Watercolor Template Album, spread 2 https://www.oscraps.com/shop/WaterColor-Template-Album-No.-7.html
Portiere Artplay Palette https://www.oscraps.com/shop/ArtPlay-Palette-Portiere.html
Art WordART Mix #1 https://www.oscraps.com/shop/Art-WordART-Mix-No.-1.html

Photoshop Elements 14

Sometimes, with a layout like this, which is chock-ful of bits and pieces of unrelated stuff, it is hard to put the puzzle down and start feeling good that you got your story told. For me, working on this spread was QUITE a lesson in setting priorities!

In terms of design, I started by adding two frames to the right page of the spread , then recolored all the stains to a greenish-goldmy initial attempt at creating unity. But because of the color diversity (and the abundant text), I knew this was going to be a hard spread to balance out. I continued with trying to create leading lines with color across the spread. As it turned out, one of the hardest parts was picking a background. I tried a slew of papers, but to my surprise wound up liking the texture and color of Portiere solid #4 the best. Having made this choice, I dove into the Artplay Palette and chose coordinating elements and transfers/overlays to make the layout more cave-like and to round out the design. I also used assorted FotoGlos from my stash to make certain areas, like the hiking boots in the ceiling, pop. The word art is from the Art WordART Mix.

Journaling:

We had heard the Stockholm Tunnelbana (or T-bana), described as the world's longest art gallery, so of course we took a morning to explore. Our plan contained 10 stations, spread out on the blue, green, and red lines. The most intense was the Kungstrdgrden station, where the installation tells the story of the Makals Palace, which stood south of the subway area from the 1630s until it burned down in 1825--the red, white and green color scheme references the old French formal gardens and the palace's exterior art. They had even replicated the ruins. We also loved the Rdhuset station, which looks like an archeological dig (complete with boots on the ceiling), and the blue platform at T-Centralen, which honored the men who dug the subway tunnels. Actually, all the subways were pretty magical, and it seemed fitting that our last stop was under the rainbow at the Stadion station. We read that the bright blue color and the rainbow serve as a reminder that there is always a sky not far above. Can't ask for more than that. And did I mention the dioramas? Yes, there were dioramas, too, at Solna Centrum.
--Sunday morning in Stockholm, July 1, 2018