Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 July 2014

5 Tips For Creating A Comfortable & Beautiful Glamping Space

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Our family absolutely loves our camping trips every summer. It's our favourite way to unplug and relax. And you know I love talking about how I organize our camping kitchen,  our favorite camping tips and our delicious camping recipes. Now I want to share with you how we set up our glamping space where we enjoy a cozy and comfortable sleep in our tent.
Getting a comfortable night's sleep in a tent can be tricky if you are not prepared. After years of experience, I want to share with you how I set up our cozy nest so we are ready for counting sheep after a full day of fun outside cooking meals, boating, fishing & swimming.
1. Invest in A Portable Bed. If you haven't already, invest in a queen size portable bed that comes with an air mattress on a fold-up frame. It's da bomb. It's roomy, comfortable and it get's you up off the ground so it feels much like a real at-home bed.
2. Ditch the Sleeping Bags. Although sleeping bags are comfortable and fun for kids, they are not so fun for adults. Tossing and turning in a sleeping bag and getting wrapped up like Twizzlers is not my idea of catching some good Zzzs.
I like comforters, blankets and quilts. That way, I can layer things according to the temperature outside and I never feel all twisted up. I bring a fitted sheet to cover the mattress and then I bring a comforter and a quilt and I find it's enough for most summer camping trips.
3. Bring Comfortable Pillows. Always bring comfortable pillows. It's no fun to go camping and wake up with a cramped, kinked neck from sleeping on flat pillows that you don't normally sleep on. And I like to bring a few extra toss pillows so I have something to curl up with when I read.

4. Use Portable Tables as Night Stands. If you have room, bring small portable tables to use beside the bed. We have small tables that fold flat for travel and storage, and they really bring an extra level of comfort to the camping bedroom. They are great for holding lanterns, radios, flashlights, water, glasses and any other thing you like to have at arm's reach at night.

5. Toss Out A Rug. Adding a rug beside the bed is so much more comfortable on the tootsies than a bare tent floor. And my little dogs like to sleep on it at night too. It just adds that extra level of comfort to a tent that makes it feel warm & cozy.
Years ago, when we started out camping as a young family, we used to sleep in sleeping bags on air mattresses on the tent floor. But as time has passed {and we have gotten older!} we have gradually upgraded to a few things that make our trips much more comfortable. If buying new equipment is not in the budget, searching yard sales and online buy/sell sites can often yield barely used camping equipment for a really great price.
Our family is going camping soon, and I really look forward to spending some unplugged time with my kids and husband in the great outdoors. And I have to say that I enjoy it all the more knowing that we can get a really good night's sleep in our cozy and comfortable tent!
If you are looking for more camping ideas, don't forget to check out this board on Pinterest:
 
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Inspiration Gallery, I'm Lovin' It, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, The Weekend Re-Treat, The Party Bunch,  Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza,  Block Party,

Friday, 31 August 2012

Saving Vacation Memories....

Vacations and trips are such important family times.
I think it is so vital to get those pictures off of digital cameras and digital storage and  into some type of format that can be enjoyed...be it a mini-scrapbook, picture frame, shadow box or photo album.
After all, if the pictures aren't enjoyed, then why do we take them?
I love having family pictures displayed in various ways around our home...it's important to me and my family.
I made this mini scrapbook  {just 14 pages} to remember our family trip to Florida last year for Spring Break.
 The shared family times on the beach...
 day trips to interesting places...
 family dinners...
theme park adventures...
 beach fun...
 and more beach fun.
I leave this little scrapbook on a side table in the living room. Visitors pick it up to peek through it and the kids pick it up often and talk about the fun we had.
I love that!
I would like to be around in 100 years time to see if families have lost generations of family photos because they were left on digital storage, never printed and never resurrected...left to live their life on obselete technology and then die a quick death...like the floppy disk.

Do you make a point of printing your pictures often for your family to enjoy?
Do tell! Inquiring minds want to know!




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Friday, 27 January 2012

A Vacation Memory Jar...

I have wanted to make a 'Vacation Memory Jar' for a long time.
I just love the look of them....something touchable and tangible.
Inside this jar rests the memories and sand from our family vacation to Florida in March 2011.
I really would have loved to use an antique jar, but I had visions of it being knocked or smashed on the floor....those types of things happen in this house....so I found this acrylic jar to use as  a safer choice.
I like the size and shape...perfect for this project.
I used simple twine to tie around the top for rustic feel....along with some scraps from my scrapbooking stash.
Some tiny clothespins worked well for attaching a tag to the picture.
I also used a photo overlay to add the pattern around the outside edge of the picture.
And sand from Cocoa Beach....a place that my family has been visiting since 1982.
The shells were collected by the children.
The little bottle full of shells we purchased from 'Ron Jon's'...a Cocoa Beach Landmark.
This project didn't take very long to put together after I had assembled the jar and my stash of scrapbooking embellishments.
I just played until I got a look that was pretty to me.
{It was extremely hard to photograph though...because of light & reflection!}
The memory jar sits on a shelf in a place that we can all enjoy.
It was a such a fun project to make.
I think this would be so lovely to make as a keepsake for a wedding too....with a pretty picture inside of the bride & groom and dried flowers from the wedding...it would be stunning and unique!




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