Crate Paper Roam Sweet Home: Large Island Travels - Jill Sprott

 

The last installment of Roam Sweet Home, an exploration of the new Open Road collection, culminates with the introduction of big island travels and two photo-friendly layouts from CP Gal, Jill Sprott.

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When the open road calls, I am not always able to answer. As an island-dweller, traveling anywhere outside of the familiar requires getting on an airplane, which also, sadly, requires a bigger bank account. However, in the past year, there have been a few opportunities for me–or for members of my family–to get off "the rock" and see the world.

Last October, I joined my daughter on a college tour of the Pacific Northwest, serving as a chaperone. I documented some of the highlights of our campus visits on this layout using the new Crate Paper Open Road collection.

We visited ten college campuses in Oregon and Washington over just a few days. As you might imagine, there were many (many) photos to consider for this layout, but I challenged myself to settle on two per school and assembled the photos into a twenty-photo grid, with each photo measuring 1.5" x 1.5". I charted our course using a sheet of "Scenic Route" map paper, number stickers, and machine stitching, linking the destinations with corresponding photos.

I couldn't resist including a photo of the red and pink leaves on the Pacific University campus. Never before had I ever experienced a brisk, leaf-turning autumn, and I would gladly trade a Hawaii summer to experience that again.

Peeking out from behind the photo block are various travel-themed accents from the Open Road Ephemera Pack as well as a few journaling cards. I tucked those in prior to adding stitching to the layout.

Above and below a few of the photos, I placed additional accents, including some stitched borders and a chipboard frame. During the trip, my daughter was often in a different group from mine or busy talking with friends, but every so often, as in the case of this shot, I was treated to actual eye contact. If you have teenager, you know what a rare gift that can be.

At the bottom of the photo grid, I added the title. The colors in the whimsical, mixed font all work so well alongside the array of photos on this layout. The variety in the alphabets mirrors the varied experiences we had, wandering from campus to campus.

Prior to composing the journaling, I sat with my daughter to reminisce about the trip. Initially, we were thinking about rank-ordering the schools from the best to not-so-best, but we decided to focus on positives instead, listing the highlights of each visit. The journaling continues the numbered approach, using the same "key" as that on the map, and shares my daughter's lasting impressions of each campus.

A month after the college tour, my daughter had another opportunity to travel to the mainland, this time to play in the snow at Lake Tahoe with her cousins. I showcased two photos from the trip by framing them with some chipboard frames, and created a simple design based around the two photos, with a gathering or cluster on each side.

Although at first glance, the Open Road collection seems perfect to document a cross-country summertime road trip, apparently it is much more versatile than that, as this layout attests, bringing to mind snow-covered slopes.

I included a mix of ski-bunny pink and icy blue here. Would you believe that the blue is actually part of a desert scene? It really is! Only parts of the "Desert Inn" paper peek through the circles that I cut in the pink polka-dotted "Mae's Cafe" paper. The adhesive foam circles behind the pink paper give it a boost.

Lake Tahoe sits on the border between California and Nevada, and I tried to find a way to call attention to that with a mini-map of the United States and an arrow that I procured from a die-cut found in a pack of Open Road Standouts.

Just below the map, I added the title, creating the first of two gatherings or clusters. I love the bold, lilting cursive of the foam Thickers. The font and color really enliven the page.

Following the "what you do to one side, do to the other" rule, I created a second cluster next to the photo at the top. This cluster includes the journaling as well as a pretty little mountain scene that reminds me of Lake Tahoe.

On both layouts, I included the words "you are here", which seems like a simple declarative statement, but when applied to travel, can't be anything but an expression of wonder.

 

Comments

[debbie standard]

Fabulous pages - love all the pictures and all the layers and embellishments on here!

[Lisa]

Both of these pages are fabulous! (I especially love the red title on pink, such great contrast)

[ARC]

Wow, these are awesome, and good luck to your daughter on her future adventures!

[Erica Hettwer]

Gorgeous pages!!! And, Go Beavs!!!!

[Bernii Miller]

wow!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your first layout Jill !1 Your handwriting is devine!!

[Beverly Jordan]

Fabulous layouts and especially loved the first one because we did that times 3 kids! So need help scrapping multiple pics like that! Thanks for sharing!

[wida]

I love your handwriting, but also the typed note too!