Memory Maps

This was originally posted at my other blog, Glitter Blessings, which is just about the craft group at Hot Metal.... but this is also about the F-Unit. (Who is F-Unit?) Fleegal, Sam & I happen to have our own gang with signs & all. So tough. We like to travel, drink margaritas, & sing karaoke together... Good times. So this gift is to remember our fun trips so far & maybe encourage another in the near future....?

I looked high & low for travel memento ideas but came up short. If I would have planned in advance I love these from Martha Stewart but now that it's in the past all I really have a photos.

Photos! Duh.

I grabbed a framed corkboard & push-pins just like any travel map but decided to add as many personalized details as possible... starting with photos. This is so easy but makes an big impact. I measured the head of my push-pins, sized tiny photos of us to fit, cut them out & glued them.



These photos weren't even from our trips, but look how cute they are! (if you squint maybe you can get the general idea. haha sorry!) I used super glue for reasons we won't get into right now, but it worked just fine & will obviously be secure. If you have ideas for a better adhesive please share your comments.

I custom printed the maps because I happen to work with teenager who run a poster press & have really great prices, so I was able to customize that as much as I wanted too. I tried to make the map colors look antique-ish, added a family scroll, and some old-school explorer type images I found online.



I also tried to connect the 2 separate gifts together since the 3 of us are really a package deal. So when I covered the frames & added a block of cardboard to hold extra pins, I alternated the fabrics. So Fleegal has some fabric from Sam's frame & vice versa. Also, I only mapped out OUR travels. They've been plenty of other places & I'm sure they'll have fun updating all their separate memories, but for presentation purposes this was a map of us.



This is my map, but make your travel map your own unqiue creation! If you're a big roadtripper, try using yarn to mark your route. Maybe cover the frame in flyers & brochures you acquired. Happy Trails!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– Mark Twain