Two-Page Summer Layout

In defiance of the freezing cold temperatures we've been experiencing in Minnesota, I'm sharing a two-pager from my vacation scrapbook today.  The layout is called "Rubber Duck Races."

Supplies: cardstock by Wausau Paper; hexagonal stickers by Jillibean Soup; label stickers, alphabet stickers, ticket paper, diamond paper, duck die cuts, flair badge, & buttons by October Afternoon; decorative stickers by Simple Stories; leafy paper by Magnolia; floral paper & yellow text paper by My Mind's Eye; striped paper & sign paper by Echo Park; blueprint paper by Jenni Bowlin; pens by Zig; thread by DMC.

It's always a bit difficult to see the detail on a two-page spread, so I've also posted photos of each individual page.

I used a simple grid design here, but I tried to keep it playful with duck die cuts, buttons, and hexagonal label stickers.  On each label I wrote a bit of information: "location=Pine river; cost=one dollar per duck; winner's prize=toy duck."

This page has the focal photo, showing how proud my son was that his duck won the race.  He's holding his blue ribbon and his prize duckie.

I really enjoyed creating this title--these alphas just seem celebratory to me, and the blueprint paper provides an interesting backdrop.  The final bit of journaling reads: "This was such a fun activity!  It was the perfect ending for our vacation."

These races were delightfully simple--you just pay "a buck for a duck," then the judge dumps the barrel full of ducks into the river and lets them float downstream.  The ducks are numbered, so you can tell which duck is the one you paid for.  If your duck is one of the first three ducks to reach the finish line, which is only a few yards from the starting line, then you win!  All this takes place in a lovely park, and the money raised from the duck races goes toward improvements for the park.  There is really no skill or strategy involved in racing the ducks--it's just a fun, slightly silly way to have fun and enjoy the park.  Hope you had fun "sharing" this duck race experience with me!