DIY State Map Art

Elyria may not be the most glamorous town, but it’s where I grew up. It’s where I met my husband and it’s where we fell in love. I thought it deserved a little bit of recognition in our home.

SUPPLIES:

• printer & cardstock or an old map if you have one on hand
• needle & embroidery thread
• cardboard
• paint
• scissors
• mod podge & brush
• painters tape
• pen & paper

1. acquire a map [I printed onto some cardstock, but you could use an old road map or atlas] // 2. choose your wording/font etc. and print that out // 3. & 4. cut the words out and tape them onto the map using painters tape

1. & 2. use a needle to poke holes over the wording // 3. draw a heart and tape it over your city of choice // 4. use the needle again to poke holes around the outline of the heart // 5. & 6. use embroidery thread to stitch through the holes

1. cut out the map // 2. paint the cardboard backing // 3. glue the map onto the cardboard // 4. cut out the map allowing a 1” (approx.) border of cardboard // 5. paint the edges // 6. finished! – now you can paint the back or cover it with paper or you can just hand it on the wall

I propped mine up on our movie shelf, but I think I might make a stanchion for it sometime. I also kind of regret using pink thread for the heart. It’s kind of hard to see from far away. Maybe I’ll color it with a marker or try filling in the heart with more thread? What do you think?