Big Ol' Honkin' Ginormous Freakin' Huge Oversized DIY Map {for 20 bucks}

This had been hanging in our back room for over six months.

I finally decided that the thumbtack was too classy for the rest of the house, so down it came.
Which left this. A big expanse of nothingness.



(and some jacked up molding hiding cable wires)

You know what would look brilliant? A big map.
Except I didn't have one.
So I did what any desperate housewife would do:

I went to Lowes.

I got a sheet of the thinnest, smoothest wood I could find
{"utility plywood panel"}

and some 4 inch x 8 foot "multi-purpose furring strips."

I had them cut the plywood down to size at the store, since it's free and STRAIGHT and makes it easier to shove into the van.

These itty bitty lil' nails tack the wood directly to the wall,

 

and if you sink them in far enough they'll disappear after the whole thing gets a coat of blue-ish paint {leftover from our kitchen table years ago}.

Then, the fun part.

Using an overhead projector (best $25 Craigslist money ever spent), I traced the image in chalk,

then painted the states, keeping just inside the lines.

{I love night photos.}

I realized after the fact that I could have painted the whole country green....THEN painted the blue state lines....which may(?) have been faster, but you know my motto: do first, think second.

The furring strips got some stain (leftover from the Christmas star), and went from cold and naked to rich and delicious in two coats.

So yummy that I nixed the mitered corners and kept the edges of the frame straight.
Wipe away the chalk lines with a wet rag and BOOM.







You could get all fancy nancy and mark the states that you've visited as a family.
Or put hearts where the grandparents and cousins live.

I kept it simple and just marked the place we call home.

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