Scrappy Girl Around the World

I'm back on the blog today to give you a look at my latest NYC layout.  My whole NYC album uses 6"x8" pocket pages (plus some smaller inserts), and this particular layout is a one-pager.  It features two photos from the taking the subway, specifically the uptown E train.  I used a cool card I received in an older kit from Studio Calico (the one with the colorful numbers).  I thought it worked well with how the numbers and letters of train are listed on the overhead boards on the subway platforms. For the upper left pocket, I used a basic journaling card I had with a grid pattern.  I chose it because it was red at the top and had a space for the date.  I also chose to add a phrase/word label I had that had the word "train" on it; it seemed like a perfect fit.  The only other embellishments I added were a small enamel dot and a circular die-cut with the word "Adventure" on it in a fun font. If you'd like to see how it all came together, you c...

I've been doing more planning for my big trip this summer.  I land in Munich, and my first stop after that will be Salzburg, Austria.  I've been researching both bus and train routes, pricing, seating options, etc. for a while now.  While I originally had my mind set to take the bus to Salzburg, I've since changed my mind.  On many of the travel blogs that I read and different discussions I frequent, the consensus seems to be that taking the train has a much more scenic route.  So, while the train will be a bit more money, I'm willing to spend it for the views.  Prior to this upcoming trip, I've only used trains in the UK and France, so I'm excited to experience train travel in other countries. Snacks on board a Virgin train in the UK The planning is also different for me this time because I've gotten quite used to traveling solo, but I'll be traveling with a friend (and fellow scrapper) this time.  That means that pretty much every decision mad...

I am taking a trip to Central Europe this summer.  I will be traveling through southern Germany (Bavaria), Austria, and part of the Czech Republic.  I'm using the Munich airport, which gives lots of options for our overall itinerary.  Given where I'll be traveling, I already know that I will take tons of photos; my friend traveling with me may have to physically pull me away from taking a million gorgeous shots of architectural features of churches and old buildings. One of my biggest tasks before I do any more serious planning is to find a new camera bag for myself.  The one I've been using for the past several years really isn't conducive to long travel; it only holds my camera (while a lens is on the body), a backup battery, and maybe a few small things like lip balm, keys, and some cash.  The strap is fine in length, but frankly, it is not comfortable at all, especially if I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt when it's hot.  It will definitely be warm when ...

I am back from my break, ready to post some info on my latest layout.  I'm working steadily on my photos from the trip I took to NYC in December of 2017, so this layout again features some of those shots.  These photos are from Grand Central Terminal, which was my first major stop once I was in the city.  The photo below is the left-hand page, which features a phrase label/sticker, a little strip of patterned paper, sequins (from Felicity Jane ), and some stamping (stamps by Kelly Purkey ).    The right-hand page uses the awesome gold foil patterned paper I found when I was shopping at Paper Presentation in Chelsea.  I love the Art Deco look of it!  I also added a cork piece I had in my stash and a bit o washi to give definition to the borders of the photo. The last photo here shows the back of an insert I used between the two pages.  That NYC sticker is from the Paper House booklet I bought (also at Paper Presentation).  ...

Now that my Iceland album (from trip in April of 2017) is completed, I made some flip-thru videos for it.  I decided to break it in half, as otherwise the video would probably run 40 minutes!  The first half of the layouts feature photos from my flight, my airport arrival, shuttle bus, the hotel I stayed in, a typical Icelandic breakfast, Hallgrimskirkja , a map, and some random photos from wandering the streets of Reykjavik.  Travel is my favorite topic to scrap, so I really enjoyed reliving my memories from the trip while putting these pages together.

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 ...

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...

Today I posted a video on my channel that features a pocket page layout.  The photos are from when I took the train between Edinburgh and Glasgow during my trip in April.  We took an early train, but not too early, as neither of us wanted to get up at the crack of dawn.  We did want to be in Glasgow by 10:00 a.m., however, as that was when the hop-on-hop-off bus got started for the day.  We decided to take a train that left just after 9:00 a.m., which had us at the Queen St. station in Glasgow in about 50 minutes.  That was a Monday, and at 9:00, there was plenty of room on the train.  We were on a Scotrail train, which seemed a bit more modern than the Virgin train we took up to Scotland from London. Since there was plenty of available seating, we chose to sit across from each other, with a table between us, next to a window.  We were able to get unobstructed views of the Scottish countryside as we passed by smaller towns on our way.  Spring h...

I am getting excited for my NYC trip next month.  Granted, it will be quick (not like the leisurely 5 day trip I did last time); I will basically only have 48 hours in the city.  However, since I don't have super-long list of must-do/must-see items, I think it is totally doable.  The main reason for going, similarly to last time, is to see a show.  Well, last time I saw 2 shows, but the point is, theater was the motivation for getting on the plane.  This time, I'm seeing the off-Broadway show " PUFFS: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic ".  A bonus for me on this trip is that I now know someone who lives relatively close to the city.  I met this person through an online group that is scrapbooking-related; it happens that we share a love for Harry Potter and Harry Potter-related things.  So, she is going to come into the city to share the PUFFS experience with me.  Score!  She's also an art pe...

NYC is a go!  I've been watching flight prices, as I normally do when I want to go somewhere.  Let's be clear: I am a budget traveler.  I don't make the kind of money where I can say, "Oh, that flight is $600, plus a fee for a bag, plus food on the flight?  Sure, that's fine."  Nope, that's not me.  I'm always hunting for the lowest prices on the routes I want and ways to avoid any extra fees.  I scored my flight to JFK for just under $200; with my back issues being worse lately, I did decide to pay the $2 for an aisle seat assignment so that I have more room to stretch a bit.  I know that the bag I'm bringing is small enough that it qualifies as a carry-on with this airline, so there's no extra fee there.  Woo hoo! View from Top of the Rock (from my trip in April, 2015) So, when I knew I could work this around my jobs in December, I went for it.  That's a great price for flying from MSP to JFK, and the timing worked well for me....

Today I want to talk about using Airbnb when I travel.  And not just using Airbnb, but specifically using Airbnb as a woman.  It is sad that I have to even think about it that way, but as I live in the real world, there you have it.  When I was first traveling on my own, I stuck with hotels in busy places, as I felt safer and I tended to be closer to city centers.  For most touristy activities in larger cities, that's a great place to be.  However, travelers pay a price for that, and I felt it.  I wanted to be able to put more of my money into actually enjoying a city rather than into a room I'd hardly be in each day.  Enter Airbnb. As a female traveler who often is globetrotting solo, I felt that I had to be smart and careful in my choices with Airbnb options.  For instance, after I do a preliminary/mainly generic search for what I want, I start narrowing down the options. 1)  I look at the owner of the property; I tend to immediatel...

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 ...