Oh the Places We’ll Go
As many of you may know the first anniversary gift is supposed to be paper…
I thought through several ideas, from magazines to certificates…even thought about making a monopoly board featuring all the places we’d been as properties (a friend did this & it turned out great!).
In the end however, I kept coming back to a map; III loves maps, so I knew it would be perfect.
With inspiration from My Life and Kids & Thirty Handmade Days
I came up with this:
It’s a gift that will keep on giving, as we expand our vacationing destinations though the next 60+ years of marriage.
The buttons mark all of the places we have been together…I’d considered a world map, but we’ve only been to Mexico as a twosome & so I thought most of the map would look pretty boring :)
Here is the breakdown!
After cutting apart a US map, I traced all of the individual states on different scraps of patterned paper.
Make sure & write the name of the state on the back of each piece (in a way that shows which side is the top), as this will make putting the puzzle back together a little bit easier! I also laid it out as I cut, to make sure the pieces were fitting.
On a 16 x 20 canvas I outlined a border with painters tape & mixed some white & brown paint to give me a soft taupe. Then I whitewashed it a little. Paint. Remove tape.
Using Modge Podge I adhered the states to the canvas. I started with the middle states (Texas & up) to try & center the map on the canvas.
Finally, I covered the final map in another layer of Modge Podge. painted the wooded letters, & attached them with Tacky glue. The same for the buttons…
And that is all she wrote!
Frame or not to frame, that is the question…
I’ll make sure & update it’s final resting place!
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What a fantastic gift! I love how the colors and the significance.
KC
KC @ The Real Thing with the Coake Family recently posted…Potato Filling
I am in the midst of making this. I have all of the pieces cut out. Now I just need to glue it all together. It looks so cute so far! Thank you for the great idea! Also, I used paper that was the same as our wedding colors :)
I am in the midst of making this. I have all of the pieces cut out. Now I just need to glue it all together. It looks so cute so far! Thank you for the great idea! Also, I used paper that was the same as our wedding colors :)
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exporters of home furnishing
I love this!
Where did you find your map? I want to do this project and have a 16 x 20 canvas for it, but I'm having trouble finding an inexpensive, laminated map. Part of my problem is that I live overseas right now and have found a few maps online, but the shipping costs are more expensive than the maps.
This is FABULOUS. I can't imagine the work involved with cutting out 50 individual states! I am super impressed!
I absolutely LOVE what you came up with. And thanks for linking up to me as one of your inspirations.
I will be featuring you on 30days tomorrow! xo, Mique
I featured you on my blog today! Stop by and pick up a featured button : )
http://www.cherishedbliss.com/2011/07/craft-and-tell-no-15.html
I love love love this! Just pinned it.
Amy
oneartmama.blogspot.com
This is adorable! My husbands loves maps and I love DIY…this has definitely been added to my 'crafts to do' list!
Oh my gosh, I'm in LOVE! I'm definitely making one of these! Yours is BEAUTIFUL! I saw you on Modern Wivelyhood today and just had to come over and bookmark your site. Lovely!
I love this! It is so cute and the sweetest anniversary gift. We move around frequently for my husband's job and this would be so awesome to have. I featured this on my Friday 5! Have a fabulous weekend!
http://www.modernwivelyhood.blogspot.com
I have been wanting to do a map canvas for a few months now. I need to stop being lazy. I love your version. It's simple and fabulous.
I'm following your blog now too for a silly/shallow reason (we share the same name. when does that happen?). Though on the blog, I'm just Smallgood.
I love this! I want to make one for my family :)
This turned out really cute! What a fun idea!
Thank you for linking up to {nifty thrifty sunday} last week!
I hope to see more of your creativity this weekend! :)
xoxo,
Vanessa
That is really cute. And sweet. I forget what we did for the 1st anniversary (we try to follow those gift rules) but it was not as cute as this!
This is beautiful! I love your idea!
What a neat idea. I could also see this working as you teach the capitals to our children of each state. Apply a button once they know the capital. Love it!
I would love for you to link up and share this on my mommy solution meme!
http://www.crystalandcomp.com/2011/07/the-mommy-club-share-your-resources-and-solutions/
wow! that's fantastic, and it seems like you put a lot of work into it since every state is a different pattern. what a special way to use the paper gift!
this is darling! looks like a lot of work, so stinkin cute!!
If you'd like to guest post for us and show off this tute, we'd love to have you! (: Kelli & Kristi
lollyjane@gmail.com
so adorable. I would love for you to stop by http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ on Monday to link up your map and any other projects you would like to share.
This is seriously the COOLEST project!! I love it! Thanks for sharing…I may just have to make one now. :)
What a great idea. I'd love to try that. I'll have to find one of those US maps at Goodwill.
i really love this!! i have been wanting to do something like this. so cute!
Love this! It is such a thoughtful gift and I loe the states in different papers. Beautiful, meaningful, and interesting.
This is a GREAT idea! I plan to feature it next week! :)
Amazing! Beautiful! My husband and I keep a framed map with pics from our trips tacked up – you've inspired me to make it more “wall artish”.
This is amazing! I can't believe you traced all the states by hand – I'm crazy impressed and totally want to make one… : )
I love this! On a single, multi destination trip you could tie the buttons together with thread or ribbon!
This is so fabulous – thanks for the great shout out. Yours is much more accurate than mine! :)
Love it!
Anna
http://www.mylifeandkids.com
i want to do this! great idea! thanks for sharing :)
Made By Meech
so neat. thanks for the idea.
This is the coolest project I think I have ever saw on a blog. I love this! Makes me want to make one right now!
Awesome!!
Mandy
http://a37s42.blogspot.com/
OH this is adorable! I love the buttons too.. so cute : ) Thanks for linking up to Craft and Tell!
This is so neat! What a great idea!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
This is Adorable!!! It makes me wish I had more walls. :)
Oh, I love this. I just decorated my son's room with maps and I made sure to have the maps from where we've lived prominently displayed, but I love the idea of having all the locations in one. I should do one for our family's journey. What a neat idea!
I HAVE to make one of these for my hubby… he also loves maps! I found your blog via Sugar Bee Crafts… I am in GA too :)
What a fun idea! I too am a huge map fan and absolutely plan to copy this. :-) Congratulations on your anniversary!
ps. Perhaps a world map would offer more motivation for some international travel? It's too bad the map can't, you know, PAY for such travel . . . le sigh . . .
That's the most awesome way to display your travels. It's Fantastic!
Love this idea! I will be going to copying it right away! Hope it turns out as cute as yours :)
Have a great week.
Britney
http://www.jandmseyecandy.blogspot.com
That's a sweet idea! I love the fact that it will grow and change as you do as a couple. Congratulations on your first anniversary. May you be blessed throughout your enitre marriage. :)
S&R
You did an amazing job. What a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy your week!
LaVonne @ Long Wait For Isabella
What a fantastic idea! I love it!
This is awesome!! I love it a lot- this would work well for a families gift too- showing where each family member has traveled. So cute!
How fun!!! I love fun craft projects that just make you happy and this makes me happy!!!
I especially love the buttons to mark the states. so cute!!!
I am following you now.
ladeedacreations.com
Great idea! Love how it turned out!
I love this! I want to do something like this to put in our travel trailer when we start camping next year!
now that is just super nifty! I'd love to do something like this with my kids. I'd never thought of tracing the puzzle shapes! You're a genius! Thanks, Maria http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com/
This is amazing! I'm totally adding this to my to do list. I might have to go for the world map though since hubby & I met in Italy and traveled around Europe for our honeymoon. Art like this just makes you have special memories every time you see it. Thanks for sharing!
Toni
http://sugartartcrafts.blogspot.com/
This looks amazing! What a sweet and sentimental idea for an anniversary gift! Love it! Thanks so much for sharing with my Pink Hippo Party.. can't wait to see what you share next week!