Scrappy Girl Around the World

Today I'm going to talk about some research and planning that I've been doing.  My next European trip happens in October; I am visiting Amsterdam and then it's on to Ireland.  While most of the bigger things have been set for a while (plane tickets, hotels, current passport, etc.), the smaller bits and pieces are slowly getting done.  Here is an example of things that I recently researched for my time in Amsterdam. Centraal Station How long does it take to get from the airport to Centraal Station ?  I chose a long layover (about 10 hours, which means only 7-8 hours of free time) in Amsterdam so that I'd have some time to explore the city before I head over to Ireland.  With only that time to work with, I wanted to be sure that I went about my sight-seeing in an efficient manner.  I can't really afford to get lost, but I still want to get a good taste of the city's architecture, culture, and overall vibe.  I usually use whatever tools are easily available

Here is an update on my progress with the 100 Days Project.  So far, it has been fairly easy to keep up with doing something crafty every day.  I know some things will change once school gets going again for my kids, but I am committed to meeting my goal. 19)  My scrap space needed a good cleaning!  I was hosting 4 of my scrappy friends the next day, so I really had no choice but to straighten up everything and get as organized as possible.  I also had to figure out how to get 2 card tables and 1 larger table (that seats 2) into my family room in a configuration that would allow us all to be able to talk to each other easily, as well as see/hear the tv if we wanted to watch videos/episodes/movies in the background. My somewhat organized craft table 20)  I hosted my scrappy friends from 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.  We had a blast just relaxing and crafting.  I didn't get as much done as I thought I would, but it's an okay thing because I really had a great time just being

One of the biggest issues related to taking a trip is how to pack appropriately.  Over the years, I've really pared down what I bring, and I want to share some tricks and ideas with you.  Packing for a weekend trip is much different than needing to bring enough for 6, 7, + days, so be sure you're smart about what you choose. 1.  Use space saver bags!  These are very easy to find.  I bought my first set from the  Container Store , but similar styles can also be found at  Walmart .  I will say that the ones I purchased from the Constainer Store have held up better, but they have all served their purpose well.  If you end up buying the ones from Walmart, be sure not to overfill the bag or they will rip, which then makes them useless.  I love these space saver bags because you don't need to vacuum out the air; the bags work via compression.  You fill the bags to the line indicated and then seal it, then roll and press down on the bag to remove the air.  When I fill the la

13)  I worked on a layout from a trip to Universal in Florida last year.  I had really looked forward to working on the photos of our hotel, as it had a very retro style.  I found several papers and embellishments that had a similar style, so busting those out was very fun! 14)  I came home from a weekend away to find a new set-up on my craft desk.  It includes an adjustable lamp arm and a special clamp that holds my iPad for recording videos straight down at my desk.  I tried it out pretty much right away; I'm pleased to say that I think it'll work well for me. 15)  I posted a video on my YouTube channel.  It was a flip-thru of my Seattle trip album from earlier this year.  I did that album as a 6x8 pocket page album; I didn't want to do a full 12x12 album since I had been to Seattle before and did/saw a lot of the same things.  In any case, the video equipment worked just the way I wanted it to, so I was pleased! 16)  I didn't do anything of my own in terms of

I've recently been working on some layouts from a trip I took to Des Moines, Iowa in the summer of  2016.  I went with a friend for a long weekend, just to get away for a bit and explore a different city.  We packed a lot in during our time, so it will take quite a few layouts to get through all of the photos.  I had done a few pages here and there, but I figured that making some process videos would, in a way, force me to work on them more.  With that said, here is my very first process video on my YouTube channel!

Today I'm talking more about the 100 days project.  I'm reviewing days 6-12 in this post; keep in mind that my overall goal was pretty vague: do something scrappy or scrap-related every day.  Given that personal challenge, here is a quick recap. 6.  I wrote a post for this very blog. Pretty simple! 7.  I accomplished two things this day!  The blog post I wrote the day before was edited and  published successfully.  Additionally, I did more research on getting a better set up for recording videos on my YouTube channel. 8.  I used my new Luna Lovegood stamp to do make this 5x7 item that will be framed in my craft space. 9.  I completed the first lesson in Tiffany Lowder's "1 Trip, 3 Ways" scrapbooking class.  It focuses on scrapping a trip in three different formats, which allows different methods for telling different kinds of stories.  Woo hoo! 10.  I spent a good deal of time prepping travel pages to bring to the crop I was attending over the weekend

I've been working on more layouts for the 2016 Ireland album (my husband's trip).  I wanted to show a visual record for this one, as I changed my mind off and on about certain elements during the process of putting it all together.  The photo below shows what I started with for this page.  It was pretty much just the background cardstock, a branding strip I had from a piece of patterned paper, and a map my husband saved that specifically showed the Ring of Kerry. As you can see in the next photo, I switched the map to the left side.  I'm not sure why, but the curve at the bottom just didn't look right on the other side.  Once I had it placed along the left side, I wanted to add some washi to both sides, to bring in some other colors.  I thought some contrast was needed, given the intense green in the map.  I also added the compass bit at the top, which came from the same map.  I put some red rhinestones in a visual triangle, to bring out the red markers on the map

Have you heard of the 100 Days Project?  If not, you should look into it.  Basically, it means that you commit to doing something for 100 days in a row.  That something can be whatever you want!  Right now, it is quite popular in the crafty world; I follow several Facebook crafty groups that have people participating in it (we started August 1st).  I didn't do it on the last go-round because I wasn't sure I could stick with it, but I decided to take the plunge this time.  I purposely kept my goal vague: Just do something crafty related every day for the 100 days.  As I write this, I've made it through 5 days.  Here's my list of what I've done: 1.  Made the first pocket page for the 2016 Ireland travel album (this was a trip my husband took): 2.  I made a map page for the Ring of Kerry, which will go in the same travel album: 3.  I participated in an online live scrap group via Skype!  This was the first time I've ever done that (I've done it bef

Today on my blog and YouTube channel, I'm reviewing the "I Ate This" traveler's notebook kit from Kelly Purkey.  She released it on July 28, and it has already arrived to me!  (I also bought her TN kit from last month and reviewed it on my channel.)  I've been getting more and more into traveler's notebooks.  I think it is because it offers a challenge for me to try a new size/style of scrapping, and it also has the benefit of taking up far less space than a traditional 12x12 album!  This is appealing to me, as I am quickly running out of space to store my projects. In terms of this particular kit, there are several things included that have been the same in both June and July:  small stamp set, one set of alphabet stickers, one set of misc glossy stickers, and 12-15 pieces of pre-cut cardstock that is double-sided.  There is no TN insert included in this kit.  If I could change one thing, that would be it!  The June kit also included 3 little owl clips; I d

Today I'm doing Part 2 of info related to finding good flights when planning a trip.  Granted, most of my experience is with domestic US travel and flights to/within Europe.  So, keep that in mind as you read through this info.  First, if you didn't read the previous flights post, you should do that.  Then read on here... 4.  Have some tech knowledge :  When you search for flights through a site, it tracks what you're looking at for destinations, times, and prices.  You may notice that if you continually search for the same flights on your laptop (watching for price drops), for instance, that prices frequently go up, not down.  This is because your searches, behind the scenes, are being tracked and classified as increased personal demand.  So, if you want to search multiple times within a few days, vary your methods.  If you first look on your laptop, consider searching on your iPad next time.  Or your phone.  Also, you can use different browsers; instead of using Saf