Michigan map, cut to the state line
Michiganders already use their hand as a map. A laser cut Michigan map turns that into something to hang: the mitten with a heart on home, a Yooper piece for the U.P., or an Up North lake cove.
7 days free, then $12 a month. Cancel anytime. Or 10 maps for $10.
Places in Michigan people ask for
Two peninsulas, one state
Michigan is the state where the outline question matters most. The Studio's state frame traces the largest single landmass, which for Michigan is the Lower Peninsula: the mitten. The Upper Peninsula is not in it. Check the outline in the Studio before you design.
For most buyers that is fine, because the mitten is what they point to on their hand. For Yoopers, it is not fine at all. Make U.P. pieces in a rectangle frame zoomed to the peninsula, with Lake Superior and Lake Michigan as water layers. It is a different product and it sells to a proud crowd.
The Great Lakes sit outside the outline, so the shoreline is the edge of the piece. For a wall piece showing both peninsulas and the lakes, use a large rectangle and let the water be its own layer in a blue acrylic.
Detroit is a growing market too, with neighborhoods like Corktown and Midtown drawing new residents, plus long-time families who want their block.
Making a laser cut Michigan ornament
The mitten is one of the easiest outlines to love. At 4 in, put a heart where the person lives, using the same spot they would point to on their palm. Add I-75 up the middle, I-94 across the bottom, and US-131 up the west side. Saginaw Bay forms the notch between thumb and fingers, so let the coastline do the rest. Inland lakes are too small to show at this size. Keep it clean.
Up North is the other market. Torch Lake, Higgins Lake, Lake Charlevoix, Walloon and the lakes around Traverse City have cottage families who go back every summer. Zoom in on the cove. A lake depth map is a strong upgrade where the Studio has survey data.
Maize and blue, or green and white. Offer both backers and do not take sides.
Questions makers ask
Does the Michigan outline include the Upper Peninsula?
No. The state frame traces the largest landmass, which is the Lower Peninsula. Mackinaw City at the very tip also sat just outside it in our check. Use a rectangle frame for U.P. pieces.
Where should the heart go on a Michigan mitten ornament?
Where the person would point on their hand. Drop the pin on the town and it lands in the right spot on the mitten.
Can I make a map of our Up North cottage lake?
Yes. Search the lake, zoom to the cove and put a heart on the cottage. A tight crop reads much better than the whole lake.
Keep going
Places to mapState mapsA US state outline as the shape of the piece, with highways, lakes and a heart on the home town.
Pieces to makeMap ornamentsA 4 in layered hometown ornament with a name and a year. The map most customers buy first.
GuideWhy Map Ornaments Sell (and How to Make the Math Work)Why map ornaments sell comes down to three things: a place carries a memory, the wood costs pennies, and the season does your marketing for you. Here is the math, the calendar and the ornament ideas to sell, plus the one part of the job that quietly eats your profit.Cut your first Michigan piece.
Pick Michigan as the frame, drop in the hometown, and see it in 3D before the laser does.
7 days free, then $12 a month. Cancel anytime. Or 10 maps for $10.
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