enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

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Done + done. I brought the base of a book to New York last weekend, filled it with polaroids, tickets and business cards while we were there and then added 4×6 photos and parts of our map yesterday.

A travel album is a concise way to get travel photos + travel thoughts together in one place. My advice is to give yourself a lot of space in your book for writing. Each day, sit down in the afternoon and journal what you did that morning. Sit down in the morning and journal what you did the previous afternoon and night. It's surprising how quickly the little things fade if you don't get pen to paper.

I put blank transparencies into this book and they were the perfect way to "suspend" business cards within the pages. I took my polaroid photos sideways so I could punch through the white space and they would still be right side up in the book. After we got home, I cut up the map we used and "labeled" the locations of spots we visited.

Supplies : white cardstock, book rings, staples, Hambly Studios paper and transparencies, hole punch, white booktape, chipboard, American Crafts black slick writer pen, white Sharpie. ++ PS : the album on the road concept is totally something I got from Ali Edwards. Her travel albums are fantastic.

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49 responses to “nyc : album on the road.”

  1. Bekka Avatar

    I’m just in awe of you. 🙂
    This album is amazing, and I can’t believe how fast you were able to produce it!

    Like

  2. marta Avatar

    oooh i envy you. i love new york city and am so glad you’ve had a stellar mini trip. my favorite spreads is the one featuring MAGNOLIA and the two pics of you and paul both at the same booth. so cute. so creative. so inspiring as usual.

    Like

  3. Katherine McKamey Avatar

    This is an amazing book! I love the polaroids, too! Such a great way to get photos into the book quickly. Love it!

    Like

  4. Sherry Cartwright Avatar

    Amazing little book! You have inspired me to start one for our travels around our city and state.

    Like

  5. Angela Avatar
    Angela

    Ohhh so much awesomeness in such a tiny little book!!! Another winner from Elise!
    Are the cupcakes from Magnolia bakery as good as i have heard they are?

    Like

  6. mandy Avatar
    mandy

    That’s it! I am leaving for NYC! Just kidding! However, I will be in England and Scotland for 14 days in September! I am sooo doing an album on the GO! Hugs! Can’t wait for the shop update!

    Like

  7. Katy Avatar
    Katy

    That is one pretty darn fabulous mini Elise and it really captures the essence of your trip. I’m curious to know (if you don’t mind sharing) how long you spend each day journalling and then how long it took you to complete it once you were back home.
    Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Like

  8. Tashya Avatar

    Awesome. You guys looked like you had a lot of fun. I can’t wait until your next workshop.

    Like

  9. Jamie Habermaas Avatar

    Love this so much!!! We just got back from our vacation last week. (1st family one after nearly 8 years together!!! Yikes!) I took along a little mini album and wrote in it during the trip and added some goodies. It was so great to have it along!!! Love yours tho!!! Fabulous!!

    Like

  10. Tara Avatar
    Tara

    I loved your NYC mini – it is perfectly wonderful 🙂 I loved seeing the transparencies in your book holding little bits of memorabilia. This book is such a great souvenir of your trip! Thank you so much for sharing this super-cool, completely doable, inspirational idea…I can’t wait to make a mini on the go!

    Like

  11. Emily Avatar

    really really nice job! I just love how you collected all kinds of stuff (and for free for the most part, coasters – menus) and added them into your journal. I do that as well just don’t ever make the journal. 🙂
    Awesome Job!

    Like

  12. Krys72599 Avatar

    Okay, I started working on a mini book for the cruise – we’ll see what happens.
    No access to a Polaroid – you think they can print photos on the cruise ship? Hmm, will have to look into that…
    Didn’t take pictures of the book in progress – will have to do that before I start filling it all in. And I’ll have to change to rings – I used some ribbon initially ’cause I didn’t have any rings, but I went out and bought some…

    Like

  13. Gretchen Skovron Avatar

    Awesome book! Looks fantastic. Love the idea of using random bit of stuff like the coffee sleeve in the book. Going to most def’ try that!

    Like

  14. Melissa Mann Avatar

    THIS is fantastic. Very inspiring..Thanks for sharing!

    Like

  15. jen Avatar

    Wow … I’m so impressed. Easy format, creative … and done!

    Like

  16. Sarah Avatar

    Elise your book is fantastic! I have a question about the transparencies — I have looked at them online but have not been able to find them in stores. Therefore, I am not sure how they work. Are they the thickness of cardstock but semi transparent (depending on the design)? I see how you used them in your book, and is that how they are typically used?

    Like

  17. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Ditto on above Sarah’s post…
    Love the book ! & done soooo fast !!

    Like

  18. Bluebelle Avatar

    This is lovely, and I’m so impressed how fast you finished it. Looks like an amazing fun trip.

    Like

  19. superkitina Avatar

    Love it! I used to do the same, but your album looks perfect!
    Thanks por sharing!
    http://superkitina.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/%C2%BFalbum-de-fotos-mucho-mejor/

    Like

  20. Davinie Avatar

    This is awesome! I can’t believe you finished it already! Good for you.

    Like

  21. sarah Avatar

    GREAT book!
    my favorite things about it are:
    the photo of the elevator buttons (genius! what a great way to remember what floor you were on!) and that you incorporated drink cozies + coasters. love that!

    Like

  22. islandjen Avatar
    islandjen

    wow…this turned out amazing!! so many bits and pieces..love it.

    Like

  23. kelly Avatar

    love it!!!

    Like

  24. mandy Avatar
    mandy

    PS- What is the size of this? You may have mentioned that already! Sorry!

    Like

  25. Joanna Avatar

    I love it.
    adorable like all your other minis

    Like

  26. Joscie Avatar

    I love Love lOve it! as always. fabulous!

    Like

  27. Jennifer Hisi Avatar

    The album looks gorgeous, I especially love the Polaroid trick! Will have to try that one sometime.

    Like

  28. veronica Avatar

    love love love this one!

    Like

  29. Clair Avatar

    ❤ ❤ ❤

    Like

  30. Lacey Avatar

    This is awesome :0) So very inspiring! Thank you for sharing!

    Like

  31. amanda Avatar

    elise i love this album! my whole life it has been a dream of mine to go to NYC and now, 29 years later, I am finally going next weekend! i don’t think i could be any more excited. your NYC mini-book is uh-mazing and i can’t wait to make something like that when i get back. : )

    Like

  32. Alexa Avatar

    LOVE THIS! It’s all come together so beautifully.

    Like

  33. goshery Avatar

    Great book! I just finished a travel album too . . . for a trip I took last summer! I’m a bit of a procrastinator!!

    Like

  34. KK Pwnall Avatar
    KK Pwnall

    looks like you had a fantastic time! my sister told me about your etsy shop and red velvet art, and showed me your blog, and i think it’s just fantastic! your work is wonderful!

    Like

  35. joanne Avatar
    joanne

    you are really good at it and i’m just so amazed by your creativity.

    Like

  36. Krystal Avatar

    love love love your blog. amazing ❤

    Like

  37. heatherbrittany Avatar

    I looove your mini books!! So, I’ve begun adding all of B & my ticket stubs into the book you made for me and I started to have a panic attack because some of the ends would stick out… I trimmed the first few ticket stubs and then thought to myself “what would Elise do?!” Elise would let all of the corners fly out on their own and it would come out looking like a masterpiece. 🙂 I’m trying… I really am. And, it’s starting to look gooood. Love ya!!

    Like

  38. Leslie Westermeier Avatar

    Elise! The NYC mini book turned out fabulous! I love it!!

    Like

  39. Amy Tangerine Avatar

    i heart little travel books, and i especially heart this one!! I sometimes have trouble finishing mine. love how you complete and show yours!

    Like

  40. Carrie K Avatar
    Carrie K

    this is one of my favorites of yours!! love it all!!

    Like

  41. kat Avatar
    kat

    Love it! It looks great, and is such a nice idea. I can’t wait to think of a reason to make one for myself.

    Like

  42. Signe Nagly Avatar

    Hi Elise,
    Fantastic album! Love the graphic simplicity & the polaroids. And congrats with the new website as well.

    Like

  43. kerry lynn Avatar

    the pictures
    seriously elise
    your pictures are SO fab
    my favorite part 😉
    xo

    Like

  44. Little Gray Pixel Avatar

    I can’t think of enough words to describe how darling I think your book is. Love it, love it, love it! Plus you made me crave NYC.

    Like

  45. Theresa Butler Avatar

    Amazing!! We just finished a camping trip and I am trying to make a mini. Yours gave me the inspiration I needed! I saw that you use a lot of writing which makes me feel better cause I felt like I wrote a small book!! Any tips for cutting down the verb-age? Suggestions would be very helpful!!

    Like

  46. Karen S. Avatar
    Karen S.

    We did a family trip to NYC in March and I still haven’t started the book…you’ve inspired me to get with it. I like the idea of taking the book and filling it in while you are there! I did journal and I kept tickets, menus, etc so just need to get it all into a book.

    Like

  47. Karen W Avatar

    Great job – well done! I love the album, thanks for sharing

    Like

  48. Krystal Avatar

    amazing. i’m so curious how you made the beautiful cover?!

    Like

  49. elise blaha Avatar

    hi Krystal – In Microsoft Word I typed NYC over and over again until it covered the page. Then I printed out the text on white cardstock and wrapped it around a piece of chipboard for sturdiness.

    Like

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