We all love getting away, but for scrapbookers, looking at that huge stack of pictures we bring back from our trips can be quite intimidating.I must admit that I once deferred to making a Shutterfly photo book of a weekend getaway featuring trips to several different destinations in one city because I was intimidated by the overall task of scrapbooking the vast variety of photos with any semblance of continuity.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Shutterfly photo books, I do regret that my attempts came out a little impersonal considering it was one of our first trips as a family.
If I would have had access to Debbie's self-paced course, Scrapbooking Travel, at that time, all those apprehensions would have melted away.
Now that I have taken the course, I can assure you that I won't end up with another impersonal collection of travel layouts anytime soon!
Scrapbooking Travel includes three downloads - one 52-page PDF course document and, for digital scrapbookers, two zipped files including 31 scrapbook page templates that can be used in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS. For traditional paper scrapbookers, these templates are included in the form of sketches within the PDF document (including detailed measurements).
The course includes five lessons and a page planner document that can be copied and used again and again each time you have travel photos to scrap.
The five lessons include:
#1 - Weekend Getaway:
"A weekend getaway can be as much about the company as the destination and includes short trips to hang out with friends, find some romance, see an exhibit , or just take a break from your typical weekend routines." (Think visits to multiple locations within one larger city.)
#2 - Road Trip:
"A 'road-trip' type vacation is is one that take you to a series of what may be quite different locales over the course of one trip." (Think stops at multiple locations along a trip route of several hundred miles.)
#3 - Being There:
"There's limited sightseeing on this type of vacation, and it's more about enjoying place, people and activities." (Think a visit to a relatives home or a camping trip.)
#4 - On Tour:
"The 'On Tour' travel experience is one in which many of the details are decided ahead of time -- and, in fact, taken care of for you -- so that you can relax as well as experience the sights and experiences." (Think a cruise or an African safari.)
#5 - Themed Destinations:
"The 'themed' vacation is one that takes you into a created world where you are doing more than viewing, where you're entering into and experiencing a manufactured reality." (Think Disney or a historic settlement.)
In each lesson on Scrapbooking Travel, Debbie discusses whether that particular type of travel lends itself better to chronological or category scrapbooking...or some combination of the two.
Debbie also covers other important elements in each lesson for putting together successful travel layouts including design, color strategy, including memorabilia, cost-effective embellishment strategies, consistency in titling and journaling topics.
One thing that I am always impressed with is the DEPTH of Debbie's courses.
She always includes several layout samples to illustrate the concepts she presents. While an idea book might rely on the samples to speak for themselves, Debbie is careful to explain the reasoning behind her choices in design, color, etc.
By doing this, she is effectively teaching you how to carry those same concepts over into all of your future designs.
She is also always sure to include suggestions on how to alter or customize her suggestions so that the same concepts can be used again and again without going stale.
Whether your trip is an overnight camp at a nearby lake or a weeks-long trip to some international destination, Scrapbooking Travel will offer you the guidance you need to beautifully honor your vacation memories.
GIVEAWAY:
Debbie has been generous enough to offer up a free download of Scrapbooking Travel to one lucky reader of the AMOM blog! All you have to do to enter for your chance to win is answer the following question in a comment to this post by 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 24th, 2011:
What has been your all-time favorite vacation and why?
Random.org will choose and I will announce the winner on Friday.
GOOD LUCK!!
