PDX Travel book 2015

I decided to go Midori style for this years Portland travel journal. Last years ended up being a little too bulky to travel with so I streamlined a bit and I love the end result. 

I created my own Midori style cover. I loved the one I received from Studio Calico so much that I've now fully committed myself to this style of of journaling. It's really great and if you haven't tried it yet, you should. The main reason I love this system is that is so easy to transport. I carry mine in my bag all the time and the elastic keeps everything in it's place. I'm still new and learning to personalize my travelers notebook though. I've seen some pretty extensive ones on the web. 

I will also note that I created a nifty video on putting my book together but since I'm dealing with a not so great wifi connection. I'm hoping to get it uploaded very soon!

Meet my new lover. The Delfonics carrying case. I purchased this online at the Hand Eye Supply shop when they were having a sale. This bag has been on my "lusting after" list for years now. Hand Eye Supply is a shop we always try to hit when I'm in Portland. Lot's of cool gadgets. 

You can see that there are many pockets within the bag as well as the outside. It's so cute and it's the perfect size….I can also fit my mini iPad in it as well. It's perfect for traveling with crafty stuff. 

And onto the book. I created my own Midori style book using this tutorial. It was so easy. There are additional steps to making your book look more profesh but I didn't want to purchase any more tools. 

I added in 1 cahier notebook that was gifted to me by my good friend, Jamaica who always finds the coolest little notebooks. I chose this one because of the navy blue color and the pages had a nice feel to them which automatically tells me that writing on them will be nice. 

The second insert was one that I created using this as my inspiration. I love anything that involves index cards. I'm kind of obsessed with them. I should show you my stash sometime but we'll save that craziness for later.

Again, the tutorial on how to create the index tab insert is on my video that I'm hoping I can get uploaded later this week! 

a few notes…
you can find last years Portland travel journal here... part 1 & part 2

No affiliation with Delfonics or Hand Eye Supply! Just a big fan. 

Tina

Portland 2015 | Almost there!

I know, Portland this and Portland that. I'm fully aware of my obsession with this city. It's become my home away from home. :) 

I'm about 90% done with documenting my trip with Kelly and Jamaica. It's taken some time but it's been fun to look at all my photos and reminisce. Isn't that one of the better parts of putting together a travel album? 

So here is what I have done so far. I will also note that I loosely stuck to the order of days but I didn't stress over it. It was all about the feel and grouping of photos. I also haven't done a lot of journaling since I did most of that in my travel journal. 

Sometimes after I photograph a layout, I either want to add something or change it completely. I've been wanting to paint a map of the area we explored…I think that pink paper will be perfect for that. 

Same with this page. I liked the plain patterned paper but now it looks a little too plain for me. I may add in something and make a layout.

Just a few more pages and it'll be DONE. I'm itching to get to my trip from last year! 

Supplies | Studio Calico 9x12 album, Studio Calico 9x12 page protectors, Studio Calico Sammy add on, Studio Calico Carolina Moon PL kit, ABM 9x12 album dividers, ABM Messy Box, Kelly Purkey Take me away kit (unavailable), Jamaica Makes Duly Noted faves, Paislee Press Picture + Words no 18, Let's Go journal cards.

Here

Not exactly sure where to start. So much has happened in the month I've  been absent from my blog. A lot of good, some bad, some just....meh. I have several drafted posts that were never published. I had a really hard time expressing myself publicly through writing. I also question the entegrity of blogging these days. But I'm not going to start in on that subject. I really need to get over it and continue to do what I do here.

I was in a serious funk. Dealing with several issues within my family, having my papa pass away, unsure of who I am in the social media network and what I want out of Life.Love.Paper.

I have been busy designing and working. That's the good. You can find the majority of my work throughout Studio Calico. From stamps to papers to PL cards and photo styling. It's fun and I can't complain.

My own brand is lacking though and that makes me feel like shit. Especially when I see so many others do so well in this market. But I know it takes a lot of dedication and hard work. I have a hard time consistently feeding social media outlets with ads of "what's new" and "what's to come" and I feel as though that maybe my demise?

I know I've gone in a direction that doesn't suit me. I'm focusing too much on keeping up with the Joneses rather than doing what I LOVE MOST and that has made me really unhappy. It puts me in neutral when I'm comparing myself to these successful makers. But then it also fuels me. Inspiration is a great thing. Pinterest, blogs, etc.....it's all good but it can really overwhelm you. I think I got sort of scatter brained and started working on things that made no sense to Life.Love.Paper. I wasted my time trying to come up with the biggest and best and new and that's just silly. I lost my focus of keeping things simple and producing items that I love.

I feel renewed having just returned from a Portland. Man, what an inspiring city. Closing the browser and seeking inspiration in beautiful surroundings.Being taken out of your  everyday routine.  That is the best medicine for a struggling creative and it's just what I needed. Add in a creative, like-minded friend and some REALLY GOOD food + coffee and call it good times.

Jamaica and I hopped from shop to shop, collecting fodder and ideas and laughs. So good. I'll post more on our trip but wanted to sort of get back in the routine of blogging.

I'm here. Ready to take on the world again. XOT