5 Creative Ways to Display Your Vacation Photos

Have you ever taken a bunch of photos on vacation and then wondered how to display them in a way that didn’t involve a smartphone? (Besides the ones you post on Instagram, of course.) As it turns out, there are a lot of fun, tangible ways to show off your images—whether you’re as crafty as they come or you prefer a project that you can customize and order online. Here are five favorites for crafting a creative photo display.

Make them into playing cards

Shuffle your memories by adhering printed pictures to playing cards.

There are 52 cards in a deck, so you’ll need several images. (Repeat a few images just in case you play with card sharks who will remember that your selfie at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. is the ace of clubs.) Pick up some matte photo paper, and print the images in 2.5-by-3.5-inch size. Once they’re printed, carefully cut out each image and glue the image to the back of a playing card with scrapbook adhesive, trimming any excess edges. Looking for a shortcut? Upload your images to Shutterfly for a personalized deck.

Order an easel calendar for your desk

Make a simple keepsake album with just a few quick taps in the Chatbooks app.

Workdays are better when you’re surrounded by things you love. Upload some fun photos on Shutterfly and create this beautiful easel calendar, which includes a dozen 5-by-7-inch cards and a bamboo stand.

Arrange them into a photo book

Photo books are easy to make, and Chatbooks further simplifies the process by letting you create the books from photos already stored on your phone or those you’ve posted to Instagram. Even better, the books start at just $8, so you can create a whole shelf’s worth on the cheap.

Create drink coasters

Who wouldn’t love a coaster decorated with pictures of your favorite people and places? For this project, you’ll need several square ceramic tiles; you can find them for less than a dollar at a big-box hardware store. You’ll also want to print your photos as squares. Social Print Studio can do this for you, and it can grab photos right from your Instagram account. Pick up a jar of Mod Podge at your local craft store, and use it to adhere each photo to a tile. When it dries, coat the top of the photo with Mod Podge until it’s smooth, waiting for each coat to dry before adding another. Finally, attach tiny felt pads to the back corners of the tiles to protect your tabletop. Now, who wants a drink?

Display them in photo boxes

If you have a lot of photos from one specific trip or event (say, the two weeks you spent on the beach in San Diego last summer), organize them into colorful photo boxes that can be displayed on bookshelves. Buy wooden boxes and small jars of paint in colors that compliment your home. Use stencils or vinyl decals to write the name of each locale on the spine of the box, then fill them with photos and stack them on the shelves alongside your books, frames and other knick-knacks. You can also use the boxes to house keepsakes from your travels, such as seashells or ticket stubs.