Using Maps On Your Scrapbook Pages

Crafts

Apr 22

I love maps. I love to look at maps. I love to decorate with maps. Physical maps, topographical maps, road maps, satellite maps - I love them all.

I don't know what the allure is, but if there is a map or a globe in the room, I have to walk over and investigate. I like to see to see the spatial distance between two places, how far they are from each other, judging how to get from point A to point B and perhaps the most fun of all, pointing to a place I have never been and imagining visiting.

So I'm sure it won't be a shock that I also like to include maps on my scrapbook pages!

I have scrapbooked maps I have saved from trips, like I did on this London Page.

And I've also used theme park maps on my pages.

But somehow, I've never made a map the focal point of a scrapbook page before. That sounds like a challenge in the making!

And ever one to rise to a scrapbooking challenge, I searched through my stash to see if I already had something that would work. Luckily, I came across this gem:

I have other map papers in my stash, but this one by Little Yellow Bicycle has to be my all time favorite.

It will be perfect for the story I want to tell in my layout. This May I will reach the 20th anniversary from the day my parents and I left Washington state for Florida. Twenty years in Washington. Twenty years in Florida. That milestone required a little bit of reflection.

Because Washington and Florida are about as far from each other as you can get in the United States, I really wanted to see the spatial difference between both places. I also added in my detour in Nashville as the five years I spent there are also part of my overall story. I have realized that no matter where I live, my roots remain in the northwest and I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't grown up there.

Supplies: Little Yellow Bicycle Road Map, Studio Calico wood veneer and chipboard cameras, My Mind's Eye enamel dots, Freckled Fawn orange star washi tape, Versa Magic Night Sky chalk ink, Basic Grey Hey Boy flair, My Mind's eye date stamp, Lily Bee alphabet stickers.

I used wood veneer arrows to point to Orlando and Nashville and a heart to signify my love for Spokane and the northwest. Along with Google Maps, I used my photo editing program to copy and paste, then print an actual map inset photo that includes the area of town where I live/lived. Then, I went through my photo folders to find photos of me in each location along with a few meaningful words that each location represents.

Once the elements and photos were laid out, I decided to go with a "Z" flow for my page, meaning that the eye will start in the upper left, move to the right, down through the title and journaling and end in the lower right corner. Three enamel dots in the upper left and bottom right corner help reinforce the flow of the page.

This is a very special page, but not one I ever would have created if not for the idea of challenging myself to use a map. Have you ever tried to incorporate maps on your pages?

-Tammy Dailor