#LoveSummer: Traveling with a Paper Trail

Summer is usually a popular time of year for vacation and travel, right? Well, if you’re staying local this summer and skipping out on a jet-setting trip – here’s a fun DIY project you can work on to still make you feel like you’re a world traveler. And it doesn’t even involve having to pack a suitcase or having to get past pre-flight inspection. #winning

Remembering past travels is arguably just as fun as the trip itself. That’s why we bring back souvenirs — to help us remember. One thing I find myself bringing back often from my travels aren’t so much the tchotchkes and souvenirs, but paper. Yup – money, maps, ticket stubs, brochures, receipts. I’m a notorious collector of paper when I travel. Then I return home, stuff them all into an envelope that never sees the light of day again, and the next thing you know, I’m a Hoarders episode waiting to happen.

Luckily, partnering up with Lilies and Loafers earlier this summer gave me an opportunity to not only remember a fun 2012 Eurotrip I took with one of my best buddies, but also to put some of the maps I amassed from that trip to good use by making my own souvenir from the trip — a decorative plate of maps from all the places we visited: Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid.

The process: I brought over a small plate and some city maps over to Brian and Fatima’s apartment. We started out by cutting out some of the landmarks that I definitely wanted to be seen clearly on the plate: the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Duomo in Florence, the Louvre, and the Roman Colosseum just to name a few. We then cut off a few long strips from all the maps and used them to cover the plate fully using paintbrushes and Mod-Podge Matte. After this layer was finished drying, we took the landmarks we had set aside from earlier and placed them on the surface of the plate – again using Mod-Podge Matte. At this point, the plate was fully covered and we applied three more layers of the Mod-Podge Matte to act as a sealant.

The finished product is a great decorative addition to my room, and such a great way to reminisce about how much fun I had roaming Europe and visiting those sites. I appreciate the personal touch that this plate has, especially since it was made with the actual maps that I had used. It’s a great gift idea for a travel buddy and can easily be made with other elements such as ticket stubs or receipts. 

What other suggestions do you have for ways to put your “paper trail” to good use? Share them with us in the comments below.

I’ll be collaborating with Lilies & Loafers on another travel-themed DIY project later this summer, so be sure to leave some space in your creative luggage for that. In the meantime, you can follow my travels both local and global on Instagram and over at edwingino.com.