vacation week | a look back

November 4, 2011 By 4 Comments

We’re almost to the end of vacation scrapbooking week… but a few things still left to share! Remember to visit www.scrappyjedi.com and see what Melissa has posted too – she’s been focused on her vacation scrapbooking and posting some awesome stuff…

I have scrapbooked a LOT of Disney in my time, and I see a lot more in my future. I adore my Disney layouts – from the awesome fashion choices J and I made when we were dating to the more recent years and seeing how much our girls have grown between visits. Today I want to re-visit some of those layouts and share some that are still favorite layouts.

We have to start with  Adventure land. (layout circa 2004)

I tea dyed the material under the title. Hand set all those title eyelets. Used walnut ink on handmade paper that I’d printed my journaling out on and hand tore it too.

This page took about a WEEK of daily work, lots of thinking, and decisions to make. It’s still one of my favorites because I love that I was trying new things, that the focus manages to still be on a good story + photo (RARE in those days of my scrapbooking!) and while not my “best” by any stretch at the time it was.

On the flip side, made around the same time let’s talk about one that didn’t work…

I was beading and wiring up a storm, using a QuicKutz to make my fancy title…. and what’s the point? I didn’t successfully tie in any of the elements though to this day I do LOVE a green + brown + copper color scheme!

There is no story here when there could have been, my title is floating around and taking over, and while I still love the beaded elements on the photo (anybody remember those doodlebug charms? (brown mountain) LOVED those!) – this page isn’t complete, it doesn’t add anything to the album or my vacation story and it could have.

Ah but here’s one that does add to the album! (circa 2007)  The look of this page i was going for was as if my memorabilia and photos had been scattered across the surface. Seemingly random – and yet not. Post card, collected bits from our vacation, a photo with fancy frame – it’s all good and oh how I love it. It will be a favorite for many years to come.

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Filed Under: Disney, vacation crafting

Vacation Scrapbook | The making of a page

November 2, 2011 By 4 Comments

Sometimes a plan changes. Today I went from wanting to scrapbook a princess page to Mickey Mouse, and then completeley changed my paper choices too. The biggest surprise for me was how absolutely PERFECT the new Jenni Bowlin paper was with my core’dinations dotted cardstock (personal FAVORITE!) for a Mickey Mouse page.

remember – it’s not always the “theme” stuff that is the best when it comes to vacation pages!

Here’s the video/behind the scenes look:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nm1l5EaT4M]

Finished layout:

Supplies:

See all my vacation posts from this week here: http://mayflaum.com/category/vacation-crafting/ and be sure to visit www.scrappyjedi.com to see all the awesome content Melissa has been posting. She’s got mad mini book skills – and I love seeing so much insight into how she scraps vacations!

Filed Under: vacation crafting

Vacation scrapbook week | size matters

November 1, 2011 By 2 Comments

Single page vs double page? Mini book vs a few layouts vs a whole album?

How is a scrapbooker to decide?

My answer is simple: envision your final project. What format is going to work best for you?

>  If you have less than 50 photos, and want a dedicated album a mini book might be the way to go.

> For a short trip with just a few stories/photos for the scrapbook perhaps just a few layouts in your regular album

> Do you not scrapbook often? Or just an exclusive event/vacation scrapbooker?  Then a mini book or other dedicated album would be my choice.

If you decide to scrapbook full layouts, how to decide single vs double page?

The number of photos to be included will have to be a factor, as will the length of story. Also any embellishing ideas or ephemera you wish to include should be considered. Aside from single or double page, you can also consider including a divided page protector with just photos included in the album.

Figuring out your format, as well as your game plan for your trip as a whole and each story/set of photos in particular will set you free. I have found over the years that having a plan, knowing my end game truly makes things easier to navigate as I figure out specific stories to tell.

 

I have been swamped with craziness today – so my new Disney World layout is not yet done to share. Soon though. If you have specific questions about Vacation scrapbooking in particular please DO leave me comments here – I will do a FAQ type post at the end of the week. In the meantime – I wanted to take this chance to link up to a few past posts that share layouts + how-to with travel/vacation pages:

Disney Princess layout: http://mayflaum.com/2011/01/05/vacation-layouts-bright-characters/

LOT of really old vacation layouts: http://mayflaum.com/2010/03/08/creative-journey-pre-industry/ 

disney LO w/ephemera: http://mayflaum.com/2009/07/03/vacation-fun/ 

I also wanted to mention that if you’re looking for some examples of how-to incorporate memorabilia into your travel layouts, you can check out my “Vacation Memorabilia” Project-Now class at Big Picture.

Finally – don’t forget that Melissa is posting vacation AWESOMENESS all week as well! Check her out: http://www.scrappyjedi.com/

Filed Under: vacation crafting

Vacation Scrapbooking week | Themed

November 1, 2011 By 2 Comments

I recall when there was a themed paper for every state and many countries. When a cruise layout meant using a paper with boats and bon voyage on it every time. It was a time of excess and over the top “themed-ness” and I’m glad we have moved past it.

So when is themed product a good match, and when is it best to go without? One of the lessons I’ve learned over the years is to watch out for theme-a-ria or sticker sneeze!!! The over-use of themed products can take over a page, take away from your story, and it can get expensive too!

Sometimes, more is not better!

Picture this: You have beautiful photos of your family in front of a cruise ship, a sandy beach in the distance, palm trees swaying over on the side… do you really need the cruise ship stickers and bold themed papers? Or would a more subtle patterned paper, perhaps some stickers with a travel label or stamp type image would add to, but not overwhelm these pictures.

So how do you know when to use themed product and when to go without? Today I will share my thoughts.

Above you see an older layout of mine with some themed stickers. I made sure to ground them and use in conjunction with other, softer elements so that they blend into the page rather than take it over.

My personal rules for vacation theme product:

1. When building your layout, take a close look at your photos and consider your story. Are your photos so strong that they need no additional theming? Or would adding in (for example) palm trees to enhance the photos of your time on a tropical island? Am I enhancing my story

2. How will the themed product fit in? Is there room for it, or am I cramming something too large in? Does it fit?

3. Is this product the right color/mood/style for my project? Is it too cute? Too muted? Too bright? Can I alter it and make it work, or do I need to look elsewhere?

4. Try to hold off buying products themed for a specific vacation until after. While hard, most often those pre-purchased items end up gathering dust. I still have stickers I purchased for a Disneyland trip in 2007….

Pictured above: Goofy and his pirate scene were more than enough theme for me mateys! No themed product used in the making of the above layout.

My biggest rule, is that I let the photos + story make the rules. Sometimes my photos benefit from more big and bold items being added – other times a more mellow approach is the clear choice. Just like any subject – the vacation themed scrapbook page is always subject to change!

Be sure to visit Melissa Stinson for more Vacation blogging – it was her idea to do a whole week of vacation scrapbook themed posts! http://www.scrappyjedi.com/

Filed Under: vacation crafting

WDW album: stage 2

December 19, 2010 By 14 Comments

The photos are edited, uploaded to sites, and ordered. Now comes step #2: Organizing/preparing to scrapbook them! I will confess I rarely do a “full album” in my scrapbooking. I just tend to take moments and layouts as they come, and I don’t usually have a vacation or event big enough to fill a whole book.

A week in Disney World though, certainly has enough photos & memories to get it’s own book!!

So it begins. How will I stay organized? What will I do with the 300+ photos I printed? When am I going to find time for this? Well it’s pretty easy, actually. I bought (pre-trip) an American Crafts D-ring binder album + divided page protectors. I’m putting the photos in (sometimes 2 or 3 to a single slot) based on how I envision they’d be scrapbooked. In other words, all the Princess Lunch photos are all together. The meeting Mickey pictures are on same page. Magic Kingdom castle shots? Same page… you get the picture. I’m NOT concerned with “the order” outside of keeping pictures likely to be scrapped together, near each other.

So when I want to scrapbook something, I do NOT have to go in order. I can go in and pull the photos I want. In the meantime, the rest stay nice and organized AND in a way my family can see them if they would like. There’s no rush or pressure – I can go at my own pace.

If I end up with photos I like/want to keep in album but don’t want to scrap? EASY! Just leave them in the page protector in the album. I *LOVE* divided page protectors and how they + D ring album = scrapbook heaven. What happens to the page protectors I empty out? Well that’s easy! I save them for the next time I want to organize some photos/have them saved in this method.

For now I’ve got a rapidly filling album, and they joy of no pressure. Also the pure bliss of knowing that these photos are organized… even if the rest of my studio is a mess.

I should probably do something about this place… oh well.

Happy Crafting.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, vacation crafting

The big event photos: part 1

December 13, 2010 By 4 Comments

The holiday gathering is perhaps one of the WORST for me as far as remembering to take photos. Simply put, I don’t. There are a few rules I generally try to remember, and these can be applied to holiday, vacation, or any other special event:

1. First off, you need to TAKE photos!! Have you ever said “Geez, I hate that I have so many great photos to choose from. I wish I’d taken less!” after a vacation or event? I never have! Snap away. Thanks to digital cameras, it doesn’t cost you anything to take lots of pics…

2. What do you enjoy? Do you like candids? group posed shots? detail pictures? A little of everything? Know what you like to have (after), and keep that in mind as you click away…

3. If you think of it, take the picture!!! Do NOT wait for “later”. It won’t come. It’s never going to be the perfect time. Get shots early on!!

4. Know thy camera. I don’t know squat about all the manual settings… but I DO know basics of when to (and not to) use flash, and I do my best to maximize my photos potential. If you are comfortable with your camera, you’ll be more likely to get better photos. Also: don’t forget to zoom (in & out), get both landscape and portrait,

5. Don’t be a wallflower, get in some shots!! For me this is more a “remember to pass the camera” more than a being shy thing. But you’re more than the person behind the camera, you’re a part of this special event too!!!

6. Keep the stories in mind. Take photos of details (signs, food, etc.) that will help you remember the stories you want to tell. You may not use these or even print them – but they can help you recall details better when you are ready to scrapbook or journal your event(s).

7. BURSTS! It’s my style, it’s served me well. I take 5, 10, maybe 30 pictures in a brief period of time then drop camera. enjoy. pick it back up much later for another burst of pictures. I tend to annoy people less + have more time to enjoy since I’m not constantly taking pictures.

Once you’re back home, a whole ‘nother challenge presents itself: organizing, editing, and printing!! I will be sharing both tips & my personal process with you over the next few days as I go through my own Disney World pictures…

Filed Under: Uncategorized, vacation crafting

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