Somebody Else’s Vacation: The UK

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This time, the pictures come from my hubby! During his senior year in college (2010) he took a school trip to Engand, Ireland, and Scotland. I certainly wish I could have gone along on this extensive journey! Instead, I spent my time getting to know my new roommate who I’d only met once before relocating to Kansas. I would say rooming with her was a gamble that paid off big time…. But enough about me. England! Ireland! Scotland! I love the contrast of the old and the new evident in a country like this with strong ties to its past.

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There’s something especially interesting about peeking in on a friend’s vacation pictures when compared to looking through a collection of curated professional shots. Yes, the “Must Sees” are present, but also random other shots that really give you a glimpse of what they thought was interesting or compelling.

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Somebody Else’s Vacation is a series I started that was born from constantly getting the travel itch. Just because it’s not realistic for all of us to travel as much as we would like to, that’s no reason not to travel with our imaginations and dream of new places to visit. View the first in this series: shots from Mongolia.

Somebody Else’s Vacation: Mongolia

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I was thinking back to the old days when neighbors would invite you over to watch a slideshow of their vacation photos. Luckily, I’ve only heard about these get-togethers and haven’t sat through an obligatory session, but then the irony dawned on me that today’s generation does the exact same thing, only in the form of a facebook album, and in some cases (ahem,) a blog.

One of my dear friends is living abroad and teaching in Korea. He has been there for a while, and several months ago he took a vacation to Mongolia to ride horseback across the steppes. The photos he shared on facebook were breathtaking. I was arrested by the color and feeling of this collection, and I asked if I could share a few of them here. 

Having friends all over the globe fuels my wanderlust like nothing else can! However, we’re dutifully saving up for a down payment so I must use these opportunities to see the world through their eyes. 

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I would absolutely love to take a trip like this someday! However for now, I’ll live vicariously through these snapshots. I hope you enjoyed them! 

After a few years in Los Angeles being a renegade the New York native packed up and moved to South Korea. Cartoonist/writer Jonathan Burrello divides his time between teaching English, performing stand-up comedy, and checking the skies for North Korean rockets. His cartoons, essays, and movie reviews  can be found at The Big Insane Happy.

Instagram Fridge

This was such a simple project, and I’m in love.

A few weeks ago I realized that I hadn’t ordered any prints of my instagram photos in over a year, so I took advantage of a fall sale and ordered 60+ prints through the Postal Pix app.

The stack sat in my kitchen and I flipped through the pictures many times, but wanted to display them somewhere! I have a little scrapbook I started with instagram pics in it but I didn’t feel like scrapbooking. I did feel like throwing away all the expired coupons, takeout menus, and storing away old thank-you notes from my fridge, though… so I took an idea that has been done in 1,000 blogs before mine, and ran with it.

It started with cleaning off the side of the fridge and then cleaning it thoroughly with windex. Kitchen surfaces can get so grimy, can’t they?

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Then, I spread my prints out on the kitchen counter and started taping up photos in a grid. There’s about a centimeter (give or take) between each photo. I made sure to mix light, dark, and vibrant photos evenly so the eye isn’t drawn to any one area too strongly. One tip for a cohesive looking collage is to use one or two filters all the time, instead of always going with a different one, so the color wash is similar on them all.

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This was such quick and relaxing project. I love looking at photos and reminiscing. I completed the whole thing before my mug full of tea even had time to get too cold. Now I spend a ridiculous amount of time in my kitchen gazing at my loved ones and remembering great times.

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It also serves as an antidote to all the stark white, too!