Show some love to your state- DIY art

I have seen some cool "state art" out on Pinterest....a silhouette of a state with a sweet little heart on where you live in the state. My inspiration was from this etsy shop.  I decided to try to make one myself. I used my Silhouette to create mine but it could be done just as easily by hand!

What I made:

What you need to make it:

• Paper/Cardstock- 3 different colors (1 for background, 1 for the state, and 1 for the heart)
• Glue stick
• Either a print out of your state to trace and cut OR a cutting machine (Silhouette, Cricut, etc.) with your state's image as a design
• Frame (mine is an 8x10)

HOW you make it:
My instructions show how I used my Silhouette to make it but if I did not have my Silhouette, I would've printed an image out of my state, traced it onto my white paper, and cut it out. I would've done the same for my heart and then glued the two cutouts onto my paper and framed it. It is really the same thing I am going to show you with my Silhouette but it would take a little longer by hand.

First, I downloaded an image of North Carolina....

I then ungrouped it and erased the star and the text...

Then I started up the Silhouette and it cut it soo quickly for me...

Then I did the same thing for me heart. The Silhouette had a freebie heart that I grabbed...

Ungrouped it and erased the lines and the star and resized it...

Then I sent it to cut...

I then cut my gray background paper to fit my 8X10 frame...

Then I laid out the elements to see how they look together...

In hindsight, I should've made the state a little smaller so that the gray paper framed the ends a little better but I am happy with it... So I glued it all down with my trusty glue stick (gluing the heart over our location)...

I then stuck it in a frame I had lying around...

Wasn't that so quick and easy?! I think these would make great gifts too! I think it would be cute to put the heart where you and your spouse met with little marks over your hometowns. I am pretty happy with it!

One of the things I love about Pinterest is that it exposes you to so many great things out there and inspires me to recreate them myself instead of paying someone else to do it for me! When you see something you like, try thinking about how you can make it, it isn't always that complicated to gather the resources and make it happen!

Note- After making this lovely little art piece, I found another tutorial of a DIY version of this same concept- please check it out at Lolly Jane Boutique- they have a precious example of using two states to show where a husband and wife originated, as well as some links to sites that make this art for you!