Scrapbook on the Road: Seattle

I am really good at collecting little bits and pieces of "stuff" while I'm on vacation. I sometimes put these together into albums or individual lay-outs to remember the pieces of my vacation.

I decided, though, that I wanted to avoid the post-vacation pile of "stuff" this time by making a little scrapbook while I was actually traveling.

I started by checking out Ali Edwards's Scrapbook on the Road Class.

Honestly? My album is pretty much Ali's album.

I also picked up an add-on from Cocoa Daisy. Many of my supplies came from there. I did add lots of ledger papers from my stash and a few Washington-related items I scrounged Etsy for. I also chose a travel album and a few embellishments from Evalicious. I found these really difficult to incorporate into my album.

I had lots of supplies left over from the Cocoa Daisy kit and didn't end up using hardly any of the supplies from Evalicious. As usual, I over-bought.

I decided to divide the album into sections - there was an introduction, a section for each day, and a conclusion. We were there for six days, so I created a section with all of the same components (although in different sizes and shapes) for each section. I used a Hambly Clearly Heavy transparency with quotes about travel (an idea stolen from AE's album) to "divide" the space between sections.

Anyway. . . here is the empty album I took to Seattle with me. I just put it in a big Ziploc bag and threw it in my carry-on luggage.

I put together a little bag of supplies to use while traveling. I hauled along: Crop-o-dile, Staz-On in black, paper clips, a mini-stapler and extra staples, adhesive and a refill, Washi tape, a glue stick, some shipping tags, a scissors, a date stamp, and a few embellishments. I just kept it all in a plastic bag stuffed in my checked luggage.

I traveled with my camera. I did bring a few different lenses and a flash, but I kept my 35mm 2.0 on my camera almost all of the time.  I also brought a Polaroid camera and a few rolls of back-up film. I wasn't real thrilled with the Polaroid, honestly. I want to love it; I really do. But, I have a hard time getting a clear photograph if the light isn't absolutely perfect. More about that another time.

So, now you're wondering what my album looks like filled with Polaroids and ephemera and journaling, right?

Well, you'll be holding your breath for awhile.

My album came home empty and accompanied by a giant pile of "stuff" - the exact "stuff" I hoped to avoid bringing home with me.

What happened? I think it really came down to packing my days of vacation WAY TOO full. By the time I got back to the hotel at night it was late; my belly was full, and I was exhausted. I just didn't leave time in my day to reflect and think and savor. I really wish I would have. I think this would have made me come home far more relaxed and helped me enjoy my travel time more, too.

My plan now is to develop some of my favorite pictures, organize the "stuff", and attach it all within the album. I'm not sure that I will actually scrapbook any pages of the trip. I'm thinking I can capture my thoughts and favorite memories in the little album (although it's not really that little - it uses 2 1/2" rings!).

I want to do this soon, but I will be glad to have this week of blog posts to rely on if I don't get to it right away.

Meanwhile, I am already scheming about what I want my Napa travel album to look like for July. Then, I will be more committed to actually filling my album.

I will keep you posted about how this little project ends up turning out.