Wish You Were Here: Postcard Album

I am a collector so when I go on vacation I tend to collect all sorts of things to remember my trip, including ticket stubs, receipts, pamphlets and postcards. Postcards are a wonderful and inexpensive way to remember the places or attractions you've visited on your travels. They also come in handy when you may have missed getting a shot of a memorable attraction. Besides, they are always great photos so there is no need for you to have professional photography skills.

I have quite the collection of postcards from my travels, so I decided to dedicate an entire album to them. There are a variety of websites that offer albums specifically made to hold postcards, including:

www.the2buds.com
www.lindner-usa.com
www.vintagepostcards.com

However, being a scrapbooker, I decided to make my own postcard travel album using my scrapbook supplies. The standard size of a postcard is 4” x 6”. Therefore any type of regular- or legal-size envelope will hold most postcards and serve as pockets in the album. Another option is to make your own library pockets to hold the postcards.

How to make this postcard album:

1. Cut two pieces of chipboard to measure slightly larger than the size of your envelope. These will be the front and back cover of your album.


2. Cover the chipboard with patterned paper.


3. Miter the corners of the patterned paper to give it a neat and clean covering.


4. Add a title with stickers, stamps or rub-ons.


5. Cut five or so legal-size envelopes in half to create the pockets. You could also use full-size clear envelopes.


6. Cut a 5 1/2” x 12” piece of cardstock and accordion fold every inch so that you have a total of 11 folds.


7. Adhere the envelopes to every other accordion fold.


8. Attach the ends of the accordion folds to the inside of the chipboard covers.


9. Then add a piece of cardstock to the inside of each cover to hide the accordion flap that was glued to the inside.


10. Insert postcards in envelopes.


11. Decorate the envelopes according to the postcard inside if desired.

Another great way to collect postcards from your travels is to send a postcard detailing memorable travel experiences to yourself. That way you are sure to include that memory in your album, and you'll have the information for journaling on future scrapbook layouts.

What information to include on a postcard:

• date of trip
• who was there
• what you did on the trip
• any fun things that happened on your trip

Where to get postcards:

• souvenir shops
• hotel concierge
• rest stops
• travel/visitor bureaus

Don’t worry if you've forgotten to pick up postcards while on your trip; just place a call to the local visitors and convention bureau. They will be more than happy to send some to you.

Whether you make one album for each trip you take or simply make an album large enough to hold all the postcards from your various trips, this is a great way to store and display the postcards you collect.

Remember your trips with Travel Scrapbook supplies from Scrapjazz.com!