 x 12 layout with these special “posed” pictures to document all of the cousins together at this once in a lifetime event.
I feel like the September Farmhouse kit was perfect for this layout because it is totally a kit that is all about family and home and simple pleasures of loved ones gathering together. If you are not a Clique Kits subscriber you can pick up one of the Farmhouse kits a la carte but in order to ensure you get a kit every month the best way is to become a subscriber!
-xGia
