A Fortunate Encounter

Hello, and welcome back to my Happy Album page review. Today's post focuses on my March 2024 pages. I usually use some of the college's Spring Break time for a personal trip to a national park. That year I planned a trip south to visit Congaree. The South is always good because it's warmer, and I had never been to Congaree; it's always great to visit a new park. On my way south, I stopped at Prince William Forest in Virginia. My friend Karen lives nearby, and when she saw I was in the area, we arranged to meet for lunch at Panda Express. My fortune cookie indicated that I would run into old friends. I smiled, since I had run into Karen (online), and we had lunch. The fortune cookie wasn't done with me yet, though. On the day I visited Congaree, I didn't get a chance to stop for my sign selfie on the way in because it was crowded, so I stopped on my way out. Lo and behold, at the exact same time, my long-lost friend Sean and his daughter pulled in for a sign picture. It was the most surreal moment of my life, and we, of course, had to grab a few photos. 

This layout is based on another CM Happy Album fast album formula (Sketch #2). I liked that the layout left space for 3 horizontal 6x4 photos, but I used one space for additional journaling and an embellishment cluster. I think I made a good choice by putting the photo on top and using the patterned paper for the journal square and embellishments. Using the formula is certainly helping me to use up the papers in the 24 packages made for the happy album.

Party Time!

Welcome back to the blog. Today's Happy Album entry is from December 2023. My NPTC friends and I met up in Boston for the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. You can see 2 of the photos below. In the top photo, I'm holding the program. The bottom one is our official group photo. A few reenactors joined us at the end of our tour, and we spent quite a while talking with them while they answered in character. One of the best adventures I've had in a National Park!

This layout is another of the fast-formula pages that Noreen Smith Created (sketch #7). As I completed these pages, I had a lot of scraps, so to add a touch more decoration, I added 2 strips that aren't in her original sketch. In some ways, the photos cover them, but you can still see them peeking out. Again, the formula is a starting point, not a mandate. Feel free to move things about or add more paper or embellishments. Borders along the page edges would be nice additions, too. 

Just Beachy

The next layout in my Happy Album collection is from September 2023. That month included a family vacation to Atlantic Beach, NC. While I was there, I did some solo travel by taking a launch to Cape Lookout Lighthouse. I've been there several times, so to make the trip interesting, I completed the Junior Ranger program and had my photo taken as I completed the pledge.

This is another layout in the Fast Album Formula (see the link in last week's post). This is sketch#4. I normally plan to put the layouts together at the end of the month, but I often forget to print photos or get busy and put several months together at once. That's likely why I used 2 consecutive layouts from the fast formula.

I again modified the photo placement. I decided the small quote box blended in too much with both paper selections, so I moved it to the empty space on the bottom right, along with a trimmed photo. The journal box then replaced the photo in the upper right, leaving a bit of designer paper showing.

Convention Time 2023

Welcome back to exploring my Happy Album pages. My next entry is August 2023, when Jim and I traveled to North Carolina for the NPTC convention. On our way down, we stopped at Monticello and Mabry's Mill (because the diner nearby has excellent blackberry cobbler). While at the convention, we took a bus tour with the club and stopped at this beautiful waterfall. 

I based this layout on a "Fast Album Formula" that Noreen Smith provided while working for CM. You can see the video of her entire project and download the handout here. (Save this download; many more pages reference this project.) This is sketch #3. The layout in the sketchbook has a different photo arrangement, but it's just a suggestion. I like the way these fell across the pages. I think the papers are from one of the Happy Album kits, but I'm not sure which one. The journal box is a remnant of a different pack of non-CM paper.

A Key Finding

Welcome back to the Happy Album page review. Today's entry is from March 2023. For spring break, Jim and I planned a trip somewhere warm — Key West! You don't get any further south on the US mainland (or so the marker on the island says). We flew into Fort Lauderdale and had dinner with a couple of our NPTC friends — Carl and Marla Raboi. The next day we explored Key Biscayne on a boat ride. Although I had been to this park before, I didn't get a chance to explore the water portion, which is the largest part of the park. Plus, this was Jim's first time at the park. The ride was terrific, and there was a small lighthouse to explore, too.

To create this layout, I turned to CM's project recipe for Happy Album #14. You can watch a video of it going together here. The papers are from a collection called "Sun Kissed," and those were made for the 12x12 pages. Or rather, the papers come in a 12x12 configuration. I just trimmed them to the appropriate size for these pages. It took me a while to get to that mental state. Partly, I wanted to use the papers created specifically for the Happy Album (I bought all 24 packs plus the accessory papers). Partly, I wanted to celebrate those tropical vibes, and the Sun Kissed collection was the best way to do that. 

Oops!

Hello, and welcome back to my Happy Album page review. Our next entry is August 2022. I held my first meetup to celebrate NPTC Meetup Across America (the inaugural event was in August, but we later changed it to June). No one had volunteered to host a Southwest meetup, so even though I lived in PA, I chose to host at Waco Mammoth in Texas. It was well attended, and we all had a good time. I had felt a little congested on the flight down, so Friday night I bought a COVID test and took it in the hotel room. Luckily, I was negative! So on Saturday we held the event, and we all went out to lunch afterward. On Sunday I flew home, and Jim commented on how scratchy my voice sounded. When we got home, I took another test, and unfortunately it came back positive! I felt horrible that I had exposed all those people, but it doesn't seem like it spread to anyone else!

I didn't follow a layout or sketch for this page. It goes back to an old technique that I haven't used in a bit called "wallpaper". The background papers are a nice print, and they didn't need much accentuation. I did mat the photos to give a little definition around the edges. The printed paper you see was made specifically for the Happy Albums. It was an accessory pack of papers that included some embellishments. 

Bonus post 4x4x4x4

Hello everyone! Tonight I'm posting a bonus layout because I played along with this week's Lasting Memories challenges. This layout is from a trip to the Women's Rights National Historical Park. In March 2022, I traveled to upstate New York for one of the NPTC meetups. While there, I visited this park and toured the museum. Below, you can see how I used the selfie stations without my usual assistant to take my photos. Do you think I look good as the President? Keep an eye out for another opportunity to take on that role soon! The other photos include Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, also major influences within the Women's Rights movement.

The Lasting Moments Challenge this week is #817--Just 4 Laughs.  This month they've been focusing on numbers, and the sketch needs to include 4 photos (I'm using the trading card of Harriet Tubman as a photo), 4 squares (2 large and 2 small), a 4-word title (which was the hardest for me to construct), and 4 embellishments. I used the CM's new kit, "The Grand Exhibit," made for museum trips. There were 4 of these wax seal stickers, and I liked how they added a little texture to the page even though they are flat.