Mapping it out...

Heya Nesters! Over the weekend I had one helluva productive morning! I'll be showing you a couple of the projects I finally completed this week and today will be the first!  Remember way-back-when {5 months ago!} I was chatting you up about maps and how much I love them?  Well, with a little help, I finally got the age-old project up.

I picked up this map from Amazon on the cheap. Originally I thought about mounting the map to wood and distressing it.  But then I thought it might look a little too much like a treasure map. Which is all well and good for a little boys Pirate themed room, but that's not what I was going for.  I didn't know what direction to go in. And so, like most writers DIYers' block, I set the map aside for about half a year and forgot about it.  

 

 Last week I got fed up with it doing no good in its mailing tube.  By hook or by crook, I wanted it on my wall.  So I laid it on the floor to flatten alllllll week long.  Such a tease.  When I got a good look at the scale of the poster against the scale of the couch, I realized something: When centered over the couch, the map will fall directly over the thermostat.  Ratz.  Well that wasn't going to work. I need access to my thermostat!  

First things first, Matt helped me hold up the map to center it and mark the corners.  I also marked where the center of the thermostat is on the map. Then I busted out my new Fiskars Circle Cutter that I am TOTALLY obsessed with now. 

I centered the circle cutter on the thermostat itself and eyeballed the sizing of the circle.  Then I grit my teeth and cut around the mark on the map.  Turns out, the Solomon Islands are exactly where my thermostat is too!

Okay, it's not perfectly centered but you don't really notice it in the grand scheme of things.

I totally took the easy way out and used rubber cement to adhere the map to the wall.  I used a dry mount technique where -if you don't already know- you apply a thin coat of rubber cement to the wall  and another coat on the edges of the map.  I let each dry and then once you apply the map to the wall, it will be on for good! 

There you have it Nesters!  Again, its not perfect by any means, but it doesn't bother me at all.  I'm just happy it's up... and that we solved the thermostat issue! And we whipped it out in no time! So what do you think, Nesters?  Do you love maps? Do you have any in your home? Perhaps you adhered yours to the wall just like me! If not, how did you mount yours? Do tell! Dish, Nesters, we're all dying to hear about it!