An Epic Album for an Epic Trip

A Walkthrough of My Scotland Scrapbook Adventure

Apr 03, 2024

Hey friends! I'm thrilled to finally share a piece of my heart with you—my Scotland travel album. If you've ever found yourself staring at a pile of photos, tickets, postcards, and other bits, wondering how they could ever capture the essence of your journey, you're not alone. But don't worry - I'm about to take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of how I transformed my epic Scottish adventure into an epic scrapbook that I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

The Pre-Trip Buzz

Even before setting foot on the plane, I was buzzing with anticipation - not only for the trip itself, but for the monumental scrapbook I was planning as well. Before we left, I put together the skeleton of the album. I cooked up this album myself, and it consists of one part repurposed Ali Edwards travel kit, two parts sturdy cardboard and felt backing, and a dash of binder rings to hold it together. This is a a reminder to look at everything as potential album material. You never know where the perfect supplies are hiding!

As part of my pre-trip planning, I had my album about 2/3rds filled up with various papers, envelopes, page protectors, etc. I used a six ring hole punch and 3" binder rings to construct the album.

Everything that I took with me on my trip fit into a large clear zipper bag. That included:

My full album
My mini printer
A small bag filled with embellishments, stickers, pens and washi
A small bag filled with tools (small scissors, adhesive, etc)

All my little bags fit inside the big clear bag, which made it easy to keep everything together throughout the trip. Nesting! And as we were switching hotels pretty much every night, it was essential that I kept everything organized while we were on the go.

A Journey Through Different Pages

An epic album necessitates an epic video, so join me in the video above as I flip through the pages of this album. There are so many stories inside, from our first steps in Edinburgh, to the serene landscapes of the Isle of Skye. I tried to show all of the little pockets of extra journaling and ephemera I tucked away, but I’m sure I still missed a few. One thing that I talk about both in the video and in this post was the planning and brainstorming I did before we left, and now that I’m done, I can’t emphasize enough how much this album would never have happened (or been consigned to the “I’ll get back to this at some point…” pile) without investing in that forethought.

Have you ever picked up a piece of memorabilia and felt transported back to a place and time? Sometimes the memory can be so strong that you can almost smell it. That feeling was what I wanted to evoke throughout this album. It was important to me to include as much of Scotland as I could, and because that was the goal well before we even left, our whole traveling party was on the lookout for interesting brochures, papers, and things at gift shops. Postcards are almost anachronistic for their intended use in 2024, but they are the perfect thing to grab when you have a minute, or some spare change, in whatever place you’re in. I also made sure to save all of our tickets, and found an amazing concertina album filled with watercolors of Edinburgh at an adorable shop. Each of these pieces is a primary source that will add detail, color and unquestionable authenticity to your album.

The beauty of scrapbooking is in its ability to hold both the magnificent and the mundane. A busted knee that led to some people-watching…rain that crashed down on our windshield as we admired sculptures from the road…even the culinary adventures that surprised us at every turn. I wanted to make sure to weave these distinct moments into a cohesive story that will make me feel like I was there again when I look at (or show off) my book. I want to remember as much about each of the unique settings we visited as I can, so that I can also remember the experiences we had and the memories we made there.

Tips and Tricks from the Road

As we flip further through the book, I also want to share with you the strategies that made this album possible. From prepping with a travel kit that contained everything I needed to document on the go, to the revelation of using clear sticker paper for journaling, these were gained through trial, error, and moments of creative inspiration. I learned so much while creating this album that I'll take forward into future projects, so make sure to check out the full album flip-through video to hear many more examples.

One quick one - take pictures of everything! Not just the picturesque views, but also the mundane like street signs and menus. This will be a game-changer when you're back, trying to piece together your story. If you can scroll back through your own photos right on your phone and already see the outlines of your story, it will be so much easier to actually finish.

Reflections and Revelations

Creating this album was a journey in itself, filled with discoveries about scrapbooking and about my own creative process. The realization that digital journaling and note-taking could help me keep notes on the road was a game-changer. And I already know I'm going to love flipping through this album over and over again. When you integrate transparencies and flip-ups, it adds all these great layers (physical and narrative) that help to make you feel like you're amongst your memories.

What’s next?

Think about your own stories waiting to be told. Maybe it's a trip you've taken, a place you’ve always wanted to go, or a collection of everyday moments. Scrapbooking is a way of capturing the essence of our stories, both big and small, and then adding beautiful, rich context to that story with all of the pretty papers, words, pictures and ephemera that we love. With a little bit of planning, you can create something that makes you feel proud - an album that feels like an accomplishment.

Wrapping Up With Gratitude

As we reach the end of this album and this post, I'm filled with gratitude. Grateful for the experiences, for the memories made, and for the opportunity to share this journey with you. I’m even a little bit grateful to my past self. She wanted our album, through pictures, words, beautiful supplies, and amazing bits of our journey, to be a true and full accounting of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I think we succeeded.

So, what story are you eager to tell? Whatever it is, remember that each page you create, each photo you place, and each word you write, adds a layer to the tapestry of your story. Let's create beauty in our stories, one album (or even one page) at a time.