DIY Canvas Map Wall Art

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Join me in welcoming my friend Amanda from The Kolb Corner today as she shares her DIY Canvas Map Wall Art project with us.

Hello! I’m Amanda, and I blog over at The Kolb Corner, where I share all things related to the home from DIY projects and seasonal crafts, to yummy recipes, meal plans and even decorating tips. My husband and I try to stick to a budget when it comes to keeping our home, so everything I make and share focuses on frugality. I was so excited when Shirley asked me to write a guest post for her! I have “known” Shirley for a few years now, as a fellow blogger.  She wanted to introduce her readers (you!) to a new way of crafting by having me share a project I made with my Silhouette Cameo.

When Shirley mentioned doing a project with the Cameo, the wheels in my head immediately started spinning. I came up with several projects I could share, and after a little bit of consideration I narrowed it down to this customizable DIY Canvas Map Wall Art. I am currently working my way through a mini Master Bedroom makeover and needed another piece to fit the gallery wall.

My husband and I have moved several times and have hopefully settled on our permanent spot (Kansas City area). I really wanted to make a piece of art that commemorated all of the places we’ve lived, but still be fun and a little funky. This piece is personal to my husband and I, yet it’s easy enough to change it around to fit your story.

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DIY Canvas Map Wall Art

Items You’ll Need:

• Silhouette Cameo
• Blank canvas (I used an 8″x10″ because that’s the size I needed for the space)
• Oracle 651 vinyl in color of choice
• Paint in color of choice
• paint brush
• transfer tape (optional but helpful)
• weeding tools (optional but helpful! tweezers work in a pinch)

Start by downloading this cut file of the U.S. (minus Hawaii and Alaska).

If you are wanting the canvas to be painted, go ahead and paint it now so that it can be drying while you design the map art.

Next open up the Silhouette Design Studio, and import the cut file from wherever you downloaded it to. Set the cut dimensions to the size you will be cutting at.

Next, type out each word you want to go into the map. I chose the cities we’ve lived in, but you could choose any words really as long as they tell your story. Some ideas might be where you met, where you were engaged, where you were married etc. Find the font(s) you want to use for each word. I liked the idea of using several fonts to really make it pop. Keep in mind when you are choosing fonts, to keep the fonts thick or bubbly. You don’t want to choose something very light, or one that has a lot of thin strokes. When you peel up the vinyl those thin areas are more likely to rip or stretch out and that will make your map canvas art look skewed.

Arrange the words how you want them to look. For mine I took it one step further and even manipulated individual letters using the modify tab and detach lines.

Now that everything is arranged they way you want, it’s time to cut it out! Make sure you do a test cut first to make sure all of the settings are correct.

Once the design is cut onto the vinyl, remove it from the cutting mat with the backing in place. Then weed out the vinyl that won’t be going onto the painted canvas. This will be the large areas surrounding the map (shown in picture above), and then each letter inside the map.

When everything is weeded out correctly, cut a piece of transfer tape the same size as the map. Peel the backing off and place the tape sticky side down onto the vinyl. The transfer tape will pick up the vinyl design in place so that it stays together. This is especially helpful for all of the little pieces, like the inside of the O’s and A’s. You can use painter’s tape or washi tape as well.

Peel the backing off of the vinyl carefully–the vinyl should stick to the transfer tape. Transfer the vinyl and tape over to the canvas, which should now be dry. Arrange the vinyl how you want it on the canvas, then press it down firmly being sure to smooth out any bubbles. A credit card or other similar flat plastic works great for this.

CAREFULLY peel the transfer tape up, being sure the vinyl sticks down to the canvas. It may be a slow process, but once you have the transfer tape peeled up you will be so happy with your new DIY Canvas Map Wall art.

One last step that isn’t a requirement would be to use a sealer over the canvas. I chose not to seal mine, but you could use an acrylic sealer like this one over top just to make sure the vinyl stays put. I like using Oracle 651 vinyl because it really sticks to whatever surface you are using.

This DIY Canvas Map Wall Art was the perfect addition to my gallery wall and helped to fill the one last space I needed! Plus the colors are perfect for our room, but they still make the art stand out. What do you think??

If you are looking for more Silhouette projects, be sure to check out my Silhouette Crafts page for more inspiration.

Please be sure to visit Amanda at The Kolb Corner and see the completed gallery wall project here.

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