31 Day Junk Journal Challenge: Day 21- Use Map Pages

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Junk Journal Challenge: Use Map Pages

Incorporating maps into your junk journal is a fantastic way to add a sense of adventure, nostalgia, and personal history. Maps not only provide a visual representation of a location but also evoke memories of travels, journeys, and experiences. Whether they’re from your favorite vacation spot, a dream destination, or simply an old map found in a second-hand store, they can bring a beautiful element of storytelling to your journal.

Why Use Map Pages in Your Junk Journal?

  1. Document Travel Memories: Maps are a great way to capture the essence of a trip. By adding a map to your junk journal, you can document where you've been, where you want to go, or even a favorite place that holds special memories. This helps to evoke a sense of wanderlust and excitement every time you revisit your journal.

  2. Add Texture and Color: Maps often feature vibrant colors, intricate details, and different textures that can enhance the aesthetic of your pages. The unique look of a map can add depth to your journal, helping to create a visually rich and layered experience.

  3. Create Interactive Pages: Maps can make your junk journal more interactive. You can use the map as a fold-out or interactive element where readers can unfold sections to reveal hidden stories, images, or journaling prompts. It’s a great way to surprise yourself or your readers with hidden layers.

  4. Inspire New Adventures: A map can serve as a reminder of the places you’ve been and inspire you to plan your next adventure. Adding a quote or journaling about future travel dreams can make the map not just a piece of decoration, but also an invitation for future exploration.

Creative Ways to Use Map Pages in Your Junk Journal

  1. Create a Travel Collage: Cut out sections of a map and arrange them in a collage-style layout. You can layer multiple maps, leaving some parts visible while covering others, and adding photographs or travel-related ephemera. This gives your journal a scrapbook-like feel, blending the map with personal memories.

  2. Mark Locations of Memories: If you have a map of a city, country, or even a neighborhood, highlight or circle the places that are significant to you. These could be locations you’ve visited on a memorable trip, places that have special meaning, or dream destinations you hope to visit. You can add journaling around these marked areas to tell stories of why those places are important.

  3. Add a Map as a Background: Use a map as a background layer for your journal pages. The map can provide a base for your writing, photographs, or other decorative elements. Consider adding a faded effect by lightly distressing the map with tea or coffee staining, or leave it as-is for a crisp, bold look.

  4. Journal a Travel Story: Attach a map to a page and use it as a foundation for storytelling. For example, you can write about your last vacation, your dream trip, or the journey you took that changed your life. You can journal directly on the map or on a piece of paper placed over it, telling the story of what happened in each location or how a particular place shaped you.

  5. Use Maps for Interactive Elements: Create a flip-out or fold-out page that reveals a map inside. You could fold a large map into a small booklet or attach it with washi tape to allow for easy opening and closing. When you flip it open, you might find a hidden travel memory, a ticket stub, or a favorite travel quote tucked inside.

  6. Travel Planning Pages: Use maps to plan your next adventure. Cut out sections of the map to highlight areas of interest. You can add a checklist of things to do in that area or write out your ideal travel itinerary. You can also draw travel routes or mark out places you’d love to visit.

  7. Create a "Road Trip" Theme: Use road maps or highway maps to design a themed spread around the idea of a road trip. You can draw lines connecting various stops, adding photos or notes about each location. Use travel-themed embellishments like car stickers, suitcases, or little road signs to decorate the page.

  8. Incorporate Travel Mementos: If you’ve traveled to a particular place, combine the map with related mementos such as tickets, receipts, postcards, or even pieces of fabric from your journey. This will create a more tactile experience for your journal, reminding you of the sights, sounds, and feelings from the trip.

  9. Mark Your Dreams and Goals: If you don’t have an actual travel map on hand, use a map of your home country, your state, or a world map as a metaphorical representation of your dreams. Highlight places you’d like to visit one day, or draw lines and circles to connect locations that have meaning in your life. This is a great way to track goals, future travels, or places that inspire you.

Materials and Techniques for Incorporating Map Pages

  1. Types of Maps: You don’t have to limit yourself to just road maps. You can use topographic maps, vintage maps, tourist maps, or even maps from old atlases. Each type brings a different aesthetic and feel to your journal. For example, an old-fashioned map might evoke a sense of history, while a modern city map could be sleek and contemporary.

  2. Tea Staining or Coffee Dying: To give a map an aged look, you can soak or spray it with tea or coffee. This gives the paper a vintage, distressed appearance that fits well with a shabby chic, vintage, or rustic theme in your journal. Be sure to dry it thoroughly before adding it to your journal to avoid any issues with ink smearing.

  3. Using Map Sections: Don’t feel like you have to use an entire map on one page. You can cut out interesting sections and use them in small portions on multiple pages. For example, a piece of a map with a route or street name can be cut out and placed as a background for a photo or journaling card.

  4. Gluing vs. Sewing: You can either glue down the map sections with a glue stick, mod podge, or double-sided tape, or you can stitch them into place using a sewing machine or needle and thread. The sewing will give your journal a more handmade, rustic look and add some tactile texture.

  5. Add Color with Washi Tape: To highlight specific areas or to add borders, you can use washi tape in fun colors or travel-themed designs. Washi tape is an excellent tool for adding pops of color to a map without overwhelming it, and it can also help you attach small items like tickets, photos, or journaling cards.

To Wrap Up

Using maps in your junk journal is a creative way to preserve and celebrate your love for travel, adventure, and discovery. It encourages you to think about the places that have impacted your life, the memories that are tied to specific locations, and your future travel dreams. Plus, the physical act of cutting, folding, and distressing maps brings an interactive, tactile element to your journal, making it more meaningful.

Maps don’t just tell a story of geography—they also tell a story of your journey through life. Whether you're reflecting on past travels, documenting your present adventures, or dreaming about future trips, incorporating maps into your junk journal adds a beautiful, meaningful touch.

To start your junk journal adventure head here!


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