How to Create a Storyline Travel Album

12 months ago this week, my eldest son aged 11 took the trip of a life time. He spent 12 days in China on a school trip with 28 fellow students. He took his own camera and came home with lots beautiful photos ( some blurry- wink) and  it has been on my agenda to  create a mini album for him with all his amazing memories. Enter the new Storyline 3 collection available at JoAnn stores.

I began with the 8 1/2 x 11 Heart Eyes album. Originally the album had white words (heart eyes) on the front cover which didn’t suit the theme of my travel album. I trimmed a large circle using the coordinating paper from the Color Fresh  12 x 12 paper pad  to cover the writing. I then found that wood veneer word in my stash, covered it with Gold Marquee Love Glitter and then adhered it over the circle.

For my cover page I used that globe cut file from Paige Evans and cut it with white cardstock. I then adhered it with foam tape to my page. I added some of the Gold Puffy stickers from the Color Fresh collection, and  letter stickers from the Memory Planner booklet.

My first spread features lots of photos in  grid  designs . I added some of the cards from the Travel Deck Of Days Kit  with foam tape  to add dimension to may pages.

The next Day they explored the Great Wall Of China. Because it was such a monumental occasion I felt like it needed 4 pages. I started with the cut file from Paige Evans. I used some of the Washi from the Handmade by Heidi collection Washi set to add a bit of color to the bottom of the page.

I printed this fabulous photo that my son took, full size and adhered it to the page. I then added one of the  Hawthorne double sided foam stickers and decorated it with some of the new Minc Gold glitter  from the Glitter Sheets and adhered it to my photo.

Turning the page I share more Great Wall photos. On the left I printed a 6×8  photo and embellished the page with another Deck Of Days card and sticker from the Storyline 3 Magical sticker book.

Next I added lots of photos and used more stickers from the Magical sticker book to embellish my page.

Another double page spread.

A full size photo embellished simply with a deck Of Days card and a star punched from a Gold Star foiled piece of toner paper.

I added more photos in a grid design and used stickers from the  Color Fresh Memory Planner sticker booklet to embellish one of the photos.

Here I share the memories from their visit to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

I adhered my smaller photos to the page insert and then used washi tape to adhere the larger photo to the plastic sleeve. It now lifts up to reveal the photos underneath.

The right side features a geotag which I found on google images , I inserted into my Silhouette software and then cut with white cardstock. I then adhered my photos with foam tape for extra dimension.

More photos, more memories, more washi tape and more Deck Of Days cards.

Again I added washi tape from the Handmade by Heidi Washi set to the top of my photo on the front of the plastic sleeve to allow it to lift up to reveal the journaling underneath.

The next double page spread shares one of the highlights of their trip- a visit to the Terracotta Warriors.

Again I started with one of Paige Evans cut files. I then tucked another of the Travel deck Of days cards beneath the cut file for a fun look, finishing with one of the Gold puffy stickers and a touch of stamping.

More photos and journaling fill the next page.

I added extra photos by trimming one of the plastic sleeves from the Storyline album to fit the four smaller photos. I sealed the pocket with some washi and then clipped it to the edge of the plastic sleeve. It lifts up to reveal the journaling underneath.

More stories held for ever in the album.

Another double page spread telling more of his story. On the right side I used one of the pages from his Calligraphy class and adhered it to my page before embellishing. I love that some of his memorabilia is in the album.

We received a Skype call from my son and I took the time to film the call with my iPhone.  I then uploaded the video to my Youtube channel and created a QR code using my QR code app. I  printed it off and added it to my page. I can now scan the code and it will take me to the video so I can relive it!

On their final day they took a trip the Beijing zoo to visit the Giant Pandas.

This photo that my son took really spoke to me, so I had to enlarged it to full size. I added another QR code of a video he filmed.

My final page shares the joy of his homecoming. Another Paige Evans cut file overlaid with photos and stickers from the Storyline 3 Magical sticker book.

I added some of the memorabillia from his trip to the plastic envelope that comes in the album to complete my project.

Let me share a full video walk through talking about all of the techniques I used in my travel album!

I truly am so delighted with how the album came together. My son is over the moon and has loved showing everyone that comes to the house. The whole album took my two days put together. Having a small set of limited supplies made it easy to choose embellishments  and keep the focus on the photos and memories! Don’t forget you can find all the supplies for the album at your local JoAnn  store!

Supplies | Storyline 3 Heart Eyes album, Travel Deck Of Days kit, Storyline 3 Magical Sticker book, Color Fresh 12 x 12 paper pad,

Color Fresh- Stickers Rad,  Stickers- letters, Puffy Stickers, Minc Glitter sheets, Gold Stars Minc foil