Travel Journal and Memory Keeping

I adore keeping a travel journal, what a perfect way to document your holiday and to save memories. My latest journal took advantage of the July and August patreon resources and printables from Anna Brim's patreon goodies. I also sourced ideas from Anna's Adventure Journaling course. It's always a sad occasion coming back from your holiday's and I really loved my latest one in Palmanova, but I also love finishing off my journal and seeing it come together.

I always start my travel journal with a details page of where and when I'm going and staying. I also always set it up before I go. I add printables, ink, stickers and leave a space to write and add in photos. I don't have a portable printer so I always print my photos when I return and then stick them in after it is all filled in. I prepare my page before I go away using Anna's patreon printables, project life cards and a variety of stickers and washi tape. I find the whole process of setting it up before I go away so relaxing and it helps to get me in the holiday mood (not that I need it!). Read about how I set up my journals here - How to Create a Travel Journal 

Completing the journal on holiday

I love the mix of printables this month, some are photos that Anna took and added text to and others are her drawings and journaling cards that she has a space to write on. This month Anna has also included lots of quotes and text too, perfect for my journaling style.

I always fill as much in as possible whilst on holiday, it's a lovely way to relax by the pool (hey, who needs an excuse!). I love Anna's hot air balloon printable and the mix of her own photos merging with mine, which this time I had printed through the post.

I also love adding pockets made with cute envelopes, they are perfect for adding larger photographs and Anna's gorgeous journaling card (which I think came from a Brimbles Box last year). Then of course there's Anna's cute pineapple stickers! Tip in's are also a great way to make the most of your pages and are a great way to add in leaflets and tickets.

I honestly have used so many of Anna's collage sheets this month that I do apologise for the amount of photos in this post... but how cute are they? I love the beach girl and the ice cream, again there is space to write inside the scoop. There are also a variety of papers to print. I am in love with the fruity one in the last picture. 

I hope this has inspired you to get started on a travel or an Adventure Journal and don't forget you can get ALL of these goodies every month when you join Anna's patreon, it really is great value (I used printables from just some of the range from the last 2 months). Now the holiday come down really starts, especially as it's back to school where I teach in less than 2 weeks... ssshhh.

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Adventure Journaling Review and Creative Journal Flip Through

Phew, I love a bit of memory keeping and have finally completed my Plannercon Europe Creative journal and my Summer adventures travelogue. I have been so inspired by Anna Brims online course on creating an 'Adventure Journal', I can highly recommend it. I will talk you through the basics of the course and how I got started on my Adventure journeys, right through to the finished product including my full creative journal flip throughs.

 

My pages from my summer 'Adventure Journal'

What is 'Adventure Journaling' all about?

I don't want to waffle on too much (well I am doing a journal about Belgium!), as Anna explains it all in the course itself, so firstly check out Anna's link on Mrs Brimbles to read all about the course.
Mrs Brimbles Adventure Journaling Course

If you want to creative a travel journal, but have no idea where to start then this is a great place to learn. Anna guides you through what an adventure is and gets you to write down what your adventure might be. There are guided videos and information as well as art tutorials if you want to draw or paint in your journal either before, during or after the trip. I have added my initial pages that I completed for the course and ideas below in both my smash book and in my Junk Journal.

Setting up the Journal before you go:

The next few lessons involve getting your kit together to make the journal and what pre-prep planning you can do to your pages before you go, as well as what supplies to take with you. I always add simple backgrounds, journaling cards and stickers etc before I go and then leave space to write or stick photos in. Supplies wise I take a basic kit of pens and washi tape etc, but Anna explains this far better than me.

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I have loved the course and so much is packed in to the lessons making it great value for money. You can sign up to the course here

mrsbrimbles.co.uk/course/adventure-journaling
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Have a look at my completed journal below and then be sure to have a look at my photos below the video.

So that's it, my finished insert and almost finished insert from the day. I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and completing the journals and as you know I am now a little journal obsessed. I can't wait to choose my next 'adventure'.

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The Adventure Pact

Hi everyone! Is it too late to still wish everyone a Happy New Year? I often question when it has passed the point when you can still speak well wishes, I guess when people start giving you funny looks in return. As I'm writing this we still haven't quite reached double figure dates, so I'm gunna go with it and wish everyone a fun, creative year ahead!

(This is from a recent wander around a local nature reserve)

With a new year comes the inevitable talk of “New Year Resolutions”, to speak the truth I'm not a great believer in making them. Too many people seem to drop them within a week or two when the hype and positive outlook begins to wear thin or the self applied pressure starts to weigh heavy. Too bigger a step and you're destined to struggle, if not fail. I don't wish to set myself up to fail so rather than burst into the new year (seriously how many times can I get that term into this blog post?) all guns blazing I try to think of things I'd like to do and perhaps pick one or two. I consider them in a general sense, none too specific, allowing them to grow and change throughout the months ahead.

 (Southport Beach in January)

A couple of blog posts back I mentioned that I was hoping to go on an adventure, a holiday abroad, over the festive period, unfortunately due to circumstances cropping up this didn't pan out. Instead I spent my first Christmas with just J at our house. It was both Christmas and not Christmas at the same time. A new experience, with old traditions thrown in. It got me thinking about how I wanted to do more in the year ahead. We've been progressing on our house (renovating an old house) and it has meant that much of our 'thinking space' has been occupied with wallpapering and roof tiles and the like. We've stopped going on as many adventures and have been sticking to a similar rotational regime of coffee, food shopping and pet supplies.

(Me on Southport Beach!)

In 2016 we made a pact to go on 12 adventures throughout the year, generally speaking these fell once or more. Often there were more, but we set a minimum of 12. It sounds weird to plan spontaneity, it feels somewhat of a contradiction but it also makes sense. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone and forced me to think outside the box. We plan to resurrect the Adventure Pact this year and to continue doing and seeing more, like eating doughnuts on a absolutely freezing Southport Beach in the middle of January to visiting Beeston Castle.

Similarly, how I had intended to keep a record of my Christmas Holiday, I intend to document my Adventure Pact. I decided I wanted to change it up and push the boundary of my creating style. Whenever I journal it has always been in a bound book (save Project Life) whether in a Travelers Notebook or a sketch book of some kind. So with that being said I've set up my Nude Filofax Original as a journal. 

I've used Tomoe River paper for my pages, they're not quite B6 but taller and wider than actual personal inserts, I've also added the off cuts for a bit of variety. I'm sure I will be tipping in other bits and pieces, photographs and the like as I go along. I'm hoping the rings will actually make this process a little easier and allowing me greater flexibility to change things and swaps bits around as I go along! We shall see. 

 

I've decorated my inside, I would say pockets but the Originals do not have traditional pockets, just an annoying elastic loop. I've cobbled together, using some scrapbook paper pieces, some make shift pockets and slips to place my paperclips and bits of ephemera. I finally used a piece of 12x12 scrapbook paper I've been hoarding for a long while!

I've tried to include things that inspire me to keep challenging myself to find adventure, whether it is big or small, a tangible experience or a fleeting moment. There are moments to be had and I'm going to find them.

Don't forget to check out Anna's fantastic course on Adventure Journaling, she has some amazing tips and tricks to get you started.....and also can I just say Cambs Con! Remember to put the date in your diary!!

Till next time!

Beginning a new Journey

Hi guys! It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and I'm feeling a little rusty! Today I thought I'd catch you all up on my progress with Anna's fantastic Adventure Journaling course. Just a little bit about the course before we get started, for those of you who may not have seen it. Anna takes us through what adventure journaling is and what it can be, quick jaunts out to the park to fabulous holidays away. Anna shares some great tips and tricks from which supplies to pack to how to create beautiful pages documenting the things you have done. 

What is adventure journaling to me? Well, because I journal most days, about the day to day goings on in the household I tend to view adventure journaling as something separate. Adventures, for me are any event or occasion that removes me from my everyday routine or where I find my myself in someplace new.

Sometimes, that'll be something big like a family holiday but mostly it's when my partner and I take the day to explore a new town or park or a road trip to visit friends or family. Although they are both adventures, I still view them differently, mini excursions for the latter is perhaps more appropriate as they happen more frequently. I also tend to journal when I am back home, in my cosy little (and messy) office. At the minute I don't have a dedicated adventure journal and these tend to go in my everyday journals.

Synchronicity at it's finest. The day I picked to make a start on the classes I  headed to the supermarket to pick up some bits for dinner. I couldn't face doing a 'big shop' so I headed to the little local one. I wandered over to the magazine section, generally speaking there is never much more than a couple of newspapers and the celebrity type magazine which are not my thing. However, that day they had a few copies of  Project Calm featuring travel, adventure and storytelling! Snapped that up quick. It is a really lovely magazine, full of all sorts of things, mostly craft related, writing and stunning photography. It is a little on the expensive side but it is definitely worth purchasing a copy if you see one. 

This year it is all change in my family for Christmas, my siblings are off to their respective inlaws for the festive period, we are having our roof reroofed (that sounds funny!) and so we are all in different places, usually we all head to my parents for Christmas Day but this year that's not possible. So J and I decided we'd take the opportunity to go away somewhere. With the pets holidays can be a little difficult, not impossible, but logistically it is added stress. We have also spent the last couple of summers working on doing up our house, so realistically over Christmas is the best opportunity for us to go somewhere together. Definitely a cold somewhere, can't be doing Christmas in a hot climate!!

As this will the first holiday away we've had together I wanted to go with something a little more special than my everyday journal. Then came the age old problem for a stationery addict....which notebook should I use? I had a rifle through my stack of unused journals and notebooks, which I'm a tad ashamed to admit is huge. I settled on the one below, which is rather fitting seeing as it is a handmade journal I picked up whilst on adventure earlier this year. J and I, after many years (and I'm talking about 8 years or so!) of driving past and me saying I'd like to go, finally visited the Imperial War Museum North on a very wet and miserable day! Ever since I was a wee thing I've always bought myself a pencil or pen from the gift shop. It is something that started when my parents would take us on outings and we'd always visit the gift shops after. I was allowed one small item, which would always, always be a pencil or a pen! I've hoarded these pencils..haha and I now have quite a collection in my pen pots.

I digress! I'm looking forward to cracking this beauty open and filling it with all the things I get up to on my holiday! I'm often nervous about starting on the first page and will often skip to the first double page spread. I'm going to follow some of Anna's tips, for example I love the idea of having a master To Do and To Pack list at the front and a list of places I'd love to visit! There are several signatures of recycled cotton rag paper, it'll be the first time I've used this kind of paper in a bound journal so that'll be an adventure in itself!

I'll be back to update you on my progress soon. But for now, thankyou for stopping by and getting to the end of the post! One of these days I will learn the art of being concise..haha. Don't forget to check out Anna's course if you haven't already!!

In a bit guys xx

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