We collected our puppy on Sunday. We’ve called him Barney. Here’s a couple of cute photos:
He is very cute! But we’re beginning to see his feisty character! He is very playful, but wants to bite us and our clothes all the time. We’re getting good at distracting him.
I’ve spent time over the last few weeks since we got back from our Australia and New Zealand trip scrapbooking another epic trip from 2013: California and Oregon Road Trip in the USA. I used mainly Project Life pages, using the Kraft edition of PL cards. I added in a few 12 x 12 pages, mainly because I had several portrait photos which didn’t fit in my PL pages. Do you find the photo orientation to be a problem with the PL system? I also used 2 collections of 12 x 12 paper pads, one called ‘Recollections’ by Michaels, and Studio Calico’s ‘Atlantic’, both purchased from TK Maxx locally.
I printed far too many photos, and started off using them all! Eventually, I realised that I could cut some down or not include some of them. I still have a very full album, and to be honest, it is a bit too big to show to anyone! I am sure they will get bored quickly! It’s a lesson I will learn for when I scrapbook the Australia/New Zealand trip. I did do a small album of a few choice photos as soon as we got back, which I showed to lots of friends, like a brag book!
My process is first to put the photos into the album in more or less chronological order, then sort out which ones I will put on 12 x 12 pages. Once I have that sorted, I go through adding cards and journaling. I scrapbooked the 12 x 12 pages as I went along. Finally, I sorted out all my stickers, stamps, and cut apart pages for embellishing.
I haven’t actually done a title page yet because I want to print off a 7x5 photo of the Harley-Davidson bike we hired. I’ve included an itinerary on the first page. Last time at my crop we had ‘calendar page’ as our challenge, and this just fitted the bill! I made quite a detailed diary of the trip, so there is lots of journaling throughout the album.
Pictures taken at Santa Cruz, where we spent our first night. How we loved the sealions! Here’s one page where I have included a portrait photo on it’s side! The sealion sticker is an old one I found in my stash!
Motoring south along the Pacific Coast Highway. Another portrait photo on it’s side, but I did manage to include most portrait photos on a 12 x 12 page like this one.
Then we rode inland and spent a couple of nights in Yosemite National Park. The wing symbol card comes from the Recollection paper pad.
And then north to Lake Tahoe. Lovely scenery! I used sketches for most of my pages by searching ‘scrapbook sketches’ on Pinterest. Sorry I didn’t keep a record of which ones they were.
Up into Oregon and back down the Pacific Coast Highway. The weather was rough and grey at first, but only served to make the coast more dramatic! This page of the Yaquina Lighthouse uses the Atlantic papers (even though it is the Pacific Ocean!)
We stayed in a lot of cute B and B’s including this in Eureka, California. It’s called Abigails Elegant Victorian Mansion and is decorated, furnished and styled in high Victoriana! We thought it was completely eccentric! It was like stepping into a Disney movie set!
It wasn’t all plain sailing with the bike! We had a problem with the gear lever and had to tie it up with my boot lace!
Back down into California near San Francisco, we found the Earthquake trail at Point Reyes Station fascinating. I included quite a few ‘California’ stickers I purchased especially for the album.
Just occasionally I had enough portrait photos to do pages like this one on the right hand side. Here is the interior of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco which had a spectacular art installation of these long, long ribbons hanging from the ceiling on which the congregation had written prayers.
It was a wonderful trip, and I so enjoyed revisiting it all through the making of this scrapbook! I hope you have enjoyed a little peek into my album and process.
You will all know that I have rekindled my love of dressmaking in the past year or so. I have loved reading the sewing blogs and have discovered a whole world of independent pattern designers, sewing tips and tutorials and pattern hacks.
I found that there is quite an interest in vintage patterns. See Marie of ‘A Stitching Odyssey’ and Kerry of ‘Kestrel Makes’ Vintage Pattern Pledge. I began to search in local charity shops and on eBay, and have amassed quite a collection in a very short time. I adore the vintage illustrations, they are so cute! The glamour of the 1960s is my favourite at the moment, although I love a good 1970s sundress, or a 1980s ‘Lady Di’ haircut! It’s fun to see the sort of patterns I might have made in the 1970s and 1980s!
So to my new adventure - I have opened an Etsy shop selling vintage patterns and vintage sewing notions and haberdashery. I love the cards of buttons, and the old wooden cotton reels! And the little cards of press studs and hooks and eyes! I am hoping that other people will share my love of vintage sewing notions. Please do pop over to Etsy and have a look. I would love to know what you think.
