The Story of the Travel Diaries

If you're one of my Instagram followers then you would have been forced to see all my recent holiday pics. A spot of annual leave combined with my sun-seeker nature lead us to a week by the beach which is always my favourite type of holiday. But travelling with young kids also has the hazard of a thousand "I'm bored"s and "are we there yet?" so it's always a sensible precaution to pack a few activities to keep them entertained.

If there's 3 things that my girls like to do for fun then it would have to be reading, playing on the iPad and crafting. Any of my recent You Tube videos will attest to that!
Figuring all of these were viable options for entertainment on the road, but the latter would be pretty darn fun I just needed to work out how I could pack some craft supplies that would keep them busy and not prove to be too messy :-)

Step one was to fill a small case with some basic supplies. Supplies that would spark their imagination, that have unlimited possibilities, and that (most importantly) won't run out half way through our trip! Scissors, pens and double-sided tape are essential to start off with.

To this I added:

• A stamp set (from the still-available King's Cross Add On) that's perfect for diary keeping
• A Color Theory Ink Pad to use with it. These are water-soluble so less likely to stain clothes and hands and tables.
• Peerless Transparent Watercolour Papers which I punched a hole in so I could keep them all together with a binder ring.
• A Water Brush because it's way less messy than a regular brush and a cup of water. 
• A travel pack of baby wipes because despite my mess-limiting options - they're still kids!

Before I left home I also whipped up a travel diary for each of them. This was a simple case of binding together a bunch of plain paper with a pretty cover. Did you hear them going ga-ga over the rainbow paper in the Alcott Add On from September's kits in the unpacking video? I saved it up for this special project!

They each packed their travel diaries in their backpack which went everywhere with them. And whenever the threat of boredom was announced I would suggest they get them out and fill a page. For Moriah this mainly consisted of drawing pictures and painting with the Watercolours - she loves these things. I think it's something to do with the 40 choices of vibrant colours that come alive with a mere drop of water. I have to admit, there really is something that seems magical about it!
 

The Watercolours initially come in a packet of these loose sheets that are unlabeled as far as their colours are concerned. Apart from punching the holes and binding them together so I don't lose any, I also cut up the insert that describes what each of the colours are and glued them onto the appropriate sheet so I can see at a glance which is which. I'm also thinking I need a little sample paint swatch underneath too - but that's another project for another day :-)

For Bethany it was more about actually writing a diary. Or at least that's where she started. But once she saw Moriah with the Waterpaints then it took an entirely new direction where she decided to illustrate her journaling as well. Pretty awesome idea I think :-)

She also used it for keeping the ephemera from the trip which is where the tape came in handy. Ultimately these travel diaries kept them busy for hours and have become a treasured piece of memorabilia that I'll pop into my Project Life Handbook for safekeeping. Win-win I'd say!

In other good news, Studio Calico have just released the last 6 colours in their Color Theory Ink Pad range. I'm in desperate need to complete my collection and so this was a no-brainer for me. But where it gets even better is that right now if you purchase the bundle of Inks (found here) then you'll get free shipping, including for whatever else you buy at the same time! And YES... this includes international postage!!!

Here's some other new products that have recently hit the shop that are on my wish list:

Holiday Craft Die Ashley Goldberg Papers Kelly Purkey Christmas Stamp Set Mint Hint Handbook So Fancy Stamp Set

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