We intentionally bought our home this past summer as a fixer-upper. We worked with a contractor to plan out exactly what we wanted: a complete kitchen renovation, a sunroom addition, and a dining area-to-office conversion. For the sunroom, we wanted lots of windows to let in the light from outside and to see all of the beautiful trees in our yard but we also made sure to install cheap blinds to reduce the noise entering the room from outside. We planned to make half the sunroom an adult space with a futon, chairs, large TV, and bar area. The other half, a kids’ space with a large rug, like those Oriental rugs, bookcase, table for crafts, and bins to organize toys and craft supplies.
The construction is complete, and this week, Richard finished painting the walls this pale butter color {I actually held butter up to the paint color to get just the right hue}. Last spring, I purchased a map at the Paper Source to make a Kids’ Bulletin Board Map. The purpose was to document our travels together as a family. We love to go on road trips, and I wanted the kids to remember where we traveled.
Materials:
- Large map
- Roll of cork
- Poster picture frame
- Scissors
- Foam brush
- Mod Podge
- Craft glue
- Flag pins
Directions:
Begin by gathering your materials. This map was an odd size {I believe it was 22″ x 28″}, so I couldn’t just buy a regular bulletin board. Instead, I purchased a poster frame and removed the backing and clear plastic. The clear plastic can be discarded. I also bought a roll of cork to create my own bulletin board this custom size.
Cut your cork to the size of your map and glue the cork to the backing of the picture frame. Cover the entire back of the cork with craft glue to prevent any warping {I learned this lesson while making my map}. My cork was curling a lot, so I used clothespins to hold it in place all around.
Next, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the cork, and slowly press the map over it. Do this carefully to make sure everything lines up properly. When the map is in place, weigh it down with heavy books or bins to get it to dry flat.
When your map is completely dry, you can add your pins. I love using these little flag pins to mark all the places we’ve traveled to together as a family. Lydia and I sat down together to discuss all of our vacations, like our road trip to Maine summer 2016 and Louisiana last winter break. I even reminded her of our road trip to Kentucky summer 2013.
Now your map is ready to hang on the wall! These shelves used to be in Lydia’s room in our old house. The tin cans were in Richard’s office area. I purchased all new colorful canvas bins to fill with craft supplies and toys and filled the buckets with glue, pencils, and scissors for the kids. The map bulletin board fits perfectly over the shelves and reminds us of all the fun we’ve had on our family road trips. I’m excited to add new pins as we travel together!
Any Comments?