{chic recycling} Anniversary gift

We love being green at Refreshingly Chic!

Not only do we refinish vintage & antique furniture but we like to think outside the box and find new ways to use tired furniture, or components of old furniture.

We will share our {chic recycling} ideas here & give tutorials on how you can achieve the same look for yourselves!

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Six years ago today, Tyler & I (Allison) got married so we thought it would be perfect share my anniversary gift to him.

I loved the idea of showcasing locations of where we met, got married and now live using old maps!

For this project I used old drawers as my “canvas”. This wood is fabulous, solid and has great character. I particularly love the exposed nails from where the drawers were construction.

The boards were already a perfect size so we cleaned them up a bit and used 3 strips of wood to secure the two boards together. Simply use wood glue between the two drawer boards and again to adhere the 3 strips of wood on the back.

Clamp the boards together so it dries securely and wipe of excess glue.

After the glue dries (I let mine dry overnight) remove the clamps and you should have 3 solid boards.

Next find some maps. Dig through old drawers, ask friends & family or purchase them at your local grocery store or gas station. My mother-in-law had some lying around that she gave me. Thanks Janet!!

Find the areas you want to display and cut a heart with the center point being your desired location.

I cut out 3 hearts, but cut as many or few as you like!

I also used my Cricut to cut out my lettering from the maps.

Now gather the rest of your supplies … Mod Podge, paint brush and ruler.

Use your ruler to find the center of your board. Apply your heart and letters to the board using your mod podge.

Be sure to put a coat under the maps and a coat over the whole board to give a uniform look.

Let the boards dry and you’re done!

This project is easy & very inexpensive. I spent a total of ZERO dollars on this gift. The maps were donated, the old drawers were free (and being thrown away!) and I had the other supplies handy.

Have you recycled furniture in a creative way? Share with us and we can feature you on our blog!