CarolW Designs has just released a fabulous new collection called A Time for Wonder, that has all kinds of goodies in it, including a template.
To begin this layout, I started with one of the templates, with a diagonal stripe behind a trio of photos. I decided to use a striped patterned paper in that part of the template, and rotated the stripes and adjusted the size until it lined up with the template. Then I picked a contrasting solid colored paper for the background.
Next, I added the three photos of gingerbread snowflake cookies. The template gives the photos white frames. And I added a small thin green frame around that, for contrast against the striped paper. Then I began the process of replacing template embellishments with embellishments from the collection, adding drop shadows as I went: leaves and braches, flowers, glittery snowflakes, and so on.
Finally, I added my text on the two labels: "gingerbread cookies" and "holiday cookie exchange." The handwritten text is part of the template or available as word art in the collection: "Winter's magic lies not just in snow covered landscapes, but in the unexpected smiles and gentle gestures that wrap the world in quiet warmth."