TCMFF photo album

Over the last few years I've gotten in the habit of making photo albums -- you know, the old fashioned kind where you print out pictures and put them in binders. I make one per year and then I also make little 4" x 4" albums for vacations or themed photos (I have one album called "OMG!" with photos from really exciting things that have happened in my life, like when I met Steve Carell)

And this is my TCM Film Festival album. I wanted to share this one in particular because I thought it might be helpful for other festival attendees. It's a great way to preserve your memories and it also solves the "where the heck do I put this now?!" problem that presents itself when you come home with a ton of ribbons, buttons and a festival pass :)



I made a cover page for my album that features my "2nd festival" button. I printed one of my festival photos (this one is a close-up of the montage that was playing on the movie screens before the films started) on glossy label paper, and adhered it to a piece of thin chipboard. Then I punched holes in the side (I lined it up with a photo sleeve to make sure I was punching the holes in the right place) so I could put it in my album.

To attach the button, I just pressed the button onto the board so that the pin on the back left two little marks. I punched holes in those spots and was able to pin the button right onto the board! Then I just added some glittery stickers that said "2016 TCMFF"



My next page is a collage of movie posters from the films I saw at the festival! I made mine in photoshop and then followed the same steps listed above (I printed it on glossy label paper, adhered it to thin chipboard and then punched holes in the side... including an unfortunately placed one on Gary Cooper's eye. OUCH!)

If you don't have photoshop you could easily print these out individually and do an old-fashioned collage! :)



I also punched holes in the ribbons I got at the festival (I obviously wasn't too good at collecting them, but I'm proud of the two I did get!) and then filled the rest of the album with a combination of 4" x 4" photos and pages with four little 2" x 2" photos.



Finally at the end of the book I included my festival pass!

I'm also planning on adding some text pages to the back with memories and stories, and maybe even a little itinerary so I can remember what I did each day. The key, I think, is to do these tiny albums as soon as you can before you start to forget all of the little details from your trip (or before life gets so busy that you don't even have time to order the pictures to begin with! I still haven't assembled my album from the TCM cruise last year..)

Materials I use for these books: 4" x 4" albums / glossy label paper / thin chipboard / glitter stickers are from Michaels / long-reach hole punch

TSA approved - my tips for airplane attire

My GOD this month has been insane! I can't believe I only managed to get in one other post so far. And things are not slowing down anytime soon. On Tuesday I'm off to Hollywood for my second TCM Film Festival! I'm doing a lot of flying this year so I decided to get my ducks in a row right now and come up with a foolproof airline outfit. And then I thought I'd share my tips with you, too!



- Jersey jumpsuits are your friend. There are so many great jumpsuits available right now, it's just a matter of finding one that's flattering and comfy at the same time. Mine is from Modcloth, and it has a tapered leg, fitted waist and wrapped bodice design that gives the appearance of a tailored outfit with the comfort of a freaking ONESIE. 

There are two things that make jumpsuits my #1 choice for flying -- if it's fitted, the chances of getting a pat-down are reduced considerably. Every time I've flown the difference between an unwelcome crotch grab and walking away scot-free rests solely on whether or not I've worn a dress/skirt/long sweater or fitted pants. This might not bother everyone but I have personal space issues and pat-downs are kind of traumatic for me.

Secondly, when you're sitting in one seat for hours upon hours you want to be really comfy. If you want to wear pj's, go for it! More power to you. I'm not a pajamas-in-public person, though, so this is the closest I can get. With a jumpsuit there's no pulling your pants up and pulling your shirt down to reposition. And if you get a jersey one without any unnecessary buttons and zippers, going to the bathroom is easy peasy. (haha, easy pee-sy. I'm so sorry.) Just make sure you take the outfit on a test run before you fly. Be positive that it's super comfy and easily bathroom accessible!

- Slip-on shoes that cover your whole foot. Again, this might just be a *me* thing but I hate the idea of walking barefoot through security. You will have to remove your shoes, so be prepared for that ahead of time. Lace-up shoes are harder to slip on and off quickly. Flats can't really be worn with socks so you'll either be barefoot or stocking-footed (?) I prefer to have socks on, so my favorite shoes for travel are zip-on ankle boots. They cover your whole foot so you can wear socks, they're comfy for walking around the airport, and they still look stylish.

- Bring a giant cozy sweater and wear your coat. Even if I'm not chilly at the airport, when I'm boarding my plane I put on my coat and a big cozy sweater. That way you don't have to take up valuable real estate in your luggage with bulky outerwear. I'm going to sunny CA for this trip so I'll just be bringing a light jean jacket and a sweater for the plane, but when I'm going someplace colder I'll honestly wear my giant winter coat AND a sweater. If I can save space in my luggage I don't care how I look walking down the aisle of the plane ;D

- Bring a giant purse. I normally do carry-on luggage only so I'll usually tuck my normal purse into a giant purse and then fill it up with anything else I'd need at my disposal on the plane -- a travel blanket, my laptop, my kindle, books, chargers, snacks (favorites for travel include fruit leather and salted almonds), dvds, camera, headphones, etc. Most airlines let you have one carry-on piece of luggage and one additional bag, so this way I'm not trying to figure out how to get a laptop bag, camera bag, purse and carry-on onto the plane. I put my camera & laptop in silicon cases inside of my larger purse rather than carrying them in their own separate bags.

- Possibly TMI but I'm going for it. Wear a sleep bra and comfortable panties. I'm serious. Boob shape is not the top priority when you're crammed into a tiny seat for six hours, TRUST ME. This one is my favorite. You get support, but it feels like you're wearing nothing. I'm a 32DDD and I got the size medium & it fits great. And seriously, unless you're planning on joining the mile high club there is no reason not to put on a pair of granny panties for the flight. Nobody can see them (except I guess the TSA agent that's watching the monitor when you go through the full-body scanner. But we don't want to give them a good show anyway, right?) and you can always change as soon as you get to your hotel.



And that's about it! I hope this helps somebody -- I haven't flown *too* much so far, only about sixteen times I think, but it took me all that time to finally figure out what works. SO much trial and error (and pat-downs, ughhhhh)

I'm going to try to blog every night while I'm at the festival next week, and I'm also going to do a decent amount of updates on my no-filter instagram. See you from Hollywood! :)

jumpsuit - modcloth | boots - f21 I think? | bag - f21
jacket - asos | purple rug - amazon