Memory Keeping | Summer Travelers Notebook

I’m currently laying on my fancy  Tempur-Pedic bed using a remote to adjust the head and feet position into something more comfortable, all the while thanking God that I have a husband who goes above and beyond what I think is “necessary” because I simply don’t know what I’d do without this luxury.  The dried mango I’m currently eating ain’t so bad either.  This pregnancy is back to kicking my butt.  The Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more frequent and also more uncomfortable, and although my midwives aren’t concerned about them, I’m just going to listen to my body and laze around a bit until they stop freaking me out.  Nadia has been nothing short of a gem… She brings me books and has Lambie read them to me.  😉  She supplies me with water, and in return, I give her my phone so she can “play Snapchat.”  AKA- her making videos with the filters while my phone is on airplane mode so there’s no way she can send them.  Love that girl…

ANYWAYS, I’m not here to talk about that today.  I actually wanted to update y’all on my current memory-keeping situation.  If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you know I frequently get into a crafting funk.  I do one thing for a while, get sick of it, then move on to another.  Then I get sick of that one, move on to something new… aaaand the cycle begins all over again.  Truthfully, you may have noticed I am like that with e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.  Well, except things like friendships and my marriage.  THOSE hold my interest.  😉  But things like blogging and writing and photographing- I go through cycles.  (I’m currently in the photography part of my cycle, meaning I’m spending more time taking quality photos and less time writing about them.)  I’ve learned that it’s not something to dislike necessarily.  It’s just part of my personality type so I likely couldn’t change it if I tried!

In terms of my crafting side, I’m SOOOOOOO over my Project Life album it’s not even funny!  Part of my current resentment to that album in particular is that I began working on it in January using my new Studio Calico Documentor kits I subscribed to on a whim.  (Note to self:  Don’t subscribe to things “on a whim.”  It ain’t smart.)  I got the first kit and thought, “Eh, not really my style, but I’ll make it work.”  Second month came around, and I said the same thing.  Third kit- “I don’t even want to use this.”  Fourth kit- “What’s happening?”  Fifth- “I hate my album.”  And for the sixth and final kit- I kept TWO things in it and gave the rest away.  WHAT A WASTE.  The strange thing is, I typically love seeing what other people do with their Studio Calico supplies, and I expected to really love working with just one kit at a time, as well.  But it was the worst!  I ended up replacing about 80-90% of their supplies with my own after the fact, but for whatever reason, I still completely dislike my 2018 album.  So I’m putting it on a shelf to come back to later.  Which brings me to my summer travelers notebook insert:

After renewing my membership to Big Picture Classes (cause again, when I’m in a funk, I need some help pulling me out of it!), I decided I wanted to make my own “kit” using supplies I already had {that desperately need to be used} and spend some time in a travelers notebook insert.  It’s been 2 years since I’ve documented in one of these, so I thought it would be a wonderful much needed change!

Since I’m using my Chic Sparrow brand extra wide leather cover, I made my own insert using some scrapbook paper for the cover and thicker white paper for the pages.

Then I pulled a bunch of summery supplies from my stash and organized them in a couple containers that I keep on my desk.  Included are things like:  6×6 paper pad from last years Oasis collection by Crate paper, sticker sheets (decorative + alphas), ephemera pack from Oasis (and I’m also using some of the ephemera from the Good Vibes collection, too), a few rolls of washi tape, decorative stamps + a roller date stamp, black & gold stamp pads, journaling cards, a few tubes of acrylic paint that may or may not get used… and then things I always keep on my desk like adhesive, my typewriter, paper clips, etc.

It’s still A LOT of supplies, but you’d be surprised how much faster the process goes when you have a set amount of things all out in the open ready for use rather than tucked away for you to dig out each and every time.  I highly recommend making your own “kit” of sorts and leaving it out on your work space so when the crafty mood hits, you’re ready to go!

That being said, I printed off a couple photos and got to work!  I really enjoyed making this first spread in the notebook to document my current feelings on my body changing.  It was SO much easier working in a small format using only supplies I LOVE, and I thought about how less stressful this was to me than the way I’ve been forcing myself to keep going in my Project Life album.  And this whole memory-keeping thing?  Not supposed to be stressful, y’all!!!  Gosh.

What do you think?  Do you have a preferred method of documenting, or do you go through cycles like me?  I’d love to know!

Also, if anyone actually wants to see my Project Life album, tell me and I’ll share it.  Might be the only time I pull it off the shelf for the rest of this year!  LOL!  Nah, it’s not that bad.  I’ve just moved on.  😉  Thanks for looking!!

XO, Marybeth