Beach Front Mini

Okay so I stole some time to get photos up of the mini I did in San Diego, and truth be told I actually only did the first 4 pages of it there in the condo, the other 4 pages I did on my birthday last Saturday. Got to love an empty house and a whole lot of time to do anything you please : )



As for the covers, I threw those together just to get the book done and hopefully tomorrow while on breaks @ work I can get some journaling done on those pages. We all know that's always the last thing I get done, which is sad being that for a very long time I was a journal writer and poetry was my release from the daily grind. For all the writings I did then and I haven't a clue what to say now...what a shame. I'm sure there are a ton of great stories, just wish I were a better story teller.



Anyways, as for the album, I had it done before I even left for San Diego. I had the pages cut to size and the corners punched, and had the covers and pages already bound with the binding rings. Then I even put together a very efficient crop bag that I packed in my suitcase. I was proud of that bag, in fact I should have taken a photo of it; my girl friend Angji would have been proud too because she has been with me @ a crop, I take everything except my desk (and I got a lot of scrap stuff). Anyways once I got to the condo I was set. I had pretty much everything that I normally use just less of it. I packed a few clear stamps in a cd case, I had a couple of punches that are very versatile, had a few ink pads, my scissors and a couple of pens to write with. Then in an empty film case I threw some embellishments (brads, buttons, flowers, photo turns, paper clips, etc.) and then I also picked out a set of 4x4 pattern papers and a couple of 3x3 cardstock colored mats to use that would match all the other things I had already chosen; grabbed a few journaling blocks and cut some ribbons to use also. That was pretty much my bag of stuff.



As for the product brands and names well... I had all kinds of stuff, which I'm not very good about noting when I'm actually working - so that's something I will work on for you, getting a products list written down before I begin, so as to share it with you. My thing is that I don't tend to use just one line or one company for a project, I just use what I think best compliments each other and go for it. Now that is not to say that there are not manufactures that I like more than others because there are several that I like and continue to go back to again and again: 7 gypsies, making memories, creative imaginations, bazzill, maya road, etc. all of these companies offer a really good quality product and because of that I do use them. And by the way that's only a handful of companies that I even use, there are literally over a hundred scrapbooking companies, some that I haven't even heard of.



What is interesting about this mini is that I actually already did a travel album for San Diego (later this week I'll try to get that up) but I wanted to bind it with a spiral binding. In order to do that you either have to pay some place to do it for you or you ask to get a 'bind-it-all' for your birthday. Bet ya can't guess what I got for my birthday? Nope-I got money to buy it instead ; p
I have wanted this thing for about 8 months but never could justify that kind of purchase with the economy and all and so when b-day came around I figured that'd be a good thing to ask for; turns out I waited just long enough for Zutter to come out with a newer/better bind-it-all...lucky me! Bad part is...I got mine the night before I left to go on vacation and therefore didn't get my album bound in time to catch our flight the next morning. So this little bitty cutie was a last minute idea and I'm so glad I did it. Not sure what I'll make of the writings yet, but I'll always have this little gem that I started @ the beach... :) It's unfortunately true, I AM A HEADCASE!

But ya know that already ; p

...thanks for looking!

just b