Travel Journals

It was in the month of February, with the snow falling down all around us, that we first discussed our trip to Greece. We talked about the best time to travel and it was decided that the month of July would be the perfect time. Work would be slow for my husband, school would be done for my son and football practice would not begin until August, and as it turns out the sweet little girls I babysit would also be on vacation at that time. Perfect I thought but July is soooo far away. When we would get together with the family members that would make the trip with us, we would talk about what we would do, where we would go and of all the relatives that we were going to meet. I would listen with excitement but it just didn't seem real to me. Well here I sit on June 25 with only nine days until our departure. With the suitcases spread over the living room floor and all of my "To Do" lists it has suddenly become real to me. I am going to GREECE!!! I can only imagine the things that I will experience. My father in law came to America when he was just 16 years old and his whole family still resides in Volos, Greece. There are so many relatives to meet. My husband has had the opportunity to visit on several occasions but this will be the first time for my son and I. This whole experience is totally new for us. You may find this hard to believe but either Alex or I have ever been in an airplane. I don't want to forget a single experience or moment of this once in a life time trip. I decided the best way to remember was to take tons of pictures and to write daily entries in a journal. Because this trip is so special I didn't want just any journal and I could not find one that I loved. Then the thought came to me....why don't I make one. Why stop at one? I decided that my sister in law and my mother in law should have one too. I didn't want anything too heavy so I decided to use a regular old composition book and alter it.

I gathered all my supplies and began creating. I first created one for my mother in law and then my sister in law.

Once I completed theirs, I went to work on one for myself. I wanted mine to look like a vintage travel journal. First I started with a textured cream paper and sprayed it with a little walnut ink to give it that aged look.

Then I added all the vintage elements that I love, wallpaper, postcard images, a piece of vintage tape measure, sheet music, and buttons. To finish it off, I stamped my initials in the corner.

I can just imagine how it will be sitting at a little cafe' journaling the adventures of my trip, how blue the sky looks and how clear the sea. And years from now when I want to remember these wonderful memories I will open my journal and they will all come flooding back to me.