create an exploration scrapbook

I’ve written very few ideas down yet, but I have a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like…I think. The one thing I’m not too sure about is I have a little brochure/pamphlet of nearly everywhere I’ve been and I’m not quite sure how to incorporate those. I’m thinking of making little slots for them on the back on corresponding pages but I don’t really want anything too messy.

I have changed my goal of making my life scrapbook to this one as I realized from madamwitty that what I most want to include are the places I’ve been.

in the alphabetical notebook. I’ll count this done once I put some photo entries into the alphabetical notebook, paste all the U.S. states into the places notebook, and write a few entries for the places notebook.

will begin now. Once I have planned like heck, I will began making it (once school is over and summer has begun!). I’m thinking of using a good quality binder for it, one that I can jazz up a bit. That way I can add more pages and am not bound to a certain length. And I can add more as the years go by.

I put the alphabet stickers on the pages and chose some photos from my discard pile to possibly go in. I also got the US atlas in the mail so I have everything I need to get started with some of the real content. I just didn’t have any time to work on it last weekend with Easter travel, and I’m going camping this coming weekend. So I probably won’t have time to work on it more until next week.

Today I bought some alphabet stickers to label the “things I’ve done” pages, and ordered the pocket atlases from Amazon.com. I think I already have a suitable pen and photo tape, so those should be all the materials I need.

I hope to get the “things I’ve done” pages started this weekend.

Bought this pocket atlas to include for my world travels. Still plan to buy two copies of this one for my U.S. travels. And of course I forgot to look for letter stencils when I was at Michael’s this weekend. Well, next time.

I got two Cachet Classic 9×12 sketchbooks for $20 (buy one get one free at Swain’s – I wanted two anyway!) If these ones weren’t on sale, I would have gotten the 11×14 size. They are 80 sheets (160 pages) each, which is about right for my needs.

Next I need to get a pocket atlas and some sort of alphabet book to cut up for use as page headers in my travel book and “things I’ve done” book, respectively.

But couldn’t find what I wanted at Joann’s or Michael’s. I want a spiral bound book, 12” x 12”, with acid-free pages and no page protectors. Nowhere to be found. I found only one book that was even close, and it was 9” x 11”. I can’t find what I want on the internet, either. I may have to rethink my format.

Also, I am still on the lookout for cheap, small atlases of the U.S. and the world for cutting up and putting into the scrapbooks. Borders had some cheap road atlases but they were way too big and detailed.

I recently wrote a personal mission statement which heavily emphasizes exploration as a theme. In addition, In thinking of things to fill out my Things to do Before I Die list and 43Places list I have been looking at other people’s lists and realizing that I have already done so many different types of things in my life. I have already recorded these things to a certain extent online, but I’d like to record them in a more tangible manner. Plus, I’ll want to record new things I do and places I go in the future.

So: my idea is to create a scrapbook/logbook for many of the interesting and mundane activities & places in my life. It might eventually expand into separate books for activities/skills/knowledge and travel, but it’ll start out as one. In the activities section, I’ll probably organize it roughly alphabetically. The places thing will probably be organized in three sections: “Local,” by state, and by country, so I can mark places I’ve been on a map. Since it’s not chronological, I don’t have to worry about the order in which I include past entries. I’ll probably include just a short description for each thing/place (more like a logbook) and include small photos where possible.