This is the second article in a multi-part series on how to prepare for and document those quick trips away from home. Road Trips, Long Weekends, Festivals, even Stay-cations can get scrapped in record time with lots of detail and fun. This topic will cover taking your kit on the road, carving out time to be creative, and how to make the most of your time. The first article in this series covered making a kit to take with you and later on we'll cover finishing up your book at home.
Packing Your Kit
In the previous article, I discussed the essential products & tools to bring with you on your trip. You can pack those supplies in whatever container will be easiest for you. For this trip, I split my supplies into two containers: a zippered pencil case for tools & a plastic 8.5x11 envelope for my book and random embellishments. If that doesn't work for you, here are a couple more suggestions:
- Plastic Container with snap lid
- Small scrapbook tote
- A Canvas bag with ziplock baggies
If you're using plastic or fabric to hold your supplies, be careful of the sharp edges on scissors. Holes in bags are not the best way to start a vacation. Try wrapping the tip in a little bit of fabric, bringing capped scissors, or just putting your sharps in a plastic container.
Carving Out Creative Time
There are several ways to get in some creative time while away from home. The key to being creative on the road is knowing what you can get done in the time and space that you have. Making the most of your creative time while away from home is important. For simplicity's sake, we're going to break down this creative process into three categories.
- Photos
- Journaling
- Decorating
Any work you are able to do in any of these categories is major work done on your project. So look at each of these as little buckets to fill up, and any drops of work that you finish gets you that much closer to the top. Let's look at each of these categories in more detail.
Photos
- Taking Photos:
- Instax/Polaroid Camera
- iPhone/Cell Phone snapshots
- dSLR/handheld camera (although I probably wouldn't print these pictures on the road)
- Editing Photos:
- Camera+ iPhone app is my go to editing app.
- Instagram photos are ready to print as well
- Printing Photos: Getting photos while you're away from home.
- Portable Printer
- Upload & Print at a local store. I upload my photos directly from my iPhone to the Walgreens photo app, and find the closest store and pick up my one-hour photos.
- If you don't have access to these, use post-it notes as placeholders in your book until you can print your photos.
Journaling
- Remembering the Little Moments: Catch the details while they are happening.
- Use a notebook to jot down your thoughts
- Use your phone/facebook/twitter
- The Momento phone app: diary ‘on the go’, capturing moments whenever you find the time
- Labels & Journaling Cards: these can go right in your book
Decorating
- Get the photos & journaling in: Chronologically usually works best for me
- Make your book/product work for you: Don't be constrained by your products, some of my favorite projects of all time started out by creatively changing around a product.
- Embellish & Decorate: Once you have the pics & journaling in the book; start making it fun and pretty with the embellishments you brought. Don't worry about finishing anything, just have a good time decorating -- you are on vacation after all!
Remember to add memorabilia to your book as well!
Next time we'll talk about bringing your book home and adding the finishing touches. Re-Read Part One: Packing Your Kit & Remember you can pick up awesome journaling cards, perfect for your next mini-book, project life, or scrapbook page in my brand new shop!
