Hey Everyone!
It is officially Summer when the temperature hits above the 90 degree mark in my book. For some of you the official date begins sometime in June, here in south Florida summer has arrived. It's time to start thinking of vacation and travel plans. We've been planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park for two years and this is the summer we are going! I can't begin to tell you how excited hubby and I are to be going West, I've been to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks before but hubs hasn't and I can't wait to see his face when he gets the first glimpse of the Teton mountains outside our cabin and the first time we pull into Yellowstone.....priceless. If you've ever been there, then you know what I'm talking about! It is a stunningly beautiful and prehistoric, wild wilderness. Be still my heart!
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| Water color palette, aqua crayons, paint tubes and brushes. |
Getting ready for a trip in my world, means what art supplies do I take with me. Most people think about what to pack, like clothing and other essentials but for me it is about the art supplies and the journal. I'm a bit obsessive about it too! We'll be doing some daily hiking, using a back pack and changing hotels frequently. That means packing and re-packing and schlepping stuff around. Most times, I look like a Sherpa with all the stuff I am carting along. It takes me days to figure out what I need to take with me, especially if I must pare down the supplies, like this year. The least amount of weight I have to carry the better! Take a look at what I'm planning to take and keep in mind, all supplies, except journal must fit into a small zippered pencil pouch.
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| Journal and zippered pencil pouch carrying art supplies. |
Here's the list:
- Cutter Bees (scissors)
- Glue Stick
- Dot Glue Runner (for the heavy stuff)
- Water pen/brush
- Water Color pencils
- Pitt, Micron & Sharpie pens
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Pencil Sharpener
- Bone Folder
- Journal
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| Here we go, all pared down to the essentials. |
I opted for the watercolor pencils instead of palette (above) or w/c crayons. This will reduce the need for water container, brushes,extra tubes of paint, sponge and paper towels. The pencils are lightweight and will fit into the zippered pouch nicely.
And now that the supplies are ready I started preparing a few journal pages to get me started. I like to spray colored inks or water color the background of the pages before the trip, stick in a few stickers and add random stamps. Later I'll add journal notes or other memorabilia to each page.
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| Map of Grand Teton National Park and Park Safety |
The more preparation done before hand means less prep time at night and more time to cut, glue and journal each days activities. I've glued in several envelope pockets (used glue dot runner to secure) and stashed small pieces of paper ready for notes or quick sketches, etc.
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| Notes on the fly. |
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| Decorative punched edge envelope for more notes. |
Ohh, I'm seeing a pattern here....the final envelope is attached to the back flap of the journal cover; it will provide a place for maps. I also stashed some stickers in here to use later...go ahead, you can call me a bit crazy obsessed. But before you do, please tell me what's your destination this summer? What you do to prepare for a trip? Do you take art supplies? How do you decide what to take with and what to leave at home?
Let Summer Begin!
I look forward to your comments and sharing the pages of our trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with you soon!
Adventurer at heart,
Suzy
I could hardly wait to get the package open this morning and give it a go... It's so simple! There's going to be a whole lotta printmaking going on this weekend in my studio. 
