Traveler's Journal: Life is what you bake it!

The Papertrey Ink Traveler's Journal team has some fun new ideas on how to use your Traveler's Journals. If you're a "foodie", this month is dedicated to you! This month we're focusing on documenting recipes: whether they be our culinary masterpieces, or food we love from restaurants, and more! I'm always trying to find ways to keep my life organized and running smoothly, so my journal is a companion to be used with my menu board. Hopefully I will be able to explain how it will be used! 

Make sure to head to the Papertrey Ink Blog to see the other designer's journals!

Before I dive into the "how" and "what", I want to talk a little bit about the cover and how my journal is constructed since I designed it to be used in a way that will be useful to me. To begin, I die cut all of the pages using the Traveler's Journal Passport cover die. I will be using this simply as a book, so I didn't need a cover AND the page blanks inside. I used Bitty Big: Pale Peony pattern paper, Bitty Big: Soft Stone pattern paper, and BittyBig: Ocean Tides pattern paper for the different pages. I really like using the Bitty Big papers because they are double sided and they give my journals variety without any extra work! I love mixing the patterns and sizes for an eclectic feel. I think it adds to the vintage vibe I was going for with today's project. 

I'm quite a matchy-matchy kind of gal, but in this case, this doesn't match my kitchen AT ALL, but since it will be put up in a cupboard, I decided to make it girly and fun! I used the Life is what you bake it stamp set for the main images for my cover. I bought this set when it was released and it has been in my "need to use" basket ever since! I did use it on some flyers for a church activity, but I don't think that really counts! LOL! So...I was thrilled to let it take center stage for today's project! 

I die cut all of the pieces before stamping them, which I don't usually do, but this particular set uses a lot of different images to make up the entire mixer, so I wanted to make sure everything was properly aligned on the die cut pieces. 

To enhance the vintage vibe, I used the Stitch in time Borders stamp set to frame the different kitchen elements. I also used the Limitless Layers 2 1/4 inch heart dies to show off the cute sentiment. I definitely think I  need to buy the Confetti Sentiments stamp set that is a companion to this set! They are just too cute! The pages are tied up with Ocean Tides 5/8 inch saddle stitched ribbon into a quick bow! I needed something that would allow me to add extra pages if need be!

Okay, now that I have talked about the cover, I can dive right into the "what"! I do the majority of my shopping online. I meal plan two weeks out and then get everything that I need for those two weeks, minus a few things that would need to be purchased fresh, but even then, I use my freezer for my extra bread and meats, etc. So...because I do it online, I don't actually make a physical list. I use my menu board which you can see in THIS post. It has little cards with the main dish that I will be making on which night. When I get ready to put together my online order, I just use those cards to add the things that I will need!

Well...that's all good in theory, except for sometimes I forget the ground mustard, or that a particular meal uses chicken broth, etc. etc. So...this journal has a list of EVERY SINGLE MEAL that I have a card for on my menu board. Each page has a different main dish and then the different ingredients that I need to make it. So...I will use this as I put together my online order, does that make sense? Depending on what we're having, I will just flip to those pages to make sure I get everything that I need! I also added pictures of the food. I don't have a picture for everything, yet, but as I make it, I will snap pictures so that I can add them to my journal. I was happy to have this picture, because these are the bread sticks my mom made growing up so it is fun to document a little piece of my mom.

Before I continue on with the rest of my project, I wanted to share a quick tag I made using some extra pieces I had when I was done. I love giving home baked treats to friends in the neighborhood when they are on my mind, but often times I don't actually DO it, because I don't have a tag, and KELLY LUNCEFORD CANNOT TAKE A TREAT WITHOUT A TAG. LOL! So...I decided to make a tag to keep on hand so the next time I have the thought, it is ready to go. I will continue making additional tags with any extra pieces from future projects to grow my tag stash. I am planning on just tucking them in the back of my journal so they are ready to go! I think I'll buy a few spools of neutral ribbon to keep in the cupboard as well since my craft space is in the basement, and heaven forbid I run down there and work off the calories of the sweets I just baked and consumed! LOL!

The next page uses the ever-adorable Comfort Food stamp set which I forgot is RETIRED! ack! I'm sorry! I also used some of the bowls which are die cut using the Life is what you bake it die set. I really like how the bowls have a slit so you can tuck the spoon in, or stack them, etc. 

I was able to snap a few pictures of my soup as well. It is a family favorite and the kids actually eat it without complaint so that is a win-win situation! I can't say that about ALL of the meals included in this book! LOL! 

I hope this project makes sense and that it wasn't a whole lot of jibberish! LOL! If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I will answer them! Thanks for fluttering by!