Travel Inspired Marquee Symbols
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Display your recent travels in your home with these travel marquee symbols!
When Chris and I first started dating, we would end a conversation or an email with,“I less than three (<3) you!”. I loved it because it was our little thing, and being the math nerd that Chris is he just thought it was funny and clever. Even after we finally said “I love you” to each other, we never fully retired the less than three phrase. It was just too cute to us. So when I won a blog contest a while back and was able to pick any wooden letter or symbol that I wanted, I knew I just had to have the wooden less than three that was advertised. It was too perfect.
The wood sat in our house for about a year (maybe more?). I just had no idea what I wanted to do with it, but I knew I didn’t want to drill holes and put lights in it like everyone else did. I wanted something different, and then I came up with these travel marquee symbols.
Originally I wanted to paint them blue to match my stenciled beach pillows in the master bedroom, but ultimately decided against it because I liked the thought of a neutral grey against the blues, greens, and oranges of the maps. Staining the wood neutral also meant that I could move it around the house later on if I wanted and not have to sand and repaint to match a new color scheme.
As soon as I put the first bit of stain on the wood I knew I choose the right color. The grey was nice and rich, and would match the curtains in the bedroom perfectly! After staining the shelf in our guest bath, I had learned a few things so I was ready to go with this project. This time I used an old cotton t-shirt to apply the stain, and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. Oh…and I remembered to stir the stain beforehand this time. HUGE difference!
Before starting on the stain I had traced the wood on an Atlas I bought from Barnes and Noble and cut out the shapes. My idea was to use matte mod podge to attach them to the inside of the less than sign and the three. I used an exacto knife to cut out any excess paper on the sides and then used a moderate amount of glue to attach the map to the wood. I also put a layer on top of the map to seal it.
I let it dry for about an hour before I took it upstairs to hang on the wall in our bedroom. It makes a great focal point for a rather large and empty wall, so I am really loving it. I’d like to eventually add some colorful accent pieces around it to bring more color to an otherwise white wall.
I’m OBSESSED with maps! I love what you did with these symbols. I totally remember the days of saying “I less than 3 you” 🙂 I can see this being a great tutorial for a lot of projects! Definitely sharing 🙂
Thank you, Madison! I’m obsessed with maps too! There are so many great map projects out there!
I love them! Too cool…Thanks for sharing at the Twirl & Take a Bow Party. I’m pinning to our Party Board.
Thank you so much, Leslie!
Absolutely love this!!!! Such a clever idea–sharing!!!
Thank you so much, Elizabeth!
Stopping by from Twirl & Take a Bow link party. I’m starting another gallery wall in my house and this would be perfect. You always make things look so simple to make. Thanks for sharing! Pinning 🙂
Thank you so much, Melinda! It’s so great to hear that I make it look easy. 🙂
Love this, it’s gorgeous! What a beautiful reminder you have, you did an awesome job of making it look unique. Love that it’s really big too. Came across your blog through the Jack of All Trades link up I’ve recently joined and will be following your blog with interest! Have a great week 🙂
Thank you so much, Cheryn! I am so glad you stopped by and are now a follower. I’m looking forward getting to know you!
I <3 it!! My husband and I use the <3 all the time as our "thing" too. We had it on our wedding invitations with an "N <3 S" between two robots. I'm pretty sure I had to explain it to everyone over the age of 30 and even some people younger than us. So many funny emails from my parents' friends. I picked up several maps while my husband and I were in Italy last summer and have been looking for something to do with them. This has totally inspired me!
I love that you had it on your wedding invitations! That is such a great idea! I’ve had to explain it to people as well. haha I’m glad this inspired you! I’ll have to check back to see what you do with your maps from Italy!
What a cute idea! And I do love maps and the looks of them. thanks for sharing this idea. Visiting from SITS Girls. Have a great day!
Thank you so much, Diann!
Really love what you did with the less than three symbol. Way cool!
Thank you so much, Tanika!