Christmas Ornament - Personalized Layered Home Town Map

Prepare you map files - with snazzymaps.com

These steps probably seems the most complex and time intensive but once you try it once, it's not that bad.

We will be using a website called snazzymaps that allows you to customized and isolate layers In Google maps.

Start by loading this website: https://snazzymaps.com/

1. Use the map window to navigate to where you want to customize your map.
2. From the snazzymaps website click the "BUILD A MAP" item from the top menu. This will launch the Build a map screen.

1. I like to start with an existing style "Blue Water" by Daniel, pick that style and you can search by name.

1. Once your style is picked, click the green box with the arrow to "View Style Details" this is where you will customize the style and settings.

1. From this page you click on the "Customize" menu with the paintbrush, this will launch the editor.

The style editor is where you can turn on and off features such as water and roads.

The way this is achieved is going through each of the different features and turn off the geometry and the labels, and then selectively turning them on and downloading the image file to be converted into your layers.

Please watch the video as it is a little easier to follow the steps in the video.

The next few steps are done in a photo editor like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Designer or GIMP (free).

1. Make a base layer the dimensions of the map layers (3000 x 3000 px)
2. Open each of the exported map layers
3. Making the grey/white transparent by selecting by color and clearing selection
4. Copy and paste the remaining image to a new layer on the base layer
5. Mask off the layers by drawing a circle and selecting the inverse and clearing the area outside the circle
6. Draw a stroke line of 3px around map image for each of the layers
7. Then you will export the layers one by one by making each layer visible using the show/hide layer functions

There will be one layer that will be engraved and 2 layers that will be cut files that need to be converted to SVG in the next step.

Please watch the following video for details.

1. For the next step of converting PNG to SVG we will be using a website https://convertio.co/
2. Choose your 2 cut files and upload them to convertio.co
3. Pick the desired output format: Vector - SVG
4. Process and download your converted SVG files

Please watch the following video for details.

1. Import your files into XCS using the "Image" button on the side menu
2. Size the imported images to the same width and height, XCS imported them all to 300mm x 300mm but you may want to verify.
3. For the engrave layer, open up the "Edit image" window on the right hand side and remove any white space that is not transparent.
4. For the water outline cut file for layer 1a,
5. Draw a circle 280mm x 280mm and center over the imported SVG file
6. Select "Combine" and "Unite at overlap"
7. Draw a 300mm x 300mm circle and center over the water outline map
8. Select both objects, select "Combine" and "Subtract at overlap"
9. For the raised street layer 2
10. Create an outer circle of 300mm x 300mm
11. Create an inner circle of 280mm x 280mm and align to the center of the outer circle
12. Unite the circles using the "Combine" menu and "Subtract at overlap"
13. Copy ring and paste for following step
14. Overlay the ring over layer 2 and "Combine" and "Subtract at overlap"
15. Draw the top layer with the town/city name
16. Insert text object and type the town name in your choice of font
17. Select and Outline the text object, I choose 3mm outline
18. Move the outline to bottom of the copy and pasted ring so that it overlaps at the edges to hold the shape together
19. "Combine" and "Unite" to merge the outline with the ring
20. Draw the bottom layer by making a 300x300mm circle
21. Add the string/hook loop at the top of the layers
22. Draw a smaller circle (approx. 35x35mm)
23. Draw a 2nd smaller circle (approx. 30x30mm)
24. Align/center the circles and "Combine" and "Subtract at overlap"
25. Center the new hole ring at the top of all the layers and "Combine" and "Unite" to add the hook hole

Please watch the following video for details.

Cut your layers using xTool M1

1. Wood layers (layer 0 and layer 3)
2. Paper layers (layer 1 and layer 2)

Finish and Assembly

1. Layer 0 is the background/base, it is painted blue for the water that will show through
2. I use a leather dye by Angelus that I mix down 25/1 with rubbing alcohol and spray with a small spray bottle
3. Layer 3 is the top layer, I painted it gold prior to engraving and cutting it
4. I used an acrylic gold paint
5. Layer 1 & Layer 2 are glued together. I did this before trying to glue to the wood, let dry for a few minutes before trying to glue to the base wood in the next step
6. For glue, I use Tacky Glue
7. Glue the Layer 1 and Layer 2 that were assembled in the previous step to the base Layer 0
8. Glue the top Layer 3 to the top of the cardboard
9. Clamp or put under some books to hold flat while glue dries