i love traveling. especially to europe. every trip is an escape from your normal routine. every trip is an event to remember, even if it’s just a drive 2 hours away. so commemorate your travels with a collage!

i tend to save ephemera when i travel: ticket stubs from museums or sight-seeing, coins, wrappers from food items, souvenirs, shells from the beach, photos, receipts, maps, brochures (especially those in a different language!) and so on. don’t throw those in a box! use those items to create a fun piece to hang on your wall and have something to look at daily that reminds you of your vacation. more details after the jump!

the collage that i have pictured is one i created after a trip to berlin (my sis lived there for 9 months when she was in college). i used a block of wood, and glued a few key items to it. i used a tea envelope from my favorite earl gray tea, a ticket from the siegessaule, a button i bought at the bauhaus archive (which i accidentally left on a window sill for the summer, hence the rust and general beat-up look), a stamp cut from a package my sis sent to me, and a pfennig. (larger image below)

so, let’s get started! this is an easy project:

1) find your base. blocks of wood are good. you can use them as-is, or cover them with paper. or add some acrylic paints to create a color theme. canvases are also good bases — art stores usually carry smaller canvases. another fun base is the cover of an old book (i’m not an advocate of destroying books, but occasionally it’s ok to make a sacrifice). paper is also a good option, but i prefer my bases to be solid structures, that won’t bend or fold under the weight of items attached. important: it’s best to determine how you will present/hang the piece before you add your ephemera. e.g. if you’re using a block of wood, drill a hole in the back before you glue anything down.

2) get out your trip goodies! arrange them on your base. remember, sometimes less is more. you don’t necessarily need to put everything on your base. play around with the composition. what did you love on your trip? do you want a simple piece? or are you creating a full piece, with lots to look at? once you’ve placed the pieces, and you’re happy with the composition, glue the pieces down with PVA (an acid-free glue available at most art supply stores).

3) hang it, and love it! my berlin piece is hanging above my light switch in my bedroom. i see it at least 2 times a day, and occasionally wanderlust sets in…

this entry was posted on Monday, November 5th, 2007 at 7:15 am and is filed under my work, travel & wanderlust, make it!. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. you can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.