Album: Summer Camp (Part 2)

 

Warning: Today's post is very PHOTO HEAVY! But as promised, I wanted to share a few photos of the scrapbook my daughter completed -- start to finish -- over Christmas break. I'm so proud of her not only for completing this album, but for taking the time to write all of the details that will truly make it a treasure in the future!

This album details Bailey's summer as a counselor at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. She had a fantastic time, and I think the album truly reflects that!

We started planning the album when she was home for a very quick week at Thanksgiving. She chose a Doodlebug Storybook 3-Ring Album at Memory Bound (rather than the We R Memory Keepers binders I normally use) because the Doodlebug blue was the best match for the camp colors. :)

 Bailey is very much a task master, diligently keeping track of each page she completed. And every time she finished a page, we had to look at the entire album from start to finish...just to give her credit for all of her work!

Bailey spent a lot of time thinking about how to organize her album. I consulted a little bit on this and helped her think through how to pull it all together. Sometimes I acted as the "prep cook" -- cutting paper as she directed and tidying up. I loved having her in my craft room while she worked on her big project!

 

 She actually completed the cover page last, when she was almost out of time and ready to head back to Indiana. We chose a few favorite photos and put them into a collage using Picasa.

 Her album starts out with "formal" camp pictures from each session, including the large professional pictures shown below. She also had the forethought to take a picture with all of her cabin girls for each session.

 

 Special note: The rest of these pictures are in no particular order. (This will probably make Bailey freak out a little bit!)

In addition to the formal photos, Bailey had a ton of great "everyday" shots to use in her album. She added a few SN@P cards here and there for color and to fill in some of her pocket pages. Here she used one as a title.

  

 Over the summer she took pictures all around the camp. This layout features details about her unit. I love how she wrote so much about it!

 Bailey mixed up the page sizes in the album, using a few 8.5x11 and 6x8 page protectors here and there for variety. The canoe trip page below was going to be a small one but due to a cutting error on my part, the completed page didn't fit the page protector. (So much for Mom's help!) So she mounted it on a larger background and now it's one of my favorites!

I love how Bailey incorporated her handwriting along with computer journaling on her pages. It gives the album a fun, casual feel.

 

 This is another favorite page, detailing her toilet plunging experiences -- a life skill she apparently did NOT learn at home!

 

I'll never forget the day Bailey called me from Michigan, screaming and crying incoherently. Turns out she had encountered a snake while alone on security patrol in her unit! I have always felt that journaling is the most important part of scrapbooking, and I guess she has taken that to heart, as she wrote out all the details of that terrifying tale! :)

On the same page is a photo of Bailey SWEEPING the woods. I actually took that photo when I was visiting camp because I could not believe my eyes. She was clearing a path so that leaves wouldn't get tracked into the cabin. :)

 Throughout the summer, Bailey took pictures of the little details in her cabin, including the signs on the wall.

 

She kept all of the drawings and notes from her campers and worked most of them into the album. The purple piece below was created by one of the art students. We copied it at Memory Bound so it would be safe to include in the scrapbook.

 

 Bailey made good use of pocket pages. They enabled her to use a TON of photos in the album.

She made sure to take photos with the camp sign! Can you tell this girl is the daughter of a scrapbooker? Proud Mommy Moment!! :)

 

What a great time the counselors had! They tucked water bottles under their hair for a Dr. Seuss-like look! Love these photos. :)

Here are some photos of her with her boyfriend, who worked as a Unit Director.

 

These mustache stickers were perfect for Mandatory Mustache Monday pictures!

As you can see, she kept a consistent color theme throughout the album. Her page backgrounds were mainly kraft and blue, with a few very simple patterns thrown in. Bailey wanted to keep the color scheme reflective of the colors at camp -- blues, browns, and greens.

 

We looked for ways to incorporate the artwork which hung on her cabin walls. We copied it at Memory Bound and used it for page backgrounds.  

 These are photos from one of the art shows which I got to attend during my short visit to camp. Students created an "undersea" world from fibers, shown in the photos at the left. It was truly amazing!

 

Music was a big part of the camp experience. I'm glad she remembered to take a few photos to represent that aspect of the summer!

 Of course, she and her fellow counselors shared a very special bond, as shown in these goofy pictures! :)

 

 The counselors recently met up for a reunion at a music educators' conference, so Bailey added those photos to the album.

By the end of Christmas break, Bailey had a completed album documenting her wonderful summer camp experience! We carefully packed it in her carry-on bag and she toted it back to Indiana where she has had the opportunity to share it with her friends. I'm so happy she took the time to make this great project! It will be a treasured keepsake for years to come.
jp