It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in November! I picked up a stack of old maps at an estate sale over a year ago, without an idea of what I was going to do with them. I loved that the maps were of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
I’ve seen Christmas trees with old books and always loved the look, so I figured I would give it a try with the maps instead.
Of course, I had to select a red map and a green map, although I’m not sure you’d really even notice since the colors are fairly muted.
I folded the pieces in half, layered a few pages on top of on another, and cut out triangles. Then, I unfolded them and sewed a wide stitch down the middle of the tree.
You could easily stop at this point, fan the pages out, and call it perfect, but I decided to add a honeycomb effect to the trees. To do this, you glue two pages together, move down a bit, glue alternating pages together, move down a bit, and then glue the first two pages together again. If you’re using craft glue like me, you probably want to find some clothespins to hold the pages in place. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck waiting for glue to dry.
I added glitter to the edges of one tree, but kept the other one as is. I actually can’t decide which one I prefer.
Want more ideas of how to decorate for the holidays using items you already have? Click on the image below.
Click on the icon below to view all the posts in this series!
Like what you see? I’d love for you to follow along!
Facebook || Pinterest || Instagram || Google + || Bloglovin’
Or, enter your email to have posts delivered to your inbox every Friday morning:
[mc4wp_form]
Linking up with these awesome parties!
Pink When | DIY Show Off | Making it in the Mountains | Refresh Restyle | Huckleberry Love | Finding Silver Pennies | Dwelling in Happiness | The Crowned Goat | 2 Bees in a Pod | Cedar Hill Farmhouse | My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia | Kammy’s Korner | Home Stories A to Z | Just a Girl & Her Blog | The DIY Dreamer | Saavy Southern Style | Dandelion Patina | Gingersnap Crafts | Knick of Time | Posed Perfection | Live Laugh Rowe | Canary Street Crafts | Addison Meadows Lane | Blue i Style | Craftberry Bush | Miss Mustard Seed | The Girl Creative | Little Miss Celebration | Redoux Interiors | Sew a Fine Seam | Craftaholics Anonymous | Dagmar’s Home | Tatertots & Jello | Funky Junk Interiors | House of Hipsters | Confessions of a Serial DIYer | Not Just a Housewife | Remodelaholic | Thrifty Decor Chick | C’mon Get Crafty | Oh My Creative | Our House Now a Home | Natasha in Oz
Join the Refresh Living DIY & Upcycling Community
Join the subscriber list to receive one email per week with updates from the blog. PLUS, you'll gain access to my printables and graphics library. Every new design I create will be added here, and you'll have free access - forever!
So cute! I love decorating with maps, and this is a great twist for the holidays. Pinning!
Thanks so much for sharing, Vineta!
Oh they look so beautiful ! I love the idea of using those old maps! And the way you folded them into trees is so pretty! I could see those in my living room!!!
Thanks, Katrin! They were super easy to make to, plus the possibilities are endless as to what types of paper you can use!
In Love… with those trees, There are absolutely adorable. Maria
🙂 Thanks, Maria!
Jenny, these are way cute! I like them with and without glitter. Hard to decide! I ,love the vintage look of the maps, and it would be fun to experiment with different paper patterns. Thanks for sharing!
Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Thanks so much, Shonee! Glad to hear I’m not the only one who can’t make up their mind about them.
My guestroom is decorated with a travel theme so this would be perfect for Christmas! I am pinning!
What a great idea to use with a travel theme. Thanks for pinning!
Wow, those map trees are super cute. I love how you followed through with the honeycomb effect, too. I’d like to give it a try, myself.
Oh I love them! SO unique! It was fate that you picked up those maps 🙂 Also I randomly noticed the name “Addison” on one of them, that’s my daughter’s name…yay! Thanks for sharing at Welcome Home Wednesday!
Isn’t it so fun to look at the names and details? I love the name Addison!
How many sections of map did you use to cut? I love this..Might make up a few also