project summer

The summer is in full swing as are the iPhone photos and Instagram prints of our family adventures. I find I'm reaching for the DSLR less and the phone more, and have to make an effort to lug around my big camera. New to the iPhone or Instagram and wondering where all the fun washes are coming from lately in your favorite feeds? Check out the Snapster app.

For my summer mini I've kept things simple with a dash of color and a lot of journaling. For this first page, I didn't want a lot of clutter but wanted to use all four photos, so split it to two pages. The Plano circle stamp made a perfect addition to the page, adding some interest and grounding my photos, without taking a lot of time.

This next page is a simple one about our trips to the pool. We have a timeshare so have access to the facilities at a resort down the road, which has been great for the kids because it's not as crowded as the public pool. They sure are turning into fish this summer.

Speaking of fish, this last page I'm going to share was from a trip to the local fish hatchery. It was the one day of the year where kids could fish the stocked ponds, and the girls had so much fun. Normally when we fish you sit around all day hoping they'll at least get a bite. To be guaranteed a fish, and a big one at that, was a great opportunity for them. Because it was a special day, there were exhibits about fish ladders, stories, and some fish art. I love the idea of including artwork and notes from my kids. It's our album, so I want it to include things from all of us. I folded their fish paintings in such a way that only one side was punched so you could open it up and check out the whole trout. :)

One tip I have is to allow yourself to create out of order if you need to. I find that it makes the creative process easier if you have more choices, so if you'd rather make a page of your vacation before that day at the fair, for example, do it. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment which will make it easier to get the other pages done. Make a list of the events and check them off as you do them.

I hope you are having a great summer! Be sure to select Project Summer under challenges in the gallery when uploading your summer album pages so we can all check them out.