Not all who wander are lost… but a compass does help in finding your way! Blog contributor Sachiyo Omitsu reminisced about her solo travel days and using a good old-fashioned compass and map, which inspired this compass layout! (Who out there still uses a compass versus your smartphone GPS in this age of electronic wizardry?) Navigate your way to the steps in this blog and try it out today!
Sachiyo’s Inspiration
I used to love solo travel around the world. That may sound like I have a great sense of direction… well, the reality is opposite. I’m terrible with directions. As it was before smartphones, a map and compass were my best friends when visiting a new place. I basically get lost everywhere I go but one of the wonderful things about solo travel is that nobody complains about getting lost. A compass reminds me of gorgeous sunset in Botswana, magnificent view of Cappadocia, spectacular Iguazú Falls and more! Have you ever trekked solo? Did you take a compass with you?

To create this layout you will need:
- Seaside Paper Pack or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia) — Returning September
- Seaside Texture Tone-on-Tone Paper Pack or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia) — Returning September
- Seaside Layered Layered Embellishments or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia) — Returning September
- Seaside Stickers or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
- Charcoal Solid Cardstock or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
- Original Border Maker System with Rope Chain Border Maker Cartridge or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia) — Returning December
- Custom Cutting System with Jumbo Circle & Circle Patterns or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
- 12-inch Trimmer or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
- All-Purpose Scissors or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
- Repositionable Tape Runner or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
- Foam Squares or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)

Step 1: Use any cardstock as the base.
Step 2: Draw vertical and horizontal lines in the middle of the sky blue water ripples texture tonal paper. Cut a circle and a ring using the outside of the Jumbo Circle Pattern with the Blue and Green Blades. Without moving the paper and pattern, cut a ring and circle using the inside of the Jumbo Circle Pattern with the Green and Red Blades.
Place the second-largest Custom Cutting System Circle Pattern in the middle of the circle and cut a ring and circle with the outside edge with the Blue and Green Blades. Flip the pieces (as shown below) from sky blue ripples to ocean blue ripples and add to the base.
Step 3: Cut two pieces of 1″ x 12″ from the cool taupe burlap designer paper. Mark at 1″ and 4-1/4″ as shown below. Cut four triangles from each strip. Flip some pieces (as shown) to make a dynamic compass and add to the page using the pencil marks as the guide.

Step 4: Using the Rope Chain Border Maker Cartridge, punch two borders from the basketweave designer paper and Charcoal Solid Cardstock. Add the charcoal border behind the basketweave border. Add to the page.
Step 5: Adhere stickers and embellishments, using Foam Squares on some for added dimension.
Will you make this compass layout that Sachiyo put together? Give us your insights on this innovative layout in the comments!
Like the compass but the chain border is out of stock.
This is a great layout! I can easily use it for photos of the lighthouses we saw in 2019! Thanks for the inspiration, Sachiyo.
Beautiful design. I believe the compass is a design that can be used in many travel layouts. Thank you, Sachiyo!
I love this layout! Thank you for sharing! Gonna try it right away!
I love this design! This will be the perfect title page for my next vacation album!