CCL "Take Me Away" Blog Hop with*Blog Candy

Hey all! Hope you are maneuvering through the blog hop with ease! 

For my :vacation themed: project I chose to create a mini album for a our first family vacation since the new baby has arrived. We'll be heading off to Colorado & California to visit family members in September. I wanted this album to be photo ready. 

I also chose not to bind the album until photos were put inside. It makes layering & any sewing much easier. 

For the cover I used this paper from the Kissing Booth paper pack, I just LOOOOOVE the floral pattern. It's bright and fun. I used the stickers from the pack& lace from MBT to accent the floral paper. I also added a piece of elastic sewn onto the back cover so I could keep the album closed & neat once it was brimming with goodies. 

The cover was made with an old diaper box that I cut into 2 6x8 pieces& a 6x1 spine. I line them nicely leaving a small  space  between  them, then use white duct tape to hold them together. I also lined the edges with white duct tape. Finally, I cut paper for the outside as well as the lining and adhere them. 

A close up of the title& lace

A close up of this pretty little bow I added to the elastic. 

My first page is plain and simple. We haven't nailed down all of our trip details *will we fly the whole way? drive half fly half?? etc ... so i wanted to leave it open ended. I can write journal about packing etc. here! 

You can see the light blue cardstock that I chose to line the book with. 

I thought this map of California would be a great way to add lots of tiny photos from instragram *i can print them in 1x1 inch squares and place them on the map. 

I also sewed in this small bag for any seashells we may collect on the beach. It's only meant to hold a few small shells or one medium shell. 

another pic of the :cali map: page. 

Here you can see the Tim Holtz film tape that I adhered to the paper bag for a tab. 

For this page I glitter misted a random white envelope with perfect pearls mist, added smashbook washi, My Favorite Tape washi tape, and a fussy cut a Tim Holtz stamp that I inked in Iced Spruce Distress Ink. I used Tim Holtz Tabs die cut& Basic Grey paper to add a green tab to the side. 

Inside the envelope I used a postcard stamp on white cardstock then adhered Graphic 45 papers to it. I'm hoping that we will be able to get a family photo by the Rocky Mountains to put on this spot. Then I'll journal the message etc. <3

Here is the map of Denver. Again, each of the maps have tabs attached to them for easy accessing while we're in town. 

I love saving and using paper bags of all sorts. When I get the long wine bags, i cut off

the section that I'd like to use, fold the bottom under and sew it shut. That way I don't wast the rest of the bag. To give it a softer finished look I added some ribbons before adhering it to the page. Inside are a bunch of stamped polaroid pictures that will be used to fill up the pages with photos later. 

Here's a mock up insert I put together using the polaroid photos. Each pocket has a blank insert that can be use to add photos like this or journaling, more map can be added for unplanned stops etc. 

& finished off with a few simple pages. 

Lots of potential here, could be used for photos of the ride home, lists, journaling, memorabilia ... 

I am obsessed with my smashbook& these mini albums always end up as small theme-based smashbooks. 

Thanks for hopping over, hope you enjoyed it! 

There is alot of hidden blog candy to be won so please make sure to leave comments and to follow all the blogs. Here is whats up for grabs for the grand prizes:

$20 gift certificate to the MB's Treasurista store!!!

Check out the STORE!!!

To be eligible for the grand prize you must do the following:

*Must* "like" the MBT Facebook page- Page LINK

*Must* be a MBT blog follower- Blog LINK

*Must* follow and comment on all the designer's blogs

http://www.digistamps4joy.co.za/eshop/

The lineup is  below:

Misty - MB's Treasurista

Lelsie - Scrap of Art Designs

Carli - Krolli Kraft!

Deb - Crafty Texas Woman

Jenneke - Digistamps 4 Joy

Teresa - Scrappin T Place

Amanda - The life of a compulsive crafter <---- YOU ARE HERE

Liz - Scrapilicious Life

Tiffany - Maineokie Scrapers

Adelle - An Original Crafts