“X” marks the spot! Announce your party in true pirate fashion with map-inspired invitations. Guests will be ready to party on the high seas when they open up these unique invites.

This is a fun project for any craft or pirate enthusiast, but you’ll want to give yourself enough time (at least an hour or two) to make these authentic-looking invitations.

Materials
Scissors
Old maps
Glue stick
White paper
Bowl
Hot water
Tea bag
Small envelopes
Colored paper
Black marking pen
12-inch piece of ribbon

Instructions for Each Invitation

1. Cut out an 8½x11-inch section from any map (first, make sure no one needs it!) and glue it to an 8½x11-inch sheet of white paper.
2. Fold the paper in half lengthwise so you don’t see the side with the map on it. Starting on a short side, accordion-fold the map back and forth about five times. Crease the folds sharply with your fingernail or the edge of a pencil.
3. Fill a bowl with hot water and place a tea bag in it until the water turns dark brown. Crumple the map to wrinkle it and dip it into the tea. Let the map sit in the tea for about 1 minute or until it is soaked through.
4. Remove the map from the tea and carefully unfold it. Lay it gently on a flat surface until it dries. You can speed up the drying with a hair dryer.
5. Tea-stain the envelope too if you like; just don’t dip the sticky part of the envelope flap into the tea. If the seams of the envelope come apart when it gets wet, simply wait for the paper to dry and re-glue the seams with a glue stick.
6. Mark a big “X” in the middle of the invitation with a black marking pen. Write the party details on thin strips of colored paper. Glue the strips onto the map in a pattern that leads to the “X.” Refold the map, tie it with a ribbon, and put the map into an envelope to mail or deliver. Repeat steps for each invitation.