diy map journal


my dear friend liz is moving to the deep south for 10 months (the actual deep south, not just 10 minutes below the mason-dixon line), so part of her graduation gift was a journal where she could document the funny/best/worst parts of her time down there. however, i couldn't find any journals i liked, except for this one with a world map on it, since she's quite the world traveler.

but i wanted it to be a reminder of home, so i decided to rehab an ugly journal and make it meaningful!

you need:
a journal
a map/part of a map, possibly of an important place or hometown
hot glue gun (or other adhesive)
scissors





//1// cut the map 2" longer and wider than the journal's cover-to-cover measurement. my map was just a generic AAA map of PA and NJ, so the paper wasn't especially thick--but i don't think it mattered!

//2// place the open journal on the map, and make sure any words/landmarks are where you want them. the word "philadelphia" ended up on the back of the map, but "arcadia university" (where we met!!!) was on the front!

//3// cut out the corners of the extra 2" tabs of each side, like in the picture below:


//4// glue down the back of the journal's 3 tabs, and add a bit of glue to the back of the journal. press each tab and the back of the journal firmly (you can use a ruler/straight edge to smooth out any wrinkles.)


//5// pull the map taut, and put glue on the front cover (but not the 3 tabs yet!). carefully smooth the map onto the front cover as you close the journal. you need to make sure the journal has adequate room to close!

//6// glue the 3 tabs onto the front cover, and feel free to personalize it with a person's name, favorite quote, etc. :)


have you ever done anything with old maps? any suggestions for what else i could make? :)

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