50 States Part 9--Louisiana

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
My next completed state is Louisiana. Jim and I took a trip in January 2017 and while there I was able to reach my 100th National Park Unit! I carried signs with me for parks 99 and 100 and Jim dutifully took photos for me.

This layout is based on this idea. I used a Fast-to-Fabulous page from the Gallivant line as the base. That included the bottom two borders of pink and the compasses. I liked using the shape of the state for the "L" in the state name. All of the letters were cut from the Cricut as was the mask. I didn't size the mask right so it covers a bit of the state name, but I think viewers can figure it out. The little dots were supposed to be mardi gras bead necklaces but they were cut so small I had difficulty putting them together successfully. I decided to just sprinkle them across the page since I had run them through the Xyron sticker maker and they were already sticky.

50 States Album Part 8--Is this heaven? Nope, it's Iowa

I only chose 1 photo for Iowa. This was a trip I took for a conference in Dubuque. I made a side trip to Effigy Mounds. Although I didn't arrive early enough to get into the visitor center, I was able to hike the trails and see the mounds. They were less impressive than I thought they would be and actually didn't photograph well. Maybe it was that it was spring and there were still a lot of leaves on the ground.

I used this pin as inspiration. I found a better background with the barn wall and window and then used the Cricut to create a set of barnyard animals. To change up the journaling I used strips of white paper layered around the animals. There typically isn't a need for a lot of journaling on my state pages since they focus on place.

50 States Album Part 7--Georgia

This month is another non-NPS page. My trips to Georgia were most frequent when my sister lived there and we did a lot of touristy things. My favorite trip was the 1996 Olympics. That's why we were in Atlanta for the first photo (Welcome to Underground Atlanta). The other photo was from an anniversary trip when Jim and I went to Coke World.

The idea stems from This Scrapbook.com Layout. The original is digital, so I used the same sorts of real elements. I like the map paper though it's definitely not from the state of Georgia. The title is a little smudged because I originally had the letters on plain white but they didn't stand out. I tried to give them a little "oomph" but the ink got a little much and spread onto the patterned paper. But to me, it wasn't bad enough to re-do the page. The yellow flower in the bottom left is actually part of a border punch. I used a square piece of paper and turned it around to match the halves and create a flower.

50-states Album Part 6--Florida

My next state completed is Florida. I like that the photo I chose is not only the NPS sign but has a beach as well.

This layout is based on this border set. The layout was quite simple and I used a CM collection called Sun Kissed, which is still available. I used one paper as a backdrop. Though it could be a pool, I think it could also be water along a shore. The border is blue cardstock with a strip of the leaf paper and 2 stickers for the edges. Letters were cut on the Cricut. The fish stickers are from a much older line called "Cottage". It's nice to use up some of the older stuff with the new and see it match so well!

50 States Album Part 5--Delaware

My next entry is one of the more recent pages. I am focusing on trying to have a photo of myself in the state and for as many times as I've been to Delaware, I didn't have a photo with ME in it and in something recognizable. So, in summer 2019 when I traveled there with Jim's family, I was looking for a sign and finally found one! No National Parks here, though I have been to the First State National Historical Park several times.

This layout is copied from this digital example. I chose the boardwalk background and luckily had a boardwalk photo to link it all together. I didn't measure before cutting the letters for the state (well I did, but I measured them for a horizontal application and then decided to put them on vertically). The letters seem to take on the shape of the state though and it works for me. The large state die cut was cut on the Cricut. Using a solid shape allowed me to use it as a journaling box as well.

50 States Album-Part 4: Colorado

Jim and I have been to Colorado a few times. Our most recent trip was summer 2017 when we flew in and out of Denver for our Great Western Loop. Before flying home we went to visit my aunt and uncle who live near Florissant and so, of course, stopped at the NPS Unit there (Florissant Fossil Beds).

I used the left side of this layout as the basis for the page. Instead of buying the kit, I made or had all the components. The title is reminiscent of the Colorado flag and I did have to hand-cut the red circle for the "C". The rest of the large letters I actually had from an old CM pack. I used the same red and yellow for photo and journal mats to bring the page together.
The trees at the bottom were all die-cuts that I had, including the group of 4 that forms the back of the lake. I am not sure why I have a border that is less than 12" but it worked out in this setting. I chalked the outline of each to show on the dark blue background. I hand cut the lake and added a moose sticker I had on hand to complete the page.

50-states album part 3--California

My next entry in the 50-states album is California. Both photos came from the 2014 trip recently posted. Stops included Long Beach, Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Mountains.

This layout was scraplifted from this design. To keep the weight of the page down, I used 1" strips of red cardstock along the edges of the page and then cut the blue dot background paper down to fit the opening. The state shape was created in the same way the Arizona state was, only this time I used a dark tan over a light tan paper. The filmstrip was created using the CM Border Maker cartridge and the state name was cut on the Cricut. The one lonely sticker is a leftover CM Cottage sticker from many years ago. I liked it better than a die-cut though.