Quote Journal

I've been having a lot of fun this week making journals and books. I come across good quotes all the time and generally write them on post-it notes and stick them around the house. So, to get rid of some of the visual clutter, I decided to make this little quote book to collect them in one place.

The covers are thick chipboard covered with botanical drawings and dictionary pages. The inside pages are library cards that I found at a teaching supply store. It's simply held together with a metal ring. It was a very quick and easy project,


In my life outside stamping, one of the blogs I read religiously (no pun intended) is called Tiny Buddah. And when I read this post entitled "Creative Types: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others", I thought it might resonate with my readers too. Let me know what you think!

Have a fabulous and creative weekend,

Ali

Card for Claire

Hi folks,

we got back from vacation this week and I've been frantically cleaning my studio. I came back and saw it with fresh eyes, and I didn't like what I saw. It was a total mess. I took some before and after pictures, which I'll post next week.

When it was all done, I was finally able to make a few projects. Today's share is a card for my friend Claire, who moved back to the UK from the US a couple of years ago. I haven't seen her for ages, but we'll be able to get together finally this summer - yeah!

I used the 411 sketch this week, but missed the upload deadline :(. The set is a retired SU one called Essence of Love - it's one of my go-to sets.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Ali

Travel Journal

We're still traveling in England, but before we left I made a travel album to record what we did and collect some of the bits & pieces we pick up on the way. The album is from 7 Gypsies and is made up of 10 very thick chipboard pages measuring 5" x 7.5". The patterned paper is a 6"x6" package from Memory Box called Valise.


I love the concept of prepping a journal or scrapbook before a trip for several reasons.

Firstly, I NEVER scrapbook after trips, even though I have the best of intentions. I'm good about printing photos, but I've never been a big 12x12 scrapper. So, these mini albums work great for me. (I should share some others I've created in the past).

Secondly, they're fun to use when you're on the trip. At the end of each day, it's good to spend a few minutes reflecting on what you've done and collating all the memorabilia. We all miss our studios/craft rooms when we're away from home, so it's fun to still be able to play around with paper and glue!

Finally, the preparation for any event - a holiday, vacation or other special occasion is part of the experience. Creating these journals ahead of time just adds to the excitement and sense of anticipation about the upcoming trip.

Here are the inside pages. I've included some binder clips to attach memorabilia.

I'm bringing with me some journaling tags to attach to pages as I go.

I'm also bringing with me some journaling cards to fill in each day.

I attached some clear envelopes to include 4" x 6" photos.

On the final page, I included an envelope for stray bits and pieces.

I'll post the finished album when I get back.....

Happy stamping,

Ali