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Monday

Scrapbooking Christmas Card Photos!

It's a little rare to get snow in the Seattle area...but a few days ago we awoke to beautiful, thick, fluffy snow!
The kids were so eager and excited to get outside and enjoy every minute of the snow.  The beauty and the excitement of it all, reminded me of Christmas.  Thinking about Christmas reminded me that I have some Christmas album work to do!
Backing up a bit...
I started a Christmas Scrapbook Album the first Christmas my husband and I were married. I included a few photos (my, we looked young back then) and our Christmas letter.
The years went on...

Kids arrived!
Each Christmas I would continue to add our Christmas photo and letter.  I also started to include the annual Santa picture. 

I wanted to include all the Christmas family photo cards we had received, but I didn't want my album to grow too quickly.
When I found this idea from Ali Edwards--click here- I knew I had found a solution!
Here's how to do it!
Gather all your Christmas photo cards and get out your biggest square punch.  I used a 1-1/2" punch by Marvy Uchida. (I'm on the lookout for a 2" one for next year.)
Using the square punch, simply punch out all your Christmas photo cards.  Sometimes the pictures are too big. (For this family, I split their picture onto two squares.) 
Once all your pictures are cut, lay out the squares on your page and glue down!  So easy!

I still include our Family Christmas card, Santa pictures and a few Christmas photos, but now I also add a layout of all the Christmas card photos we receive.
Here's a look at 2007.

2008
This year I punched some and hand cut other pictures to fit.
2009
2010 Christmas Photo Cards
(I'm displaying these for awhile to enjoy!)
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Thursday

My 'awesome' husband likes to take road trips and do all the driving himself!  (No complaints on that one!)  I like to be with my 'awesome' husband, so I choose to join him on the road,(yes, the kids come too).  I used to read and sleep while riding in the car, but I've come to realize that I'm much more fun when I'm awake.  So, now I scrapbook in the car.  It's true!  I can stay awake, have 'meaningful' conversations with my family and get caught up on my scrapbooks.  It's a win-win-win situation!
To name a few memorable trips...I've scrapbooked in the car from Seattle to San Fran, Seattle to Boise, Seattle to Portland, all through the state of Montana, all the way down into Yellowstone, and all the way up into Banff. I've scrapbooked in the car on numerous trips from Seattle to Spokane and home again!  Once I even tried scrapbooking on California's twisty-turvy, scenic Highway 101...(let's just say, I won't be doing that again).  With all my traveling, I've learned a thing or two (or 300) about scrapbooking on the road.  Here's a few things to keep in mind.
Michelle's Top 10 'Scrapbooking in the Car' Tips:

Tip #1  Sit in the front passenger seat!
(This is very important!  Apparently, no driver wants to be seen escorting their spouse in the backseat. OK?!)
  

Tip #2 Only bring the very basic scrapbooking supplies you can get by with:
small cutter, scissors, adhesive, pens, paper, photos, etc.
(Remember, you have to fit (comfortably) in the seat with your supplies AND you can't put extra supplies on the driver's side...I've tried!)



Tip #3  Just bring sheet protectors or pages from your albums.  Do NOT bring your entire album in the car.
(Trust me, no driver wants to be jabbed by the corner of an open album, on a sudden stop!)


Tip #4  Use a lap desk!  You can't scrapbook without a flat surface.
(Make sure the kids have their own lap desk so they won't be asking to use yours!)

Tip #5 Always stop what you're working on and look up!  You'll want to enjoy the view.
  (Besides, car sickness and scrapbooking do not mix, I know this rule well!)

Which brings me to...

 Tip #6  Always have a plastic bag handy!
(You need somewhere to put all those paper and photo scraps, of course!)


Tip #7  When journaling, (yes, I journal in the car) always be sure you're on a smooth, straight patch of freeway, no turns, bridges, overpasses or rough roads!  Don't journal when the driver is merging, passing or...um...texting!
(My favorite time to journal is at long stoplights. Tell the kids to let you know when the light turns green!)


Tip #8  Do not go through the drive-thru while you're scrapbooking.  Also, be sure you know when the car is close to stopping at restaurants, sightseeing spots and (if you're lucky) rest areas! 
(It takes a bit of time to put your scrapbook things away...and you do not want to miss out!)


Tip #9 Do not scrapbook in the dark!  Put your things away before it gets dark.
(Do not even think about using the overhead light!)

Tip #10  Have fun!  If it's not fun, don't do it!
(You can always read and sleep.)

A Few Other Pointers:

The easiest type of scrapbooking in the car is creating Project Life pages. 
Project Life is an album pre-designed with photo pockets to easily insert pictures that you take daily or weekly or monthly...however you want to use it.  It also has pockets to slip in journaling cards. 
I try to take a picture a day, order a couple weeks' worth at Costco, then record it in my Project Life album. (Yes, I'm on a first name basis at the photocenter.)

Check out a few finished Project Life pages, all assembled in the car!
Week of Jan. 9th-Jan. 15th

Week of Feb. 6th-12th

Week of Feb. 13th-19th

Other easy things I often do while riding in the car:
-delete and organize digital pictures on my camera and computer.
-sort and label already printed pictures (use Post-its to help remember which pictures go where or to who.)
-assemble cards/invites and address them (Many, many handstamped Christmas cards were created in the car from start to finish!)
-sort through pictures from just one trip or event.  I use the ride to think about which pictures go together, which pages the photos would go on, color themes, etc.  Ziplocs help me sort and organize my photos so I'm 'miles' ahead when I'm ready to scrapbook them!

Have fun on the road!
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Monday

Sharing some photos from our Vancouver, BC visit!



The kids voted on lunch at Sonic before heading into Canada.
We waited over an hour at the border!

The drive was beautiful with the snow-covered mountains out!

We arrived at our friend's house to hugs and welcome signs!

The kids enjoyed playing at the nearby playground.

Later we headed to this fun Recreational Center for swimming, splashing and...

breaking the rules!  Some places just don't understand scrapbookers!


The next morning, we were spoiled with yummy crepes!

Their garbage can is bear-proof!


After church we headed into Vancouver's Chinatown for...

Dim Sum...our first experience!

Luckily our friends were experts on what to order!  The food was fabulous!

A quick stroll through Chinatown.  Next stop...


Vancouver's Aquarium in Stanley Park!
Beautiful indoor exhibits,

hands-on experiences,

and outdoor shows of beluga whales and...

incredible dolphins!  What a place!

Thank you, friends!  What a great time we had!


Coming back into the States, our border wait was only 5 minutes!  Whoohoo!
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