Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

After the recent Craft & Hobby Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas last month, we headed on to Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks, the California coast just north of Los Angeles, drove across the Golden Gate bridge, then turned east to Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Reno and Rocky Mountain National Park. (We are known for our marathon driving trips.) We had already spent the nights before the convention at the Grand Canyon North Rim and Zion National Park, the most beautiful place on earth in my humble opinion.

We saw so many different signs along the way. I have always been interested in signs, particularly those with lots of age on them. The ones we saw on this trip were mostly more modern, but they were still beautiful. My KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square made this squared-up layout easy as pie (which we thoroughly enjoyed at The Thunderbird Restaurant just outside Zion National Park).

Here's how I did it:

Supplies
KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square
Paper, Printed, 12" x 12"  and Postcard cutout (DCWV Timeless Type Stack®)
Cardstock, Navy, 12" x 12"
Cream Card stock, 8 1/2" x 11"
Brown Card stock scrap
Die Cutting Machine (Spellbinders Grand Calibur®)
Die (Spellbinders Floral Ovals)
Adirondack Color Wash, Denim
Brown Ink Pad
Printed photos, titles and journaling
Glue Dots®

Tools: Paper Trimmer, Sponge

Directions

Tip: If you have a layout program on your computer, you can design this page there and know exactly how much to trim your photos.

Use your printer to create unique journaling blocks that become part of your story.

1. Prepare journaling block (see photos 1-3) : Determine the width and height of the journaling area on the postcard (2 3/4" x 2 1/4" in this case). Set you type to print within this size and print out on copy paper. Line your postcard up ( a light box or handy window pane make it easy to do this) so that the journaling fits within the space allowed and tape down the top edge on the copy paper. Send this through the printer again to print your journaling on the postcard. Trim and set aside.

2. The background paper was nice, but I needed for it to be darker. I spritzed it with the Color Wash spray, then rubbed with a sponge while it was still wet. (Photos 4 and 5)

3. Trim the navy card stock to 1" square, then cut out a 10 1/4" square from the center. Align the remaining border with KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square and glue down to the printed paper. (Photo 6)

4. Set the title four times on your computer. Trim each to 11" wide and 1/2" tall. Sponge edges with brown ink. Adhere the title strips to navy border using your Get-It-Straight Laser Square. Cut four die cut medallions and place on each corner.

5. Using the Get-It-Straight Laser Square once again, adhere all the photos and the journaling block in place. Place one of the photos at an angle across the address portion of the card. With all the straight lines in this layout, the angled piece gives the eye a little relief and adds interest to the page.

Do you have a vacation coming up? Remember that landscapes are beautiful, but sign photos can tell the story of where you've been with very little journaling.