DIY Americana Wall Art {Silhouette Cameo Tutorial}

After months of discontentment with my very, very brown dining room, I took the plunge – a navy blue and white plunge – and painted the room.  I am not usually a risk taker when it comes to walls, but I kept seeing these gorgeous navy walls in catalogs and on design blogs, and decided that I could give it a try (knowing very well that if it were a disaster, it was only a $30 mistake).  Once the room is together I will give the full reveal, but until then, I want to share with you some nearly free wall art that I created with my Silhouette Cameo and some odds and ends around the house.

In the dining room, we are going with the Americana theme.  It just makes sense – (1) we have an American flag given to us at my husband’s grandfather’s funeral in Arlington National Cemetary that we want to display and (2) we live in a rural-ish area and have collected some farm items over the years that pay homage to the local history.

I’ve been enamored with the map art I have seen floating around the craft blogs, and decided to put my own spin on it. Using this image from the Silhouette store, I enlarged it to fit on my 12″x12″ canvas and set my machine to work.

While the Silhouette Cameo was doing its job, I cut a piece of burlap to size (double layering it for a less structured effect), and set it over a 12″x12″ square of brown paper bag (to keep the color consistent). Using Gorilla Glue, I glued the map to the burlap, and added a heart to mark where we lived.

10 minutes and 99 cents later, my wall art is complete. What do you think – does it scream Americana to you?