Welcome to the start of Camp Scrap week #2! For more details about what this blog event is all about click here. Note – affiliate links are used in this post. Thank you in advance should you choose to use them – they help support this blog and events like Camp Scrap!
Today I’m inspired by some new Lawn Fawn products including their new vacation planning stamps which they’ve generously donated for a give-away today. What I love about this stamp set is how many ways I can already see for utilizing them.
I see using them in my calendar (planner), but I also see using them in mini-books, in my scrapbook, on pocket pages, and even on a card. For today I wanted to create a tiny “planner” of sorts for next year’s Hawaii trip. Like any project my process went like this:
- How much information do I have?
- How much space will I need?
- Is this a long term/permanent project or short term/disposable project?
Small since this will be a stay at a time share and relaxing beach trip, short term it isn’t a forever heirloom project – but possibly utilize parts in a bigger/post trip project. Knowing this I got out some manila tags and got to work. Here is a link to my YouTube video sharing how I’m putting this book together.
I am so happy with how this turned out – and I’ve already filled in the details I have as well as made myself notes for things I need to arrange/set up down the road.
Lawn Fawn planner stamps, Lawn Fawn aloha and palm tree dies are the stars of today’s post. I also used archival ink in black (a must!), colored my dies with some favorite Lawn Fawn ink colors including guava and jalapeno. All of those links lead to EllenHutson.com – a site that always has the Lawn Fawn goodies I need and wraps everything so beautifully! You can also find them at all the best shops (my LSS carries them now -yay!) including other online shops like scrapbook.com – here’s a link to them for the planner stamps.
In my experience planning for a good vacation is best done in small amounts of time, as far in advance as you know the trip will happen. I personally use trip planning as a reward – I love it! Having a cute spot to record details and “don’t forget…” helps too. So often we’ll see a good place to eat or visit on TV or talking with a friend and we’d forget if not for some kind of planner.
Not into vacations or planning? Today’s project could also inspire you to create a mini book! Notice how I used various bits of paper, die cuts, even a few letter stickers in addition to black ink and the stamps. This could be a “tag book” with photos and journaling instead of a mini trip planner.
When it comes to trip planning – honestly I have almost as much fun with this part as I do being on the trip. Researching hotels, finding delicious food, getting great seats to a sold out show… it’s the most fun kind of planning edging out planning a vacation scrapbook after ever so slightly. You know I think I could be happy just planning, taking, and scrapbooking travels if only that was a full time job!
Here are 3 tips for happy travels:
- Start EASY. Sure you’ll land at noon, but if you won’t be at the hotel until 2-3pm at best… maybe don’t cram in an afternoon tour and feel stressed out on arrival “will we make it?!” far better to relax with the plans and “wait and see” what time you actually are ready to rock.
- Have a plan B and C. Sometimes someone gets sick, there is a thunder storm, or you just don’t feel like eating at the place you’d planned. Know and have some backup options! From Disney World to NYC I can’t tell you how many times my “backups” saved the sanity and meltdowns of someone in my family. Oh the stories I could tell you… perhaps I’ll start a “plan B” vacation scrapbook album.
- Enjoy whatever you do. It won’t ever be perfect whether you’ve got a hotel room that has a ‘charming’ whirring sound of the elevator motors or someone gets sick and has to lay low… the trip doesn’t have to be a bust. Find the fun, enjoy the travel time and adventure – and don’t forget to scrapbook it when you return!
Give-away time! Lawn Fawn sent me two of these planner stamp sets. What’s a crafter to do? SHARE of course!! I’ll be including some manila tags and a few surprise goodies that I think are just perfect for vacation planning along with this stamp set. How to win it? For your chance to win leave a comment here and a winner will be drawn at random and announced on the July 16th round-up post.
