Among other things, my family has given me the Hoarder Gene. Thus whenever I am traveling, I collect scraps (tickets, maps, miscellany) to store away forever. After I studied abroad in 2012, I wound up with a whole box of various bits and pieces, and little idea what to do with them.
In spring of 2014, as I neared the last six months of my time in Bath, England, I happened upon a charming photo album on sale at Paperchase. In retrospect, I think it’s actually meant to be a wedding album, but at the time I had two thoughts: 1) Hipster paper, and 2) Cheap!
I began my first for real scrapbook in an attempt to justify keeping all the random stuff I’d collected. The project turned out to be surprisingly therapeutic, both as I prepped for leaving my beloved Bath and after I returned home.
This last week, I finally finished the book. Below I’ve gathered some of my favorite spreads for your viewing pleasure. Again, this was very much a first attempt at scrapbooking, so it may not be Pinterest-perfect. But I had a lot of fun, and thought others might like to see how I composed my travel scrapbook!
(Click on the images to see bigger versions)
Putting my rail tickets and museum brochures to good use. Also: Harry Potter font. This was one of my early pages, and in retrospect I wish I had kept the floor plan accessible instead of putting it under my picture.
Maps are my favorite. I added my National Trust card after it expired.
Venice! Most of the masks I purchased came with super cool tags (like the one with the seal on the left or the map one on the right), so I used the best of them here. Also pictured are my museum cards.
Harry Potter studios! They gave us many scraps of paper. I kept them all. Obviously.
I enjoyed using washi tape and getting a feel for how it works. I think I improved as I went, but I like the fun, unfinished look of these pages.
As the book progressed, I became more intentional about using fancy fonts. In retrospect, I wish I had chosen three “style guide” fonts and used those throughout. Would have saved me some time searching on Dafont.com!
Clearly I stole a few tickets from my family members for the page on the right. No shame.
Possibly my favorite spread. I used the tube map from London on the left, and on the right I used one of (several) leftover stamps from Chatsworth.
More Chatsworth stamps and also some of the historical sights/info from Eyam.
When I saw this walking brochure at Eyam, I knew I had to have it. Not only is it beautifully designed, it contains fascinating/heartbreaking local stories.
On the left I’ve pasted some thank you notes from the launch party in London this past May. (I added some washi tape to the envelope to make it stand out more.) On the right I’ve included some business cards from various classmates (using photo corners, so hypothetically you could pop them out and see both sides).
Some more launch party pictures (plus my own business card) on the left. On the right we have another brochure/guide with interesting stories.
I bought a book at Lewes Castle and they gave me this fabulous bag featuring a map of the south coast, complete with blurbs about local sights. I’m really glad I was able to fit it in!
On the left is a copy of my valedictorian speech with my own mark-ups. (I gave the version I actually read from to an adoring fan (read: my classmate).)
Last page! Featuring a little graduation button that I received in my alumni bag.
Not bad for a first try, if I do say so myself.
