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.