Another Take on Map Art

Not long ago, I pinned this creative craft, and thought it was super adorable.  And one day, I might replicate it for our home, but I recently used it as the inspiration for a gift for my younger sister. 

My younger sister is currently living in her own apartment in Chicago, which means she can (and does) decorate it however she pleases, and she's got a fun, somewhat chic-wanderlust decor style.  When I stumbled upon a piece of scrapbook paper that had a vintage style map on it, I had an idea of a keepsake gift for her.  You see, we were raised in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN, and she went to college in Iowa City, and chose Chicago as the city to live out her fabulous 20s (and believe me, they have been fabulous!).

   
I went about making a plaque with the map paper, and I used the techniques I employed in my Coaster post.  I knew I wanted to showcase this a little differently, so I collected a few other items - frame, foam brushes, Mod Podge, Dimensional Magic and Scotch Foam Mounting Squares.

I had to let the Dimensional Magic dry overnight.  This is difficult for me, since I hate waiting to move on to the next step of a project.

To create the pretty background for the map tile, I cut out a piece of cardboard, using the glass from the frame as my guide.  Then I basically took the same steps I had to cover the tile in scrapbook paper.  Cut out the corners to reduce bulk, fold over and go crazy with the Mod Podge.

Once dry and secure, I applied the Scotch Foam Mounting Squares to the back of the map tile.

Did my best to center the tile, and stuck it to the background. 

I thought I had done a pretty good job so far.  Turns out, I had cut my background board a little too large, and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to fit it in the frame.  Again, measure twice, cut once!  Will I ever learn?

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and she seemed to really like it when I gave it to her over Easter.