As I mentioned yesterday, my nephew Liam was celebrating his birthday. So, to wish Liam a happy Birthday formally the way across the country, what better way than to send him the country?

I started by grabbing this free map from Mr. Printables and printing it on legal sized paper.

Then, I made the pages into stickers using a Xyron machine. And that made it easy to stick the map pieces onto a leftover piece of foam core I found in my office.


Then, I cut out the pieces to make a simple U.S. puzzle. Not 50 pieces, but enough to keep a four year old busy for a few minutes.


I also wanted to make a few flags that the kids could use to mark where there family lived. Toothpicks were perfect for this. I made small holes with a pushpin so the landmarks are easily found.


And of course, I needed a container for the toothpick flags and you can see that an old Altoids tin did the trick.


Lastly a simple brown box was the perfect carrying case for all the pieces. I added some decoration and I hope to see some color added to this box very soon.

I think homemade gifts can’t be beat. I’ve got a few others in mind, stay tuned.