DIY Travel Souvenir Ideas for Mountain Vacations It always seems like a great idea to buy souvenirs on your vacation until you return home and those mementos begin morphing into clutter. Sometimes, the best vacation keepsakes are the ones you create yourself or with a special someone. Have you ever tried making a DIY travel souvenir? Turn your vacation treasures into art or display your collections in fun, crafty ways with these DIY travel souvenir ideas. The creative process is something that everyone can enjoy. 1. Press Local Foliage to Display as Home Decor Perfect for mountain adventures, this is a simple craft that everyone in your travel group can participate in throughout your trip. (via Country Living) Pressing foliage can be done in many ways. The simplest and most portable method is to slip leaves into large paper books and weigh them down. Lay your leaf out flat on the paper without it overlapping. The time it will take for the leaf to dry will depend on the leaf's size and the amount of moisture content. As the leaves are drying, find a place to store them that is cool, dry, and away from direct sunlight. Once your leaf is pressed and dried, the possibilities for vacation crafts are endless! You could frame them, keep them in a travel memory book, or display them as wall art. This particular craft featured above requires just card stock, adhesive spray to mount the leaf or flower to the paper, and tacks to pin the finished papers in place. Going for a rustic feel? Use twine photo hangers to display the final pieces. Tip: Many national parks or conservation areas prohibit damaging or taking any plant material. You won't be able to pick plants from the Smoky Mountains National Park, for example. However, you will find plenty of leaves and flowers in surrounding areas that you can take home with you to remind yourself of the area's natural beauty. 2. Make Magnets that Remind you of the Moment If you brought back rocks, foreign coins, or other little treasures from your travels that you want to display but don't quite know what to do with, this DIY travel souvenir is an easy solution. Use these magnets to hold pictures of your travels and transport you back to the moment you found them. (tutorial via I Love DIY) To make these clever souvenirs, you will need only three things: small magnets, glue, and an item that has a flat area on one of the surfaces. First, wash and dry the rock or coin so that you will have a clean surface to affix the magnet to. From there, your task is to assemble. Glue a little magnet to one side and give your creation time to dry. If using E6000 as your adhesive, this craft will take about 10 minutes to dry completely. Other glue types might take longer. Tip: For best results, look for metal or jewelry glue. 3. Turn Ticket Stubs into Art Planning a trip to explore the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN? Did you check out Dollywood while in Pigeon Forge and hold on to your ticket as a keepsake? Take all the paper mementos you collected on your trip – photos, tickets, brochures, wrappers, maps, menus, currency – and use them to create wall art that reminds you of the things you did and places you saw. (Tutorial via DIY Network) Have fun experimenting with the letters and shapes you choose. You could theme this project around an activity, interest, or destination. Tip: These make thoughtful personal gifts for your fellow vacationing comrades. – – How will you show off your vacation memories? You don't need to be an artist or craftsperson in order to create something special that reminds you of your travels. For more ideas and inspiration, follow our DIY Travel Souvenirs board on Pinterest
