Congratulations Are In Order, Part 1: DIY Wedding Gift

This past weekend my big little guy was in a wedding. I love weddings so I was very excited. The four of us (and all the bags) piled in the Tahoe for the road trip. It was quite the adventure, but it was worth every minute.

Back to what you came here for the DIY project.

One night while searching Pinterest, I found this really cool print:

Bourbon & Boots - $109

I thought it would be a great gift for a couple.  I even thought it would be for my bedroom (I'm seriously considering making one for us).  So, when I was thinking of the perfect gift for this wedding, my mind immediately went back to this idea.

I thought about how I could make this idea my own.  I came up with this:

My Version

I took this before I decided to add the year they were married to the center top.

Here's what I used:

• Frame & Mat:  I was prepared to make my own mat, but I found a frame that included the perfect mat  for 3 5" by 7" prints at Ross.
• Map: You can buy an atlas or map.  OR You can do like me.  I used Google maps to find where the bride & groom grew up and where the live now. I printed each on 8.5" by 11" sheet of white paper.
• Background Paper: I used 2 8.5" by 11" sheets of black cardstock.
• Scissors or Rotary Cutter
• Glue Stick
• Letters & Numbers: I used Thickers by American Crafts from Hobby Lobby.

Here's what I did:

1. Create Silhouettes: I found side profile silhouettes of a male and female using Google search.  I copied them into a blank PowerPoint presentation and resized them to a 4" width. Here is a template you can use. I printed and cut each of them out. I traced each of them onto the appropriate map. Then, cut them out. (Those of you with silhouettes can eliminate some of these steps. I think I need to get one of those. Maybe I can convince the hubby to buy me one for Christmas.)
2. Create Background: I used the original frame background to cut two sheets of black 8.5" by 11" cardstock.  You can use any type of paper you'd like.  
3. Attach Silhouettes to Background: I used the mat as a spacing guide. Then, glued the silhouettes to the background with a glue stick.  Let it dry.
4. Insert in Frame:  I turned the frame over (front of frame facing down).  I laid the mat face down inside the frame. Then, I laid the background with attached silhouettes face down and added the frame back.
5. Customize: To add a special touch, I added their last name and the year they were married.  It was really easy, the letters were peel and stick.  The adhesive seemed strong enough so I didn't add any extra glue.  
6. Clean:  I cleaned the frame glass with rubbing alcohol.  (It's great for streak proof glass cleaning.  Check here for some additional uses for rubbing alcohol.)

After 25 minutes, I had a customized gift.  I think it turned out really cute.  What do you think?