The prototype

Having seen that attractive pocket/accordion book on the Evalicious site, my mind began to work.  I looked through my Silhouette library and remembered that I’d got one of Lori Whitlock’s designs which might well fit the bill.

It was a little small for my needs, but resizing is easy and I had a stack of manilla file folders there, so I could make a prototype using my Silhouette to cut the pages.  Doing this kind of thing using a digital cutter is a delight, because everything turns out so precise!

Twelve pockets needed – that’s one for each destination plus a couple of extras for more general travelling tales! 

Now to bind them together.

During the Christmas holiday, I made another of Lori’s projects: a little box album with a string tied binding.  I really liked this simple construction, so made a few more changes to the design and gave it a try.

I had to make the spine a little bigger and respace the holes for the binding, to take into account the thickness of six double pockets.  Actually, I didn’t do it quite enough and need to add a little more space for next time.

But the thing is neat and holds together so well.

Mind you, I did discover that it’s not a good idea to use hand cream before handing manilla folders, which reveal every trace of greasy fingertips!  But hey, this is a prototype, right?

Even if, by this time, I was so pleased with the book that was taking shape, I was wondering if this might be “it”.  No, I told myself, it needs to be stronger, better, prettier!

I found the pockets to be rather deep though…and how was I going to retrieve little things that might get stuck in the deepest, darkest corners?

I quickly designed a folder to fit in each, which allows plenty of space for the 3 x 4 inch journalling cards which fit in my plastic pockets, as well as for all kinds of folded bits and pieces.

I cut twelve of those and slotted one into each pocket.  At this stage, I’m wondering if each needs to tie or clip closed?  That might give me an opportunity for a bit of journal bling…  Perhaps I’ll punch holes in the end of each one, just in case.

For now, I have a great book made from twelve pockets, each one the perfect size to contain a folder of bits and pieces, including the journalling cards which will fit into my plastic pockets when I get home.  I’ve ordered some pretty paper and a few bits and pieces which are destination-appropriate and on sale too!  So, later in the week, hopefully I’ll be able to put together a rather more beautiful book to take with us and in which to stash all the little things which make for great memories.

Isn’t it great when something turns out well?

How my mind works

Our fourth day of being snowed in.  Well, I think that today, we could probably get out and go somewhere, but we don’t need to do that, so we won’t.  My hero is out clearing the snow from the lane, so that if/when it snows again, it won’t simply sit on the old, icy stuff.

A few vehicles have been up and down but not enough to spread the grit and salt, so far.  We haven’t seen the postman since last week, either, but maybe we’ll see him today.  I wonder if he’ll be wearing his shorts?!

Being at home was a good opportunity to get ahead of myself – Lesley, I didn’t take up your suggestion of tackling a UFO! – and I’ve been thinking about putting together the bones of my next travel journal.  Now that I’m doing really well at keeping up with the ephemera-in-pockets-style of my daily journalling, I don’t really want to stop that whilst we’re away.  However, taking photos, sketching, blogging, scribbling and everything else all takes time – and I do want to leave some time for actually having fun!  It all has to fit in the routine and be as simple as possible, or I know, I won’t do it.

I’ve written before about my different travel journal styles and since our next jaunt will be a cruise, I know it will be hard to find time to complete a traditional, fully featured journal like I’d do on a road trip.  I thought about working MaryAnn-style and having just taken her inspiring Ticket To Venice class, was tempted to use some of the ideas she shared.  But I know that on this trip, only the quick and easy is going to work, and that on most days, stuffing a few bits of ephemera into a pocket is as far as I’m going to get.

But hang on…wasn’t one of my challenges about how I was going to maintain progress on my putting-ephemera-in-pockets project?

I know, you probably got there way before me.

I need pockets!  To put things in!

Then I saw this.  With a day at home to think about it (not time to wait for any tutorial) I decided to work on a prototype.  Come back later and see how it went.

Zero. Or thereabouts.

As we look out on the white world outside, we’re thinking of our dear friends down under who are enduring scorching temperatures.  We’ve lobbed quite a few virtual snowballs in their direction over the last couple of days but I expect they melted by the time they got there.

I decided it was time to crack open another of our yummy Tasmanian Christmas goodies this afternoon.  After all, there has to be some consolation at not being able to go very far, hasn’t there?

Gold Medal Flavours, eh?  Only the best!!

Sounds good, eh?

I carefully divided the pieces for my Hero and I and took the photograph.

Because it didn’t last long.

Delicious!   Thank you, John x

I know.

I said we weren’t going anywhere.  But that was before my hero remembered that he’d promised to walk around our friends’ house, since they’re away for the weekend.  So, we put on boots and coats and hats and gloves and scarves and set out across the field.

It was really rather beautiful.  The snow had drifted in such a way that we could be walking in just a centimetre or so one minute and then up to our knees the next.

Someone had made the sweetest pair of snowpeople.  But the rose, so lovingly offered, wasn’t being gracefully accepted, it appeared.

In places, where the snow had blown across a hard surface, there was a kind of “ice shelf” and this one looked like a pair of claws.  Oooh, scary!

Our friends’ drive is a little tricky and in places, there are 40 – 50cm deep drifts.  We trod very carefully and our footprints around the house made it look as though someone had been on a heffalump hunt (or was it a woozle?)

I’m glad to say, that by the time we made it back across the field, the snowpeople had made up!

Sweet?

It’s here

It started early.  I was supposed to be at work this morning, together with colleagues for a long-standing and rather important meeting, so I got up early and poked my nose through the curtains.  By the time my colleagues and I had had a bit of email conversation and compared notes, it was clear, none of us were going anywhere.

Of course, it was widely forecast yesterday.  Our plans for driving up to Yorkshire this weekend were cancelled yesterday morning, because most of the students whose work I was due to assess on Monday were already snowed/iced in themselves and there didn’t seem much point in making heroic efforts when we can simply rearrange.  However, not expecting to be home all weekend meant we hadn’t really done much shopping.  So I went to Waitrose, where it was like Christmas all over again!

It was a good job I did, for we are not going anywhere for a while.  Not a single vehicle has passed the house and although my hero has been out and done what he can to clear and grit the steep bend which usually offers the biggest challenge, the wind has blown the snow over it again.

The combination of fine snow and strong wind is making lovely shapes and textures though.

However, I am not venturing any further than the doorstep to look for them!

It was actually pretty dreary all morning, with fine, wet snow blowing all over the place, but towards lunchtime it brightened enough to bring out a few folks and their sledges to the field across the valley.

But it’s really cold, with temperatures below zero and a strong wind chill too.  I don’t think we’re going to go anywhere for a couple of days!

One of the things I’ve discovered and have enjoyed using over the last couple of weeks is the Day One app on my iphone.  It’s perfect for recording a snapshot right now, automatically tags it with the date and time and will include weather and location information at a tap of the screen.  There’s space for some journalling, if the mood takes me, or the picture will simply fill the screen if there’s nothing to say.  What’s more, the next time there’s a wifi connection, it uploads all of that to Dropbox without my having to lift another finger.

Highly recommended.