And So I Don't Forget...

Please Weather Gods

This has been one crazt week. Hottest September night in a decade followed by the wettest September day since 1916. Our winter coats are back out, spring has disappeared again and I really wish I remembered my scarf today.

Tomorrow, though, I am going to be wishing for more than a scarf as I attempt to look pretty in a lovely, floaty, strapless dress and high-heeled sandals.

Please wish us luck and dry weather (sunny too if you are extra optimistic) as I am bridesmaid in the wedding of my friends Liz and Dave.

It is planned to be an outdoor wedding. At night. My fingers are crossed.

TBT: Currency Conversions

Travel Tip:  Give your math skills a break and make a currency conversion card.

Whenever I am heading overseas, unless it is a really basic exchange rate, I make up a little card printed with a range of amounts in local currency and how much it is in Australian dollars.

About the size of a credit card, I slip it into my wallet so it's easily available whenever I am spending money.

If I'm umming and ahhing over spending 200 Thai Baht I can refer to it for a reality check - $7 sounds so much less expensive! 

I could probably do the sums in my head but I find this much easier. It's also less likely to make mistakes than I am. :)

There are sources online that will make little charts for you but I find it just as simple to do it myself in Word or Excel. That way I can avoid figures like 1 THB = 0.0328143 AUD - a little too specific! I use XE for the conversions and like to laminate the card so it lasts longer. Printing onto cardstock would probably work just as well. 

And for scrapbookers, this would be a great little piece of memorabilia to slip into your album. :)

A currency conversion card will only take 5 minutes to make and can save you from the mental arithmetic (and double-guessing yourself) while traveling.  

LSN: Day 13, Inspired

Day 13 - Today I learnt that working on this mini is making me feel so very inspired.

Ever have one of days where is seems like everything you find on the internet was posted just for you? When everything you see sparks your creativity?

The 13th of September was one of those days. Love that. 

As I looked at Pinterest and blogs in GoogleReader I made little sketches for myself.

Some of those ideas have already made it into the mini.

This page by Rahel Menig:

Source: bluemoonscrapbooking.blogspot.com via Delanie on Pinterest

 

inspired the use of layers on this page:

and the date cluster on Day 13 (at the top of this post).

The scallops/feathers on Day 13 were inspired by a shirt I saw someone wearing. I tend to be more literal in my inspiration - getting ideas for paper projects from paper projects - so I'm pleased I translated the idea onto the page. 

Does this look familiar?

Source: upupcreative.com via Delanie on Pinterest

It was the inspiration for this page:

 

Hmmm, let me see... From those sketches I have used these ideas so far:

Some of pages you have seen (or can, here, here and here) and some that are yet to be posted. Is that a tantalising hint to encourage you to come back? :)

But it wasn't only layouts and page ideas that seemed posted just for me. I listened to the latest Paperclipping Roundtable podcast, Making Unique Minibooks, (this is totally what they were talking about) then discovered on older one I'd missed, Not That Deep. Who knew this could be considered at art journal? I also enjoyed Melissa Stinson's article on Combating Creative Burnout. By working on this album, which is making me feel so inspired, I am actually using a lot of her ideas so I can recommend them. 

 

I just wanted to finish off this post by saying how appreciative I am to be a part of this 'scrapbooking community' we have. I so very much enjoy your comments, both here on the blog and other places I lurk on the web. (My Pinterest and Twitter.) I'm delighted to think that, like all the inspiration I gain online, I'm giving some back to you.

Thank you so very much for reading. 

Ribbon can come in very handy...

but I still think it might be time to buy a new pair of slippers. 

LSN: Days 9 - 12

First of all, please excuse the lousy photos. My little point and shoot doesn't like low-light at all and every page here seems to have something that reflects. Oih. Thankfully it is less than a week till my big camera returns. :)

Day 9 - Today I learnt that spring sunshine should be enjoyed because it can retreat again at any moment.

This lesson was prompted by the evening football match I attended. After a number of warm, sunny days the temperature that day decided to drop by at least 10 degrees. It even hailed that morning! I watched the game rugged up in layer after layer. And it rained. Lovely.  

This side shows that transparency better.

Another lesson could have been - don't splatter red ink as it just ends up looking too much like blood.

Day 10 - Today I learnt that mean and selfish drivers make road rage seem mighty appealing.

Click to enlarge.

Day 11 - Today I learnt that it is possible to be more nervous for someone else than I ever was for myself.

This day my little sister headed off overseas (with my camera!) for her first trip on her own. Mum, Dad and I went together to drop her off at the airport and it was hard seeing her head off through those doors. Definitely nervous and excited on her behalf. :)

Click to enlarge.

Day 12 - Today I learn that without the instant gratification of digital, photography would not have been for me.

Without my big camera, I decided to take my 12 on the 12th photos this day with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. I didn't like having to wait even a couple of minutes for those photos to 'develop' on my phone so definitely can't see myself liking photography anywhere near as much as I do if we were still in the days of film. I'm too impatient. :)

For the page on the right I used an envelope so I could slip the 12 on the 12th photos from that day into the minibook. 

And that is where I am up to at the moment. Still playing. Still enjoying.

 

You can find my previous pages here and here. Learn Something New is a concept by Shimelle.

TBT: Look Up

My travel tip for today: Don't forget to look up.

There are so many wonderful details that occur above our line of sight. Architectural lines and curves. Decorated ceilings. Ornate columns and light fittings. 

When traveling take a moment to enjoy this different perspective. Just don't try and walk at the same time. :) 

A church, Macau

A different church, Macau

Guggenheim Museum, New York

Public Library, New York

Library of Congress, Washington DC

Cienfuegos, Cuba

Trinidad, Cuba

Revolution Museum, Havana, Cuba

Red Fort, Agra, India

Sad Face / Happy Dance

It cost me $130 to get my bridesmaid dress altered / The dressmaker did a great job and the dress looks quite flattering 

I need to buy new jeans, never an enjoyable experience / I've lost some weight and the old ones are too loose

I have to apply for my own job again / I have the opportunity to make a temporary promotion permanent

My Week in the Life album still isn't finished / The is only one page of journaling to do before it's complete

Editing holiday photos is boring / Nearly finished

 

Senado Square, Macau

Hong Kong Harbour

LSN: Days 4-8

I am really enjoying creating this Learn Something New mini-book. As I discussed here, I'm relaxing and playing.

Day 4 - Today I learnt that enjoyable and productive weekends can still be hectic.

Day 5 - Today I learnt that new iPhones are very distracting.

Journaling reads: Despite disliking their dominance of the market, even been called anti-iPhone, when I decided to give up and get one I got as dizzy and excited as anyone. So excited in fact that on the train home after picking it up I was so busy playing with the phone I managed to miss my station. By three stops!

Day 6 - Today I learnt that spray tans are like doing yoga basically naked in cold rain.

Day 7 - Today I learnt that you should never be too old to dance the hokey pokey.

Talia is my acquired niece and in her first year of school. Mum and I agreed to go to the school dance night which had a Bollywood theme. Talia was all dressed up in bangles, bindi and a sparkly, swirly dress - even the rest of us made a bit of an effort. She was so incredibly excited, it was really lovely to see. Mum and I were assigned the important task of putting jewel stickers in her hair. :)

Hearing the heel-toe polka certainly brought back memories - I was amazed at how many of the dances were the same ones that I had done when I was back in school. They played some crowd favourites too, those ones that you never seem to forget the moves too. Hey, macarena, ahia!   

Journaling reads: Talia's school Bollywood dance night. Talia, so excited, claimed it the 'best night ever'. I danced the Nutbush and Bus Stop with Talia but when Mum and I heard the Chicken Dance then the Hokey Pokey come on we didn't resist, dancing together up behind our table.

Day 8 - Today I learnt that sometimes sleep is more important than pretty much everything.

There are little stories in this album that I am so glad I have recorded. Maybe they would have made it onto this blog anyway, but maybe not. 

The mini-book pages are not up to date but that doesn't bother me in the slightest. I am recording the lessons each day, jotted down in my diary or phone. When I get a chance I work on more pages.

No stress. Just playing. :) 

12 on the 12th: Hipstamatic Edition

Given that my sister has borrowed my camera to take on holiday (I am an incredibly kind, generous and trusting sister who is expecting a kick-ass souvenir!) I decided to experiment with the Hipstamatic app for this month's 12 on the 12th. 

I can admit it - one of the main reasons I gave in and bought an iPhone last week was so I could get the Instagram and Hipstamatic apps. :) 

It was quite a change having to wait for the photos to 'develop'. I think I took about a third of the photos I normally would on the 12th and found it difficult not having that immediate feedback of checking the screen. I also crop almost every photo I take so having to work with the in-camera composition, particularly when the viewfinder doesn't entirely correspond to the finished photo, felt very unusual. I don't think I would have the same enjoyment of photography if it was still film and analogue.  

 

TBT: Packing List

It seems that before every trip I have the worrying thought - what have I forgotten? And I have a feeling I'm not alone in that. :)

I write up packing lists but can't help worrying that something important never made it onto the list. Those list always seem to be written last minute too, just in time for the dash to the shopping centre for those last bits and pieces. 

So, I've decided to post a packing list here where I (and you) can find it in the future.

This is intended to be a comprehensive list for general, on the cheap side, travel. In NO WAY am I suggesting that you pack everything on here. It's just a starting point so you can cross things off and narrow down what you need. 

Packing List to download as a Word document, for editing and printing

 

  PACKING LIST

DOCUMENTATION

Passport

Visa

Tickets – details of any tickets/reservations for planes, trains, entrances

Hotel Information – including reservations, addresses and how to get there

Drivers Licence – or another form of photo ID. Sometimes you are required to hand over a photo ID, while using audio tour equipment for example. It’s nice to have something other than a passport to leave.

Concession Cards – any student card, teacher card, pensioner card, military ID

Travel Insurance Information – including the emergency phone number

Photocopy – the photo page of passport and any visas. I also like to email myself a copy.

Foreign currency

Credit Card/Bank Card – at least two so that you can leave a spare in your luggage. Just in case.

Currency Conversion Card

 

PRACTICALITIES

Suitcase/Backpack

Daypack

Handbag

Purse/Wallet

Money Belt

Locks – for luggage, daypack and lockers. A lock that has some sort of wire/chain can be helpful for locking your bag to something.

Luggage Tag

Guide Book – I love having a Lonely Planet guide book for information

Maps

 

CLOTHES

Pajamas

Underwear

Bras

Socks/Hosiery

Pants

Shorts

Skirts/Dresses

Tops

Long-sleeved tops

Jumpers/Jackets

Dressy Outfit

Sports Gear

 

SHOES

Walking Shoes/Boots

Sandals

Thongs –I’m Australian. Flip flops if that makes more sense to you.

 

TOILETRIES

Toiletry Bag

Toothbrush

Soap

Shampoo

Towel – I have a small, absorbent travel towel

Lip Balm

Feminine Hygiene Products

Hairbrush/Comb

Tweezers

Moisturiser

Shower Gel

Deodorant

Hair Product

Makeup

Razor

Small Mirror

Cotton Buds

Face Wash

Hair Clips

Perfume

Dental Floss

Nail Clippers

Tissues – see this post. I try to always have a packet of tissues with me when traveling.

Toilet paper

 

MEDICAL

Antibacterial Hand Gel

Regular Medication

Copy of Prescriptions

Aspirin/Pain Killers

Bandage

Sticking Plaster/Bandaids

Antibiotics

Anti-Diarrheal

Tablets for Nausea and Vomiting

Antihistamine

Something for Motion Sickness

Antibiotic Cream

Something to East Sunburn, Bites and Stings

Glasses

Contact Lenses

Contact Lens Solution

Copy of Glasses Prescription

 

OUTDOORS

Sunscreen

Sunglasses

Insect Repellent

Raincoat

Umbrella

Sarong – can double as a towel or skirt and can be used for privacy

Hat

Swimsuit

Compass – I’ve found this useful in cities, working out which was to hold the map

 

STATIONERY

Addresses – for anyone you want to send a postcard to

Pen – very helpful to have access to a pen on planes to fill in forms

Journal

Notebook

Calendar – for longer trips they can be helpful to keep track of dates

 

ELECTRICAL

Camera

Memory cards

Camera battery charger

Phone

Phone battery charger

iPod/Radio

Spare Batteries

Power Adaptors

 

ODDS AND ENDS

Sleeping Bag

Sleeping Sheet

Alarm clock – or phone with that capability

Pocket knife

Pack of Cards

Reading Books

Cutlery set – if you plan on self-catering some meals

Torch

Watch

Earplugs

Universal Plug – handy if you plan to do some hand washing

Clothesline

Washing soap

Water Bottle

Something to Give Locals – depending on where you are traveling, pens or little souvenirs from home are really appreciated, particularly by kids

Ziplock Bags – for separating the little bits and pieces

Bubble Wrap – for protecting any breakable souvenirs you buy

Scissors

Sewing Kit

Electrical/Duct Tape

 

Here is that link to the Packing List in a Word document again.

Now, what have I forgotten? :)

What do you take traveling that you find particularly helpful? I'd love to hear what you think.