Travel Souvenir Display

What do you do with all those little trinkets and reminders of a great trip? Sadly, most of the time, these souvenirs end up in a box in the closet. After my trip to Ireland and Britain, I just couldn't bear to let those reminders be swept under the bed. By using a picture frame jewelry box, I was able to display all my favorite souvenirs from the trip.

Collect all the trinkets from your trip and lay them out so you can see them. You don't need to make any decisions just yet, but you'll want to begin to separate objects from paper.

Remove the mat board from the frame. If you're lucky, your frame already has a piece of paper behind the matting. Mine didn't so I used a piece from a large sketch pad.

Pull out the paper objects from your souvenir pile and lay them out under the mat board but not on top of the paper. Keep the paper to the side.

Once you've decided what objects to display and where, you need to decide whether you want to cut the objects to fit the frame or layer and fold them. I wanted to keep all the objects intact, so I didn't cut anything. However, it may be simpler to cut them.

Tape the top of the matting down to the paper to create a hinge.

Use tape loops to begin attaching the paper objects to the paper backing. Don't worry if they stick off the edge.

However, if there are a lot of objects that overlap, you'll need to make sure you apply them in the proper order.

The first object I came across that overlapped another space was a theater flyer for a show we went to.

When objects overlap other spaces it's important to put in the larger and thicker objects before the smaller thinner ones.

In this case, the post receipt also overlapped more than one space, but is much thinner than the theater flyer.

Therefore, I taped down the flyer first. Then, I folded the receipt to fit the space in the frame.

Do your best to always tape each object to the paper backing and not to other objects.

You can also layer objects within one space of the frame. Always start with the object on the bottom and work your way up.

Flip the matting with objects over and tape the paper backing to the mat board. If your paper backing came with frame and it's the same size as the mat board, it's okay to wrap the tape around the edge of the mat board. The edge of the matting will be covered up a bit by the wooden frame.

Flip the matting back over and begin to fold the objects that overlap the edge to the back. Using a pointed but blunt object like a knitting needle to make an impression at the edge of the mat board will help thicker objects fold smoothly.

Put your matting with objects back into the frame.

I was able to add small toys to the bracelet section of the jewelry box, and I added coins to the ring section.

There were lots of booklets and maps that I wanted to keep intact and readable. I sorted them by size and put them in the pocket.

To hold objects that can hang, use hooks in the earring section like I used to hold my handmade hat from Doolin.

I collected several Oyster Card holders over the course of the trip. By wrapping a string around one of the earring holders, I was able to slip the back of the wallets into the sections of string.

Place the rest of your objects however they will fit. Everyone's objects and frame will differ, but displaying your travels in this way is both fun and rewarding.