Awesome Family Vacation Albums and Journaling!

Vacation Journal Prompts:
Who planned the details of your vacation?
What part of the vacation did you enjoy the most?
Where did you eat the best food?

It's best to keep to 6-8 photos per page so the page isn't too busy, but sometimes that's hard because you have so many great photos to choose from--especially vacation photos.  Here are more of my Family Vacation Layouts:

A Trip to Disney!

Reuse the Disney Park map and trace Mickey using an inexpensive light board (or a bright window).

A Trip to The Beach

A Trip to The Park

Here are two great layouts that can use a lot of your photos.  I have done the top layout for many different themes.  

designed by Lorene and Layne Kamalu

Create a 10 x 10 inch grid filled with 2.5 inch squares.  Crop photos to fill one or two squares.  Start placing photos on the scrapbook page in the upper left corner and continue to the right and down.  Included are some thought-provoking questions to help you better journal your pages.  The following is from an old Creative Memories Idea Book (no longer in circulation):

Creative Memories Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VI, p. 68

Use silver and gold metallic pens to write on dark card stock.  Use a tearing tool to create the "waves effect" in the bottom left photo.  For more journaling how-to's see my post Organizing and Journaling Photos.

Active Meditation for Serious Relaxation

There are many ways to "Meditate upon the Word."  "Our grandmas may have been on to something.  Experts agree that knitting is a great way to relax because it's a form of "active" meditation.  As someone who finds it hard to sit idly without something to keep my hands busy very interesting and a little validating.

I've enjoyed cross-stitch for years, but now it requires too much concentration and I find it tiring.  Even though I'm only a novice, my favorite form of active meditation is knitting.  I have found that I enjoy knitting very simple projects.  I encouraged my daughters when they were growing up to knit by purchasing child-friendly knitting kits.  They were able to accomplish many useful projects.

Bev's Journeyings Blog has been a wonderful source of information about knitting, etc., especially as service projects.  I highly recommend it!  One of the two projects I'm sharing here are knitted hangers.  I love this simple project that I learned to do in Merrie Miss.  Actually, my mom taught us MM girls to knit.  

This pattern includes an adorable sachet.  I've already knitted a couple of these for my closet.  It might be difficult to find the wooden hangers pictured, so mine are slightly different.  "With this project, old hangers will find new life.  Fill the sachet with dried flowers, aromatic herbs, potpourri, or cedar shavings."

Info:

Binding off--BO

Casting on--CO

Knit 2 together--k2tog

Yarn over--yo

Hanger cover:  Approximately 16 inches

Sachet: 2-3/4 x 2-3/4 inches

Gauge: 21 stitches, 11 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch

Materials:

Yarn: 60 yards worsted weight yarn for hanger cover (yarn A); 20 yards coordinating yarn for sachet (yarn B)  

Yarn shown: Paton Grace (100% cotton) #60903 lavender (yarn A), 1 ball and #60005 snow (yarn B), 1 ball

Needles: US size 5

Notions: Size F/5 crochet hook; tapestry needle; sewing needle and white sewing thread; 1/2 inch decorative button

Miscellaneous: Straight wooden hanger with metal hook

Making the Sachet: 
Holding 2 strands of yarn B together as 1, cast on 15 stitches.  Work in garter stitch (knit every row) for about 5 inches.

Next row (eyelet buttonhole): Knit 6, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 7.  Knit 5 more rows; bind off.  Fold piece in half, and weave sides together using mattress stitch.  Placing seam in middle of back, sew bottom together using mattress stitch.

Crochet Chain: Insert crochet hook into 1 side seam, just under top edge.  Using 2 strands of yarn B, work a crochet chain for 7 inches.  Cut yarn, leaving about 6 inch tail.  With threaded tapestry needle, attach chain to opposite side seam under the top edge and to the inside.  Weave yarn ends through several stitches on wrong side of work, and secure.  With sewing needle and thread, attach button in position on inside of sachet, opposite eyelet buttonhole.

Two Birds with One Swatch

For this project, you can use almost any medium-weight yarn.  Make the sachet first, and use this piece as your gauge swatch.  Measure how many stitches fit in 1 inch, and multiply that number by the  length of your hanger in inches.  That number is the total number of stitches to cast on for the hanger cover.

Making the Hanger Cover

Holding 2 strands of yarn A together as 1, cast on 80 stitches and work in garter stitch (knit every row) for 2-3/4 inches.  Bind off all stitches.  Cut yarn, leaving about 30 inch tail.

Find center of knit piece, and slip it over the metal hanger hook, taking care not to snag knitting.  Fold knit piece in half lengthwise over hanger.  Thread tapestry needle with yarn tail, and weave loose ends to wrong side to secure.  Pull yarn snugly to gather and tighten side edge and enclose it over hanger end.  Close other side in the same way.  Weave loose ends to wrong side and through a few stitches to secure.  Sew cast-on and bind-off edges together neatly.  Weave last remaining yarn tail to inside and secure.

Even though the following is found on Bev's blog, I felt that at some point they might not be and included them here as well.  The bandages are so easy once you get the hang of knitting with really small needles.  I have put several in my 72 hour emergency kit and first aid kit.  Keep this knitting nearby when you basically need something mindless to do with your hands (i.e. long car rides, waiting rooms, etc.)

Size:  approximately 3 inches by 4 inches wide and 4 feet long

Materials:  number 10 knit Cro-sheen, 100% mercerized cotton in white, cream or ecru.  (1 small ball 225 yards should make 1 knitted bandage)

Knitting needles:  US 2 = 2.75mm=UK size 12 or US 3 = 3.25mm=UK size 10

Do not use dyes/colors

When completed, roll bandages and secure with a large (2") safety pin.

Put in plastic bag, remove air, and seal.

Hand Knitted Bandage:  Use US size 2 knitting needles if you knit average or loosely or size 3 needles if you knit tightly.  Cast on 24 to 27 stitches so the bandage measures 3" - 4" across.  Knit every row until bandage is desired length of about 4 feet long, then bind off, leaving a 2-3 inch tail to weave in.  The edge looks neater if you slip the first stitch of each row instead of knitting it.  Secure tail by slipping thread through last stitch, tying a small knot, and weaving end back through stitches.

See Bev's Journeyings for more (crochet instructions).

Spirit Soothers
Scents that Soothe
Aromatherapy Bath Potpourri "Tea" Bags
Meditation Made Easy

Be Organized And Do Fast Pages

It really helps to go through your pages and plan them ahead. Sometimes I use sticky notes on my actual album pages to write notes to remind me what order, theme, idea I'm using from a publication, etc.  Then I put the stack of photos I'll be choosing from in a zip-lock baggy with those photo album pages.  I stack them just like they would be organized in the album, and then I place them in a photo box that's designed for photo album pages.  Everything's ready to go when I finally get a chance to settle down and start scrapping.  Also, it's so important to journal your album pages.  You might use a combination of the photojournaling suggestions, or stick to one, depending on your personality, available time, etc.  Digital cameras, the internet and computer have all revolutionized scrapbooking.  Now everything can be done by the click of a button.  This makes journaling a breeze!  

I used this information from Melinda Dye to get started back in 1995:

1. Collect all of your photos and memorabilia into one spot.  Look in old photo albums, drawers, hope chests, baby and wedding books and relative's homes.

2. Put photos in chronological order and/or events:  Weddings, baby books, high school years, special trips and growing-up phases.  Sort your photos by putting them in stacks that resemble years, then sort into months, seasons, events or outings.  Use envelopes from the developer, rubber bands and Ziploc bags to keep photos and memorabilia in order.  Slip in the memorabilia (cards, brochures, ticket stubs, etc.) where it belongs, or it will be forgotten.

3. Next, collect cropping tools (templates, trimmer, scissors, pen, etc.) into one place.  Crop all of the photos for several pages or for one time period, but keep them in order (this may seem risky but this is the key to doing it fast).  Lay out the photos by month or event.  Next, see if you want to do something special with them and how many pages you want to devote to the theme.

4. Collect supplies and tools into one spot (I set up a card table in  my living room where the kids play; they can see me, but don't need my full attention).  Sometimes it is helpful to put tools in a basket or large bowl for easy access.  You can separate colored paper in an accordion file folder and stickers can be divided by themes in Ziplock bags.  The key to getting lots done quickly is having easy access to photos and supplies.

5. Take every free minute during the day to work.  Get up early and stay up  late when there are fewer interruptions.  At the end of the work period, re-organize the work space and drape your table with a sheet to protect your photos.  Another time-saver option:  Complete every aspect of the page before moving to the next page (I write all captions, dates,  names, etc., before I do stickers).

6. Just like exercise, we have to set time aside to work on our albums.  Schedule album time into your  monthly calendar.  Attend workshops, schedule one full Saturday a month, work a few hours every Sunday afternoon or set up a work party with friends.  Set a goal to complete cute, simple and fast pages that have great memories preserved and enjoy your completed albums!  

Don't forget--working on your photo album is not a matter of time, it's a matter of commitment!

("Do It and Stick to It, Be Organized And Do Fast Pages," by Melinda Dye, Creative Memories)