Home is where the heart is

Alright, so you have your black paint, you have blank canvas, so... paint it.  Make sure it's covered completely so that there aren't any white spots showing.  Don't forget to paint the edges!  There's nothing worse than having a completed DIY project only to notice tons of imperfections you left behind.  You're going to have to wait for about an hour to get started on the next step.  

Don't rush.  Make sure it's completely dry before you touch it. 

Alright, so your canvas is dry.  Your state should already be cut out and ready to go.  Put it in the middle of the canvas and trace around it with a pencil or a pen.  White chalk would work as well.  Make sure to include all of the little bumps that your state might have.  

For your sake, I hope your state doesn't have as many bumps as Indiana does, because it was a bitch to cut out.  Ha...

Start gluing!  I used tacky glue, but regular white glue would probably work too.  Use a toothpick or a craft stick to smooth the glue out over the entire state and get the glue into the little bumps and grooves.  Make sure you don't leave behind any big beads of glue or it'll stick out once you add the glitter.  

Smooth that glue out with your craft stick so that the glue is pretty even over the entire state.

This is the fun part.  Take your canvas outside or make sure it's over newspaper and start pouring on the glitter.  Your state should be completely covered when you're finished.  Shake it off or pour off the extra glitter and see the result!  If there are any major gaps in your state, just sprinkle on some more glitter in those areas.  

When I was done with the glitter, a sealed it with a clear coat of glossy spray paint, but you could probably use mod podge or any sealer/clear coat of your choice.

At this point, plug in your hot glue gun so it can start heating up.  Give your glitter a little time to dry onto your state and get out your wooden heart cutout.  Paint it with pink paint, or whatever color you might fancy, and cover the heart with it.  Take it back to your canvas and glue it onto your state with your hot glue gun.  I glued (approximately) where my hometown is located in Indiana.  Anndd... you're done!  

I worked on this project off and on during the Superbowl (because it was too depressing to watch...) so I don't have an exact estimate of how long it'll take you to make this.  But... it's pretty easy to do so it shouldn't take long and won't stress you out much. If you try it, make sure you show me your results!  I'd love to see what this project looks like when using other state (or country) outlines. :)