​With every trip I take I like to create an album of some sort to house pictures and memories in.  I absolutely love revisiting the album and walking down memory lane for years to come afterwards.  The type of albums I have made have differed over the years – everything from chipboard albums to Project Life type binders and more.  The past couple of years though I have been using the “Travelers Notebook” system to keep track of everything from grocery lists to expenses to to-do lists and so much more.  I have also started creating a Traveler’s Notebook insert for each trip.  It ends up being a great size and very “manageable” when it comes to getting it complete.  That is a big factor for me – the easier it is to complete the more apt I am to getting it completed.  These types of inserts are also great for kids to record their travels and summertime adventures in.  

Step 2:  While on vacation take pictures.  Lots of pictures and don’t forget to ask a stranger to take a picture of you/your group or use the selfie method.  This is a no-brainer because pictures really are worth a 1,000 words and even more words with your smiling face in them!  With so many cell phones having good cameras nowadays there’s no excuse to not take a lot of pictures. 

Tip 1: Before heading out on your vacation be sure to have lots of storage space on your phone or memory card in your phone.

Tip 2: Find something “cool” about the place you are traveling to and take repetitive type pictures.  For example, take pictures of front doors on houses if the city you are visiting has interesting architecture or do a series of pictures featuring “round” things (i.e. man hole covers, tile designs, anything and everything that has a circle on it).  This will make you look at everything through a new set of eyes.  Recently, I toured the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  The whole estate was amazing, and I took pictures of a lot of things, but one thing I focused on was the ceilings.  On the first floor of the house each room had a different ceiling.  I love the little “series” of pictures that this provided. 

Step 3: Collect ephemera.  I always pick up a variety of those “free publications” you can find while on vacation and business cards.  I use pictures from brochures, snippets about restaurants and places to go, along with postcards and bookmarks I buy in my Traveler’s Notebook insert.  Also, I keep receipts from everything, including the fast food place we lunched at while on the road.  Not everything will make it in the final album, but it helps me remember places and locations.

Step 4: Take notes.  Use the notes section in your phone or a little notebook to document little things – a funny saying that keeps coming up during the vacation, list the songs in your road trip play list or the podcasts you listened to, what everyone ate at dinner, historic facts or fun tidbits about the locale, etc.  Spending a few minutes a day keeping track of things like this will help greatly when putting your album together.

Step 5: Within the first couple of days of being home revisit your notes and try to “round them out”.  Add information to your notes, google for information you can’t quite remember.  If you didn’t get a picture of something or place you really would like to include, google it!  Collaborate with others that you vacationed with and share pictures or tidbits.
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Tip 1: Make an A to Z list capturing memories from the trip. I learned this tip from Amy Tan (aka Amy Tangerine) and have loved incorporating it into my albums. It is a good way to include random snippets or memories. 

Check back tomorrow for Steps 6 - 10!

Don't forget that Eileen is back in Indy and going to be leading two workshops tomorrow morning.  A couple of spaces are still available, so sign-up today!  You can read more details on the class here.  

A couple of weeks ago we asked on Facebook the kind of classes you all wanted to see.  A reoccurring response was to have another Canvas Tote Decorating Workshop.  Ask and you shall receive!  On Saturday, June 4 from 9 am - noon, join Cindy in decorating your own Canvas Tote.  The tote is handy for keeping arts and crafts supplies in, and you can never have too many bags!  Click here for more details on the class and here to register.  

Every Wednesday evening from 5 pm – 9 pm Palette & Paper hosts Open Studio.  It is a great time to work on your project(s) and connect with other crafty people. 

During tomorrow evening’s Open Studio, one of our instructors will be offering a make & take opportunity for everyone that is interested.  Certified Copic Instructor, Martha Dafnos will be in the studio from 5:30-7:30 sharing a great patriotic image to color using colored pencils, watercolors or Copic Markers (please bring yours).  Martha can offer pointers on coloring, blending and building color.  Once you have completed your mini masterpiece, you may purchase a kit to turn your colored image into a card (only $1).  ​

​As we approach Memorial Day, it is the perfect time to make this patriotic card.  To reserve your card kit, please email Martha, and see you tomorrow evening.

Palette & Paper is excited to host a week-long day-camp for kids ages 8-10 and 11-13.  We’ve received the requests from many to offer this type of fun opportunity, and we are happy to be able to offer such an exciting week for the kids!

Our counselors, Cindy Kelle and Molly Petrous, are hard at work coordinating activities and crafts that will keep your kids active and excited during their week at camp.
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Cindy is a veteran crafter that has shared many of her skills at Palette & Paper with classes ranging from decorating canvas totes, handlettering, artist trade cards and leading our monthly Bible Journaling Groups.  Molly is currently studying at the Herron School of Art and is thrilled to be joining in on the camp fun.

Above is just a small example of the items your child will have the opportunity to create at camp.

Did you know that the camp experience, including day camps, is recognized by child development professionals as valuable in helping children mature socially, emotionally, intellectually, morally, and physically?  Peter Scales, Ph.D wrote,  "The biggest plus of camp is that camps help young people discover and explore their talents, interests, and values. Most schools don't satisfy all these needs. Kids who have had these kinds of (camp) experiences end up being healthier and have less problems which concern us all." (Source)

We are happy to be able to offer the week-long day-camp for only $175, especially considering other similar camps in the Indianapolis area cost more and only offer 2-4 hours of camp per day versus the 6 hours daily we are hosting.

If you have any questions regarding Kaleidoscope Kids Craft Camp, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email.  Registration deadline is May 30, 2016.

For more details and to see a flyer about Kaleidoscope Kids Craft Camp, click here.  

Bible Journaling is a great way to engage with scripture and celebrate your walk in faith while utilizing your artistic abilities.  Bible Journaling can take many forms – from simple notes and highlighted passages (like this page here) to creating pages of creative artwork to celebrate His word.   

What do I need to Bible Journal?

In the simplest form all you need to get started is a bible and a pen.  However, you will probably want to gather some additional supplies to spark your creativity and create artwork more similar to what you are seeing on Instagram and Pinterest.   Below is a list of supplies that we found to be most helpful – feel free to add and subtract supplies as your style of Bible Journaling evolves. 

• Bible, Journaling Bible, Notebook or Praise Journal
• Pencil/Eraser
• Watercolor Pencils or Colored Pencils
• Waterbrush
• Micron or Illustrated Faith Pens
• Watercolors
• Acrylic Pants
• Stickers
• Journal Cards (Bo Bunny’s Believe collection is great, picture below)
• Ephemera (Illustrated Faith has several ephemera packs available that have a bible verse on the back to provide inspiration, picture below)
• Washi Tape
• Stamps
• Distress Ink, Chalk Ink and/or Archival Ink pads

 How do I start? 

Looking at a pristine Bible can be intimidating.  But remember, there is no right or wrong way to Journal in your Bible.  The activity of Bible Journaling is all about taking time to read, discover and connect with His word. 
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Start with your favorite verse, one that reminds you of a certain in your life, or a randomly selected one (check out this Bible Journaling Guide we found on Pinterest).  What feelings does the verse evoke?  Sketch out a picture that relates to the verse or use a combination of stamps and stickers to add a visual message to your page.  Then pick out key words of the verse to focus on.  Write the words in various fonts – block caps, cursive, a mixture of fonts or use letter stamps!  Once you have a basic design mapped out, add color!  There are many ways and supplies to use when adding color.  Keep in mind, it is always a good idea to put an extra piece of paper or a handy Illustrated Faith Bible Mat (pictured below) underneath to eliminate bleed.

​If you want to get more artistic with your Bible Journaling pages but don’t consider yourself an artist there are some “tricks” you can use.  A mixture of tracing and graphite paper will allow you to “copy” images into your bible that you can fill-in with watercolors, colored pencils and other mediums.  Jann Gray will be here tomorrow and Saturday sharing a lot of those tricks with you (space still available!  Click here to read a description of the workshop and here to register).  Check out our Pinterest Board for more inspiration.  

Please remember that Bible Journaling can take many forms.  There is no right or wrong way to do it and there is no such thing as a page being "good enough".  This is all our YOUR faith journey and reflection of His Word.  Have fun and enjoy the process!

If you have any questions about Bible Journaling feel free to leave a comment!