Please Stamp Politely

Today's post is the last entry for the Frederick Douglass stop on the NPTC bus trip. This is more about the club and our members instead of the site, though. Stamping is an obsession with some of our club members. We like to find and stamp all the variations of a stamp (all caps? mixed upper and lower letters? with a period after D.C., without a period after DC? Those little details are important to us). Frederick Douglass has always been a site with a considerable supply of stamps (as of this posting, there were 18 different stamps available in the visitor center). With over 100 stampers converging on the site, they wisely moved all the stamps to the front yard where we could form a line and get our images. I wish I could say that it was orderly. As I was trying to get stamps (and trying to logically keep them all separate from what I had and hadn't used yet), people in the line behind me were reaching over me and moving the stamps about as if I were not even there! I know I'm not the only person who has experienced that, and it saddens me to see that sort of behavior. If you are a club member, I urge you to act politely and responsibly when visiting our 433 (current) units. The staff will appreciate it, and so will your fellow club members.

This layout was supposed to be another bonus post, but I goofed up on the directions. The June challenges at Lasting Memories focused on using a series of specific paper sizes when creating a layout. For challenge #755, it was three 5" squares, three 1.5x5" strips, and three 2" circles. I noticed that one of the designers had used three squares and three strips to create a block in the middle of the page. I started there but moved the pieces around a bit more and used the strips as borders. I filled the top and bottom of the page with borders (a set of 3 star banners in red, white, and blue for the top and half of a boot border punch for the bottom). The papers for the 3 squares came from a 6x6 paper pad in my Patriotic collection. I struggle with those pre-cut sizes, but I was happy to be able to use them in this manner. I added my journaling to the page and photographed it as DONE. And when I went to post my link, I realized--I forgot the circles! So I  couldn't post the layout to the challenge, and I wasn't interested in going back and trying to figure out where to add the circles. So the most we can say about it is it was INSPIRED by the challenge. It's still one more page done in the album!

Porch Talks

Today's blog continues our look at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. This is our 2nd stop on the NPTC Friday bus tour in 2021. Although we were divided into two groups for two separate ranger talks, in reality, everyone gathered in front of the porch as the rangers tag-teamed one talk for us. Both were excellent speakers. The one in the photo on the right had also been a speaker at our virtual convention in 2020 (and you'll see him again in another blog entry). 

For this layout, I used the Project Recipe for Passport to Adventure, featuring Passport to Adventure papers. (A rarity, I know!) The background cardstock is Canary, and I made my cuts using the green arrow paper (this time because it matches the rangers' outfits) and the street map paper (which looks like a blueprint). Both of those were scraps from other projects, so I used navy cardstock to create the mats. I punched out the circles from a remnant of gold paper and added some circle stickers, as well as another passport stamp design from one of the photo mats.

Looking Down on DC

Welcome back to the 2021 NPTC Convention. The next stop on our bus trip was the Frederic Douglass House. I've been here once before, but it was nice to revisit. On this trip, we did not go through the house, so I'm glad I had that experience previously. Frederick Douglass purposefully built his house up on the hill so that he could literally "look down" on Washington, DC. He was not a fan of politics as he struggled to fight for civil rights for all. The room on the bottom of the right page was his "Growlery," and I imagine he spent a lot of time there grumbling about politicians.

If part of this layout looks familiar, it's because the right page was a bonus post for a Lasting Memories Challenge. The rules of the challenge said that a double-page layout would have to incorporate at least 2 of the exact paper sizes from the challenge. I didn't need to do that, so I omitted the left side from my entry. I like the unigrid from here because of the full-page photo of Douglass. It complements the heritage papers I selected nicely. The strip along the left is a laser-cut border that I back-filled with the gold and red papers you see on the right-hand page.

Feathered Friends

Today's blog will finish up my visit to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. But don't worry, there's more to the 2021 NPTC Convention yet to come!

In addition to the lovely flowers in the park, there are opportunities to see wildlife that you wouldn't expect in a city like Washington, D.C. The ducks might not be exotic, but I was surprised to see the great white egrets hunting for fish. We also saw blue herons, but I didn't capture them on film. 

For this layout, I used the Flourish Project Recipe from Creative Memories. I continued using the Sweet Blossoms fast-to-fabulous papers, and this time turned the borders to the bottom. If you look at the original recipe, you will see that I flipped the pages as I wanted the circular photos on the right. I didn't think about it when I created the page, but it's like looking at them through a telescope! Since I had more photos on the other page than the recipe called for, I didn't need to fill the top of the page with more than a small title sticker. But on the right, I wanted a bit more at the top. The Love border is on the back of one of the mat papers, and I trimmed that with the border at the top and bottom for a bit of definition.

Wild Flowers

In today's post, we continue our exploration of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens at the 2021 NPTC Convention. In addition to the numerous lotus plants, there is a rich assortment of hibiscus and other plants. (And look at the size of that leaf! It's as large as my head!) The brown "thing" is a dried lotus pod, so I suppose that should have been included in the previous layout.

I created this layout based on the CM Project Recipe, 'Bottanical Burst'. I used two sheets of Sweet Blossom paper, which is in the Fast-to-Fabulous style (meaning the borders are pre-printed). I turned the borders to the middle of both pages, so I got a bonus change of color there. I used a piece of white cardstock to create the circle, cut it in half, and layered a tonal paper between the edge of the border and the circle. I punched a leaf border from that same tonal paper and made minor cuts so that it would flow around the circle. It took 3 strips of border to complete the page. The title and sticker flowers were from the same kit, and I finished the page quickly.

Pretty in Pink

Welcome back to Kenilworth Gardens! Our NPTC 2021 Convention Bus trip left us off here for about an hour and a half, and my friend Melania and I did a lot of walking. In this layout, you'll see the lotus blossoms for which the park is best known. There are a series of pools, and each one is bursting with color. I tried to capture a few of the best blooms for posterity.

This layout is another that I created for the Creative Memories Virtual Crop in June 2025. Scroll to Layout #3. The advisor who created this sketch provided an introductory video to talk about how she made her cuts. I followed her advice closely and chose the Jazzberry and Lime Tart papers from the Vivid Melodies collection. (There is a bit of this left if you want to check the store.) Those 2 colors best matched the blooms in my photos. The vertical photo mats were created by punching one of the sheets with an older border punch featuring tulips (as I mentioned in the last blog — tulips somewhat resemble lotus blossoms). Even if they didn't, a floral punch of any shape would work well here. I trimmed the photos to the correct dimensions and layered them according to the sketch. I knew that with a sketch featuring smaller photo sizes, my florals would be perfect. I tend to center them but leave a LOT of landscape, which eventually gets cut away. There are a few additional photos in a sleeve made for the Happy Album. It provides room for 4 horizontal pictures and a bit of journaling in the middle (that's why you don't see journaling on this layout). A few bits of greenery embellishments completed the page.

Lotus Blooming Everywhere

Welcome back to my 2021 NPTC convention tour. This continues the Friday bus trip that we started in the last blog post. Our first stop on the bus trip was Kenilworth Gardens. Visiting Parks in DC is sometimes complicated. Most people think that each place they visit is a "unit". Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is part of the Anacostia Park section of DC. But even that isn't a unit. They belong to National Capital Parks--East. And no, there is no corresponding north, south, or west designation. That is just the management office. The official unit here is simply "National Capital Parks."

I was happy to visit here as I don't often visit DC in the spring or summer, and this is when the park truly shines. After getting off the bus, we all lined up for stamps (of course). I noticed that there was an abundance of Lotus-themed items everywhere, including the bike stand you see below. Turns out Melania has a lotus tattoo as well! The only thing we missed in this visit was the visitor center, so I'll have to go back at some point and watch the movie there.

This layout was based on one of the Power Hours from Meggan and Tessa (April 2024). The paper is from Old CM — one of the pastel Spring addition packs. They have some pre-printed borders and were the precursor to the Fast to Fabulous pages, I think. I cut up the elements (stripes, blue floral, and green floral) and layered them as per the instructions. There is a lotus blossom laser-cut border in the new Serenity line, and so I moved that over to this layout. It turns out that tulip stickers also somewhat resemble the lotus blossom, and those three stickers were a great way to fill the gap after my journaling.

The People on the Bus

This post takes a look at my next adventure at the 2021 NPTC Convention. On Friday, my friend Melania joined me on one of the buses as we made a LONG tour of several park sites. There were three buses — two regular-sized and one Sprinter-sized. We wisely decided to go in the smaller van, where we had very comfortable seats. Melania had missed our Belmont Paul photo the day before, but she brought her suffragist doll with her on our excursions.

For this page, I used a sketch I had saved from CM's November 2022 Virtual Crop. The yellow vehicles could be buses or just traffic, so I used that as the background (not a CM paper, it's from a tablet in my stash that is all travel-theme papers). As I sorted through my travel stash, I came across some remnants of paper and stickers from the Gallivant collection (circa 2017 CM). The colors matched Melania's shirt, which is a good way to maintain continuity throughout the page. The bottom border is a strip of pink paper from that pack as well. The thin strip of map paper had just enough to be able to see "Washington," so I wanted that included (though I'm not entirely sure it's supposed to be Washington, DC on the map). The sticker borders around the map paper are from the Staycation pack. It looks like an unfolded paper map to me, and all the colors blend nicely.

Welcome-Bienvenido-Benvenuto-Aloha

Technically, THIS is the start of the 2021 NPTC Convention. Everything else I did in the last few posts (Eisenhower, Clara Barton, the Navy Memorial) was all a prelude to the main event. The reception was new this year and provided an opportunity for new members and first-time attendees to meet fellow club members. There were light refreshments, and we were able to pick up our bags with materials for the next few days (such as bus passes, a copy of the Stamp Pad newsletter, and some promotional materials for DC). 

This layout was made for the CM Virtual Crop in June 2025. Scroll to Challenge #1. This sketch was the perfect opportunity to highlight one of the papers from the Washington DC Scenes pack by Creative Memories. When I trimmed the paper to 11", I cut from the top and left sides to ensure the detail was intact. I also chose to NOT turn that lower right corner. It may have worked either way, but I like it better with the image intact. The top 2" is the reverse side of the paper and became the perfect place for a title. Those are the die-cut letters CM introduced a little while ago. These are in white and match the Red, White, and Blue theme perfectly. I found those 2 small star cluster stickers and thought they would accent the turned corners nicely as well.

Below are a few extra photos of my friends and me enjoying the reception.

You have to love Peekaboo pockets! It allowed me to add six photos to this one-page layout! That's an effective use of space!

Suffering Suffrage Cats!

We continue the NPTC 2021 convention in Washington, DC. After leaving the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office, I met up with several of my friends outside the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument sign. The building was closed for renovation, so we weren't able to go inside. But we came prepared with our Suffrage Cats. 

This lovely little stuffed animal was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Although detractors attempted to use cats to portray women's passivity and discourage them from petitioning for the right to vote in the early 1900s, the women turned it around and made the cat their mascot. All of us had either received them as gifts or bought them outright for ourselves, and we wanted to show them off, so I arranged this photo. I sent a copy to Belmont-Paul to say, Sorry we missed you. They LOVED it! They posted it on their Facebook page, and, from what I gather, also sold a lot more cats!

I originally planned for this layout to just feature the 5x7 photo of our group. However, the Facebook memory appeared before I created this, and so I ended up downloading and printing a copy of the Facebook post that included the photo. The style is based on one of the CM Virtual Crop sketches from June 2025 (Scroll to Layout #2). The 8" square in the middle became the perfect mat for the printed post. I used some scraps of a theme pack called "Cattitude" for the top and bottom triangles. I didn't have anything in a vertical layout, so I had to root through my stash to find a matching tone. The yellow of the rough plaid does match the tiny paw prints on the first set of triangles. The purple was perfect, and because purple and gold are part of the suffragists' colors, it was serendipitous. 

The cat-themed stickers were also from the Cattitude pack. The top left and bottom right corners featured some random stickers from the Washington, D.C. stash, and they complemented the theme well. I like that the corners were 2" empty squares. While many people who put this layout together used printed paper there, I was able to fill the corners with stickers. It reminds me of the technique where you punch the border maker cartridges in all but the first and last notches of the guide. Something like this layout. That one used a "knock-out" style punch, but you can do it with any type of cartridge.

Little Things Make a Big Difference

You will recall that I've been featuring my visit to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office location. My final pages provide a closer examination of the preserved items. The most important artifact is the photo in the left-most circle. That's the infamous letter that made its way through the layers and "tapped" the workman on the shoulder. Other relics include everyday items such as salt, brushes, stationery, and the original gas lamp tubes. The socks (middle photo on the left) were collected to be given to soldiers when they were being repatriated from the prisoner-of-war camps. Clara and other ladies who assisted her would collect, clean, and darn them so that they were serviceable again. 

This layout was made for the CM Virtual Crop in June 2025. I opened my new package of Legacy of Love papers and embellishments as I knew the tone would match the historic accent of the photos (everything seems to be brown in historic context, doesn't it?) You can get a look at the sketch here: Sketch #4. The left and right edges use a ledger-like paper. I wanted to use that as a long journal box on the left side. The next set of strips is a combination of pieces punched with a border maker cartridge and 1/2" strips of paper. The scalloped edge is a laser-cut border from the embellishment pack. A few other stickers were used to create clusters around the page, and it was done. 

Missing in Action

We are continuing to review the layouts for the 2021 Washington, DC convention. My next stop on my travels was a visit to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers office. In 1865, Clara was appointed by the government to coordinate the efforts of locating prisoners of war, recovering wounded, identifying the dead, and matching them with the families who were searching. For over three years, she occupied rooms on the third floor of this building, using them as a storeroom, office, and lodging. After she left this location, most of her supplies were still stored here. Nothing was moved through the early 1900s. In 1911, the building's owners were worried about mandated updates due to safety concerns (if you haven't read about the Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, I encourage you to learn more about it). Their solution was to board over the entire set of stairs and rooms on the third floor. For 85 years, no one knew there was anything more than the first and second floors. In the 1990s, the building was slated for demolition. One of the workers felt a "tap" on his shoulder and when he turned around, an envelope was poking from the ceiling. This led to an exploration and the rediscovery of these rooms. Deterioration had occurred, so they spent several years restoring the space to its original appearance as it was when Clara Barton used it. It is now a museum, and definitely worth a visit!

This layout is one of the Paper Loft layouts I made at a class in Lancaster. The large, folder-shaped mat was initially intended to serve as the base for a mini album. I don't usually need that, so I used the base as a mat (there's a peek-a-boo pocket on top, so it could be a mini album). I added the wood-toned journal box and then used a similar paper to mat the vertical photos on the right. The title area is one of the Civil War trading cards. I mounted it with photo corners so I can look at both sides.

Here's a look at the upstairs rooms. They arranged the furniture much as Barton would have used it in the late 1800s.

This layout should look familiar. I posted it as a bonus post on June 14th. You can read about the layout creation here.

Water Water Everywhere

Today, we continue with my NPTC Convention Trip to Washington, DC, in 2021. The stamps for the Navy Memorial that you saw in the last blog post are inside the Navy Memorial Visitor Center. They have a small museum downstairs. I initially thought the statue represented the iconic image from Life Magazine of a World War II sailor returning home and kissing a nurse. It's not far from that, but it has a more family-friendly feel to it when seen from the correct angle. There were also a few displays of diving gear and life on some of the naval vessels.

I started creating this layout by reviewing this pin from Split Coast Stampers. If you're a regular visitor to this blog, you're likely familiar with my frequent use of sketches by Cheryl Even. I discovered that she had initially created sketches for the Split Coast Stampers group. That's a message board where scrapbookers challenge each other and display their work. I scrolled through their gallery and found all of Cheryl's early sketches, pinning them for future use. As I considered which papers to use, I realized I wanted a nautical feel, so I pulled a recent bonus pack from CM called "Boat Life." It's just 6 pieces of paper, a few mats, and some embellishments. The stormy seas background was exactly what I wanted for these photos. The paper came with the borders printed at the top. All I had to do was mat the pictures and the title card and add a little journaling.

In the Navy Memorial

Happy Independence Day, everyone! How appropriate that we are using patriotic-themed papers and photos in today's blog! This entry continues our exploration of Washington, DC for the NPTC 2021 convention. 

After leaving the National Archives, I walked back to Pennsylvania Avenue. One of the stamp locations is connected to the US Navy Memorial at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street. There is a large circle in the middle. It's tough to tell from the ground, but an aerial view would show an image of the globe. Around that circle is a bas-relief sculpture depicting historic moments in the US Navy from the Revolutionary War to the present day. There is also a Lone Seaman statue. There are several of these around the world, and I've now seen 2 of them (one in Normandy). If you've seen any, let me know in the comments below!

This layout was one of my 1-2-3-4 Pack Classes. I cannot show you the sketch, but the overall technique created the 2 banners at the bottom of the page and the 1" borders across their middles. After layering in the photos, I realized that I had some large chunks of blue at the top and bottom. I also had a scrap of paper with the 2 borders diagonally printed across the page. I cut them and rearranged them to be horizontal, layering the pieces where the pattern overlapped. (Another solution to that problem would be to use those 1" borders across the top for some extra interest.) Those gold and white borders were the best additions, though. Since the borders had some gold tones, I could add the gold anchor sticker (a recent addition to my stash from a goodie bag exchange on my latest cruise). The paper for the banners was from a CM pack specifically themed for Washington, DC trips. I love it when their paper matches my trip so perfectly! 

No Relation

We are continuing with my exploration of Washington, DC, during the 2021 convention for the National Park Travelers Club. On Thursday morning, I had scheduled a tour of the National Archives. I was awake far earlier than I needed to be, so I leisurely made my way down to the building. Along the way, I came to this statue of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. To the best of my knowledge, he is not related to either Winfield Scott or John Hancock. At the time, I was not sure what he was known for or why there was a statue of him. My investigation later revealed an impressive resume, including a notable distinction at the Gettysburg battlefield. If you want to read more about him, start with this page from the National Park Service.

I based this layout on a Creative Memories Blog Post. I noticed that Meggan Jacks had created a video of her version of this layout, so I decided to play along. Well,  I started a bit before turning on her video. Trust me, you want to watch her video before tackling this layout. She has some great tips on avoiding my mistakes. (If you can't see them, I'm not going to point them out.) 😀 I used papers from the Bedazzled Geometrics pack. There are no embellishments for that paper, so I pulled some mats from my stash and then opened the Rainbow Binder to look for blue-ish embellishments. I thought the laser-cut remnants of the stars worked well once I covered some of the uneven edges with the title words.

Shining Bright

You'll recall that the last post mentioned the new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C. My visit was not only to count the new park (though that didn't hurt), but it was because three of my National Park Travelers Club friends were reaching our ultimate goal. When you have visited EVERY park in the system at the time you reach the last park, you have reached our Platinum Status. It's highly coveted and challenging to achieve. In July 2021, there were 423 units in existence (as of this blog post, it's now 433), and you have to travel to remote places like Guam or the most northern and complex parts of Alaska. Jen "Oma" Baxter, as well as Cheryl and Mike Carver, reached that goal by visiting this unit, and so we held a Meetup to celebrate with them. Jennifer even had her grandchildren with her to help commemorate the event. 

I made this layout during one of my 1-2-3-4 classes for my scrapbooking customers. Due to the way I purchased the sketch, I am unable to share it with you. However, the placement of the photos is crucial in this case. The middle block of 4 is taking up space on the page, allowing you to use the decorative paper to S-T-R-E-T-C-H across the page. Because the platinum status was so important to this page, I used silver shimmer cardstock as the base and a piece of gray patterned paper from the Silver and Gold pack. Matching embellishments were from the same kit. I used some shimmer ABC-123 numbers to highlight their park visit achievement on the title card. You probably can't tell from the photo, but I also used one of the shimmer pens to add some sparkle to the rest of the embellishments.

I Like Ike

This post continues our examination of the 2021 NPTC Convention in Washington, D.C. After arriving by train, I checked into my hotel and then took the Metro to the newest unit — the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. It sits between the Air and Space Museum and the Department of Education (he created both NASA and the Department of Education during his presidency). It's an open-air memorial and has several installations tracing his life from farm boy to soldier and then president. 

I created this layout based on a pair of pins. Sometimes the only way to pin an idea is to pin the left and right sides separately. I used olive cardstock as the base (a perfect match to Army green, don't you think?) Sadly, they are my last 2 pieces. You will notice that I cut my side triangles incorrectly. It's a 3" piece of paper cut corner-to-corner. I actually did cut it right, but when I turned it over to apply the adhesive, I realized that the stars would be even better than the blue words on the other side. Luckily, the angle isn't crucial to the overall design. I added 2 borders from a cutapart page I bought at the Lancaster Convention. I was aiming for a military theme, and the stars and Jeeps fit nicely. I filled the gap on the bottom right with a few soldier stickers. Look closely, and you might catch that those are actually "Green Army Men" toy soldiers. I figured if I lined up their "bases," it would resemble a strip of ground. The remaining word and star stickers came from the CM Military Service pack.

Bonus Post--Up on the Hill

I'm adding another post based on a Lasting Moments Challenge. This is from the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site and is part of the 2021 NPTC convention, which we are now highlighting on the blog. He chose his house site so that he could look down on Washington, DC (from a literal and figurative point of view!) One of my favorite sites at his house is the little cabin behind the main house that he called the Growlery. It was a place for him to sit and ponder, and he used it quite a lot, from what I hear. 

I used the Lasting Moments Challenge #754 for this layout. Cheryl Even cleverly pointed out that the pieces (2 6x6 squares, 2 3x11 strips and 2 3x1 strips) fit together to make a 12x12 page like a jigsaw puzzle! I chose to place the 6x6 squares across the middle and the longer strips at the top and bottom to create a border-like effect. The paper is from the Our Moments line from CM. The journaling is on the new Write-On strips that are available in ivory. I love them for this heritage feel. I cut apart the leafy laser-cut borders to help decorate the page.

Training Time

This week, we start the journey to DC for the NPTC 2021 Convention. As I made my preparations for the convention, I realized that most of Washington, DC is walkable, and for the parts that were not, the club would have bus trips. So instead of frustrating myself with I-95 traffic and the cost of parking in the city, I took the train! It was a very comfortable ride down to Union Station. I splurged on an Uber to get my suitcases to the hotel, but I never really missed having a car during the few days I was in the city.

I based this layout on another pin that I saved. I was surprised to find, scrolling through my favorite layouts on Cricut Design Space, that the components for this layout were already created. I didn't cut the large rectangles on the Cricut--I can do that with my 12" trimmer. However, the suitcases, postcards, and stamp frames were all cut using a Cricut. Any items in white that would fade into the background were edged with black ink. The small bit of railroad track on the left is a leftover piece from the CM border punch. The bridge on the right page is a laser-cut border from one of the Creative Memories collections. The train sticker was the perfect size to layer on top. A few other train and ticket stickers from my stash finished the layout. I made a trial run of my itinerary, so I knew I would need two columns to list all the entries. Cutting the journal paper in half helped!

Kicking Off the Album

In this post, we begin a new journey. It's time to highlight the 2021 National Park Travelers' Club Convention, which we'll explore over the next several months. It was held in Washington, DC, and the host parks were Mary McLeod Bethune and Carter G. Woodson National Historic Sites. (Interesting fact--I have not added either of those parks to my park total list as they were not open for touring during our trip and I haven't had a chance to return when they WERE open.)

I based the title page on this pin I had saved. In the original pin, you'll see a plane in the middle circle, but I wanted to switch that up to a train. As you'll see next time, my primary mode of transport to DC was on Amtrak. For the phrase "Let The Vacation Begin", I did some letter manufacturing. I used straight letters (I, K, M, etc.) to create the "T"s and trimmed a "W" for the second A in vacation. But my favorite hack was to use the compass "N" to complete the word "vacation." I knew there was no way I was going to get "Begin" from that same sticker sheet, so I decided to change to a different sheet of stickers. Those letters are all from one sticker sheet, but it features a variety of fonts and colors, making it easy to mix and match. The NPTC lettering is traced from a CM template and colored in with a brown marker. The template has a "school days" feel to it, but the lettering was the right size to fit on the title tag.

Bonus Post--Lost and Found

Hi everyone! I'm adding a bonus post today because I'm participating in the Lasting Memories challenges again. This layout includes photos from the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office in Washington, DC. You'll see more of this in a few weeks as I take you through the 2021 NPTC convention. As a taste, this was an office space used by Clara Barton to help track prisoners of war and other soldiers wounded in battle during the Civil War. Her office was boarded up with all of her belongings in the early 1900s, and it was almost 100 years later when it was discovered again. This page shows some of the furnishings restored to their original rooms.

Lasting Memories' challenges this month include a list of paper sizes to use. You can see the details of challenge #753 here. I was pleased to see that Cheryl Even took those sizes and created a sketch based on them, along with the other rules of the challenge. I used her sketch as the basis of my layout. I pulled a variety of papers from my Heritage box to create the design. I struggled to find a title until I discovered the sticker about believing in miracles — given the history of this space, I think it fits perfectly!

You'll Like This a Bunch!

Our last stop in the Chatham Manor gardens is a series of grape vines. I just liked the look of them. They are not historic. The family that currently owns the rest of the plantation land does make Chatham Wine, but there are so few vines here that I'm not sure this would be enough for them to bother with. It may just be that the NPS gardeners put them in to tie in the current family business. This ends my trip (and the album). Next time we'll start the 2021 NPTC Convention!

I based this layout on one of Meggan and Tessa's Power Hour layouts from November 2024. I chose the Vineyard Escape papers from Creative Memories, which were initially a gift with purchase. There is a photo paper in that pack that looks EXACTLY like my photo. But instead of choosing that one for the base, I chose one that was more of leafy ivy. The contrast is then from a paper that I believe is supposed to be red wine. This came with a small collection of die-cut embellishments, including the little journal box. I liked the brick top of it because of the brick walk in the photo.

The View is Incredible

For this entry, we continue our examination of Chatham Manor. When you walk around to the back of the house, you can see the magnificent view of Fredericksburg. I'm surprised the Confederacy didn't claim this as their headquarters first! In addition to the lovely view and the grounds, there are 2 History Trees. I hadn't heard of Catalpa trees before, but these trees have been dated to the time of the Civil War, although they were much smaller then. The intervening years have tested them, and they are nearing the end of their lives. One of them is actually supported with a metal brace. I encourage you to go and see them while you can! Imagine if they could talk....

I based this layout on Sketch #4 in the CM May 2025 virtual crop. I am using a very old CM paper line called "Enchanted". I was actually hoping to use it up, but I still have a little left, which should be enough for one more layout. The papers are heavier and resemble cardstock. The reverse of both of these is also textured. For that reason, I've had trouble in the past getting other papers to adhere to the textured side of the paper. When I attached these, I used the Max Strength Tape that CM offers. And it works! Red is a highlight color for this collection, and as I aimed for a Spring-type layout with a bit of floral design, the red rose punch (one of the Border Maker Cartridges) fit the layout perfectly. I fussy-cut the flower on the right page. I punched the wispy red flowers from some of the mats and papers, then mounted them on circles punched from darker papers. There were a few square enamel dots to help round out the embellishments.

The Castle on the HIll

We're still working through the pages on Fredericksburg National Battlefield. My next stop was north and UP. Chatham Manor sits at the top of the hill overlooking the city. For that reason, it became the perfect headquarters for the Union Army during the battle. After the battle, it also served as a hospital, featuring nursing care from notable figures such as Clara Barton and Walt Whitman. Due to COVID, the house was closed, but I could walk the grounds.

For this layout, I used the Spring Medley Project Recipe. The papers were from a bonus pack called "Unbe-Leaf-Able". Essentially, the directions create the borders along the bottom of the page. The darker loops are from the Spring Leaf border maker cartridge. They are attached to the paper on the back using repositionable adhesive. I had to punch 4 borders to make it work. I matted a few photos and raided my stash to find a few floral and butterfly stickers to accent the page. Did you notice the photo corners on the brochure? CM had offered a special pack of photo corners with various colorful designs. The green ones worked particularly well for this brochure.

The Silence After the Battle

This week, we continue my visit to Fredericksburg Battlefield. My last stop in town was the National Cemetery (just beyond the wall where the reenactors were). There are a few monuments here to generals and other commanding officers, but of course, there are many graves of the soldiers killed here. Although not as grand as Arlington, it is still a worthwhile stop on the tour. 

This layout was loosely based on a pin I saved. I decided to use wallpaper instead of cutting up strips of various papers, as I had already pulled the Civil War page from my stash. The cannon page on the right wasn't sold as a companion page, but it worked out nicely. The silhouette of the cannoneer isn't on the paper; it's a die cut I bought for my Civil War pages. I found one good sticker that fit the page in a CM military pack, but I don't have a lot of good embellishments. If you have ideas about what would work, please drop them in the comments.

The Blue and the Gray--together again

This continues my trip along the Sunken Road, though now we've climbed the hill to Marye's Heights. This is where the Confederates were stationed, and there are cannons in place to show how powerful this spot was! As I arrived, there were 2 reenactors set to discuss the differences in the Union and Confederate soldiers' provisions, uniforms, and weapons. I'm always impressed that the reenactors wear period-appropriate clothing (WOOL!) in the hot summer months, just like the soldiers did hundreds of years ago. These 2 had terrific stories and entertained us for about half an hour.

This layout is based on the CM May 2025 Virtual Crop (Sketch #3). Because of the Confederate clothing, I wanted to use the Burlap and Lace collection, one of the CM Secret boxes. The bottom of the 2 pages has that nice textured paper featured and a green pattern that also fills the mat section. I only had 1 border sticker left of the buttons, so I used that at the top and split it between the 2 pages. The remaining borders were mostly lacy butterflies and banners that didn't fit the layout. I looked through my Civil War stash to find something more suitable. The cannon stickers were the perfect fit. The small 3x3 squares and the remaining stickers and flowers were all from my stash and represent a few disparate collections. But the overall tone matched well!

Innis House Nice?

We are continuing my visit to Fredericksburg and the Sunken Road trail. The next house on the trail still stands and was present during the battle. If you look through the windows, you can still see the bullet holes in the walls! The Sunken Road was a commerce path, and the residents built the stone walls to keep the road passable for the various wagons and horses. Much of the wall has been reconstructed, but the segment in the photo on the bottom of the left page is original. That wall was part of the union's defense--which they badly needed. Though it seems ludicrous to attack the Confederates on the hill (look at the angle to the top of the hill where that red brick house stands), this was one of a few places that had any chance of splitting the Confederate lines. But all attempts failed, unfortunately.

This layout is based on a CM 110 Scrapbooking Ideas and Sketches book sketch. It differs from the one I usually post (it was their first book and didn't have a contest to use it). The sketch in the book has an example, which correlates to this post on their blog. I continued with my use of the Our Moments paper pack. The yellow dot paper on the borders is from the Silver and Gold pack, as I had used all the gold tone paper from Our Moments. It's a pretty close match! You will find that many of the CM packs will work together, so you always have material to make it work. I liked the house mat and wanted to use that for this layout. I was happily surprised to find that the paper had already been cut with the correct angles for the roof! I added a small piece of dark brown paper for the chimney and the wi-fi sticker from the Staycation pack for the smoke (which was a trick I LOVED about the original layout). I needed 2 sets of borders, and I only had one of the house border stickers in the Staycation pack. I remembered I had the house border maker cartridge and punched 2 from bronze paper.

You Sunk My Battle Road!

Welcome back to the blog. We're continuing my trip home from the beach in July 2021. After leaving the Jackson Death Site, I headed to the main visitor center for Fredericksburg Battlefield. A trail leading from the parking lot takes you on a short walk through much of the battlefield sites. It's called the "Sunken Road" and you can see from the photo below that it's at the bottom of a hill. The trail eventually climbs the hill as well, but you'll see that next time. One of the first stops is the outline of a house that stood during the battle. The lady of the house stayed in the building (or so the story goes) through the battle and would even go out and tend to the casualties, giving water and dressing wounds (or at least she did for the Confederate soldiers). 

I used the Project Recipe made for the Archivers collection several years ago for this layout. I don't have more of that pack, but the Our Moments papers filled in perfectly. In the original design, that large rectangle on the left page was a waterfall of photos, but for me, it was the perfect place for a unigrid. I liked adding the brown cardstock but found it too dark for the unigrid, so I added a mat of light brown houndstooth to help it stand out. That semicircle was a remnant in the pack, and it just felt right, so I added it! 

When is a Shrine Not a Shrine?

We return to my trip home from the beach in July 2021. My next stop was to a place I had seen markers for during the 25 years or so that I had traveled with Jim's family to the beach, but had never stopped. It had always said "Jackson Shrine," and I assumed it was some small statue to him--I never realized it was part of the National Park System. This is technically part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park.

This is where Andrew "Stonewall" Jackson died from injuries sustained in battle at Chancellorsville. Ironically, he was shot by Confederate soldiers who mistook his scouting party for a group of Union Soldiers. He was wounded in the arm and hand, and of course, in the 1800s, infection was the real enemy. His arm was amputated, but he eventually died from pneumonia and never made it farther from the field than this building (an office on a plantation). What I like most about this site is that it has changed names to the Jackson Death Site, and the focus of interpretation includes Jackson's time here as well as the story of the Chandler family and the enslaved people living on the plantation. So yes, it's worth a stop!

While the basis of this layout is from a pin I saved (with the left and right sides switched), I am also playing along with Lasting Memories. Challenge #750 is one of this month's tic-tac-toe boards. I chose the bottom row of circle, two patterned papers, and a die-cut border. The papers I chose are from Creative Memories' "Memoirs Memories" pack from 2019, with embellishments from the Our Moments collection (2022). Some other embellishments are from the stash, including the circle, which was mounted on foam squares. There are a few more circles in the enamel dots strewn across the pages.. The laser-cut border on the right was strung on a border sticker. The matching border sticker is along the left page to help tie the colors together.

Don't Forget the Women

This is the last entry for Moore's Creek, but more entries are coming about my drive home from the beach in July 2021. Along the tour route are a variety of memorials, many of which I hadn't seen on my last trip, as I had to cut my tour short. Today, I lingered and took in the various statues. The ones that stood out to me included those for the women of the Cape Fear area and the Patriot Monument. The monument to Mary Slocum is probably not a true story (about having a premonition and riding through the night to save her husband). But the sentiment of a statue for women is unique, and I appreciate the effort. They also serve, those who stand and wait.

The Patriot Monument, also called the Grady Monument, is a sandstone obelisk placed on the battlefield in 1857 in honor of the first North Carolinian to give his life on a contested battlefield for American Independence, John Grady. The monument with the thistle is for the loyalists. Though they fought for Britain, their presence here steered the sentiment that led to the passage of the Halifax Resolves—North Carolina's vote for Independence.

My first note here is to thank my mom for the paper. I was scrapping at her house, and as I had a minimal amount of decorative paper packs with me, I rooted through her stash for something suitable for this page. I chose a piece of paper from the Bold and Slate pack, an Advisor-only paper pack (my customers earn those through purchasing products, and she had earned this set). I liked this paper because of the handwriting design on one side. The journal box is from a very old pack from CM called Archivers. I layered it on a darker mat to differentiate it from that handwriting paper.

To create the design, I turned to one of Noreen Smith's 1-2-3 layouts (December 2016). In the original sketch, the right side had 3 horizontal photos, but it was simple enough to turn that 90 degrees to allow for more of my vertical photos. As I take more pictures with my cell phone, I have more vertical photos. Do you have that same problem? If so, keep a copy of this sketch as it's the perfect way to highlight them. The paper and 6 photos will cover the cardstock, so you can use any color that you want to use up.

Highlander vs. Highlander

Today, we return to my visit to Moore's Creek on my journey home from the beach. I walked the 3/4 mile loop, listening to the audio tour. They highlighted the canon (there were 2 small ones integral to the battle) and the swamp. But the major battle was at the bridge. And if you've read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, you will recognize that this is where Jamie and Ian (Highlander Scots) fought for the American Colonials, facing their Scottish compatriots fighting for the British. Of course, I was enchanted by this location and took several photos. 

This layout is based on one of Cheryl Even's sketches. I originally started with 2 white bases (a rarity for me), but as I built the right-side page, I realized there would be too much bright white showing. I traded the cardstock for gray patterned paper from the Passport to Adventure kit. You'll also recognize the green strips from that pack, as they are part of the scrap from the prior blog post. A few other scraps of paper provided more variety in the layout. I am rather proud of myself for using the small passport frame. On one journal card was an image resembling the passport stamps that Eastern National provides. I punched that out and added it to the photo window, then covered the "tickets" sprouting from that frame with the National Park sticker. And voila--the embodiment of the National Parks Passport! The Adventure sticker and the 2 stickers on the left page are from one of the Scrapbook Custom sticker sheets. There is always a sheet specific to the park and then a generic one you can use for any park (as I've done here).

Some More of Moore's Creek

I'm continuing my July 2021 beach trip. Or should I say concluding it? I made my way back home after a fun week at the beach (with no National Park sites). We had vacationed in Oak Island, NC, and driving to Moore's Creek was not far. I've been here a few times, so it was mostly a re-stamp exercise, but I spent an hour walking around the trail. You'll see those photos next week. To start, here's the sign and my sign selfie!

I based this layout on a sketch I saved on Pinterest. I used the Creative Memories collection called Passport to Adventure. It's still available if you want to recreate this layout (and if you do, please post a photo or link in the comments below!) I liked the green paper as I thought those arrows could be imagined as trees in the sign's background. I used the compass punch and the stickers from the pack to create the border along the left. I found many of the little postage stamp embellishments that matched the layout and clustered them around the main focal points.

Finally We Meet the Captain

I kept heading south after seeing the concrete ships. My next destination was First Landing State Park near Virginia Beach. As the name suggests, this is where the original colonists landed in 1607. These settlers would eventually migrate a bit further south to Jamestown. Today, there is a lovely beach next to the Chesapeake Bay, and while I had to pay to enter the park, it was a great little break. And finally, the sun was out! Near the beach are the signs that detail the landing and the connection to Captain John Smith. You can read the stories if you zoom in on the photo. From there, I drove to the Oak Island area for my week with my sister, but we'll pick up my travels to National Parks on the way home!

This layout was also created for the CM March 2025 Virtual Crop. Scroll to Sketch #3. I looked through my papers and was happy that the dark blue background had the same tones as the brightly toned wood papers. Those papers were made about 20 years apart! The dark blue is from the Old CM Primary paper packs. The bright boards are from an advisor-only pack. The background papers have a sand pattern, though it's less visible. I scoured my stash for the rest of the embellishments. The seagulls were from one collection, the title stickers another, and the "Picture Perfect" from yet another kit! Luckily, it all came together nicely. For some fun, I drew a stitched border around the dark blue paper.

Who Knew Concrete Floats?

My next stop on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail was to Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia. You can get to this boat launch area if you drive through the park. Yes, John Smith came through here (his maps were quite detailed, so he likely sailed every inch of the shore). But I don't think he saw these concrete ships. I never knew you could make ships from concrete AND that they could float! However, this became a popular solution during WWII when metal was needed for planes. After the war, they were no longer needed, so they sunk them here to create a breakwater. Birds and other wildlife use them for protection and for fishing. Humans can fish here as well. The weather was terrible during my stop, so it was a brief photo stop, and then I kept driving south.

I created this layout from the CM Virtual Crop in March. Scroll to sketch #2. You can see that I doubled the sketch and turned them 90 degrees so that the paper strips made left and right borders. I used papers from CM's Shiplap (an advisor-only collection) and some scraps from some other neutral-toned papers. Not only does it match the grey skies, it feeds into the "concrete" concept. I didn't use many embellishments. I found a couple of borders that filled the gap between photos and scraps. Then, a few arrows and other small word stickers completed the layout.

The Inside Story

I took a guided tour of the house. Here, you can see both the main floor and the upstairs bedrooms. Some lovely objects were on display, such as the purse and fan used by the lady of the house. In the dining room, the table was set for a fancy dinner. Yes, they did have pineapples, though they were rare in the 1700s. It denoted a family with money who could afford to import them. 

This is another layout from the CM March Virtual Crop. Scroll to layout #4. I chose papers from the Gem Tones collection (a previous secret box offering). I have been using this for historic homes for a while and am getting close to the end (truthfully, I had to create multiple strips of the base papers and layer them on a base of white cardstock). That's why the banner on the right is from a secret box in 2023 called Sweet Blossom. It's not a perfect match, but the tones were close, and I liked the floral stickers in the kit (they were made to be stacked). Since I needed 4 borders, I used 2 matching stickers for the top and 2 similar ones for the bottom (both from the Gem Tones collection). 

Bonus Post--Broccoli For Breakfast

 Hi all! I am playing along with Lasting Memories today. To fulfill the challenge, I created this page that is part of my July 2021 beach trip with my sister. (You just saw the first post Friday night.) It wasn't a stop at a national park, but a breakfast that I had with one of my NPTC friends, Deb. I was staying close to her house, which she noticed when I posted my location on Facebook. The next morning, we met at the Cracker Barrel located next to my hotel. She surprised me most by ordering a side of broccoli for breakfast! I had to take a photo of it, and of course scrapbook it! 

Lasting Memories is having a series of sketch challenges this month (MY FAVORITE!) I realized this combination of photos would work well with challenge #747. I had purchased the Cracker Barrel paper from a vendor at the Lancaster Scrapbook Convention. I originally planned to use it for a Thanksgiving dinner with Jim's family, but somehow that never materialized. But it became an excellent base for this layout. I used scraps from my stash for the yellow and brown rectangles. I did trim some green paper for the photo mat. I wanted a touch of green to highlight the broccoli. Some of the stickers came from that same pack, but the brunch stickers came from a sheet I got for Christmas. The little broccoli stickers on the plate at the bottom left were from a VERY old CM family reunion sticker pack. To complete the layout, I punched out a few trees from a scrap of paper with leaves on it. It gave me a two-toned effect, resulting in what looks like broccoli spears. I tucked them at the top of the layout to keep the green moving around the layout.

Hitting the Trail

My next adventure was in July 2021. My sister and her husband invited me to spend a week at the beach in Oak Island, North Carolina. I agreed, and on July 2nd, I started heading south. My first few stops concentrated on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. I've visited several locations on this trail before. You can find information about the trail on the NPS page here. You can click the label at the bottom to find more entries related to this trail on my blog.

So what does Ker Place have to do with the good Captain? Likely nothing. 😀This house is the main location for the local historical society, making it a convenient place to store a stamp (which, to be honest, I had to hunt for through the kitchen to get my ink). A sign near the waterfront (about a mile away) references the Trail. As his travels were in the 1600s and this house was built in the late 1700s, the Ker Family never saw the expedition. However, I will regale you with my scrapbook pages because I got the stamp here.

This layout was created for the March CM Virtual Crop (scroll to sketch #1). I was in a hotel room in Washington, D.C., but I had brought my scrapbook supplies with me in two cases. The papers I chose came from the Our Moments collection. I did not include a photo of the facing page. I added an 8 1/2 x 11 pocket for a brochure about this house (front) and 2 other photos (an interesting piece of carved wood in the basement and a mastodon tooth the owners had found and was on display). But these 3 photos summed up the entirety of the visit (though there is another post with the lovely interiors). 

What a Block House

My last entry for Fort Larned is this blockhouse. Initially, it was meant to be a defensive position (which begs the question of why there is no fort wall if you thought you needed a defensive position). That's why there are slit holes in the top of the building. However, since they realized that wasn't necessary, they changed it to the prison building. You can still see the shackles attached to the floor below. The door on the floor originally went to a well, and tunnels were used to go to the other buildings. That was closed off, and it became solitary confinement. Yep, spend a night in the hole!

This layout is based on a sketch I saved. I initially found it on the gallery at Scrapbook.com. To create this page, I used a piece of brick background paper (which resembles the building). I then took a piece of brown texture paper (I think it's supposed to be leather) and cut a large circle. I cut the circle to place part of it in the upper left and the other in the lower right. I then trimmed off any overhanging paper to create some photo bases. I found some scraps in grunge style along with a border sticker of the rope and stars (a nice Wild West sheriff feel?) to create the banners. The journal box is a sticker that originally had a phrase at the bottom saying "for being too cute". Clearly, I did not need that! I trimmed the bottom and purposefully roughed the bottom edge to match the top. I put that on some lined paper for a little journal box.

Like the Hat?

I was surprised to see the schoolroom, though it makes sense that some of the officers would have children with them who needed to be taught. According to the sign, even some enlisted men would take lessons there. If they already knew how to read and write, they might learn advanced topics for the military, such as Morse code.

For this layout, I followed a Pin I had saved. I made the red shape using a large CM Custom Cutting System square. I wish they had a guide to make the shape more like the one in the sketch. I tried turning the template sideways, but it didn't give me the look I hoped for. I added a border to the top of the page and used a similar sticker to create the edging for two photos. A few other stickers from that same page (old CM Cottage, I believe) and this page was done. 

All About That Bake

The next stop on the tour was the bakery. Bread was part of the standard ration for the soldiers, so all those loaves you see lining the walls represent the amount needed DAILY! In addition to the large ovens, there were HUGE dough troughs. I cannot imagine the amount of dough in one batch, much less working it all by hand! I made bread without using a mixer once. And only once!

This layout is based on a sketch that I saved from October 2021. I don't always think about trimming my photos this small, but I realized my photos would cooperate with this layout. The base page is brick to mimic the brick of the ovens. I recently bought a few sheets of Made with Love (a retired CM paper pack) at a yardsale so I chose the butcher block paper for one of the strips and the black paper for the other strip. The third photo was a trimmed journal mat from that same collection. The embellishments on the left side of the page were from a recent bonus kit called "Baked with Love". I had an extra set since I make so many food pages. At the top of the page is a piece cut from a quilting block. I learned this technique at Farmhouse Memories. I don't often use cloth in my albums, but this flour canister was a good fit for the layout. You use a sticker paper to bind the fabric so that you don't get loose strands when you cut it.