Project Life 2013: June 19-21, Vacation Part 2: Northern Michigan

Hi Friends! It's good to be back after an unplanned absence.  Summer is coming to an end and we've been trying to squeeze as many fun things into the days before we go back to school on Sept. 3rd.  We've had something nearly every day and while it's been great, it's also meant long days and being too exhausted to blog at night.

I am still working on our pages from our first summer trip back in June!  I've got a little bit more left to go but I have completed a bit more so today's share is Part 2 and hopefully, I have the last bit done for Part 3 next week and we can finally move onto the rest of the summer!

Part 1 ended with the left side of this spread.  In between are two inserts.  The first is this Discovery Map that's illustrated and really fun to look at.  I put it inside the page protector this way so the title would show as you first flip to it.

Here is the front of the second insert, it's a trimmed down Project 365 page protector, that was the first incarnation of Project Life when it was a monthly kit through Creating Keepsakes Magazine.  This part of our road trip from Traverse City up to Mackinaw City actually happened after the West Grand Traverse Bay portion that you see below it. 

Part of another Discovery Map was cut up to show just the portion of Charlevoix where we were and I collaged it onto some Bella Blvd. paper along with a Recollections journaling card and some stickers from the same Sand & Surf line as the wave paper and Jillibean Soup.  The cute flip flops filler card is MAMBI.

This is the back of the second insert.  Both sides have photos from our brief stop in the city of Charlevoix.  I had hoped to buy some fudge at the Murdock's there, but sadly - for me anyway, it had closed during the past year when it's owners retired.  No fudge for me :(  We took the kids and walked along the pier instead. LB caught sight of some ducks swimming by and got really excited.  He also enjoyed looking at the boats and it was a nice stop to stretch our legs.

I had a stamping mishap with the Road Trip insert card from MAMI and mixed up where I was supposed to stamp the DATE: and FROM:.  I don't have another so I am letting it stay as is.  In the end it doesn't really matter, you can figure things out from looking at it.  The Anchor's Away filler card is also by MAMI.

What happened with the stamping was, I was watching the Video Music Awards and Miley's number was on.  I was so distracted by that train wreck, I goofed up.  Did you see it?  It was just awful, I felt bad that I thought such negative thoughts about someone who is still quite young and who I can only think needs some guidance.  I hope her parents gave her a good talking too.  There was absolutely no need for all that, it was horrible and she sounded terrible too.  I hope there isn't something seriously wrong with her, and I hope her family steps in. 

But I digress, back to Project Life...the Anchor's Away filler card is also by MAMI.

The right side of this spread uses a WRMK page protector, one of my favorites because of the space for a 6X12 enlargement.  The smaller photo spaces are each 3X3.  I used this style of page protector last summer for that year's trip up north but used the space to make a mini layout.  I have seen Jessica use it with an enlargement and really liked the look so I was determined to work that into my album too.

The photo I selected to use in the space might not be the best I've ever taken but it's special because it's the first time LB has willingly got into the water.  He sometimes has issues with new situations and textures.  I think having his knock off crocs on helped, because his feet weren't actually touching sand but he enjoyed himself enough to not want to go.

I knew I wanted to highlight this particular memory so I printed it as enlargement because I knew it would force me to use it.  It did kinda mess up the chronology of the album since the insert had to come before this page and I like things to be in order as much as possible.  If I hadn't already had it printed I know I'd have been sorely tempted to put these pictures on a more typical page protector.

The Go Jump in the Lake card, that's been cut in half, the other papers, and circle journaling spot are leftovers from the last post's Great Wolf Lodge pages. You can find links to the sources in that post, if you're interested.  The stickers are bits and pieces leftover from various older sticker sets in my stash and the rub-on words are Making Memories.  The Kick Back rub-on with gems is TPC Studio.

{Left Page - WRMK, 5X& Insert, Trimmed Page Protector Insert}

The next few pages are from when we got to Mackinaw City.  Since we stopped a couple places on the way north from Traverse City and started the day with a little swimming at the Great Wolf Lodge, it was early evening before we got there. 

We went to the lighthouse but it was already closed for tours.  They were getting set up for a wedding and I remember thinking it would be such a lovely place to exchange vows.  There's a nice park around the lighthouse so we walked it a bit and took some pictures of the Mackinac Bridge to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I had a nice picture of Brad with LB that I wanted to use for the enlargement, it reminds me of how quiet and peaceful it was, and I put a picture of the kids with Brad in front of the lighthouse right over a blank space in the photo.

Next is a 5X7 with a favorite shot of E along the water.  On the back of that I did a bulk of my journaling about this day.  I also noted the correct order of the day's events there, this is how my Type A personality could get around things not being in order in the album.  I didn't show it because it's essentially a big block of text and not that exciting to look at.

{Trimmed Page Protector Insert 9X12}

This insert was made out of another Project 365 page protector.  It's similar to Design A, except that the row of 3X4 slots are all along the bottom.  The middle portion is made up of two 4X6.  I wanted to include several 3X4 pictures and not cut down one of my few remaining Design F pocket pages.  I trimmed off the right most 3X4 pocket and everything above it.  This left me with more 3X4 spaces but they were all open on the right.  To remedy this, washi tape to the rescue!  I also stapled on a tab to seal it up just a little bit more.

We took the kids across the bridge and to the Upper Peninsula (UP) for the first time.  E was really excited to finally get to cross the big bridge.  I took some photos while on it and as we approached the toll booths on the UP.  Once there we walked around St. Ignace, along the boardwalk and out to a lighthouse.  I'll have those pictures in Part 3 of our vacation.  We also went to Bridgeview Park to get some views of the bridge from the UP side before crossing back over and going to our hotel.

I took a few back at the hotel's pool and thought I was done photographing for the day.  Then I noticed just how big LB looked in the co-sleeper and I had to snap a quick one.  Guess his days of being in the portable bed while on vacation are numbered!  The filler and journaling cards in the Design G insert are all MAMBI.

Thanks for coming by to see how my vacation pages are coming along!  Do you include your vacations right in your Project Life albums or do you do something separate like a mini book?

Linking up with Jessica at The Mom Creative.