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Stay-cations
by Jennifer Vardy Little
(May 29, 2012)
Like everyone else, my family is feeling the crunch of the recession, so plans for fancy vacations to Disney or a tropical destination were the first things cut from the budget. We still manage one vacation a year to visit family, but we're left with a lot of time at home. We decided to make the best of it, however, and explore some of the spots that our own area markets to tourists, which as locals we'd never visited. We sat down with a tourism guide for our area, identified some locations within an hour's drive and planned an itinerary for a few day trips. It opened up a whole new world for our family, and especially to me, the self-appointed photographer and scrapper of our memories. I can honestly say it's the best vacation we've ever had - no worrying about cranky kids upset with the time change, no stress from travelling and no lost luggage! Here are five ideas of stay-cation destinations that are great to scrap: Beach Heading to a beach near your home? Whether it's the ocean, a lake, a pond or even a favorite swimming hole, grab a camera and bring it along. We have a beach near us, but I always seemed to forget my camera because it was such a common thing for us to go for the day. Try shooting from different angles. Instead of having the kids look up and say "cheese," just capture them being kids and playing.
Supplies:
In my layout "Enjoy Life," I wanted to capture the feel of the beach, so I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Faded Jeans and Walnut Stain, along with Shimmerz Blingz Iridescent Paint in Under the Sea to capture the mood. My son was laughing at some kids playing out of the frame when I captured a great shot of him playing in the sand.
Supplies:
I did something similar with "Ocean's Edge," using a monochromatic scheme and lots of inks to create the feel of the sea. I don't often take pictures of people from behind, but in this case wanted to grab a shot of my son and husband as they got ready to go in. I was also hoping to capture the vastness of the ocean in comparison to my son. Farms In the fall, many farms open their doors and create corn mazes and pumpkin patches. It's the perfect opportunity to take pictures - and sometimes it's hard to stop. "Into the Corn" only has a few words of journaling on the map, but with careful cropping, I was able to fit 10 pictures on this two-page layout that tell the story of our adventure in a corn maze.
Supplies:
Keep in mind that even with stay-cations, you're going to take a lot of pictures, so be prepared to crop them tightly or print smaller sizes, or else you'll be making one-picture pages for a long time to come. Many farms also open their orchards in the fall, so apple-picking might be another fun activity that offers great scrapbooking opportunities. Zoos Zoos are such fun, but we never seem to have time to spend a day there and enjoy the sights and sounds. We went in the middle of the week, so we got the place pretty much to ourselves. Plus the BoBunny Zoology chipboard is so much fun to use, like in this layout of my son and husband checking out the lions. With so many different animals and so many companies offering great zoo-patterned papers, it's as much fun to scrap as to visit.
Supplies:
Museums Try visiting a museum that's in your own backyard. I had no idea the museum in the next town was such great entertainment for kids. Many museums offer special attractions for kids that let them try their own experiments, which is a great photo op. Backyard Don't forget to scrap a few pictures of the fun things you can do in your own backyard, around the house or at a nearby playground. They are the moments you'll treasure in the future. Try saving a ticket stub if you go to a movie or taking a photo as your child draws and feature it on a page along with the artwork. Or try some special activities - like eating breakfast for supper, wearing pajamas all day or taking a family walk - to make this stay-cation special. I hope you enjoy your stay-cation as much as our family did! |
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