Travel Mini Album │ Portland

A few weeks ago I shared a brief glimpse into a travel mini album that I made so today I wanted to share the whole thing with you. Last month my Mom and I took a trip to Portland for a few days. Its a relatively short flight for me being in California and my Mom lives in Oregon so it was the perfect place for us to meet up for a little getaway.

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This album came together super quickly which is always a bonus for a mini album. The longer they take the less I want to make them so tackling these kinds of small and quick projects is totally my jam these days. Links to all the places I visited will be at the end of this post.

While my Mom and I were out shopping we stopped into one of my favorite Portland stores, Oblation Papers & Press. This store has a working letterpress inside and its always fun to watch them work. While I was there I picked up a super cool folded envelope from the company Envelopments that I thought would be a great page for my upcoming December Daily® album. However, the more I looked at it the more I also thought it would be a great cover for a mini album. I will share a detailed diagram of how I made the cover below but I wanted to make sure I shared where my cover inspiration came from. These envelopes are beautifully made and the shimmery gold envelope I bought is so pretty.

Here's a look at the folded up complete album. I love how contained it is and I can totally see myself replicating this system again for sure.

Inside the front cover and inside the pocket are typed up journaling notes for each day of our trip. This is something I've done for several mini albums in the past and I like to have my notes in one central area of the album so I can look back on them years from now and read all of the detail. I don't typically like to do heavy journaling inside mini albums and this is a way for me to do that without having to do all the journaling on each page.

Here you can also see what the base of the album is. Its super simple. I used 10 sheets of plain white cardstock that I cut down to roughly 10x7 inches. I used my We R Memory Keepers score board to score down the middle of each of the sheets and then used my long arm stapler to staple the pages in the middle. I did trim up the edges so they were all even using a rotary cutter. This part of the process is hard with the cardstock and its typically easier to do when its just paper.

For the cover of the actual album I used stamps from Kelly Purkey Shop, the hexagon stamp is from the Home Sweet Home kit stamp set and the alpha is the Lexington Alpha Stamp. The ink colors I used are Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Lime Green and Studio Calico Color Theory ink in Clear Blue.

In the Kelly Purkey shop latest release she had a stamp set in her Admit One Travelers Notebook kit that you can use to make custom tickets. There was also a companion alpha stamp to give you even more customization options. For the album I made a ticket for each travel day and clipped them to one of the photos. I love how these tickets turned out and I loved how they looked clipped to the photo. I replicated that a few more times in the album because I love interactive elements in my mini albums, even if its just a lift and reveal type item. I find that the more you have to interact with the album the more you will actually slow down and look at all of it.

The carpet at the PDX airport is pretty famous. Sadly the original carpet was all torn out and replaced a few years ago but its always a fun photo op when you pass thru that airport. The element on my photo on the left was added thru the Instagram Stories geo tag feature and I loved it so I made sure to add it to my photo and save it while I was there. On the right I clipped an image of the carpet to an image of the state of Oregon to creating a clipping mask. I printed it out and fussy cut around it and used some pop dots to elevate it off the page. I added in a simple title using Kelly Purkey's 4x6 White Mini Alpha Stickers. I love these stickers!! A must have item in my stash for sure.

I typically like to be fairly consistent with my mini albums so if I do something for one day, I will do the same thing again for the next day. I decided to type up on a simple sheet of note pad paper all of the things we did that day so I didn't have to do a lot of individual journaling and I love how they turned out. I added in more stamping using the Lexington Alpha stamp set and added in some washi tape in coordinating colors. I didn't worry too much about my typing being perfect. That's not typically how I roll but for this I just let it happen, mistakes and all. On the right side I dressed up my photo with a stamp from Kelly's Home Sweet Home kit. I loved how the sentiments on that stamp set could be used for travel photos too.

The best thing about the Ace Hotel in Portland is the way the rooms are decorated. They are so unique and cool and provided lots of photo opportunities. I layered a bit of paper from the notepad they leave in the room and added more stamping from the Home Sweet Home kit directly on my photo. I wanted to share several photos from the hotel but I didn't want to dedicate a lot of pages to the mini album so I stacked several and stuck them down with washi tape so you could flip thru the photos.

Here's a super cute pic of my super cute Mom at lunch at Deschutes. The coaster is just stuck down to the page and the stamp I used is an older stamp from Kelly Purkey, its all about beer so that one gets used a lot. The Mom stamp is also Kelly's but it has also been discontinued. And yes I wrote the wrong date, ugh.

Powell's Books is always worthy of a stop and the shelves and shelves of books are so fun to look thru. The bookmark I added to my page is old it was from a trip I took a few years ago but I used it because it was orange and it matched that rubber piece from an old Studio Calico kit.

We went to the movies at a super cool theatre by the hotel and I didn't really take any pictures but I saved the tickets and printed a photo from online of the movie poster. The stamps are older Kelly Purkey stamps.

The start of Wednesday's adventures with a repeat of the page above. That mural by the artist Faith47 is always a must to walk by and snap a picture of. Stunning.

I saved all of the bags I got if I made a purchase and cut down all that I could to use as bases for either photos to be clipped or in this case a business card. Alder & Co. is such a beautiful store. The flowers are always amazing. I added in a simple chipboard element and puffy sticker to my photo. Nice and simple.

Another interactive photo flip for a stop at Schoolhouse Electric. Serious home inspo at this place, my Mom loved it.

We couldn't visit The Collage store location that I wanted to because it was being renovated but we met the owner and she directed us to another location. It was a super fun store to walk thru. A simple little flip element added because I wanted to save the screen shot from my facetime session with the family. I was soaking wet which you cant really see in the photo but I will always remember getting caught in the rain when I see that photo years from now.

Added in a simple image of something I bought while I was at Collage and a postcard of a rainy Portland.

You have to eat at Cheese and Crack if you go to Portland. Especially if your an hors d'oeuvre lover, its finger food at its finest. Adding some simple stamping to the photo and a little puffy heart to keep it simple.

I saved a few of the lobby photos to add to other pages and here is one I took from the loft landing looking down on the common space. 

Blue Star Donuts is better than Voodoo if you are looking for something a bit more gourmet. I still love Voodoo for the offbeat and fun take on traditional donuts but my Mom wanted to try something new so Blue Star won this trip. More photo stamping with word strips and a puffy star for embellishment.

Clipped business cards is my new jam. 

There's a really cool app called This. and I love how you can label photos with it. I mimiced that look on my own in Photoshop so I could label the donut flavors on my pic. The Lemon Poppyseed is the BEST if you are curious. The Stumptown Coffee is pretty damn good too.

Oblation Paper is the place I mentioned above where I bought the inspo envelope. Please visit this place if you ever end up in Portland. They have really lovely cards and paper goods.

They also have a collection of really cool typewriters and you get to watch them Letterpress while you shop.

Porch Light is a place I had never been and it ended up being one of my favorite stops. They gave out super cute printed cards that you can see peeking out that listed all the near by local stores, restaurants and coffee shops, etc. I love how they wanted to share the love to other places, good on them. On a side note I've never bought a bottle of perfume on vacation before but from now on this scent will always remind me of Portland.

On the last day I hardly took any photos but I did get a photo of me and Mom to add in to the book.

For the very last page I added in an image I took when I got home of some of the treasures I brought home. Flat lay images are super fun and I think I'll do this on every trip going forward. Its a fun way to include those mementos.

That's it for the album contents. I really love how this one turned out, and I know I always say that but I really do love it.

Since I had already put together my album I recreated it for you so I could share how it came together. Its a lot easier than it may seem. The first thing you need to decide is what size you want the inside album to be. I wanted the pages of my album to be 5x7 so I knew that the outside cover need to be larger than that to fold over the finished album.

Supplies
3 - 12x12 sheets of cardstock
Clear Velcro dots
Adhesive
Ruler

Because my album cover was going to be wider than 12" when open I needed to create the cover in two parts. I did the measurements based off of my 5x7 album and here is what I used. The front left flap of the album is 10 1/2" wide by 7 5/16" tall. I scored two lines from 5" in to the left edge leaving a 1/2" gap between. The original cover I made that you see in the images above only had 1/4" scored lines and it ended up being too tight when the album was done so I replaced it with this one that I'm showing here. You need to account for the thickness of the completed book which I didn't realize would be as thick as it was when I was done.

For the front right side of the cover you need to cut a piece of cardstock 9" wide by 7 5/16" tall and score two more lines from 5" in that are spaced 1/2" apart. I also cut an angle into the front flap like the envelope sample I was using. You can also leave it straight, its up to you.

For the pocket you need to cut a piece that is roughly the same size as the inside front but add in about 1/2" around the edge that you can cut and score so you have something to adhere down.

When its time to assemble you place Cover Part B on top of Cover Part A lining up the left edge of Cover Part B with the right hand scored line of Cover Part A. Fold the edges of your pocket down, add adhesive to the under side and line up the edges.

One the album is complete add in the velco dots and close up the album. I added in a piece of flare on top of the outer cover just to create a closure. I removed the pin portion of the flare and used three layers of foam tape to stick it down. Its holding up beautifully so I don't think it will pop off.

I've been asked to also share some of my favorite Portland Places so I wanted to list them here for you too.

Places to Stay
The Ace Hotel Portland

Places to Eat
Cheryl's on 12th, great for a quick breakfast
Jake's Seafood, Super old school with great Bar service
Piazza Italia, make a reservation
Blue Star Donuts
Stumptown Coffee, sip a cup in Ace Lobby and people watch, so fun.
Clyde Common, in the Ace Hotel for drinks
Cheese and Crack
Salt & Straw 
Deschutes Brewery

Places to Shop
Oblation Paper and Press
Porch Light
Powell's Books
Alder & Co.
Made Here PDX
Schoolhouse Electric Company
Collage 
Lark Press
Ecru Modern Stationer

If you made it this far, you get a GOLD MEDAL! Thanks for being here. I appreciate you.

Where I’ve been…

It’s not like I’ve been traveling the world and living an exotic life, I’ve been home, kind of in a cocoon not really wanting to tell any stories or post any pictures.  Not exactly sure why that is but suffice it to say that I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, keeping me awake at night and making me think.  I have however kept up with taking pictures, some days more than others.

Almost a month ago I flew up to Oregon on this…

Some call it an airplane, I call it a nightmare.  I really, really, really dislike flying on propeller planes but this is what greeted me at the gate in Sacramento.  I did however have a wonderful time while I was there.  I got to hang out with Mom and Gary, watch a Royal Wedding, meet a little girl name Lily, have a 5 hour lunch with an old school friend named Karla, see a show called Wicked (never gets old) and lay around in my jammies.  Sadly the flight home was on the same kind of plane but sharing the first leg with cast members from Wicked made the journey to Portland that much easier, even though the turbulence was horrific.

I hit the ground running when I got home to put the finishing touches on the Lingerie Shower for my niece Christina.  Mark Junior’s girlfriend Megan made the cute cupcakes and Christina sent the adorable Lingerie cookies out from Virginia Beach, they were a huge hit.

Her friends were a lot of fun but had to be kicked out at 11:00pm; I was pooped and can’t party like a 20 year old anymore.

Then it was Mother’s Day, which seemed to come out of nowhere.  I thought for sure I had another week but it came without warning at Simone’s school when we were presented with these little treasures

That day we had brunch at the Virgin Sturgeon and I took a much needed nap after

I’ve spent time marveling at the wardrobe changes my little Vanna White has been putting together these days, there are at least three a day sometimes many, many more.  We have tried to stay on top of the messy room but most days I just let it take over and close the door.  This one certainly isn’t the craziest we’ve seen but the reindeer socks and boots add a nice touch.  When I ask her why she wants to change her clothes so much I get “because I want too.”  I guess that’s a good enough reason when you’re 3.4 years old

We’ve all been enjoying our time with ‘the iPad’.  Whether it’s playing Dora the Explorer games, or watching videos on Live Leak, everyone seems entertained...

I’ve spent some time struggling with the fact that my little girl who used to take up this much space on the couch next to me...

Now takes up this much...

Space that she would sweetly refer to as her “bot” because she couldn’t say the ‘sp’ sound.  Space that has sadly and very clearly become her “spot.”  When I remind her that she used to call it a “bot” I’m scolded and told “Momma, it’s not a bot it’s a spot” usually with some sort of frown and hand gestures thrown in to emphasize that I have clearly lost it if I think it’s called a “bot”.   It’s made me reflect on all the other cute expressions that she used to say when she was learning to talk that she doesn’t say anymore and how I want to document that on a page for her scrapbook.  More to follow for sure.

We’ve spent time marveling at how good she has become at puzzles and how she wants to do them all the time…reminding me that I need to pick up some new ones for her.  The dollar spot at Target is where I’ve picked up the small, easier ones that she has.  This jumbo USA puzzle was purchased at Home Goods.  I’m still kicking myself for not getting the others that they had.

Lastly, the biggest and most amazing time sucker of them all has been this humongous hole we have in our backyard. 

It’s been a blast watching the process and see our backyard dreams slowing come to life.  We’ve been at a bit of a standstill since the concrete went in but hope that things pick up soon.  Most certainly there will be more to follow on this as well.

So long for now, let’s hope it’s not 3 weeks from now.