Blog Archives
2015: Trip to the White House
I was fortunate to be invited by the President of Indiana Wesleyan University to attend the Fifth Annual President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge meeting at the White House. The meeting was actually held in the Eisenhower Executive Office building, but it was close enough for me (I have actually been inside the White House on an earlier trip to Washington D.C.). President Obama did not attend the meeting, which was a little disappointing, but it was fun to be in that setting.
For this spread I chose to use a patriotic theme, and used stars and stripes. I then double bordered the two photo sets with two shades of blue to mimic the Whitehouse.gov screen that was in the room.
The pictures on the left hand page are from the meeting, while those on the right hand page are taken outside of the White House after the meeting, and from a tourist shop that has recreations of the Oval Office and the Press Room – so don’t think that I got in that far!
Washington DC 2012: Petersen House – where Lincoln died
Washington DC 2012: House where Lincoln died
After our visit to the White House we walked the route the Lincoln took on his Journey to the Ford Theater, where he was assassinated. We arrived much earlier than anticipated and realized that we would have opportunity to visit the Petersen House and Museum, where Lincoln died. The line stretched down the road, but it was worth the wait. While we had not originally planned on visiting this site, I do recommend it as a “must do” on a vacation/tour to Washington DC.
I overlaid the background paper with cutoffs of Lincolns speeches and writings from the earlier National Archives page. On the left hand side is a photgraph of the historical marker and a postcard of the building. My pictures of the building included the line of people, so using the postcard provided a clearer and unobstructed view. You will also noticed the National Park Service passport card stamp as well.
The right hand side has three pictures that I took inside of the room where President Lincoln died. From the pictures you can see how I choose my background papers. I used the checkerboard from the bedspread to inspire the background paper, and the stripes in the wall paper are duplicated with the strips of paper and ribbon that I attached the the background paper.
Related articles
- Touring Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC (jasonstravels.com)
- L is for Lincoln (justmomentarily.wordpress.com)
- Washington DC 2012: Lincoln Memorial (mascrapping.com)
- Our vagabond life: Nation’s Capital (savesliveswilltravel.wordpress.com)
Washington DC 2012: White House
Washington DC 2012: White House
Our fifth day in Washington DC began with a tour of the White House. We were not allowed to take pictures inside of the White House, so the pictures on the left hand side are actually postcards. Since they were bordered in white, I bordered our photographs on the right hand page in white as well to match. The bookmark on the right of the spread contains a stamp with the portrait of James Hoban, who was the architect and builder of the White House.
White House Tour Tip: If you are planning on going to Washington DC and want to visit the White House you must request a tour through your Senator at least 90 days in advance. (The website says six months to 21 days in advance – but it you wait that long you will not get tickets). You will not get to see the inside of the White House if you do not do this in advance. Also note – they don’t let you know until a few days in advance of the date and time of your tour – so be very flexible with your other plans until you find out the dates and times of these tours. Find out more information HERE.
Washington DC 2012: White House Historical Association
There is not a museum or gift shop on the White House Property, however there is a White House Historical Association Museum that is run by the National Park Service a within a couple of blocks. The pages above are made from a paper bag from the gift shop there and a print of the portrait of George Washington that was saved by Dolly Madison.
Washington DC 2012: White House Ephemera
There were several other ephemera items that I collected that I wanted to add to the scrapbook. Some museum guides and maps are inside of a bag from the White House Historical Association so that they can be removed and reviewed by the reader. The pictures on the left were not taken in the White House :(, but rather at a souvenir store a block away that allows you to take pictures at this replica desk if you make a purchase in their store. We had fund recreating the JFK and JFK, Jr picture that made this desk famous.
Related articles
- In Washington DC (onetwothreeusa.wordpress.com)
Washington DC 2012: Tour – White House and World War 2 Memorial
Washington DC 2012: Tour – White House and World War 2 Memorial
Our first full day in Washington DC we took a guided tour with iGuide Tours. I had been watching Groupon.com for special deals in Washington DC, and was fortunate enough to find a great deal with iGuide. When we arrived to take the tour we realized that we were the only people on the tour and so we had a privately guided tour for the entire afternoon. Our guide was Robert Goffredi, and he was an incredible guide. He even walked us to a favorite Chinese restaurant of his at the end of the tour.
Vacation Tip: Join Groupon.com (for free) and add your vacation cities to your watch list a few months in advance – you can get great deals on vacation fun. In fact, almost this entire trip was planned around good deals from Groupon.com.
Our tour started with a trip to the White House (we got to see the inside a few days later) and the World War II Memorial. On the left hand page you will see that we loved our guide so much that we had to get him in our pictures. On the right hand page I highlight the World War II memorial. The brochure on the right hand side of the page is affixed to the plastic page protector so that readers can open it to discover more about the memorial. If you look carefully in the bottom right hand corner you will see a small photograph (sorry that it is hard to make out in this picture), that says “Kilroy was here“. Our guide showed this to us on the memorial – and mentioned that not many people know that it is part of the memorial.
Vacation Tip: A guided tour of popular tourist sights is worth it. While it does cost money to do this, the tour guides often know the ins and outs of traffic and tourist patterns, and can make more efficient use of your time. They also know small things of interest to see that most tourists don’t know are there, and can offer important historical facts that you won’t read in the brochures.
Related articles
- D.c. in Three Days (absoluteweekly.wordpress.com)
- DC on a Budget (bigworldlittlebudget.com)
- How to Choose a Washington DC Bus Tour Company? (airto.info)
- Washington DC 2012: Senator Letter and Titanic Memorial (mascrapping.com)
Washington DC 2012: Senator Letter and Titanic Memorial
Washington DC 2012: Senator Letter and Titanic Memorial
The left hand page showcases the letter that we received from Senator Richard Lugar welcoming us to Washington DC. We received this letter when we requested tour tickets to the White House through the Senator’s Office. Since I received it before we left on the trip I thought that it was appropriate to put it on the first page.
Washington DC Travel Tip: If you are planning on going to Washington DC and want to visit the White House you must request a tour through your Senator at least 90 days in advance. (The website says six months to 21 days in advance – but it you wait that long you will not get tickets). You will not get to see the inside of the White House if you do not do this in advance. Also note – they don’t let you know until a few days in advance of the date and time of your tour – so be very flexible with your other plans until you find out the dates and times of these tours. Find out more information HERE.
The right hand page shows our adventure from our first night in Washington DC. We had been in the car all day and wanted to go for a short walk. I looked at a map and realized that the Washington DC Titanic Memorial was a little bit up the road from our hotel so we decided to walk to it. My son had fun pretending to be a statue as well :).
For this album I purchased a lot of patriotic background papers, and you will see some on this page. Unlike some of my other albums that I have created around themes rather than chronological – you will notice that this album is purely chronological, and the date is placed prominently in each group of pages. I used my Cricut machine to cut out the date on this page, and you will notice that I used the same font for the date in all of the remaining pages of the album. This helps to bring continuity to the whole project.
Related articles
- Former Senator Richard Lugar to be knighted by the British (heraldtimesonline.com)
- Our vagabond life: Nation’s Capital (savesliveswilltravel.wordpress.com)
- What To Expect From Private Washington DC Tours? (airto.info)
- There Are Many Ways to See the Blossoms (washington.cbslocal.com)
Digital Scrapbook – Washington, D.C. – June 2012
Washington DC – Digital – Cover
I usually prefer handmade scrapbooks over digital scrapbooks because of my philosophy of scrapbooking that relies heavily on the inclusion of ephemera. However, there are occasions when creating a digital scrapbook is best. For me, this is usually when I want to create multiple copies for sharing with friends and family. I usually also create a handmade version to keep at home as well, but a digital scrapbook is a wonderful gift to give to the loved ones who shared an experience with you.
In June 2012 I went on a trip with my son and my parents to Washington, D.C. While I created a handmade album of the trip, I also created a digital version so that I could give one to my parents. I won’t share all the pages from this album, but am highlighting the hardbound cover with a picture insert and the pages that commemorate our time at the White House. I was able to create and order two copies of this album in about three hours.
Washington DC – Digital – White House
Links:
Online Digital Scrapbook Companies
Digital Scrapbook – Disney 2010
