Several years ago, my best friend and I got in the car and drove from Indiana to California and back. We had nine days, several to-dos on our list and a Rand McNally atlas to guide us. I’m a planner- I like itineraries and reservations. Him? Not so much. He’s more of a fly by the seat of your pants kinda guy. It was either going to be the trip of a lifetime or a massive failure.

Turns out, the road trip was even better than we imagined. We saw Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, and the Reno. We did wine tasting in Napa Valley and stood in awe next to redwoods. There was a wild night in Las Vegas before checking out the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. We took in the sunset at Arches National Park before stargazing high in the mountains of Colorado. The drives between the destinations were full of lively conversation, off-key singing, and lots and lots of food.

How do you even begin to scrapbook a trip this epic?

I took the easy way out and just didn’t. Until now.

The Drive Story Kit from Ali Edwards was made for this adventure!

The journaling cards were the perfect prompts to tell my stories, not to mention the awesome drive acrylic title and chipboard stickers. I may not have scrapped the trip right away, but I made sure to take notes the whole time so it was just a matter of flipping through my little notebook and the details came to life.

Thanks to smartphones, I don’t use that old road atlas anymore, but it’s been sliding around in the trunk of my car ever since. On our cross-country drive, I’d highlighted our route and couldn’t just throw it away. Enter the Silhouette Cameo and a 3×4 pocket cut file– perfect for the journaling cards in the Story Kit. Each pocket, made with maps from that atlas, holds a card that tells a story from the trip. With the photos and embellishments,  it quickly became one of my favorite layouts.

I have stamps for all occasions, but none more than travel.

There isn’t a travel or vacation set that I haven’t loved and this was the perfect opportunity to put those supplies to use. Whether I’m flying, driving, or cruising- I have a stamp for that. It’s a sickness, really.

Do you see that tiny blue speck in the photo? That’s me!

And the mini flair? It’s from one of my all-time favorite shops Feed Your Craft. Elise has so many wonderful things- from flair to stamps and product designed by the wonderful artist Brandi Kincaid. You definitely need to check it out!

For this pocket, I stamped the word Wanderlust from a set by Lora Bailora onto vellum with black Staz On ink. When it comes to adhering vellum, it’s always a bit of a challenge for me, so I took the easy route and used my stapler. A puffy sticker and more mini flair and this pocket was done!

More stamps adorn this pocket, but this time I broke out the Glossy Accents and coated the “Every Mile A Memory” stamp. It’s hard to tell in a photo, but it dries clear and shiny and adds dimension. Glossy Accents is one of those things I often forget I have and won’t use for months, but as soon as I find it (usually after a good cleaning) I can’t seem to make a layout without it!

Have you ever had a story so big you couldn’t tell it right away? Do you find it easier to scrapbook the experience immediately or does the passage of time ease the pressure of the perfect layout?