How to Decorate with Travel Photos : Wall Display

by 4 Comments

Hallway2

Two of my favorite hobbies are traveling (obviously) and decorating/art.  It is absolutely perfect when I can combine both. I like being able to use things from our travels in our home to remind us of our trips.  We have sand and shell collections that are great reminders of some of our coastal trips (especially nice to look at on our cold winter days here in the Northeast).  The kids have large magnet collections that serve as trip reminders for them.  We take tons of photos when we travel, and we have different ways of using them to bring our memories home.  This is one of my favorite ways for how to decorate with travel photos.

How to decorate with Travel Photos

One of the best ways to add  drama to your decor is with black and white photos.  And what could be better to frame than those photos you have taken yourself as you travel (or of your kids, pets, or anything that you enjoy looking at)?

Our black and white framed wall photo collage started in 2001, after we spent 5 weeks traveling through Europe (pre-kids).  We had so many amazing photos, and we were on such a tight budget that we didn’t purchase many souvenirs while traveling.  We came home & printed our photos (this was pre-digital camera!), then we enlarged and framed our favorites.

Our black & white travel photo collage

Our black & white travel photo collage

How to create a black and white photo wall display:

You can go about this in two different ways:

  1. Choose the photo frames that you like and that will fit in your space.  Then print your photos based on the sizes and direction (horizontal or vertical) that your frames will hang.
  2. Choose the photos that you want to use, and then base your frame purchases on your photos.

I have done this both ways.  When I first started my collage in 2001, I carefully chose the frames to match the photos.  Now that I have added more and more over time, I will choose frames that fit the space, and then order the photos that are appropriate for the frame.

hallway4

Some tips for creating an amazing photo wall display:

  • Choose various frame sizes in the same color
  • Keep the same mat color for all photos
  • Write your photo location and date on the mat
  • Create a focal point photo and build your display around that
  • You can also use wall shelves to place the photos on so you don’t have to hang directly on the wall & can move around
  • Use wall putty on the back corners of the frames to keep them from moving around
  • Lay out all of your frames on the floor before hanging to make sure you like the layout
  • Put a dab of toothpaste on the back of the frame where you will hang it on the nail.  As you press it up against the wall where you are going to hang it, the toothpaste will transfer to the wall & that is where you should hammer the nail into the wall
One of our older black & white travel photos - Ireland 2002

One of our older black & white travel photos – Ireland 2002

 

I like to purchase all different kinds of frames from various stores.  My go-to stores are Michaels and AC Moore (great deals with their coupons, and they take each other’s coupons as well), as well as IKEA.  I like to buy multiples of the same frames to keep things symmetrical.  I also like to use collage frames for certain trips (I have a 3 photo one with photos from 3 Hawaiian islands). 

hallway5

Our travel photo display wall is getting pretty full, and we have no plans to stop traveling. Luckily I have other tricks up my sleeve. Stay tuned!

Shell Collection : Bring Memories Home

by 4 Comments

Our Seashell Collection

Our Seashell Collection – Free Souvenirs!

Shell Collection:

One of my very favorite things to do on beach vacations is to walk along the beach looking for shells.  There is just something about their colors, shapes, and unique beauty that really gets me.  Whenever allowed (some places don’t allow shell collecting, but I have only found that once – Cozumel), I will collect shells and bring them home as a free souvenir and a way to remember our trips.  I never take live shells (the ones with little squishy things in them) & always wash them.   On our recent trip to Marco Island, the hotel even had shell washing stations on the walkways from the beach. My daughter also loves to collect shells, and I have found that this had led to a great mother-daughter bonding experience.

Some of our Marco Island Seashells

Some of our Marco Island Seashells

I love our shell and sand collections

I display and organize the seashells (and sometimes rocks) the same way that I do the sand.  I like to buy the glass vases at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore or other local thrift stores.  I can usually get them for around $1.00, which is perfect.  I got the little tags at Staples and I used twine to tie them onto the vases.  I also use craft glue dots like these to make the twine stick to the glass if needed.  I like to write the location and date on the tags.  The shelves have plenty of room for an expanding shell collection!

Shell Collection Shelves

Shell Collection from Ocean City, MD

Shell Collection from Ocean City, MD

shell collection on shelves

Sand Collection : Bringing Memories Home

by 5 Comments

This is our collection of sand from different places we have visited.

This is our collection of sand from different places we have visited.

 Our Sand Collection:

We are almost always sad to come home from a great vacation, and we have come up with lots of different creative ideas for bringing our memories home with us and making them a part of our home.  Our house is filled with things that remind us of our travels, but we don’t like to spend a lot of money on souvenirs.  We have some shelves in our living room that are filled with our sand and seashell collections.  They make me happy every time I look at them.

This is our sand collection.  I bought the glass vases from a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  I like supporting a great organization and getting a bargain at the same time!  They were each $1.00 or less, so I consider this to be an amazing souvenir bargain. Oh, and the sand was free.

I usually have some kind of water bottle or Ziploc bag with me wherever we go, so it is easy to grab a handful of sand & then label it so I don’t forget where it came from by the time I get home.  I have even shipped sand and shells home in a flat rate box from USPS if they are really heavy (ok, this makes it not free, but still).  Once I get home, I just pour it into the current vase with space, use a Sharpie glass marker to write where it came from, and enjoy another memory from a great trip!

It is never too late to start something like this.  I wish that I had started it years ago, but I didn’t think of it until we were in Hawaii in 2012.  I am glad that I went for it & have been doing it ever since.  I expect this collection to be huge by the end of the year…

sand