Carolina on My {Heart}

Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest (click here for link), I decided to create something to brighten my day and that of two lovely Carolina friends.

First, I googled "South Carolina outline image" or something like that and found an outline in the right size. Then, I placed a normal piece of copy paper on my computer screen and traced. It would have been easier to just print it out, yes, but I don't have a printer.

Then, I cut out my home state. All those little islands made it tricky so I probably left out something important.

From there, I just traced my tracing onto a piece of canvas (I used canvas "paper" that's meant for printing pictures on... my lovely mother-in-law gave me some and I loved it so much that I've even purchased more...so fun to paint!)

The painting part is self-explanatory. After I was finished, I covered my work in a coat of Mod Podge to give it a sheen, and finished up with a tiny heart over my hometown. It was an easy way to spend an afternoon, and they made for fun gifts I hope my friends will enjoy! 

Going off the Pinterest idea from earlier though, I traced smaller versions of Washington State and South Carolina onto the inside of a cardboard box and painted those for the frames over the sink in our bathroom.

Technically, there should also be a heart over the West side of the state since that's where Carson is from, but I went with the idea seen here instead and put hearts over where we met (Spokane) and where we married (Beaufort). LOVE how these turned out... and I'm okay if they don't hold up to the humidity of the bathroom since they're just cheap acrylic paint and cardboard!