A few months back during Hurricane Sandy, we were cooped up for a few days in our little apartment. We were some of the (very) lucky ones who didn’t lose power, (or our home for that matter). So because we couldn’t do anything, we just sat around, cooked meals, read, and crafted. (Le sigh.) 🙂 Sean definitely had the best craft of the storm with his Great Lakes topographic map.
I originally saw this map on Fab and showed it to Sean. Until Sean was 6, he lived on the North Shore of Chicago, so the Great Lakes are really meaningful to him. (This is also the meticulous, tedious kind of project that turns out miserably when I attempt it so I’m quite glad Sean took it on.)
To make the topographic map, you need 5 layers of different colored papers. The first two need to be card stock or poster board. We got ours at this little craft shop nearby. (Why a craft store was open during Hurricane Sandy, I have no idea. Sometimes you just don’t question New York and love it all the more.) You also need an Exacto knife, Mod Podge, and some glue sticks.
To trace the outlines of the lakes, Sean used a few Great Lakes maps from an atlas I bought at a thrift shop on the UWS, but you can just print off outlines online. (Make sure they are the same scale.
Sean traced each lake and then pieced it together.
And then cut the lakes out with an Exacto knife.
Then place your first layer underneath the cut-out lakes.
And trace your next layer.
And cut out again.
Keep repeating this process until you go deeper and deeper into the topography of the lake. Sean also used a teeny bit of Tacky Glue to keep the layers together.
What the back looks like. A mixture of glue and masking tape.
Sean then sealed the whole map with Mod Podge. Make sure you do very thin layers of Mod Podge so that the poster board doesn’t wrinkle with the moisture.
Funny story about the frame we are using– Adele and I actually found this frame sitting on top of trash on one of our morning runs. It was totally broken and disheveled-looking. We bleached+409’ed the heck out of it, glued it back together, Mod Podged a layer of glossy Mod Podge on top to seal anything we didn’t kill with our thorough bleaching, and the frame looks great!
Sean’s Great Lakes art now hangs above our door. It really fits in with the maps and fauna vibe we’ve got going on in the apartment and it was a really great project to work on while cooped inside. 🙂
What a gorgeous map, though I have to say this is the kind of meticulous project I get bored of too! Though looking at your felt ball garland and beaded boots you do have some serious crafting stamina – I always just want to wish the finished article into existence!
It's beautiful, well done.