This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
A great DIY gift idea is map letters. Â These can be made using hometown maps, state maps, public transportation maps, or maps of your friend’s favorite city. Â I used a South Carolina map for my letter. Â It can be hung on a wall, or sit on a desk/shelf. Â Mine now permanently lives on my desk, a sweet gift to me!
Supplies:
Block Letter
Paper Map
Scissors
Mod Podge
Paintbrush
Tea
1. Â First, I laid down the letter on the huge map and cut out a more manageable square with my favorite parts of the map included.
2. Â I put a tea stain on my map to make something brand new look vintage. Â Boil a pot of tea, crumple the square of map and leave it in there for about 20 minutes.
3. Â Carefully remove the map and lay it out flat to dry overnight.
Usually I use simple cardboard letters from Hobby Lobby to do this, but they were out when I went to grab one. Â So I picked up a more angular one from Michaels on sale for $1. Â There were a lot of curves on this letter, so I wanted to make sure I got all of the edges covered with the map.
4. Â Cut long strips from the edge of the map to put on the insides of the letter.
5. Â Liberally apply the Mod Podge with a paint brush to adhere the strips. Â Make sure you clean up any of the drips before they dry.
6. Â After I covered the inside of the letter, I put Mod Podge on the top of the letter and positioned the map so my favorite cities would be facing out. Â Then, you go around the entire letter folding the map down and attaching it to the letter with the Mod Podge.
7. Â Once all of the black or cardboard of the original letter are covered, put one final coat of Mod Podge over the entire letter to seal it. Â If there are any rips in the map, don’t worry about it, cover it with a small piece of the map and no one will ever know. Â These letters are perfect to go on a gallery wall. Â If you’re more patient than me, you’ll flatten out some of the bumps in the map. Â Personally, I like the character it adds.
Tip: Â Make sure you wash your hands whenever they get too covered in the glue. Â When they’re sticky, they tend to pull off parts of the map while you’re handling it.
See more DIY Christmas.
