Passport to Adventure

Welcome back to my Fall 2021 extended vacation. On Saturday, October 16th, I started making the rounds of the Four Centuries in a Weekend locales. I visited quite a few, but I'll include only the sites that are also part of the Crossroads of the American Revolution trail in the blog. This year, I obtained a passport specifically for the event. This gave me a place to put the "bonus" stamps (as categorized in the NPTC database). Somehow, Union County managed to issue stamps that look just like the Eastern National official stamps. It created quite a conundrum about whether to include them in the database. That has now been settled, as we have added numerous state parks and other non-NPS groups to the database. If you haven't looked at that yet and enjoy collecting stamps when you travel, you should take a look! 

This layout is based on a pin I saved from Creative Life Scrapbooking. I didn't purchase the directions; I figured out the design on my own. I started by using the new CM inks and stencil to create the background paper. On reflection, I should have placed more leaves on the left side closer to the edge. The large acorn on the decorative pumpkin box is there because I messed up one of the border leaves with a pen that was too wet. From the first time I started scrapbooking, I've learned to cover mistakes with embellishments! The pumpkins were made with the CM Custom Cutting System squares and rectangles. I inked the edges for some extra oomph and added small bits of brown for the stems. I used a few scraps of cardstock and decorative paper. The largest pumpkin is cut from the mat that holds the passport. I knew the passport would cover the hole. It's not visible now, but I tucked the passport into a brochure pocket. It was too thick to hold on with just photo corners.

Highs of the Low House

After leaving the East Jersey Olde Towne Village, I headed to the campus of Rutgers University. The entrance to the Cornelius Low House is just beyond their football stadium (and the parking lot was undergoing renovation, making driving and finding the path rather interesting). The home has been preserved as one of the earliest examples of Georgian architecture and one of the few remaining from Raritan Landing (you can't see a river nearby now, but this was a port city in the 1700s).

My favorite part of the visit was the outside. The metal "shadow" figures on the lawn and the birdhouse gazebo were used to tell the story of the families who lived here through the years. Inside, the rooms are sparse, and, as the center of the local Historical Society, the upstairs houses a series of rotating displays on New Jersey life in general rather than focusing solely on the Revolutionary War. The Low Family was divided by the Revolutionary War, with some members ostracized and exiled to England afterward.

This layout is loosely based on one of Meggan and Tessa's Power Hour projects. You can see the pin I saved here (follow the links to the video and download). I had a small piece of Vintage Chic paper left that I used to mat the 2 vertical photos on the left page. I found a similarly patterned paper in my stash to use for the right-side page. There is an 8 1/2x11" pocket between the pages, so I wasn't too worried about making the pages match exactly. The black cardstock background allowed the lighter cardstock punches to shine. That is the Elegant Diamond border punch from Creative Memories, and as of the day I'm writing this, it is still available. The mini journal box was also from the Vintage Chic collection. 

After this layout, I "retired" that collection. That means I put all of the smaller remnants into the stash bags rather than keeping them all together. Journal cards went into the journal card box; any remaining paper pieces were placed in scrap envelopes by color; and any remaining stickers and elements went into the theme folder. Any stickers with words on them are cut into individual pieces and stored in my "Words of Wisdom" binder (in alphabetical order). 

Lasting Impressions

My last stop at the East Jersey Olde Towne was the print shop. I was delighted to find that the printer was a woman! In her period garb and protective apron, I watched her review the print block, discuss setting type, ink the press, and create a handful of flyers and labels for the honey jars in the gift shop. My father owned a print shop when we were younger, and while his press was electric, it worked much the same, so I found myself smiling all the way through the demonstration. And it was a show for just me! Not too many visitors on a Friday afternoon. I bought a jar of their honey, too.

This layout is based on the CM Virtual Crop sketch for November 2025 (scroll to sketch #3). I flipped the layout horizontally so the feature photo would be the printing press and card. Like the schoolhouse page, I chose Graphic 45 papers to complete the design. Notice the label on the honey and the little card decoration--they feature a bee! I had a yellow sheet in my stash that also featured bees, so I knew it was going on this layout. One sheet was enough to create the vertical strip and the horizontal mat. I had previously cut a decoration out of the paper on the reverse side. However, strategic cutting and placement of the photos and cards covered that hole. I bet you'd never know it was there if I hadn't told you. The sketch calls for another color for the borders and the right-side mat page. The butterfly print was close to bees, and I had wanted that darker contrast. Then, to ensure nothing was lost, I mounted both sides on plain white cardstock. A few stickers and other embellishments finished the page. (And I just noticed the red "O" sticker. That fell onto the layout and has since been removed. Not a decorative element!)

Good Old Golden Rule Days

Another building I visited in the East Jersey Olde Town Village is a one-room schoolhouse. This one is of stone construction. I typically associate these with the frontier and assume log cabins, but this one was made of sturdier stuff. The desks were all paired, and each had its own slate tucked into a well at the front.

This layout is based on one of the CM sketches in the 101 Sketch book, page 52. I turned the sketch 90 degrees because my photos were all landscape. 

I used a base from the Copper and Kraft paper pack (an advisor-only pack). The pattern reminded me of the Graphic 45 papers that make up the rest of the layout. I've finally come to the last of my historic school papers and embellishments. I really liked that little rectangular photo of the kids going to school next to my journal box. That captures the essence of the time period perfectly! The title elements are from the Copper and Kraft kit as well. A little brighter than I would have hoped for, but it was the right sentiment for the title. 

The bottom row border is supposed to be a series of books. I first struggled to find that punch because, well, it wasn't a punch! That's one of the cutting dies I had purchased. Once I realized that, I created 2 segments to place side by side to form a border. I need a less busy pattern for the paper. Neither the books nor the little counting phrase was 12" long, so I filled in the left edge with another embellishment image. Not strictly school, but young girls, and that worked for me. 

Half a Door is Better Than None

Welcome back to my tour of East Jersey Olde Towne Village. We finally come to the areas that were staffed. I enjoyed talking to this housewife about her daily life. The house has a small garden to the side, though most of the plants were well past the harvesting stage. I liked that they had included a half-door, and she was standing in the doorway awaiting my visit! The tour covered only the first floor and focused primarily on the kitchen, which was fine with me. 

This layout is based on one of the CM Virtual Crop Sketches from November 2025. Scroll to layout #2 (I turned it to the right). November 2025 was also a Secret Box opening month, and I always buy those kits. This one included the border maker cartridge you see on the right side of the 4" strips. I wasn't sure that the 3 strips would align correctly when stacked, so I carefully placed them on the paper holder as I wanted them on the page. Post-it notes help to hold paper in place if you need more stability. The brown border sticker is a leftover from an older kit in my stash, but I thought it worked well with this layout. There were also leftover buttons and hearts, which reflected the homey feel of the photos.

Horsing Around at the Blacksmith Shop

Welcome back to my tour of East Jersey Olde Towne in October 2021. The next location I visited was also unstaffed — the blacksmith's shop. I've seen forges working at other parks, so I didn't need the details, though it is usually a nice program. Additional rusty farm equipment was just outside the barn, so you get a whole idea of all the items they had to work on. Lots of horseshoes are lined up as well.

I based this layout on one of the CM virtual crop sketches from November 2025. Look at sketch #1 (I doubled it for this layout). I wanted to focus on the red barn and the brick chimney. The background paper is cranberry cardstock, and I had 2 matching pieces of brick paper for the mat area. I punched the barbed wire fence with a CM Border Making Cartridge. I trimmed off one link so that it fit just over the mat area. I found a mat with a distressed gray pattern and trimmed it into 4 equal segments. By tucking those under the brick paper, it looks like a single long piece extending across the page. Saves paper that way! I found a border sticker that I cut into short lengths to use as a title, and then mimicked that effect by putting my journaling on white write strips on the right page. A few stickers from the CM On the Farm pack rounded out the layout. 

Up a Steep and Very Narrow Stairway

This blog post is a continuation of the Indian Queen Tavern tour. The upstairs is more reminiscent of family life than of an inn, but it still houses some wonderful pieces. I especially liked the piano (which might be a harpsichord, I forget the details). The stairway itself is a special historic artifact. The period style called for a very sturdy yet winding, narrow staircase. This saves room in the floor plan, but can be treacherous on the climb. Watch your step if you visit!

I based this layout on a pin I had saved. Noreen Smith made the original pages you can see in this pin, but she only posted a photo of the design, no directions. I tried to emulate her style from the one clue in the original post—it's all from one sheet of paper. I chose the last piece of paper in my Literary Romance collection and used the woodgrained side. I started by cutting an 8" square from the center of the paper. That piece is placed as a diamond on the right side of the layout. The remaining piece of paper is turned so the corners hang over the left page edges. I tried to center the paper as best I could, then turned it over and cut off the sides, leaving me with the 4 corner elements for the right-side page. I couldn't tell whether Noreen meant the center mat sections were also from the same sheet of paper, but I don't think they are. For that reason, I found 2 8" square remnants in my stash and used them to mount the photos in the center of the pages. The title element and the corner stickers on the left page are from Creative Memories. The remaining embellishments are from the Paper Loft collection.