USA magnets

Hubby loves maps, history, and all that stuff so I knew he would love this as a gift. It is a puzzle made out of a map of the United States with magnets attached to the back of each piece. Great for hubby and great as a teaching tool later for my little girl.

Here's how I pulled it all together for less than $8. I started with a poster map I bought for less than $2 at a local teacher/homeschool supply store. I don't have a picture of the poster because I had to cut it up before I brought it home in order to keep it a secret from hubby. From there I glued the map in sections onto cardstock I already had on hand using rubber cement. It is best if you cut the map up as little as possible before this step because it makes it a lot easier.

After the glue has dried, cut all the states out. I found that sometimes it was a lot easier using these tiny craft scissors on some of the more "squiggly" states. By the way... if you happen to get tired of cutting and accidentally cut the tail off of Alaska at the very end, it is an easy fix. Simply glue the state onto another piece of cardstock and cut it out again. It will be a little thicker, but not enough to matter.

Next you will laminate your states. I found a genealogy and copy center which has self-service laminating machines at a good price. I chose to use hard lamination which is a bit more expensive but apparently it works better with thicker products. It cost me a little more than a dollar to do this. Next cut out your states leaving a bit of a border.

Add strips of magnets to the back of each and your project is complete! I bought this roll of magnets from Lowes for about $3.50 and had some left over as well.

I think it would be cool to do this same project using family pictures or significant landscapes as well. Oh the possibilities...