Hi, I’m scrapbooker and author Courtney Walsh. Today, I’m excited to share a scrapbook layout I created inspired by my new novel, A Sweethaven Summer.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a sucker for paper. I can still recall my earliest trips to the grocery store with my mom. While some kids traipsed down the toy aisle, I got lost in the office supplies.
What can I say? I’m nerdy that way.
Because of this paper obsession, I’ve found myself on the hunt for anything I can use in my paper crafting. From junk mail to catalogs to my newest obsession: maps.
Maps are a fabulous addition to your projects for three reasons:
- They’re cheap.
- They’re big enough that you can create multiple projects with just one.
- They’ve got a GREAT color palette. (And if you deepen them just a tad like I’ve done, you get some color that really pops!)
After I wrote my novel, I started to think about this fictitious town I’d created. In the book, four women are drawn together when one of their daughter’s finds their old scrapbook filled with stories of their childhood: stories of summers spent in a tiny beach town called Sweethaven. Like any curious woman, she follows the scrapbook to Sweethaven in search of her mother’s friends and answers about the father she never knew.
Like the women in A Sweethaven Summer, there are places that mean so much to me, but I rarely take the time to document them. Too busy with cute photos of my kids. But these places are so special, I don’t want to leave them out of my story.
Fort Collins, Colorado, is the first place my little family has lived outside of Illinois, and I knew I wanted to document my initial impressions of this very cool town.
The map was the perfect foundation to build this page on…and it would be an ideal background for any layout about your favorite town, state or vacation spot.
Speaking of which, I happen to think A Sweethaven Summer is a lovely little escape, something that might be nice to read on the beach…or at least make you feel like you’ve escaped to the beach!
Either way, I would love to give away a copy along with some of my favorite scrapbooking goodies to one lucky reader!
To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post answering this question: Is there a place where you can go where you instantly feel peaceful? You have until 9:00 am (MDT) on Monday, March 23, 2012, to enter. Sorry, we can only ship prizes to addresses in the United States. Winners will be posted here.
And if you don’t win, I’d love for you to pick up your own copy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble (it’s also available on Kindle and Nook).
I hope you get a chance to scrap your special places…and maybe even incorporate a map or two into your next project!
Happy scrapping!
Congratulations to our winner, Deborah! Watch for an email from us to claim your prize.
Question: Are maps acid-free? Or do you need to spray them with the archival-safe spray before you use them?
And to answer your question, Deborah:
Not all maps are acid-free. It’s best to test them with a PH testing pen before using them on your layout if you’re concerned about them damaging your photos.
To the Beach to watch a beautiful sunset over the water with the lighthouse in the foreground. The best can be found on lake Michigan.
The beach is peaceful, just relaxing listening to waves
The lake near my home in Perth Western Australia. It was the last place I saw my eldest son before he left for an ill fated motorbiking holiday in New South Wales. The sun rises and sunsets there are truly beautiful, the gentle lapping of the water at the lakes edge or the white horses thrown up on a stormy day and the memory of that very special day. It is where I have found my peace since losing him.
I know it is too late to win one your books, but, when I read the question.. Is there a place where you can go where you instantly feel peaceful?… I knew I had to respond. Yes, there is a place, we call it “The Hill”. It is in Browndell, Texas and it is the highest point in Jasper County. It is where my Grandfather was raised until the age of 9. We have our family cemetery there and it is the most relaxing place I believe I have ever been. It is full of tall pine trees and I have never been there in my 48 years when there is not a breeze quietly making it’s way through the pine trees. It is like my ancestors are still there, always making the hill comfortable for me and my family. We have our annual family reunion on the hill every year around April 23 as this it the date of my great grandfathers birth and he requested we meet every year around his birthday to enjoy our family. That tradition was begun the year he died, almost 85 years ago. I am 48 and I have not missed a family reunion yet, and God willing, I will not miss one for a very long time! Thanks for reading! Helen
Loved your project, Courtney! I’ve been a long time fan and user of maps, they are really great to work with. And me thinks that copies make very nice transfers too…;o)
I feel the most peaceful when I return to my hometown in Minn. There is nothing like the smell of lakes and farms – the stress just melts away.