Steps:
1. Ordered the maps of where we got engaged in Ravello, Italy; where we got married in Ferndale/Bellingham, Washington; and where we live now in Huntington Beach, California. I bet you could print them from site online and they would turn out great too.
2. Ordered 5x7 pics of engagement, wedding, and a recent family pic from Snapfish.
3. Picked out a pretty piece of wood that cost $16 at Home Depot and went to their "Cutting Center" and had the nice man cut all my wood into 5x7 pieces. I picked small because of the size of the shelves I needed them for but I know that the big 12x12 would look awesome too. That and the gray spray paint I bought cost $23 dollars and I got ~16 pieces of wood in 5x7 cuts.
4. With my assistant Jackson we spray painted the 6 boards outside. Make sure to spray the sides too. We waited a day and then flipped and sprayed the other side. On my next batch for my bestie I only waited an hour and then painted the other side and it worked just perfect too.
5. I made a little template of a heart and centered the cities in the middle of the heart on the maps and cut them out.
5. When the boards were dry (enough) we started the fun part. We used Modge Podge (got it at Michaels or Jo Ann Fabrics) and a sponge brush to cover the pretty side of the wood (one side was kinda rough from the cuts). Make sure to brush from side to side so it looks pretty. Cover the back of the picture and map with modge podge too.
6. I laid the picture on the board and made sure (or tried to) the bubbles were out. Then I brushed a layer of modge podge over the top for a nice glossy finish.
7. Let them dry about an hour (don't touch the maps..I did and a little piece got stuck to my finger and came off) and display. So easy, fun, and personal.
*If I didn't explain the process very clear this site is where I found the idea and followed their steps: http://www.mommymodelsblog.com/?p=2051
LOVE these! I bought something similar for Mark last year for Valentine's, it's two map hearts-one with a map of Seattle, one of London that overlap and are framed that I bought off of our version of Etsy called Notonthehighstreet.com. You could seriously sell these a la Etsy for good money! So which bestie is lucky enough to get the 2nd set?? x
ReplyDeleteOf course it's Detty Jen! I made her the maps of Bellevue, Pullman, and Marina Del Rey/LA. I miss you. Ravello is of course important to me but more important to YOU. I love that this city is memorable to the both of us. I love you!
ReplyDeleteSuper cute idea!! Thanks for shariing!
ReplyDeleteThese look great! I've been wanting to do something very similar, however I've been having trouble figuring out where to find maps. Can I ask where you were able to order your maps? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMary
it is a lovely thing to do this holidays to do. thanks a lot. xo
ReplyDelete~ Herman Swan
Where did you get the shelves?! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. The shelves were built in and I bought the maps of Amazon...I bet you could print them from Google images too though for free. :)
ReplyDeleteDid the wood pieces stand up by themselves or did you have to put something behind them to prop them up?
ReplyDeleteFor the maps, did you paint the background black? painted my backside periwinkle or a light grey, I'm afraid if I just put a map cut out on the wood-it would blend in with the background. I thought about using a two-layer system for the heart around the map..or painting it black. Any suggestions?
ReplyDelete