Wall Art Challenge = US Map
4 Materials
$40
2 Days
Medium
I wanted to show off the US State magnets I had been collecting from traveling over the years. My Daughter-In-Law and I were thinking of ways to display them.
This is a sampling of the magnets. I wanted to make a complete map, regardless of whether we had visited the state or not. I ordered some off Ebay to fill in for the missing states. The magnets showed the capitol of each state as well as the state motto. Unfortunately, they were not size appropriate.
The old cork board would make a great frame for the pieces. I started out by selecting a color for the frame but waited to paint it so I wouldn't have to worry about scuffs or scratches.
Next was to figure out how to attach the magnets to the cork board. We set off to the store to get options and came home with this sheet of galvanized metal. Sorry, this photo is a little out of order. I didn't take a "before" shot of the metal.
The cork board was not exactly square so I outlined the frame with index cards by sliding them under the wood border and taped them together.
I then traced the frame by marking the inside edge of the cork board frame on the cards . . .
and cut out the template.
I then taped the cards on the sheet metal . . .
and the metal was cut.
I chose a background from my stash of contact paper and using the cut metal sheet as a template, cut the contact paper. I had a travel themed paper pack I was going to use but the magnets got lost in the background.
After lining the frame again with paper, it was painted. In 20/20 hindsight, the metal was going to cover the cork so I didn't need to protect the inside.
Next, saw tooth picture hangers were attached.
The paper covered metal was set into the bulletin board and glued on with E6000. The magnets were laid out and the wall art was hung. I owe a big thank you to Christi, my DIL, for helping!
Between us (hubby and I) we've been to all the states except Maine and North Dakota.
This would be a great project for kids in geography!
Comments
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4 of 12 comments
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I love this! Super creative!
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Thank you, Wendy! I really enjoyed doing this.
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Great idea! Magnets are what I collect on my travels and I needed a better way to showcase them other than my refrigerator. Thanks for sharing! I’ve been to all 50 states🤗
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Hurrah for you! How awesome is that, to have visited all the states. I'd love to see your board when you're done!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Did you happen to place dates with the magnets of when you went to each state?