I love planning cruises, planning trips to Cozumel, but mostly I love spending time with my family! And making scrapbook pages of everything! You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook
This day is always our least favorite day. The day we have to leave. We will be returning to reality. But we have our memories. These memories will live on in our scrapbook
We will miss the view from the hot tub on our patio.
We will miss the fun we had at the beach bar, especially the bar tenders who have been there since the first time we came to the Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort in 2004.
But we know that we will be returning.
Our next trip to the Melia Cozumel will likely be as a day pass on a cruise. I’m good with that as long as I get to come back to my favorite place.
My completed scrapbook for Cozumel 2015 is 36 pages. And I finished it in record time for me.
Now it’s time for the next adventure to scrapbook. I have a lot of old photos to select from so there is no telling what direction I will be going in.
Please come back to see our next adventure in scrapbook pages.
Today would be our last day in Cozumel. Time has flown by but it felt great to do absolutely nothing in particular and everything we wanted to do. I will definitely miss the views every morning.
I decided this simple photo needs a simple layout. Of course, I found exactly what I need in 525 NEW AND INSPIRING SCRAPBOOKING SKETCHES. Simple and to the point. What a view.
We had a photo shoot of sorts at the resort. It was offered thru the hotel and, for the most part, we were pleased with the results. My husband, however, was not happy that I scheduled the shoot for first thing in the morning. Silly man thinks he can sleep on vacation, LOL! This layout came together real easily.
After we selected our pictures, we decided to take another trip to town. The only picture I took was of this mural that was in the process of being completed. I cannot wait to go back and see the finished product.
The mural photo needs a stand out scrapbook page and I think I captured it with the help of the sketch I selected.
Once back at the resort, Jim decided it would be a good idea to take the waterproof camera and get some pictures of some fish. So we walked south from the Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort and headed to the El Cozumeleno. We stayed there one time and all I can say is it’s a nice place to visit but I do not want to stay there again. It just wasn’t the place for us. Too bad since he does have an amazing view.
Jim took the waterproof camera on a little adventure and captured some fairly decent shots. The GoPro came home with not footage. He really should learn how to use it before we go on our next vacation.
I love the sketch I selected and the way the finish product turned out. I have never used 5 photos on a one page layout. And now I know it is possible to do.
After we returned from our little adventure, we started packing, spent more time at the beach bar, and had out last dinner at The Iguana Grill.
Our last dinner deserves a black page. It is sad knowing that we will be leaving soon and we do not know when we will be returning. At least the sketch I selected still makes it seem like a happy ocassion.
After dinner, we found ourselves at the beach bar for the reminder of the evening/night. But we haven’t said our goodbye’s to our favorite bar staff.
The next installment will be us leaving and our final thoughts.
One of our favorite things to do in the mornings is to have a cup of coffee and watch the ship sail in. We typically count the number of ships that pass by to determine if we want to venture into town or not.
I decided I wanted to do something simple for this photo and I found a sketch that met my needs. I really like the way it turned out and I love that I actually used some washi tape I have had for at least a couple of years!
After breakfast we decided to walk around the resort to see what was on the street side of the property. We knew there was a building for the garden view rooms, but we did not know what was on the other side of it. Of course we say the beautiful plants but we also found a playground for children.
When I was looking at the sketches, I had initially wanted to do a 3 photo layout for the plants and a 4 photo layout for the playground. After looking at the photos, I decided I really did not care for a couple of the playground ones, so I decided to look for a 2 photo sketch. Much to my delight, I found similar sketches using the same background. When I saw the sketches, I had a paper come to mind as I had seen it in one of the paper pads I purchased years ago. I ended up with a 2-page layout that I am very happy with.
After our walk, we found out that lunch was being grilled on the beach today. They were tents set up with tables and chairs underneath and it was awesome. The food was good and everything was great until a huge wind came thru and sent the tent we were sitting under flying. I somehow managed to get my knee and wrist banged up and Jim ended up under then tent several yards away. Luckily there were no injuries But unfortunately lunch was stopped.
After all that excitement, we decided to be safe and just stay at the beach bar which has easy access to our room.
We still had a wonderful day and another wonderful dinner at the Iguana Grill that night.
The next installment is our last full day in Cozumel. Please come back to see what we did and how I put our memories into scrapbook pages.
There is nothing more enjoyable than having breakfast with a awesome view. It is definitely one of the reasons we return to the Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort. The food is good, the location is great, and the staff are outstanding.
For my scrapbook page for this photo, I wanted something simple. I found exactly what I was wanting in the book 525 NEW AND INSPIRING SCRAPBOOKING SKETCHES. This page is simple yet doesn’t take away from the photo. One of these days I will learn how to take awesome photos.
After breakfast, we decided to take a walk on the beach. This walk took us north of the resort. I was able to capture some photos of the waves…
a shell on the beach…
and a few beach front homes.
The remainder of the day was spent like the rest of the days, doing nothing in particular and enjoying every minute.
At dinner, I was able to take a fairly decent sunset photo. This made me happy.
As you can see, some of the pages are not exactly like the sketch. I’m having to make adjustments according to the photo size I have and the paper and necessary supplies in my stash. I have tried to make a page as close to the sketch as I can and hopefully you enjoy them.
I really hope to do an many scrapbook pages as possible using my stash only. But today, I did order an adhesive refill for my Xyron Mega runner. It is the first one I have ordered for it so I’m not complaining. Thanks to Amazon, I should have it on Tuesday!!!! I have refills for my other sticker makers so I should not have to order any of these for a while.
I hope you are enjoying my Cozumel 2015 scrapbook pages. This was a 7-night trip so I am almost finished with this segment of the series. Not sure what will come next, but I have a lot of photos to put into pages!!!
I hope you return tomorrow for another installment of scrapbook pages.
It was another grand day in Cozumel. But what day isn’t grand when you’re enjoying a relaxing day and one of your favorite places?
Today we took a taxi to Mega, the most interesting store I have been to. I would described it as a Walmart Super Center, but so much cooler!!!! My only regret is that I didn’t take any pictures while we were there. But I did take some of the sites we walked to after shopping!!!! Plus some pictures of some sites while in the taxi returning to the Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort. There is so much to see and do in Cozumel. But we always seem to just relax at the resort and go to town every couple of days or so just to walk around and buy stuff we do not need.
Obviously the scratch book pages appear to just fall right into place. I forgot to take pictures of the paper I chose. But I can tell you I did not go with my original selection!!! Luckily the sketches I’m using from 525 NEW AND INSPIRING SCRAPBOOKING SKETCHES really makes my scrapbook pages come together real easy.
The page above came together without a hitch. No problem deciding on the paper stickers I used. And I was very happy to be able to use another doile I purchased at Dollar Tree. The only issue I had with this page was how to adhere the doile to the page. I used a Scotch Craft Stick with minimal problems but I do think I need to consider finding a spray adhesive. Does anyone have suggestions?
After we returned to the resort, we spend the remainder of the day in the pool. It is definitely our happy place. On this page, I did make some slight adjustments. I changed the paper position so the lines would be horizontal since my photo was in portrait mode. And, I also triple matted the photo. I am happy with how it turned out and even happier that I was able to use some buttons from my stash.
And so ends another day in Cozumel.
If anyone has suggestions for a spray adhesive, please let me know.
I hope you come back tomorrow for another day in Cozumel.
Another glorious day in Cozumel. On this morning, we went for a morning walk after breakfast. Our walk took us south of the hotel in familiar territory. The only thing different was the new hotel they were building at that time. We have made this walk many times, often several times each trip. But seeing the construction was something we knew was happening but didn’t realize how much it would block our regular route. But that was ok, we were in paradise and that was all that mattered.
For this spread, I chose a sketch in 525 NEW AND INSPIRING SCRAPBOOKING SKETCHES that was found in the section labeled “Sketches with a Theme.” It was intended for a single page layout, but since I had selected 8 photos, I decided to mirror the sketch so it could be used as a 2-page layout. As I was putting it together, things just didn’t look like I had planned in my head. I changed to a different color paper for the background and mats. And I also added an extra sticker to the title area on both pages. I am pleased with the way it turned out.
After our walk, we spend the remainder of the day relaxing on the beach, sitting at the beach bar, and just loving the view from our room. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this view.
When selecting a sketch for this page, I found one I liked. I started going thru my massive stash of paper and I found a piece that was very similar to the sketch. So I decided to use it and just add the title. To me, for some reason, this paper just seemed to mimic the sketch. But at some point in time, I will come back to this sketch for another photo.
We ended the night having a nice dinner at the La Iguana Grill. It was the first time we have been there when the grill was open for dinner so we were very excited to make reservations and eat there. The food was amazing. We made sure to make reservations there for the remainder of our trip. It was that good!!!
I selected another sketch that reminded me of a dinner plate. The papers and embellishments just feel into place afterward. I decided to use a doily I purchased at Dollar Tree and it definitely came in handy. I cut off the edge and carefully placed it on the plate. But now that I look at it, I do not know if it does look like a plate. I’m not going to change it. I will just keep it as is and will definitely be more mindful in the future.
We ended our evening at the beach bar before calling it a day.
Tomorrow, will be day 4 of our Cozumel trip. I hope you will come back to see what adventures we will have!!!
The best part about spending time in Cozumel is doing absolutely nothing. Just relaxing and enjoying where we are at. The Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort is quiet and definitely offers the relaxation we come here time after time. It is located at the north end of the island so there is not much noise. And the views are amazing.
Once again, and what I will be doing throughout this series, I selected sketches from 525 NEW AND INSPIRING SCRAPBOOKING SKETCHES for today’s scrapbook pages. I am truly enjoying the sketches the Scrapbooking Coach has put together. I’m finding that by using these sketches, I am really able to find a use for my stash that I truly need to trim down… A LOT!!!
Since our first trip to the Melia, we have always managed to be the first people to belly-up to the swim up bar every morning. Since it is an all-inclusive resort, we, actually Jim, want to make sure we get our money’s worth, LOL. Today is no different and we definitely had a cocktail to enjoy while admiring the view.
Since I was using a laser die cut for the title, I decided to go with a basic background for the title instead of what is shown in the sketch. I’m happy with the way this turned out.
On this particular trip, we found ourselves spending more time at the beach bar than the swim up bar. Which also meant our beyond pale bodies spent more time on the beach and in the water. I’m sure having a room so conveniently located also helped. Who doesn’t love catching some waves while relaxing and enjoying your surroundings and the one you’re with?
On this layout, I thought I would be happy with the red and oranges I had initially selected, but after looking at it when everything was in place, I just wasn’t feeling it. Luckily, I have a mountain of scraps so I was able to find something I feel looks much better.
Of course, the wildlife is abundant at the Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort. Every trip we make there, we are sure to take some pictures of the iguana’s. They are happy, healthy, and are seen everywhere. And one in particular is HUGE!!!!
I am learning to embrace the art of fussy cutting. So far,t he cuts I am making for my scrapbook pages are not too delicate. But I will work my way to the smaller fussy cuts.
That’s it for today’s pages. I do find that I am having an issue with taking photos of my projects without having a glare on the finished page when I go to take a picture of it. If you have any helpful suggestions, please let me know.
Come back tomorrow, or maybe later today, for day 3 in Cozumel.
Hello all and welcome to my blog. As I mentioned in my Hello 2021 blog, I will be making scrapbook pages, hopefully everyday, using what stash I currently have and documenting old photos. What I didn’t have at that time was a couple of books I ordered in December. And now, I have something new to play with!!!
The books are 505 New And Inspiring Scrapbook Sketches and 525 New And Advanced Scrapbooking Sketches by Scrapbooking Coach. I have seen the books advertised on Facebook for many years and I decided now is the time. So, for this series, I will be using sketches from the first book. I started using this book as an inspiration as soon as I received it on Saturday and I am happy with how things are going.
Initially started this series with the idea of creating one scrapbook page a day. And that is how it started out.
The first page I made was on Friday, January 1, 2021 and was included in my Hello 2021 blog post.
January 2nd came around and my motivation to make a page was very high. Unfortunately, the work day was very busy which meant my time to create the page would take longer to complete than initially anticipated. And I was okay with that. It turned out to be a good thing as I was able to look through my new book for a scrapbook sketch to use.
After the selection was made, it was easy to select paper, alpha stickers, and washi tape. I was amazed at how quickly the page came together.
I have always had anxiety regarding flying. Something I probably learned from my mother who has a fear of flying and never hid it from anyone. Over the last 19 years, my husband and shown me how to deal with my fears not only by alcohol (my idea) but also taking a portable dvd player with us on the plane ride. Unfortunately, we did not take it with us this time, but by then, I was more comfortable with flying. I was not comfortable with flying on an airline I had never heard of before. But, it was part of the package with FunJet and our travel agent spoke to me and answered all my questions which eased my nerves. Hence the title for this page, High Anxiety.
The next page was made on January 3rd, still from the same day in Cozumel. I selected selected my photos and another sketch to use. Obviously it would come together easily, or so I thought.
While putting my page together, I quickly realized that the flowers I had in my stash would not work as they were too small. Then the idea of search thru my paper stash for flowers I could fussy cut came to mind. After some searching, I found something that I thought would work, and it did. The bonus to the paper I selected is that it wasn’t fussy to cut!!! I am happy with the end result.
The Scenic View shows the sights we saw on our taxi ride to the hotel. Taxi rides in Cozumel are always an adventure. The best taxi ride is the first one you take when you land in Cozumel.
On January 4th, I realized it would be best to finish up the first day in Cozumel. On this day, I creasted a 2-page spread and one single page. This will definitely be the end to day one!!! I’m enjoying using the sketches in the book. It definitely helps me to choose paper, stickers, and embellishments!
The 2-page spread is all about our accommodations for the week. Once we arrived at Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort, we decided to upgrade our room. And boy was it an upgrade!!!! We have stayed in this section, not the tower in the photo, but never on the first floor. This one really spoiled us. Please excuse the blurry photo of the room. Apparently it is the only one I took.
The single page is our visit with our friend Tony Rome. He has a restaurant in Cozumel, Tony Rome’s Embassy Restaurant, that is a must stop for us every single visit. We definitely stop there for his version of the margarita, The Flamethrower.
Hopefully, one day, we will be back to Cozumel for another week long adventure of doing absolutely nothing but relaxing.
I must say I am really enjoying 525 New and Inspiring Scrapbook Sketches. I have a strong desire to not repeat a sketch while doing this series. Prior to ordering this book, my pages were basically the same. I’m hoping this book will put my pages on another level. I think I will number each sketch and running record of which sketches I used, when I used it, and event it was used for. And by event, I mean vacation, family member, holidays, you name it.
I hope you will follow along with me on this series.
Well I can honestly say I will not miss 2020 but I am so grateful for the lessons learned. Absolutely nothing went according to plan and many plans were cancelled. Those changes brought me closer to everything that matters. And I no longer take toilet paper for granted. 2020 showed me how truly blessed I am.
2020 also showed me that I need to watch what I eat. I have definitely gained entirely too much weight. 2021 will be taking control of my eating habits and eating more mindfully. I have a goal weight in mind and I hope to get there by the time our August cruise comes around. That is if the cruise lines are cruising then. It’s a wait and see game. We are currently waiting to see IF we will be cruising and what changes WILL be made to our cruise. We know changes will be made as at this time, cruises longer than 7 days will not be allowed. We are booked on an 8 day cruise. One that goes to Key West which is no longer an option due to a recent vote that has basically eliminated all large ships. Although I’m disappointed, I cannot wait to see what our options will be and how our next cruise will change.
I will be beginning 2021 with making scrapbook pages of very old photos that need to have their story told. I will not be doing them in chronological order and I plan on not buying any supplies other than adhesives and maybe some embellishments here and there. But other than that, I will be using my stash. The stash that has truly taken over my craffice (craft room/office) and has spilled over into other areas of my house. My goal is to clean and organize my craffice while actually creating scrapbook pages.
I am starting with our 2015 trip to Cozumel. It isn’t not often that Jim and I were able to travel alone at that time so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it. Today’s scrapbook page is our happy faces on the plane. You know you’re going to have a great day when your vacation is beginning.
In all honesty, we were not expecting our cruise on the Carnival Radiance to be cancelled. And yet, here we are!!! We totally understand the reason for the cancellation and we our looking forward to our next cruise leaving in exactly one year.
But let’s look back on how everything has changed since our original cruise…
On November 15, 2019, I booked an 8-day cruise on Carnival Freedom leaving out of Galveston on August 29, 2020. This was booked as a surprise for my husband even though I was sharing information with him one evening. At the time I booked, there was a $50 deposit sale going on so it was a perfect time to book. A couple of days after I booked the cruise, we had family birthday lunch at his sisters house. I asked her to give him his present from me to him so he wouldn’t suspect anything. But somehow, when he was given his “gift” he knew it was something from me. He was happy that we would be going to different ports for us and on a ship we had not been on. The ports of call would be Key West, Freeport, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau. Now all we had to do was wait for August 29, 2020 to get here. Or so we thought.
Then COVID-19 happened and everything we knew started to change everywhere. Cruise lines started cancelling cruises. People had to wear masks in public. People were asked to stay home. We sat and watched thinking we would be in the clear since our cruise was several months away. But just in case, I started looking at options for next year and even posted the options on our refrigerator so we could look at the list whenever wanted to. Occasionally we would talk about the options, but we still had hopes that we would be going on our Carnival Freedom cruise. We were wrong.
On June 22, 2020, we received an email from Carnival letting us know that our cruise had been cancelled. We were given options and decided we would rebook for August 20, 2021 on the Carnival Radiance, selecting a 9-day cruise going to Key West, Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau. The only think left to do was to wait for FTTF to become available to think about excursions. There was nothing else to worry about. Or so we thought.
On July 23, 2020, we received an email stating our Carnival Radiance cruise had been cancelled. This is something we were not expecting at all. I sent Jim a text letting him know that the cruise on the Carnival Radiance had been cancelled and we would need to think about our options for re-booking. By the time he got home, I had a list of our options listed by length of cruise.
Option 1 – 6-day cruise on the Carnival Dream going to Costa Maya, Belize, and Cozumel leaving Galveston on August 22, 2021.
Option 2 – 6-day cruise on the Carnival Dream going to Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, And Cozumel leaving Galveston on August 8, 2021.
Option 3 – 7-day cruise on the Carnival Vista going to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel leaving Galveston on August 28, 2021.
Option 4 – 7-day cruise on the Carnival Vista going to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel leaving Galveston on August 21, 2021.
Option 5 – 8-day cruise on the Carnival Dream going to Key West, Freeport, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau leaving Galveston on August 28, 2021.
While I was waiting for Jim to get home, I sent an email to our PVP, Josh Waitzman, to let him know that we would know what cruise we would want to change to by 6pm. I had a feeling in knew which one Jim would want to pick to I started looking at the available staterooms. I narrowed it down to either an interior with walkview or a balcony stateroom with an extra large balcony.
Once Jim got home and we talked about the options for maybe 5 minutes, I was ready to speak to our PVP and sent him an email letting him know we knew what we want!!! We had decided on the 8-day Carnival Dream selecting an balcony stateroom with the extra large balcony. True to form, Josh sent me an email letting me know he would be calling me shortly. Within 30 minutes, he called and everything was transferred to the new cruise! Our PVP makes everything thing happen to effortlessly. Plus he is so fun to talk to!!!
On July 24th, I sent an email to the Port of Galveston requesting to transfer our parking reservation hoping that this will be the last time I have to do this. To my surprise, I received a response within an hour with the new information for our parking reservation. I was also able to purchase Faster to the Fun. Today was definitely a good day!!! Then on August 4th, I booked a cabana for our time in Half Moon Cay. I decided that I really didn’t want to take a chance of waiting and then not being available.
Now we wait one year for our cruise. During this time, we will consider our excursion options for Key West, Freeport, and Nassau. I will also be watching for hotel options for our pre-cruise stay and will make endless to-do lists and packing lists. Luckily I know how time flies and before we know it, we will once again be boarding the Carnival Dream for another fabulous cruise.
our life reality 