Packing to Travel Journal

From the moment I knew I would be traveling
abroad, I have been like a little squirrel gathering
an entire stash of goodies all related to journaling
my voyage.

In fact, if anyone from the outside were looking in
on my follies they might be inclined to laugh, as
watching this collection grow has been a bit of
a comedy.

In the beginning, I had a substantial mound,
of course all items I didn't think I could live
without. But as the days passed, and I walked
by this small mountain, I have been able to
subtract from my pile of "needs".

And funny how you decide what you can and
can not live without, especially when you start
looking at the size of your luggage and the carry
bag, wondering how it's all going to fit.

Suddenly, soap, shampoo, and that extra pair of
undergarments become the priority over having
a large paint palette and that third extra Sharpie
Pen... you know... just in case the first two fail.

Now, I think I have my supplies all perfectly
selected and portioned, with a travel kit that
is quite manageable.


I thought I would share a list of what I am taking
with me....

* 2 - mechanical pencils
* 1 - white eraser
* 1- .01 black Micron Pen
* 1 - black fine Sharpie Marker
* 1 - 9B Pencil
* 1 - roll of 1/2" Artist Tape
* 1 - needle and linen thread
* 1 - small pair of embroidery scissors
* 1- small square of fine sandpaper
* several sheets of folded blank newsprint paper
(for pressing flowers...etc)
* 1 - Heritage brand travel paint palette for acrylics
(which I am anxiously waiting for
as it has not arrived yet)
* misc. 2 oz. bottles of acrylic paint
(which are needed for the workshop)
* 1 - Upper and Lower Case of Alphabet Stamps
(inspired by this friend's travel journal kit)
* 1 - small black cube ink pad
* various ephemera (such as vintage Italian Stamps,
Scrabble tiles that spell Italy and Rome and Orvieto,
a few vintage Italian handwritten documents)
* a stash of painting canvas in
various small sizes (I like using
bleach fabric muslin 200 thread ct.
for painting)
* Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 and film

And still considering if I want to purchase
a POGO printer and Zink Paper to use
with my digital camera?

Please feel free to leave a comment
if there are journaling supplies you use
that are a MUST HAVE.... I would love to
hear about them.

I am also really excited to show you my
newly crafted journal.


After looking around for several weeks,
I purchased a handmade watercolor
sketchbook from a local hobby/craft
store and decided to give it my own
personal touch.

Using an old mini tintype
etched copper frame, I cut
an opening the exact same
size in the journal cover. I
lined the hole with a thin
strip of black cardstock to
create a snuggle fit for the
frame, and glued it into
place with industrial
strength adhesive.

The image seen in the window is a collaged
vision of a painted field of sunflowers married
with snippets from a vintage Italian document
I purchase off of the web.

Although I love the outcome
of the embedded frame, I
felt like the bottom of the
journal cover also needed
a bit of decoration, so I
cut an extra long piece
of indigo colored sari ribbon
to serve as a punch of color
and an additional way of
securing the contents of
the book, when hopefully
later on it is bulging at the
seams.

I have also ordered a copy of Globejotting:
How To Write Extraordinary Travel Journals
after doing a Google search on "Travel Journaling"
this book was at the top of the results and looks
quite interesting. Hopefully it will be a fun read
with some good tips.