A Meaningful Map Project for the 4th of July

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This project is very meaningful to my husband and I am is also a wonderful way of saying thank you for the 4th of July!


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~Without further ado here is my project for today~

**But with a bit of explanation.**


I have been feeling really patriotic lately.  Yes, its probably because the 4th of July is nearing, but it is also because my husband (Cal) just finished serving his last of eight years in the army.  I have been trying to think of a way to "commemorate" his time in the military in a meaningful way.  I came up with this re-vamp of a project I did a few months ago.   

This project is a little way for me to say THANK YOU to him for giving up so much to serve the country.


**Okay, so on to the "how I did it" part**

So, I know I have definitely mentioned that adore all things having to do with encyclopedia paper, so my project definitely utilizes my beloved encyclopedia---the Atlas and Index version!

We punched out stars from all of the meaningful places Cal had been throughout his military career.  It was such a special way for me to learn more about each training and "tour" overseas.

I then taped the stars to a piece of vellum I printed a meaningful quote on.

"Land of the Free, Because of the Brave"

Then I tried to pick the perfect background for my project...(encyclopedia paper is most definitely included in this line-up!).

But at the last minute my Cal asked me if I had any of the letters that he had sent me when he was overseas.  And OF COURSE I did.  The letter I ended up using was one of the most special, it was before we were even dating and it talked about the feeling Cal had for me.  Siighhhhh.  Love story for sure!

Sooo special to me.

And don't worry I have many MANY more love letters to save and treasure!

I sewed each star individually right down the middle because I knew I wanted to fold them up a bit when I was done.  And then I sewed the vellum to the letter.

Kind of a fun project and super meaningful to my husband and I.  

What do you think will you be making your own special version of this meaningful project?


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