Archive for the ‘travel’ Category
Monday, July 26th, 2010
I’m getting this question a lot:
What do you do with your travel pictures? Do you do a photobook, photo album, layout? Please tell me because I don’t know where to put all the pictures I take in my travels.
 (Taken in the Big Bear Lake, CA area where we recently went for a family reunion.)
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It’s an excellent question and on a lot of our minds … so let’s talk about it.
I’ll tell you what I do (you’re going to get a healthy dose of my personal scrapbooking philosophy) and I invite you to share what you do with your vacation/travel photos. Everyone needs to do what feels right for them. Do what works for you, not what you think you “should” do because you’ve seen so-and-so do it that way. Let’s just share ideas and inspire each other, right? Right.
WHAT I USED TO DO. For years and years and years, this was my system: After traveling somewhere I would add that trip to my list of layouts-to-do. It was right there on my handy-dandy list right along with birthdays and holidays and momentous occasions and school pictures and … you name it. Anything and everything I wanted to scrapbook went on this list. I’m an organizer. That’s what I do. When time allowed, I would get around to creating those layouts, one at a time. This layouts-to-do list was always long and I never felt like I could get where I wanted to be, which is current.
WHY THIS NO LONGER WORKS FOR ME. I have this innate need to feel like I’m on top of my pictures. As a lifetime scrapbooker, I was finding it impossible to keep up with my wishful thinking of countless layouts. I wanted to play with my kids instead of spend gobs and gobs of time putting layouts together. I enjoy the art – don’t get me wrong – but it can be oh-so-time-consuming. We all know it. So my list got longer and longer and I wasn’t actually doing any scrapbooking with our pictures — travel and otherwise.
I evolved in my philosophy and approach to scrapbooking. I evolved to a place that is do-able. Realistic. Fun. Focused. And my pictures? I’m scrapbooking them. My list? I’m so over that.
WHAT I DO NOW. Pardon the shameless plug, but I have two words – Project Life. This is how it works for travel pictures: We go somewhere. We come back. I go through our pictures, narrow down, and organize them in our iPhoto library. And then … I choose one picture per day to represent our travel. I add that to our ongoing Project Life book (I personally prefer the digital version). Those travel pictures receive equal treatment to every other picture that goes in our book. That amazing hundreds-of-years-old building we saw? Just as important as Crew learning to feed himself, Claire lining up her stuffed animals for a tea party, Porter losing a tooth, the vegetables we pulled out of the garden, the friends we hang out with.
The little stuff in life is just as important as, if not more important than, the big stuff. It should all be included in telling our life story.
WHY THIS WORKS FOR ME. I am a practical woman. Like really, truly practical. I try to do what makes the most sense and feels right. So for me – for our family - we now have our pictures and stories actually being recorded and preserved in a format we can enjoy, instead of making a list of scrapbook pages I’d like to do “someday”. If you see me in person and ask about it, you’ll have a hard time shutting me up because I am that passionate about the system and its ease and its flexibility. I want this to help so many people (scrapbookers and non-scrapbookers alike) because it has helped me.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE PICTURES? I knew you’d ask. : ) We took a lot of pictures on our recent trip to Finland. After narrowing down, I have exactly 573 pictures that are now stored in iPhoto. Will I scrapbook all of those? Of course not. Would that be nice? Sure. Is it realistic? Heck no. There are thousands and thousands of pictures in our iPhoto library that aren’t being scrapbooked. I’m over it. Sometimes we browse through our pictures on the computer. Sometimes we incorporate our favorites into our home decor. Sometimes we share random pictures with loved ones. Sometimes we make iMovies with the pictures. There are so many other ways to enjoy photographs outside of actual scrapbooks.
ABOUT THAT LIST. Going back to what I said about “do what works for you” — I do realize that there are many of my readers who are true-blue-traditional-layout scrapbookers. I love that. For those of you in that category who are also list-makers and who would be interested in keeping an ongoing list like I mentioned (because it works for you), I’m happy to share that list format again:
So … what works for you?
Tags: big bear lake, philosophy
Posted in organization, scrapbooking, travel | 63 Comments »
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Yes, I am fully aware of my nerdy side. Titling blog posts isn’t my greatest strength.
Here’s another travel photography tip: Capture the WORDS where you go. This is another often-overlooked element of your experience visiting another place. Look at the signs. Notice names, titles, headlines, slang, lyrics or anything else in written form.
Taking pictures of these types of visuals will further capture your traveling experience. This applies whether you’re enjoying a staycation or traveling somewhere where the language is different than your own.
A handful of pictures from Finland … since that’s what’s fresh in our iPhoto library.
Remember looking for ANYthing with your name on it when you were a kid? So fun. Hey, if anyone needs a unique baby name idea …
Tags: Finland
Posted in photography, travel | 32 Comments »
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
I don’t know what it is about photographing food, but I find myself staring at edible delights from behind the lens on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s to accompany a favorite recipe (for crying out-loud, I finally posted a new recipe!). Sometimes it’s to capture the essence of what our taste buds experience on special occasions.
For those of you doing Project Life, consider photographing what you eat. After all, food is part of your life story just as much as anything else. Think about it from all angles. The examples shown here are “special occasion” foods because they’re from our travels abroad this summer. But don’t overlook that bagel you have almost every morning for breakfast or Mom’s famous meatloaf that you enjoy monthly or the snack you reach for while working on the computer.
By the way, the last picture is my personal favorite. If that doesn’t tell the story of how delicious the dessert was, I don’t know what will.
Tags: Finland
Posted in food, photography, travel | 18 Comments »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
A little reminder today to those who are about to travel: If you put all of your focus completely on the destination itself, you risk overlooking the actual journey. Whether you’re taking a road trip into the mountains or flying half-way across the world to explore another country, be in the moment. Appreciate your journey for what it is. Pay attention to the details. And photograph them. They are just as much a part of the story.
I’ll share some examples of the kind of pictures to think about taking on your next adventure. These are from our recent trip to Finland and Estonia but remember — the ideas apply to your travels, no matter where you’re headed.
First of all, the packing. I would have loved to see how my parents packed back in the day. I gather & sort my outfits on our closet floor in preparation for packing. Details worth recording, don’t you think?
What kind of electronics, chargers, and the like do you pack for your travels?
What about any itineraries, passports, and other travel documentation? By the way, I picked up this snap-closure clear envelope at The Container Store (they’re so easy to find at Target and WalMart and just about anywhere) … and it was the most handy thing ever for our trip. It held our documents and passports but memorabilia along the way. For those of you who can’t stand loose papers, pamphlets, receipts, ticket stubs, etc. this is a really wonderful tool for traveling and keeping it all together.
And by the way, so is this skinny notebook. This is where I journaled brief notes from each day of our travels so I’d remember some details, the spelling of certain places, and other little things worth noting. I believe I picked it up at WalMart? Notice there is no thick binding, so that’s why it’s really terrific. Skinny and flat and I kept it in my handy-dandy clear envelope.
Think about how you get from here to there. Car, train, bus, plane … whatever and however. Like most of you, I have a favorite bag that goes right along with me. It’s right there beside me during the whole journey, my trusty travel companion. It deserves a picture. (PS – Yes, that’s my JoTotes bag. LOVE.)
What about ticket stubs and other memorabilia? Back in the day, I’d save that sort of stuff. Now I photograph it and toss the originals. That’s a personal choice but it works for us. Less stuff and yet, we still get a visual of those things.
And don’t forget about currency for those of you traveling out of the country. It’s something you use while you’re abroad. It’s unique to that corner of the world. So capture that. Again, this is part of the story.
Posted in photography, travel | 13 Comments »
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
***NOTE: I have re-posted this with easier downloading this time.
While visiting Tallinn, Estonia I became especially fond of the doors in that city. Each one seemed to be entirely different than the next. So much character. I found myself snapping pictures of a few of my favorite doors and then it became kind of a game. We would walk and discover and see and shop and walk and walk and walk … and when a door stood out to me, the camera went up to my face. As I was doing this, I saw in my mind’s eye the end result, which is this –
 I’m putting this in a frame in our home office because it reminds me of a wonderful experience, and it’s a fun collection of color and texture that inspires me.
I am reminded of something I’ve heard from home decorators and organizers: Surround yourself with things that you love or things that you use. That’s all you need. The rest is unnecessary.
In the unlikely event that one of my readers may want this print too, I’m including it here in a few sizes. Just right-click on the size you want & save the image to your computer. Then upload it to your favorite online print shop.
11×14 – click here.
8×10 – click here.
5×7 – click here.
Applying this concept to your own photography, can you find a collection of things on your next trip, in your town, or even in your home? I’d love to hear what you’ve done or what you plan to do.
Tags: color, doors, estonia, tallinn, texture
Posted in DIY, giving, home, photography, style & design, travel | 91 Comments »
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Tags: castle, dad, estonia, Finland, flowers, lake, sauna, trees
Posted in photography, travel | 30 Comments »
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Like so many do in the summer time, we enjoyed a little family road trip over the weekend. We headed north a couple of hours to beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona. It was about 30 degrees cooler than our home base in the Valley of the Sun and we had a really wonderful visit with some dear friends that we’ve known a long time.
From my seat in our car, this was my view.
David driving. Kiddos in their bathing suits from being at the lake, wet towels drying over the back seat, a mess of toys and things that Claire insisted on bringing …
This was my view. And so I took a picture.
Think about road trips you’ve been on. Have you aimed your camera out the window to take some scenic shots? Have you photographed signs and landmarks? What about inside the car? What snacks do you enjoy on the road? What activities are the kids doing? Who is driving? What view do those in the backseat have of the driver? Are you using a map? GPS? Turn your camera inside on your road trip too.
Tags: road trip
Posted in photography, travel | 14 Comments »
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010
Scrapbooking isn’t in every little corner of the world, of course, but it is very wide-spread and very much a passion for many, all over the world. I love that. I love that this desire to do something with our photos, record our memories, and express creativity through scrapbooking is shared with so many … in Finland, South Africa, New Zealand, Chile, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia …
These 3 women – Linda, Outi, and her daughter Heini – are a few of my parents’ many new friends there in Finland. They also happen to be scrapbookers. It was a pleasure to stop by their scrapbook gathering to say hi on one of the evenings while we were there.
I noticed Sanna’s comment in yesterday’s post and wanted to briefly address the concern she expressed about so many disappointed Finns not knowing that I was coming. First of all, I send big hugs. I know I would have loved meeting all of you.
You should know that I made a very thoughtful, intentional decision a few years ago to stop traveling for work. I haven’t been teaching classes, doing book signings, or making appearances since then.
That said, David and I went to Finland to experience Finland, to spend time with my parents, and to enjoy a getaway together. My reason for the brief visit to this scrapbook gathering was 100% personal. It was not about who I am or what I do or promoting my brand or selling products or any of that. It was because a few of these women and their families have become so dear to my parents over the past year. We wanted to stop by and say hi, but they kept it on the down-low because they weren’t even 100% sure if I was going to come. They were very respectful of our vacation time. I love them for that.
(I love them even more for so many other reasons. We ended up spending more time with Outi and Heini and their lovely family at their summer cottage and it was just remarkable. David and I will always be grateful for their generosity and examples of being completely lovely and inviting and genuine.)
It’s also worth noting that these ladies wanted to have a smaller, more intimate gathering. They didn’t want it to be any bigger than it was and they didn’t make any money doing this. I was so touched that they put this together purely to share their love of scrapbooking with others in the area and to create an opportunity for these women to connect on this level.
Tags: Finland, scrapbookers
Posted in scrapbooking, travel | 15 Comments »
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
You don’t know how badly I want to ship out 1500+ of that fun bag so you can each have one. But the randomly selected winner is none other than … Chrystine on Minneapolis, Minnesota! Chrystine, we are now BFFs because we have matching bags. Shoot an email to customerservice@beckyhiggins.com and we’ll ship that out to you.
These are my fantabulous parents, who of course are the reason we made our way to Finland. I love, love, love my parents. Love them.
This photo was taken in Estonia. We crossed the Gulf of Finland on one of the days and visited the beautiful city of Tallinn. I have some fun pictures from there I’ll be sharing. Here is a quick geographical overview of where these places are, in case you don’t know.
In this corner of the world, I caught on quickly to the fact that needle crafts are very, very big. Yarn is everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean even at the little gas station markets. Seriously … everywhere. All the color was so inspiring.
These hands belong our new friend, Outi, who was working on a new piece that she may already be wearing by now. You know that hammock/trees/lake photo below? That’s at Outi’s family’s summer cottage where we spent some time. Outi is a scrapbooker, like so many of you. We actually got to meet half of Finland’s scrapbookers. : )
More on that tomorrow.
Tags: color, crochet, estonia, Finland, map, needle craft, parents
Posted in photography, travel | 14 Comments »
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Not every picture I want to share warrants its own blog post. But I’m sharing some random photos of a few things that inspired me on our recent trip, on facebook and twitter. You don’t have to sign up or sign in to view.
Of course I will be blogging some pictures too. Oh, and it’s not too late to leave a comment in the last post if you want to be in the drawing for that purse. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow – Friday.
Tags: amber, Finland, hammock, inspiration, necklace
Posted in photography, style & design, travel | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
I’ve always had a little piece of my heart in Finland. I didn’t know too much about the country or its residents. I could locate it on a map and spot the Finnish flag in a heartbeat. I heard the language is one of the most difficult to learn. The Winters are quite cold and long and dark. Lots of blonde hair and blue eyes. Stuff like that.
Even with little knowledge, I’ve been fond of Finland all my life and this is because my dad spent 2.5 years of his young adult life living there. I always knew he loved Finland. And because he loved it, I wanted to love it too.
And now I can confirm: I love Finland.
David and I just returned from an incredible experience there. (My blog posts from the past couple weeks were scheduled to post so I didn’t completely disappear.) We visited my parents who are currently there serving a church mission. We experienced Finland in so many ways. I have thoughts, ideas, tips, and of course photos to share. But first — I have lots of other important things to do: mainly love on my kiddos and catch up on laundry.
In the meantime, check out this bag.
So cute, right? It had me at hello. And I thought maybe one of you would like it too. So I bought two in Lahti, Finland. One for me and one for … could it be you? There’s only one way to find out. Leave your first name, city, and state in the comments. It’s a homecoming giveaway! Woo-hoo for cute bags and just-because giveaways. : )
U.S. shipping address only. I will choose someone at random and announce the winner on Friday.
Tags: bag, Finland, finnish flag, purse
Posted in style & design, travel | 1,592 Comments »
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