Fatima and I started a tradition of making these DIY map ornaments from the places we visited. Since starting this project, we’ve grown quite a collection! Our latest ornament takes us across the pond. Here’s the story behind our London Map Ornament.
In January, we traveled to London. We were there on business and only had 48 hours for sight-seeing. We woke up early, put on our sneakers and hit the sidewalks. We wanted to see everything we could in the time we had.
We walked everywhere. Our morning started with a visit to Kings Cross Station. We wanted to see Platform 9 3/4! It was just as magical as you could imagine.
We hopped back on the tube and zipped down to Westminster to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. We walked across the bridge to see the London Eye.
DIY London Map Ornament
Supplies
- Glass ornaments
- Paint Brush
- Mod Podge
- Maps from your favorite places
Directions
- Look at your maps and find areas that you want to cut out.
- Cut out circular pieces of the areas you want on your ornament.
- Brush Mod Podge on the back of a piece you cut out.
- Place on the glass ornament and press down so it adheres to the ornament. Some pieces will crinkle and fold over – this is ok. The ornament is a sphere, this will happen.
- Repeat steps 3 & 4 until your ornament is complete.
- Once the ornament is dry, apply a thin coat of mod podge on the outside of the ornament to seal it up.
Our next stop was Tower Bridge. Like most tourists in London (or just us?) we thought it was called London Bridge. We followed the signs for London Bridge. However, it led to an underwhelming version of the bridge we thought we were trying to find. So, we kept walking along the river until we saw it, Tower Bridge.
We walked across Tower Bridge and through the Tower of London. Eventually, we made our way to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We stopped by Buckingham Palace on our way back to Mayfair. Before we knew it, it was 7:00pm. We headed to Soho for dinner. The next day we walked through Kensington Gardens before leaving for our flight.
Although it was a quick trip, we squeezed in so many sights, pubs, and steps. To remember this whirlwind trip, I made this ornament from the map that got us around London!
