Vintage Map Ornament

I can’t believe it’s the 10th and final day in the 10 Days of Merry series…  Where did the time go?  Well, I hope you were inspired and found a little extra ‘merry’ along the way.   I’m sure you’ve seen several of the plain glass and/or plastic ornaments and all of the fabulous ways you can transform them into something that’s sure to wow your friends and family.  Today I thought I would share a vintage map ornament using one of those simple plain plastic ornaments.

A few weeks ago I was in downtown St. Charles assisting my sister with a photo shoot.   As we were heading out, we happened to see an antique shop setting up items outside in a garage.  We decided to swing by.  I found a few pieces that were ‘must haves.’  One of them was an old State Farm Vintage Map.  Of course my creative wheels started spinning…  how fantastic would that be for an ornament?  I have been buying the glass/acrylic ornaments forever, but haven’t put them to use (shame-shame).

Now, here’s why I had the thought.  Before my husband and I even met, he had quit his job and traveled for 13 months all around the world.  Nice, huh?  Not too many people can do that, so I think of him as a world traveler, literally.  While this map wasn’t international, a map represents cities, sites — and travel.  I couldn’t wait to make it and show my husband.  Of course he loved it too!

One of our trees is the ‘sentimental’ tree.  It’s filled with some of our childhood gifts and crafts, ornaments from our travels together and items that represent a piece of who we are. This ornament represents a time in my husbands life where he was able to explore the world.  In my mind, ornaments are memories hanging on a tree.  Wouldn’t you agree?

This tutorial is very basic and simple, but let’s take a quick look.

Supplies for Vintage Map Ornament:
Map
Scissors
Glass or Plastic Ornaments
Ribbon or Twine for hanging

Once you have your supplies, let’s get started.

You’ll start to cut strips, thick or thin, about 6″ in length and curl them with your scissors.

Remove the ornament cap and tighten the curled map enough so that you can insert into your ornament.

Continue doing this until you’re happy with the number of map curls.  You might fill your ornament half way or all the way, use your creative discretion.  There you have it — a vintage map ornament!

Of course you don’t have to use a vintage map either, but I have a {love} for all things vintage/rustic.  And just for fun, I had to share this idea too…  Office Supply lovers rejoice!  An ornament that is office themed?  As an office supply lover, “Yes, please!!”

I hope you’ve enjoyed the inspiration shared over the past 10 days… there’s plenty more to come, just not a solid ten days in a row {hee-hee}.  I need to get my butt in gear and start shopping, wrapping — and baking {ahem}.  So, I’ll see you soon!

Be sure to catch up on the 10 Days of Merry…. you won’t be disappointed!

Sharing here: Between Naps on the Front Porch
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