Personalized Photo Map {for our Paper Anniversary}

[disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.  Any purchases made through these links will not cost you any extra but does help support my blog.  Thank you for stopping by and supporting my crafting habit!]

Edit: Wow!  This post has received so much attention from various blogs, websites and other media platforms that I am tickled and extremely humbled by it all. If you have any questions about making your own map, please feel free to join us on our facebook page and while you are there "like" us for fun updates and easy access to any crafty question you may have.  Let us know what you want to see next!
Edit [again] I'll be completely updating this post in the [near-ish] future with the eastern states and well as some more detail on the 'most asked' questions that I've received from you all! I did want to go ahead and include a link to the map that I recommend for this project. I do NOT recommend going any smaller than 32x50. Other sources that have linked to this project have recommended smaller maps but this is not supported by Cut, Craft, Create an you will not be able to get photos in the smaller states.

Get yours here: 32x50 Rand McNally Antiqued Map

(I have the 'antique' color but it also comes in standard colors).
(aff) 32x50 Rand McNally map

Luckily, I have been saving an amazing craft that I made last June that I can share with you today.

I made this "One Year Anniversary" personalized map for my husband for the "paper" year.

I'm not a great gift giver and my husband isn't big into receiving gifts (it's #5 out of 5 for both of us our our Love Language scale). However, he was speechless (in a good way) when he saw this!

To make it, I completed these simple steps:

1- Purchase a map. I bought this one at Staples (available on Amazon as well).

2- Purchase foam board. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby. You may have to get more than one piece to make it as large as the map. I had to tape a few pieces together & it holds up great!

3- Purchase short ball map pins.

4- Print your pictures. Don't forget that they might need to be different sizes to fill/fit into the state. On mine, Indiana was 4x6 and all the others were 5x7. Measure the states before you print!

To add meaning to your map, match the pictures to the state. For example, the picture in Indiana is from our wedding because we got married in Indiana. Alaska is made from a picture of us on our Alaskan fishing trip. Montana has a picture of us skiing in Montana, etc.

I did not cover every state that we have been to because I wanted the pictures to stand out (we've been to almost every state together... It would be very full!) Use your discretion and make it however you would like.

5- Cut the pictures in the shape of the states. If you are artistic, just go for it. If you're not (like me) copy the shape from the map to some paper or clear plastic and then use a cut-out version of the paper/plastic as a tracing piece on your picture. 

{Don't worry about cutting it exactly like the state- just follow the basic outline so that it isn't too fragile yet still looks like it}

6- Using hot glue, create globs of glue onto the back of the pictures. While it is still hot, press the ball of the pin into it. Remember to place pins in different spots on your picture. The fewer the easier to put into the map, but the more strategically placed the better your picture will lay on the map.

7- Cut the foam board to the exact size of the map. If need be, tape or glue multiple pieces together. I used duct tape because it's strong but won't show through the map paper.

8- Attach the map to the board. Use whatever glue you are comfortable with. Spray adhesive is super strong but gives you little room to re-adjust. If you decide to use a lesser strong glue, the pins will help to hold it down as well.

9- Place your pictures onto the board, pressing the pins gently (and evenly) into the map/board piece.  Don't press all the way down though, so that the picture "jumps" off the map!

Viola! You now have a perfectly personalized map that shares the story of your lives together. Perfect for anniversaries, birthdays, Valentine's Day, Christmas, home decor or just because!  Use the left over pins to mark the other states you have visited.

I came up with this idea because my father-in-law has a map where everyone puts pins in the states they have visited. My husband always wanted to get a map like that and so I planned to surprise him with one. When going through our pictures together, the idea to mix them hit me! Our anniversary was coming up, so I thought it would be the perfect "year one" gift since "paper" is the tradition. FYI, he planted a tree for/with me for my anniversary present. Beautifully perfect.

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann