travel journal

For my upcoming trip to Ireland (in 2 days!) I wanted to make a travel journal. I keep a regular journal but wanted one that was specifically tailored to the things I want to keep track of when I'm on a trip. Inspiration for this project came from this one by Tamara from Etcetorize, this one from an Italian blog, and some ideas of my own.

I started with this $2 notebook from Office Depot.

I knew the cover would be easy to transform, and inside the back cover I found this!

I don't need fractions or a multiplication chart, but metric conversions? Yes! We'll be driving a rental car in a country where speed is measured in kilometers per hour and gas is bought by the liter, so this chart is going to be very helpful!

This is the finished product!

I cut some travel themed paper to fit the front cover, applied a thin layer of Mod Podge, and carefully smoothed out any bubbles.

The back side got covered too

You can also see in these shots that I added a ribbon to use as a bookmark. I just glued it up the spine of the notebook and then cut it long enough to go between the pages and hang down a little bit. I use clear nail polish to bind the ends of the ribbon and keep it from fraying. I've done that several times on different projects and it works great!

I also added some tabs so I could have sections dedicated to the different things I want to keep a record of. I guess I should have taken this picture from the other direction :) The sections are journal, photo log, reviews (I'm starting another blog where I write reviews of airlines, hotels, tours, etc that I use in my travels - stay tuned for more info on that when I get back), budget, and other stuff.

I wanted the tabs to be a little bit more sturdy than just a piece of paper glued to the edge of the notebook paper because I thought they would tear off too easily, so this was my solution. Long tabs attached to the paper using clear packing tape. They're not going anywhere.

Inside the front cover I made a pocket where I can store any little cards or papers I want to keep.

To do that I cut a piece of paper the size I wanted the pocket to be (the one with the Eiffel Tower on it), and then cut a second piece about 1/4 inch larger on 3 sides. I cut out the corners of that piece, scored the 3 sides that are bigger than the front pocket piece, and folded them up. I didn't get good pictures of that, but hopefully it makes sense.

Then I glued the front piece to the folded edges of the back piece, being careful not to let any glue seep through and glue the whole thing together. You want it to be able to open up, like this.

Then I just glued that inside the front cover of the notebook, which I had also covered with paper.

I'm so happy with how my travel journal turned out and I can't wait to use it on my trip!

Linked to

Junk in their Trunk

Uncommon

Ginger Snap Crafts

Not JUST a Housewife

Etcetorize

52 Mantels

Crafty Scrappy Happy

The Shabby Creek Cottage

sleepover/party activities for kids

I recently got the cutest piece of mail I have ever received from my favorite little girl, my 6 year old niece Cressida.

I took the hint and planned another sleepover :)

One of the fun activities we did was a treasure hunt. I printed out some clues and attached them to cute cardstock using double sided tape, then just used some clear contact paper to "laminate" them. If you want something more permanent you would want to actually laminate them because contact paper comes off pretty easily, but for this purpose it worked great.

To start out I just told her a fairy had been there and handed her the first clue to read.

Starting with this one, I included some type of activity she had to do before she could get the next clue. In this case a dance because she loves to dance. It could be anything the child you're playing with enjoys doing.

I wasn't sure if she would get the song I was referring to (Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes), but she got it pretty fast. Little smarty pants.

If I was doing this with my own child the top part would have said "the next test is an easy one, you do it every day. A hug and a kiss for mommy will send you on your way!"

For this one I just used a clean and empty trash can and styrofoam balls. She loved it and we made a lot more than 3 baskets that night.

I'm sure you can figure out where each clue was hidden, but just in case it was the bathtub, the freezer, under my bed, the couch, and then the treasure was in the oven (turned off of course). The treasure was a little bucket filled with chocolate coins, ring pops, and candy jewelry.

Another thing I did was make some bingo cards. I just used Excel to make the grid and clip art for the pictures. Cressida's little brother Jackson was deciding if he wanted to come to the sleepover too, so I made this boy one for him using cars, trucks, airplanes, and motorcycles.

And this girl one was for Cressida. It has princesses, crowns, shoes, and castles.

We started with all of the individual pictures face down and turned them over one at a time, and we used candy to mark the squares. They're also printed on cardstock and covered in clear contact paper. You could easily customize these to fit the interests of your child. Don't forget (like I almost did) to make the 2 cards different. If they're the same both players will get bingo at the same time!

You know a sleepover is a success when the guest of honor cries when it's time to go home the next morning! 

Linked to

The Gunny Sack

Skip to my Lou

I {heart} Nap Time

Etcetorize

Keeping It Simple

Craft-O-Maniac

c.r.a.f.t.