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Thursday

Scrapbooking In The Car!

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!

3 comments :

  1. Brilliant, Michelle! You are an amazing scrapbooker and mom!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sweetness right back to you, Jolene! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That seems like a pretty awesome idea! A camera get you a ton of scrapbook material while you're in the car during a road trip. There are so many interesting things you can do while on the road, don't you think?

    Well, always have fun, you hear?

    ReplyDelete