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. 

Tool Time

Another building held this tool and forge area (it also housed the ambulance). I wish I had visited when the rangers were doing a living history presentation. This room could have been much more enjoyable with someone working on a wood project or fixing horse tack. 

This layout is based on the March Power Hour layout from Meggan & Tessa. The paper is a page from the Painted Prairie. Tessa's layout used almost all of it. Reminiscent of how Noreen Smith uses double-sided paper to make the pages interesting, we cut 4" strips off each side of the paper, trimming both to 8" long. The "bare" corner is then accented with a 12" border cut into 4" lengths. I chose a laser-cut horseshoe border from the Wide Open Places collection. Additional embellishments came from the CTMH western pack. I matted the photos with a dark green cardstock to help them pop from the page a bit. An extra step that Tessa recommended to provide visual interest is to use a corner-rounder on the three outer corners. 

General Hospital

 I was very excited to find the medical ward. It was brighter and cleaner than I expected (though the cleanliness may just be for the tourist's benefit). Each bed had a tag listing a soldier and his diagnosis (along with some additional information). There were many different ailments and injuries, but this one with Cholera caught my interest. A stretcher I hadn't seen before was in the surgeon's room next door. It's a hand-carry model with a hood that can be raised to keep the bright prairie sun off the wounded person's face. 

Did you know that Creative Memories produces a "Project Recipe" for every collection they make? I recently started adding them to my Pinterest boards, so I remember to use them. This is the Project Recipe for Wide Open Places, which is the paper I used for the layout. (You could use any paper for the layout, so theoretically, you could use this layout for a wedding using a more formal paper.) Though the theme of the photos is the medical ward, I didn't look for anything related strictly to medicine. I kept with the Western feel I've used for this portion of the album. 

Home on the Range

After leaving the visitor center, I started walking around the buildings. My first stop was the barracks. I love that they have all the gear lined up and ready. They have this designed to hold about 69 men, though a room that size supposedly could hold 119 (not sure if that counts the orderly room in the numbers or not). Nearby is the kitchen and mess area. I thought the cups had an "evil eye" symbol, but then I realized it's just an upside-down cavalry logo. 😁

This layout is from Club Scrap's Western Pages kit. I believe I had previously mixed the pages because the left page is the left page from layout 7/8. The right page is the right page from layout 1/2. To complicate this further, I turned the right side page 90 degrees. I wanted to use the photo mats already placed for my vertical photos. I also wanted to use the horizontal photo to cover up the saying (mostly because it didn't fit with the photos but also because the wording was now sideways). The pages aren't EXACTLY even with the woodgrain paper across the bottom, but you only really notice it in this photo. The album separates them a bit, so you won't notice. I added a few pieces from my stash. I really wanted to title the page "Home on the Range," and I had that printed on one of my papers, so I trimmed it to fit. The vest and chaps are so old I have no idea what company they are from.

No Fooling! Not So Happy Trails

This year, April Fools is on the same day as one of my normal posts, so while it isn't a bonus this time, it IS a No Fooling post.😀

Inside the visitor center is a pretty extensive museum. In this layout, I focus on 2 groups who were key to the history of Fort Larned, but both of whom were treated rather poorly. The Buffalo Soldiers were stationed at Fort Larned for a time, though eventually, they were moved farther west. Their presence was not appreciated by the white soldiers, and frequent bullying and fighting erupted. Additionally, the Native Americans were forced off their lands, and skirmishes occurred frequently related to raids on the Santa Fe Trail wagon trains or to misunderstandings between the Fort commanders and the Tribes. I was impressed with the technology in the museum. The photos below show a hologram inside of the teepee. She recounted stories of her history for the visitors.

This layout was made during one of my Saturday morning classes. It is another 1-2-3 sketch from Noreen Smith, but it is from a class where I cannot share the sketch with you. This is one sheet of double-sided paper. I chose this paper from the Wide Open Spaces collection as I liked the diamond pattern side and wanted that for the Native American portion of the layout. I liked that I could alternate the prominent patterns on each page with this sketch. That way, the Buffalo Soldiers in their blue Union Cavalry uniforms would be on the blue plaid side. Additional embellishments came from Close to My Heart (the Rough and Tough title) and another sheet of stickers I had purchased with Native American themes. 

But There's No Wall!

My next stop in Kansas was Fort Larned. I liked their entry sign area, which had metal silhouettes of soldiers. What is unusual about this Fort is that it never had an exterior wall. Think of it more like a base than an area for defense. The barracks here helped protect and police the traffic along the Santa Fe trail and work with the Native Americans in the area. The buildings are now made of beautiful brownstones. Originally, they were all wooden structures, but to preserve the fort, they switched to stones. The porticos came in handy as it was a bit drizzly during my visit. 

I made this layout as part of one of my Saturday morning classes. It uses a 1-2-3 sketch from Noreen Smith. Unfortunately, I cannot post it here since it was part of a class I purchased. I wanted to highlight the brownstones, so I looked for a similar paper. I didn't have anything in stone or brick that I liked, but the brown and stripe paper I used was an almost perfect match. It came from the Keep the Faith pack, which is usually more appropriate for churches. The borders on the right came from the Wide Open Spaces collection, and so did the journal box. The remaining embellishments were from an older Close To My Heart kit. The stickers are foil and a little delicate. If you don't handle them right, they will tear as you try to remove them from the backing paper.

I had a few additional photos, and since I wanted to highlight the Santa Fe Trail connection, I used an 8 1/2 x 11 pocket. This is the front side. I chose a similarly toned brown paper and added it across the middle to match the 12x12 pages. I used a few random saddle and bridle stickers to represent the trail.

On the back of the pocket, I added 2 more photos of the Fort with a wide-angle look. This page has additional stickers from the CTMH pack.