A Personal Geography

Cover

I came across this wonderful book called Personal Geographies by Jill K. Berry.  It inspired me to make a book for my husband about where and how we first met up until our marriage. On each page is a quote from the continent or country represented on the page.

Here are the pages:

Section of West Africa:  We got to know each other at a
Senegalese restaurant.

Quote: Milk and honey have different colors, but they share the same house peacefully. ~ African Proverb.

Section of  Eastern United States: Our first date was at
the American Natural History Museum.

Quote: You meet a new person, you go with him and suddenly you get a whole new city...you go down new streets, you see houses you never saw before, pass places you didn't even know were there. Everything changes. ~ Samuel R. Delany

Map of the East Side of NYC on top of a map of Paris: Another date
was at a French restaurant.

Quote: Je serai poète et toi poésie. ~ François Coppée (I will be a poet and you will be a poem.)

Sections of the United States, Paris and Europe with the UK highlighted:
Places we visited during our courtship.

Quote:  A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. ~ John Lennon

Section of the town where we married.

Quote:  So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you. ~ Paulo Coelho

The back of each page had a file folder like this: 

Each file had a journal entry about the day(s).
The Tim Holtz tickets held the file folders closed. 

Supplies:

• YourStory Mini to bind the book
• Solid Cardstock - Tim Holtz Core-dinations
• Paris and New York City Maps - Cavallini & Co.
• All Other Maps - 7 Gypsies
• Luggage Tag, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Lable, Keys, Banner, Tab Diecuts - Cricut, Traveler & Victorian Romance
• Butterfly Diecut - Slice
• Hydrangea Diecut - Martha Stewart Punch
• "Cherished" Ribbon - Melissa Frances
• Paris Paper Tape -  Cavallini & Co.
• Antique Linen, Victorian Velvet, & Brushed Corduroy Distress Pads - Tim Holtz
• Emerald Twinkling H2O's - Luminarte
• Buttergly Stamp - 3 Birds
• Micron Pen

Wrap It Up!

My sister and I recently discovered Stampin Up! and loved this stamp set we saw in their catalog called It's a Wrap.  The stamps were initially made to wrap around Hershey Nuggets but were also used like tags. Well, we are on a buying ban right now called Use Your Stash on the Circle message board hosted by MamaC.  So I decided, "Hey, I can make some using my Cricut for my sister."  The best thing about it is that I could use any paper, any label, and any sentiment.

I used the Every Day Paper Dolls cartridge to make the wrapper.  The band-aid on page 53 was the perfect shape.  I used my gypsy to make it 3 x 1 in and to erase the little holes and lines.  You can use any rectangle from any cartridge or even just cut using a paper trimmer.

I used Art Philosophy for the label.  I cut the image at 1 in. and then used a distress marker to highlight edge.

I pasted the label on top of the wrapper and stamped the labels "enjoy", "joy", or "thanks".

The left and right tags were made using the Cricut.
The middle tag was made with a paper trimmer and
We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

This one was used as a tag.

Here are the Nuggets all wrapped up:

I packed it up in a plastic bag:

I made a bunch to give to my sister and wrapped it with ribbon:

Then I made a little box from Art Philosophy, distressed and embellished.  Voila! It made for a nice, winter themed gift:

The sparkle is from Macadamia Tattered Angles
Glimmer Glam.  Wow! That stuff packs a glittery punch!
I didn't even have to tilt my camera to get
the sparkle.

Personalized Candy Dishes

I found some lovely candy dishes from Michael's at a bargain and bought them.  To give them a personal touch, I added the recipients' initials.  I used black vinyl and the Quarter Note Cricut cartridge for the monogram.  In order to just cut the vinyl, but not the adhesive backing, I used minimum for pressure, minimum for speed, and 3 for blade depth.

Christmas Planner

I made a Christmas Planner using cuts from the Folk Art Festival and Holiday Frames & Tags cartridges.

My husband is the type of person that remembers everything.  I, however, am the kind of person that really needs help remembering things.  This is where the Christmas planner comes in.  The great thing about making your own planner is that you can customize it.  My planner has the following tabs:

1. Card List
2. Gift List
3. Recipes
4. Holiday Ideas
5. Shopping List

These are some other ideas:

• A calendar
• A pocket for receipts
• A pocket for coupons
• Menu
• Decorating Ideas
• To Do List

Here's how I made mine:
1.  I bought a small lined journal from Michael's for $1.50.  It measures 7 x 5 in.  I have seen many different types of books and even binders used.  I chose this particular journal because it was small enough to carry in my purse.

2.  From the Folk Art Festival Cartridge: I cut the bird on page 40 at 2 in.  I cut the letter "C" on page 58 at 3/4 in.  I cut the labels on page 69 at 3 in and 3.75 in.  I cut the "2", "0", "1" at 3/4 in.
3.  From the Holiday Frames & Tags Cartridge: I cut the tag from page 55 at 3 in.
4.  I covered my book with an eggshell colored cardstock and then put a taupe colored fabric on the right hand side.

The binding is from DCWV Fabric Paper

5.  I wrote "hristmas" and the words on the tabs by hand.

I have five tabs for my planner.
But you can have any number of tabs
to fit your needs.

6.  I assembled my labels and numbers on the new cover. I added my tabs to the planner.
7.  I added a handmade red square with the letter "C" to the handwritten "hristmas".
8.  I distressed the bird with the Fired Brick Distress Marker.
9.  I added the bird to the labels and then colored in the negative space with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam Smooches.

The heart is from a stash of unused cuts.  
Hey, you never know what you can use later! :)

This will keep me nice and organized.  I can also keep it for the upcoming year and easily make changes to the card/gift lists.  I can also refer back to any decorating/recipe ideas I did not get a chance to use.

I wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday :)