Scrappy Girl Around the World

Tonight is New Year's Eve, and I have to say that I'm happy to see 2017 go.  There were some very good things that happened (including a great trip overseas), but there was also a lot of stress surrounding my jobs.  I am hoping that changes in 2018; I know that part of it rests on me in that I have to say "no" more than I have in the past year. Going into 2018, I'm looking forward to another big trip to Europe, which will likely include Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.  I'll be traveling with a friend, and while we may do many activities together, I'm sure there will also be times when I'm on my own, which suits me just fine.  I'm still very much in the process of doing a bunch of research on different airports and locations, but I'm excited to take this next journey. I spent most of my day scrapping today; I spent some great time with a friend who is also a scrapper.  I usually find scrapping with a friend relaxing, so it w

I finally have a day off today, so I'm using part of it to gather more things (!) for my NYC album.  I found some more digital kits/files that had fun and interesting elements, so I spent a little money to add them to my collection.  I purchased this and this and this (this last one was actually a freebie).  I don't know that I'll end up using them all with my current photos, but I do plan to go back to NYC in early 2019, so I may be able to use them then. Something I've been noticing while searching for items is that it is much harder to find 4x6 cards that I like.  The 3x4 cards are much easier to find and seem far more popular.  I do use a lot of pages in 6x8 size that feature 3x4 pockets, but I also use quite a few that have 4x6 pockets; I'd love to see more modern designs for the larger size.

I've only been back from my trip to New York for a little over two weeks, but I am so inspired by my photos that I wanted to start designing my album.  When it comes to planning out how my album will come together, I tend to be very Type A.  I like knowing that that the pages are going to match up in a way that I'm happy with, and I also like knowing how many page protectors it's going to take to finish the job.  With that in mind, here is how I spent some of my time today. Since I'm doing a 6"x8" pocket page album, I do have to put a lot of thought into what will be on each side of the layout because it has to work for what will be on the other side.  This is often the biggest challenge with using pocket pages.  However, I like the challenge it gives me; I find it a more enjoyable process than just doing a standard 12"x12", at least for right now.  I also find pocket pages to be a much faster way of scrapbooking in general, so it means that

I've been back from New York for less than 2 weeks, but I'm already dreaming of another getaway.  For those of us with wanderlust, this is just how things are.  Besides being addicted to travel, I also have a passion for art, and the Impressionists specifically.  When I heard a few months ago that a major Degas exhibit was coming to the United States, I was extremely excited!  However, there's only one problem: the exhibit is only coming to Denver.  I knew immediately that I'd regret it if I don't go, so I put it on my watchlist for flights.  It's an advantage for me that I grew up in Colorado, and I go to Denver frequently for both work and to see friends; I know my way around Denver pretty well.  The issues for me with seeing this exhibit were time and money, as there is other travel I want to do in 2018. I set up some alerts, as I always do (I mentioned this in a previous blog post), and waited to see what would come up in the next few weeks or months.

I am back from NYC and so inspired to get my photos into an album!  I know I won't be able to get to the actual scrapping for it anytime soon, but that doesn't mean that I didn't do some prep work for it.  One of the things I like to do when I get back from a trip is to pull everything together that I think I will use.  This helps me to keep all of my memorabilia together and organized; when I'm ready to work on those photos, I'll be able to grab everything I need all at once, which is awesome. Here's a video I posted about how I choose my items to match my photos, as well as how I organize my receipts, brochures, and any other random items that I pick up during a trip.  As I work through my actual layouts later, I will take photos and post about my experiences while I was actually in NYC.

Today I posted a process video that highlights more photos from Glasgow.  These particular photos are from St. Enoch Shopping Centre and some miscellaneous things we saw in between stops on the hop-on-hop-off bus.  The day before, we'd had beautiful sunny weather in Edinburgh, but on this day, even though it was 50+, it was cloudy with a breeze.  When the wind wasn't blowing, I was perfectly fine, but if a strong breeze came by, I got a chill right down my neck.  I decided that I should buy a scarf, so we hopped off the bus at St. Enoch's for some quick shopping. I was able to find a scarf that I liked (it turns out its the warmest scarf I've ever owned), and so on we went.  However, before got back on the bus, I had a chance to grab a photo of the outside of the complex.  It has a rather interesting shape, as from the outside, it looks a bit like a pyramid.  I also made sure to put my receipt (and the tag attached to the scarf) in a safe place, as I knew I'd want