January 20, 2012

$5 DIY Wedding or Anniversary Gift


So my mom's birthday is this month and I wanted to make something really special and unique for her.  After seeing this "Love Map" on Pinterest, I decided to do something similar.  

My wonderful mama was remarried on 7-3-04 and they currently live on a ranch near Waco, TX.  The original idea was to include the cities where the couple met, married, and currently live.  Since my mom and step-dad met and married in Indianapolis, I thought it would be less interesting.  So instead, I decided to include the dates and location of their births.  So my variation shows my step-dad's birthdate and location - Indianapolis, IN; my mom's birthdate and location - Buffalo, NY; and their wedding date and location - Waco, TX.  I quite like the way it turned out :)  Ok, so here's how I did it:

I found this frame at Goodwill for $3


Nice, huh? I saw the potential!  I removed the ugly lovely pictures and the matting and used the cardboard "filler" behind it as my base.  I covered the cardboard with a few pieces of scrapbook paper like this:


Once that was done, I used my Silhouette Cameo to create the states and the dates on adhesive vinyl and stuck it all on there.  If you don't have a Silhouette or a similar die cutting machine, you could easily do this with an exacto or even just a pair of scissors.  

After I had all the pieces on, I decided it needed more of a separation between the colors so I just glued a piece of white yarn between the different colors.  Sorry, I didn't take a picture of this step.  Hey, I'm new at this! :)  Here's the back where you can see the yarn taped to the back


I spray painted the frame with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze.  And ended up with the final product!  



Total cost was about $5 for the frame, spray paint, scrapbook paper, and adhesive vinyl.  Not bad!  I can't wait to send it to my mom in Texas!  I'd love to know what you think or if you create your own, I'd love to see it!  Happy creating, friends!

Melissa

1 comment:

  1. Love my birthday gift! Thanks! You are very crafty and creative!

    ReplyDelete