• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pillar Box Blue

  • Home
  • Denim
  • Maps
  • Valentines
  • Crafts
    • Sweaters
    • Marimekko Crafts and DIY’s
    • Seasonal
  • DIY/Upcycling
    • All Upcycling
    • Ikea Hacks
    • Tin Cans
    • Round Ups
  • Christmas
  • About Me
    • What Is Upcycling What You Need To Know
    • Press & Working With Me
    • Link Ups
    • Privacy Policy
    • DISCLOSURE
    • Contact Me
You are here: Home / Maps / How To Make Unique Repurposed Wood Map Ornaments

How To Make Unique Repurposed Wood Map Ornaments

5th October 2018 by Claire Armstrong 10 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet

Combine Old Road Maps and Scrap Wood To Make Map Ornaments

I couldn’t decide whether these upcycled map ornaments where mountains or trees. I think they can be either depending on which side you put on show.
 
 
The grey roadmap looks more like mountains and the green roadmap side more like trees. Originally, these map ornaments were going to be a Christmas decoration but actually, I think they will look good as a year-round decoration.
 
 
Like with many of my map upcycles these map decorations can be personalised by using maps of places that have meaning for you and your family. I used vintage road maps for this upcycle mainly because I love the colours of them and the way they look.
 
 
No need to just stick with roadmaps, these map ornaments would look great with any vintage map downloaded from the internet. Whether it is a map of European countries or US state maps.
 
 
Vintage map ornaments
 
 
 
This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to see my disclosure policy.
 
 
 

What you need to make upcycled wood map ornaments

  • Scrap chunky bits of wood – I got this wood from my neighbours skip when they were having a loft conversion. You need thick chunky pieces of wood that when cut into triangles they would stand steady upright.
     
    You can make the map ornaments any size you like. I choose to make 3 map ornaments of different sizes ranging from approx 25cm to 18cm in height.
  •  
     
    Scrap wood
     
     
     

  • Old vintage roadmaps – I often pick these up at thrift stores and flea markets for no more than a couple of quid. I also find that elderly relatives often have a stash of vintage roadmaps too, that they will happily part with.
     
    If you are looking for a roadmap of a particular place Ebay is also a good place to try. Or you can just download vintage maps.
  •  
     
    old road maps
     
     
     

  • Mod Podge or other decoupage glue.
  •  

  • Dark wood wax
  •  

  • Pencil, ruler, saw and sandpaper

 
 
 

How To Make Upcycled Wood Map Ornaments

  1. The first thing to do is to mark out a triangle onto the scrap piece of wood using a pencil and ruler. You can make this any size you prefer, just remember it will need to stand up on its own.
  2.  
     
    marking scrap wood
     
     
     

  3. Next using your pencil marks as a guide saw out your triangle from the wood. If you have a jigsaw then brilliant. Unfortunately, I don’t have one. But they were pretty easy to saw by hand. (If a little wonky in places but that just adds the character!)
  4.  
     
    sawing wood triangle
     
     
     

  5. To give the repurposed map ornaments an even more vintage feel cover the sides and ends of the wooden triangles with dark wood wax. No need to cover the faces of the triangles as these will be decoupaged.
  6.  
     
    dark wax staining wood triangle scraps
     
     
     

  7. Next place the wooden triangle face down onto the back of map you are going to use and draw around it. Then cut out the map triangle shape.
  8.  
     
    Marking road map with wood template
     
     
    cutting out roadmap for ornament
     
     
     

  9. Next cover both the face of the wooden triangle and the back of the cut map with Mod Podge. Then stick the map onto the wood, squeezing out air bubbles as you go. I stuck a map on both faces of each wooden triangle.
  10.  
     
    gluing map and block
     
     
    gluing map and block
     
     
     

  11. Finally, to seal and protect the maps apply a coat of Mod Podge over the top of the maps. Don’t worry about it apearing cloudy and white, the Mod Podge will dry clear.

 
 
sealing map ornaments
 
 
As mentioned in the begining, for one side of the map ornaments I used a vintage road map that made the wooden triangles look more like mountains. As below.
 
DIY repurposed scrap wood map ornaments
 
 
 
For the other side I used a gorgeous vintage green roadmap wich makes the map ornaments look more like trees. I will turn them around to this side when putting out my Christmas decorations!
 
 
DIY mountain map ornament
 
 
 
I also used some of the scrap wood from the skip to make my son a fun custom neon sign for his room.
 
 
Also check out all my other fabulous map home decor ideas.
 
 
unique map diy and crafts for the home
 
Check out allfreeholidaycrafts.com for more recycled ornaments.
 

vintage map ornaments

 


 
 
 

Filed Under: christmas, Crafts, Maps Tagged With: map, map christmas, map decoration, map decorations, map ornament, map ornaments, maps, ornament, ornaments, scrap wood

Previous Post: « Easy DIY Dog Accessories From Old Jeans
Next Post: How To Make Unique Pinecone Christmas Crafts »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather

    19th October 2018 at 5:23 pm

    Super cute idea, I love maps!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      19th October 2018 at 8:51 pm

      Me too! Thank you.

      Reply
  2. Cecilia

    15th October 2018 at 5:54 pm

    Great repurpose for scrap wood! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      17th October 2018 at 6:24 am

      Thank you, I love crafting with other people’s rubbish.

      Reply
  3. Ann

    12th October 2018 at 5:27 pm

    What a wonderful way to use up wood scraps and old maps! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJs!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      13th October 2018 at 4:03 pm

      Thank you so much. I just love crafting with maps.

      Reply
  4. Maria

    10th October 2018 at 5:44 pm

    Wow this is another great project with recycle wood! Which I have loads of.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      11th October 2018 at 6:09 am

      Thank you, it is a fun way to make use of the scraps.

      Reply
  5. Debrashoppeno5

    8th October 2018 at 4:18 pm

    This is a cute idea. Actually, I would display it all year long.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      9th October 2018 at 3:59 pm

      Thank you, I think I will too!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow Me

Subscribe to newsletter

Search This Website

Denim feather wall decor

How To Make Denim Feather Wall Decor

Tiled square Boho Moroccan planters

Make Beautiful Moroccan Planters In Under 10 Minutes

9 unique blue jean rug DIY's

How To Make A Blue Jean Rug, 12 Unique Ways

Free printable maps

Wonderful Free Printable Vintage Maps To Download

DIY No Sew Denim Rug

How To Make A Cool Denim Rug Without Sewing

Copyright © 2021 Pillar Box Blue on the Foodie Pro Theme