The following is a post that I was honored to write for the amazingly talented Julie Fei-Fan Balzer at www.balzerdesigns.typepad.com. I just realized that I never hit 'Publish' to share it here with you...
I am a scrapbooker. I am a traveller. I
am a photographer. I have an inborn need to explore this beautiful
world we live in. I have multiple sclerosis. I have a poor short term
memory and an even poorer ability to convert those short term
memories to permanent memories. Therefore, I scrapbook. I take
pictures. I write. I make art. The closer to the actual event that I
can record my experiences, the more raw and authentic my art will be.
Because no matter what I do, no matter where I go, no matter what I
create, I want my work to represent me – bad, doctor-scribble
handwriting, and all.
One of my favorite ways to document my
adventures is a result of an Ali Edwards-inspired 'light-bulb
moment.' I scrapbook on the road. I take pictures and collect
memorabilia and add them together with items I have prepared at home
and brought with me on my trip. I want these bits and pieces to be
flat – to not take up too much space in my luggage (airline 50
pound weight limits + scrapbook supplies can be challenging if you
actually need to bring clothes and shoes with you) or in my book. I
know from experience that I will be collecting A LOT of stuff on my
trips – admission tickets, pamphlets, flyers, subway tokens, gold
flecks (ever panned for gold while learning about the California Gold
Rush?), business cards, etc., and this 'stuff' can rapidly add bulk
to my travel albums.
My family is planning a 2 month road
trip to Alaska this summer. This scrapbook-on-the-road has the
potential to be several volumes long. I plan to use Basic Grey's
Capture Albums, along with my Instax camera and printer for my daily
documentation. My prep work has included collecting letter stickers,
page protectors, film, and blank Project Life cards along with
several rolls of adhesive and inks and stamps and label stickers to
embellish my found treasures along the way. I have used Julie's
stencils from The Crafter's Workshop as the foundation of my album
décor. Using the stencils with acrylic paint, distress ink, and gel
medium has given my album a unique look that is All Me. The
techniques are quick. They are easy. They look really darned cool,
and by making them ahead of time, I can eliminate the need for paints
and other messy, liquid supplies from my packing list.
1. The Album Cover:
I used some washi tape that I don't
love (we all have a few of those rolls, right?) to hold my stencil in
place on the cover of the album. I then used an old hotel room key to
spread gel medium into all the empty spaces of the map stencil to
create a resist of the United States map. After letting it dry
overnight (I wanted to be extra safe and not mess it up), I used my
Ranger distress ink to bring out the pattern and add some blue color.
This effect could also be achieved with embossing ink and powder or
even Mod Podge – anything that can create a resist on your
background.
- The States Cards:
Using the same 6x6 USA map stencil and
some blank grid Project Life cards, I placed the state I wanted to
emphasize in the 'middle' and used my Distress Ink to highlight that
state and a few of its surrounding neighbors at the bottom of the
card. I then used a contrasting ink to stamp the state name over the
stencilled image. I plan to use these state cards as title cards or
journalling cards for each new state that we cross into.
NOTE: This is also how I created
cityscape 3x4 and 4x6 cards, to be used for any major cities we may
visit.
- Days of the Week Cards:
Using the same blank grid cards, I
spray misted various colors of ink over the banner days stencil to
create several weeks' worth of cards. I have not yet decided if I
will use these as-is or if I will cut them apart and adhere the
corresponding day to a place. Time on the road will determine how I
use these cards.
- The Painted Patterns Cards:
I experimented with Distress Paint and
these fun, funky patterned stencils. I dabbed the paint over the
stencil onto the cards, and left a good old-fashioned mess, BUT being
the ink and paint snob that I am, I immediately took the stencils,
flipped them over with the paint-side down onto new blank cards,
brayered over the stencils to transfer the paint and pattern, and
made title cards that I absolutely adore. I honestly think these may
be my favorite cards of the bunch. I'm planning to use them as title
cards for the different portions of our trip (ex. Alaska cruise vs RV
life vs road-tripping with and without my parents, because, yes, they
are going to be with us for a month of this 2-month long adventure).
I hope that I have inspired you to pull
out your stencils and inks and paints and art supplies and just play.
I hope that you realize that you can use 'themed' (ex the map and the
days of the week stencils) and 'unthemed' (ex the fun, funky
patterns) products to make a project your very own. I hope that you
discover the love of travel, be it far or near, and that you learn to
appreciate and document this life you have been given. And most of
all, I hope you know how truly honored and grateful I am to have been
given this opportunity to share my passions with you today.
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