Beyond the Photo Album — Eight Unique Ways to Display Vacation Memories

You know the drill. You get home from your vacation with hundreds of great photos stored on the memory card in your camera. If you are organized, those photos may be printed out and tucked away in an album. Or maybe you’ll just upload them to a photo-sharing website where they succumb to an electronic destiny. And you return to business as usual.

But what if instead of putting those pictures in a place that rarely sees the light of day, you take them and turn them into something to display for all to see? These brilliant bloggers and companies have done just that. Here are eight tutorials for transforming your travel pictures into DIY masterpieces.

Turn them into …

… a coffee table book.

If you’re an Instagram-addict, chances are most of your vacation memories were shared with your followers and that’s it. Artifact Uprising is a company that will turn your mobile photos into a chic book to display in your home.

… coasters.

This craft idea is courtesy of the blog Intimate Weddings. Learn how to mount printed digital photos onto wooden blocks, and voila!, cute coasters.

… a map of memories.

The blog Cut, Craft, Create shares a unique idea to remember all of the destinations you’ve visited. Hang a map and choose your favorite travel pictures. Cut them to match that particular state or country.

… wrapping paper.

Travel photos can create a beautiful pattern for wrapping paper. Follow the tutorial on Poppytalk and start wrapping those gifts.

… a mini scrapbook.

It’s simple to turn travel photos, ticket stubs and other assorted memories into an adorable little scrapbook. According to Saturday Morning Vintage, all you basically need is a three-hole punch and binder rings.

… a themed corner.

The folks at Shutterfly can pretty much turn your vacation photos into anything—pillows, canvas artwork and a whole lot more. Devote a corner of your home to your travels and sit and bask in all of your adventures.

… a quick display.

Short on time? Get inspired by Apartment Therapy and use taut string or wire to hang several of your travel photos using binder clips. It’ll be kinder to your walls, too, especially if you’re renting.

… wallpaper.

On the flipside, have a lot of time? A post from the gals at A Beautiful Mess explains how you can actually turn your travel photos or Instagram images into legitimate wallpaper for your home. Follow the instructions and enjoy a wall filled with all of those fun experiences.