tutorial: adventure map wall art

i pinned this pin eleven months ago. doesn't it seem like that's how pinterest always works? you pin something with high hopes of recreating it yourself and then it sits. and sits. and sits - without even a second glance from you. well, this weekend, i changed that. i feel like the mr. and i have had quite the opportunity for travel in the last year and a half. of course, what do you expect when you've literally moved around the entire country? i've been wanting a way to document our travels and i feel like this project was the perfect way to do it.

before i get started, i must give credit where credit is deserved. i received most of my inspiration for this project from carmen at life blessons. her and her blog are both adorable and it would definitely be worth your time to stop by and give her a holler. i did tweak my project a little bit and here is how:

first, here are the supplies you will need:

-these templates:  template 1, template 2, template 3, template 4, template 5, template 6
-tape
-scissors
-roll of corkboard {pretty cheap at michael's with a coupon}
-an 18x24 inch frame {also, cheap at michael's}
-your choice in paint color {i chose blue to simulate the ocean. clever, i know}
-paint brush
-modge podge {or some other kind of adhesive}
-your choice in card stock color
-straight pins.

download and print all 6 templates of the good ol' us of a and tape them together. cut them out and pin the resulting image of america to your corkboard. {it wasn't until after i was done with the project that i realized the templates aren't an exact replica of the united states. there were places that had one too many bumps and juts, but it gets the point across just the same.} i found that it was easier to just trace around the template than to try to keep it attached to the corkboard while i cut it out.

so, after it's traced, remove the template and cut it out.

tadah! we are already well on our way. next, take your frame and tape the edges like so:

i just went ahead and painted the actual glass, but if i could go back, i'd probably put card board or something in the frame and paint that instead. paint on glass seems to chip pretty easy, but if you just can't help it, it won't ruin the project.

now that you've got your usa corkboard and your painted frame, all that's left really is the assembling {aka the easy part}. i just modge podged the corkboard to the frame. it kept wanting to peel up, so i eventually had to put a bunch of cups on it to keep it down.

when i showed it to the mr., he was appalled that i didn't have alaska or hawaii on it. after all, we did recently take a vacation to hawaii, so i couldn't just forget about it! the templates i used can be found  here and here.

lookin' good, we're almost there! i liked how carmen had the banners on her map, but since most of the places we've visited are in the west, i didn't want to have to poke the banners to mark where we've been. so i made a different kind of banner and placed it at the top. i also loved the fonts that she used, but i couldn't find them anywhere. so, i got as close as i could. since i'm nice, i'll just go ahead and save you the trouble and give you the fonts: our adventures together. and the good news is that they're all free! hooray!

finally, the last thing to do is to print off the places you've been and put them on the board! we decided that we would only put up places that we've either lived or have actually taken a vacation to.

one day, i hope to have this whole board nearly covered. i also hope to have a europe one next to it. ;) go ahead and try this simple project yourself! i'm sure you'll fall in love with it just as much as i have. feel free to send me the link to it because i'd love to see how it turned out! next travel project: these shadow boxes.

happy crafting my friends!

-the mrs.