Girlhood notes
Make your first paper collage
A simple cut, arrange and keep project using paper pieces, a page and an idea you can change along the way.
By Lila Deanne · 22 October 2026
A collage can start with one piece you like: a little poodle, a bow, a flower or a scrap of colour. You do not need a theme before you begin.
Put a few things within reach.
Choose a piece of paper or a journal page, scissors, an adhesive suited to your paper, and a small selection of pieces. Our Cut, Keep & Collage books contain paper artwork to cut out. The pieces are not stickers, and craft tools and glue are not included.
If you are making with a child, choose age-appropriate tools and stay alongside them. You can also tear plain paper into shapes and leave the scissors for another day.
Choose three pieces, not the whole book.
Pick one main picture and two smaller details. Try a little deer with a bow and a word, or Pierre beside a paper border. Limiting the first selection keeps the page easy to move around.
Before cutting into a printed page, look at both sides and decide what you want to keep. Check the actual book’s print layout rather than assuming that every reverse is blank.
Arrange before you stick.
Place the largest piece first, then move the small details around it. Leave some of the page empty. Turn a piece, overlap an edge or try everything in a corner.
If you want to remember an arrangement, take a photo of the page. Then you can move things freely without worrying that your first idea will disappear.
Add one personal detail.
A date, a ticket from an ordinary outing, a handwritten word or a little pencil mark can make the page yours. You can leave personal names and private information off the page if you plan to share a photograph of it.
There is no requirement to make it meaningful to anyone else. Sometimes the reason is simply that you like pink.
Keep the next beginning.
Put the pieces you did not use in an envelope. Next time, choose one from the envelope before opening the book again. A half-finished page can stay half-finished until you want to come back.
See real sample artwork from Cut, Keep & Collage: Fancy or product photographs from the Poodle edition. If you would rather start with a prompt and your own materials, download the free Pocketful Prompt Card.