Frame Your Travel Memorabilia {A 15 Minute Craft}

Hello friends. I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day weekend. My sister was in town and with her husband, we spent a few days house hunting with them. It’s so fun to go see what kinds of homes are out there. Do you like house hunting?  Hopefully they will find a good one and then I get to help decorate, which will be really great.

What better project for a new homeowner then some tips on decorating your home fast. I’m talking lightning fast. Today I’m participating in Craft Lightning. It’s a round up by The Country Chic Cottage and 30 Minute Crafts of lots of fun crafts you can complete in 15 minutes or less. What could be better besides quick, creative projects you can do to decorate your home inside or out in just a few moments? My ideas was to frame travel memorabilia. Here is how you can do it.

One way I love to change up my home decor for the season is to frame different things for the wall galleries we have in our spaces. If it’s with photos, maps, a boarding pass, postcard or something else that you picked up on your travels, the artwork takes on the life of its own once you put it in a frame. Plus it’s a lovely way to remember those special moments you had while relaxing with friends or families. Here the two simple items you need for your 15 minute craft.

Empty frames – I usually get mine at the thrift stores or flea markets. It doesn’t matter the color since you can always paint them, but look for glass and hanging hardware. That’s a bonus and you can expect to pay around $5 each.

Travel mementos – Try postcards, letters, tickets stubs, photos or maps. Something that reminds you of your special trip is good, even a scarf you picked up or an interesting napkin from a hotel might look neat.

That’s it! Plus any framing hardware you might need if it didn’t come on the frame.

First, prep your frame. This can include cleaning the glass, and painting the frame if needed. If you want to use photo mats, here is a how to. Or if you want to fix frames or see different ways to use them, here are some ideas.

Next prep and put in your mementos. I found these old stamps on etsy at Anything Goes Here that I ended up framing for our living room.  I just glued them on to a grey piece of craft paper for the backing then put them in the frame and hung it up.

They hang next to our large world map and a map of the Bahamas where we went on our honeymoon, and  that reminds me of the different trips we’ve taken.  I thought they would make the perfect addition to the travel wall and I love the story they tell.  Who knows where they have been?

I made two frames of the stamps, the other group was different colors, so they add a bright touch to the neutral space.

Another travel memento I framed was this envelope from when my husband visited France with friends while we were dating. He mailed it from the Eiffel Tower so it’s has that on the postmark. Did you know there is a small post office right in the base of the tower where you can send letters?

And just like that in 15 minutes you have yourself a nice reminder of your travel adventures.  I’m sure you have some frames and some trinkets to hang up. Ready, set, craft!