At the end of June, my sister, niece, nephew and I took a road trip from Scottsdale to Laguna Beach for a long, relaxing weekend. Much of our time was spent on the beach (obviously) and exploring the quaint town of Laguna Beach. On the return home we made a stop at Joshua Tree National Forest (another item on Missy's and my "must see" list). In all, our four day adventure left us with around 700 photos.
To say I was overwhelmed by all the photos would be a gross understatement. I honestly didn't even know where to start. So, I set out to make a plan for the album, not only for consistency and cohesiveness, but also to make the process easier for me. I decided to create a 5x7 album, using Amy Tangerine Sketchbook papers and embellishments.
In order to fit as many photos as possible into my album, I created various 5x7 photo collages in Photoshop. I primarily placed a patterned paper on the left and photo on the right, although I did back some photos to one another in a few places to save space. I also printed some of my favorite landscape photos as 8x10, which I trimmed to a 7x10, then cut in half to create full page spreads. To reduce bulkiness, I kept the embellishments to a minimum.
My favorite part of the album, aside from the photos and memories, is the washi tape wrapped edges. I love how fun and colorful they are! The washi tape was actually a last minute addition I used to hide some very sticky edges, which were causing the pages to stick together (my first attempt at using a Scotch ATG, which I clearly need much more practice with). I really love the look the washi tape adds to the edges and will certainly use the technique again.
Even with the photo collages, the album is still huge. Instead of inundating you with it all at once, I decided to share it over a few posts. Here's a look at Day 1, the most photo-heavy day of our adventure.
Journaling: June 28, 2012 - We left Scottsdale around 5am, bound for Laguna Beach, California. Our rented Chrysler 200 was filled to the brim with luggage, towels, toys and kids. Caden and Kylee managed to sleep away most of the morning, while Missy and I took turns driving. The desert scenery on the drive leaves a lot to be desired. One of the high points was seeing the thousands of wind turbines just outside of Palm Springs.
Journaling: After a few pit stops, we arrived at the Holiday Inn Laguna Beach around 11:30am. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we grabbed some lunch at Taco Bell and headed to the Cleo Street beach for an ocean-side picnic. We were all thrilled to finally put our toes in the sand and to get our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.
Journaling: After lunch, we checked into our room, changed into our suits, grabbed all of our gear and headed down the streets of Laguna Beach, in search of the perfect spot on the beach. Along the way, we found a cute little park with a lookout point, where we stood for a while, in awe of the stunning scenery.
Journaling: We finally found a spot on the beach where we spent the afternoon playing in the sand and splashing in the chilly, Pacific water. We played with the beach ball, dug in the sand, built sandcastles, read magazines and books, took tons of photos, napped and soaked up the sun. It was the perfect afternoon.
Journaling: Late in the afternoon, we went back to the hotel where the kids swam in the pool, while Missy and I took turns getting ready for dinner. We found a beautiful patio view at the Oceanside Bar & Grill, where we had a light dinner and cocktails, while watching the sunset over the Pacific. After dinner, we walked around the shopping district discovering a candy shop and an ice cream shop where we made purchases, much to the kid’s delight! Then, it was back to the hotel to relax in the gazebo and then head to bed after a very long day of travel and fun.
That's it for day one! Just looking back at the gorgeous scenery makes me want to visit again...like today! I'll be back to share the rest of the album soon. Thanks for stopping by.
