DIY World Map Wall Art

UPDATE: You can now find these in my Etsy shop here!

I feel a little pretentious posting a craft tutorial. As much as I enjoy making stuff, I know I'm not a pro. No siree.

Nevertheless, I really liked how this map wall art I made for baby boy's nursery turned out, and since I couldn't find a very detailed tutorial I decided to write up my own just in case someone else might be interested!

For this sign, I used a 10"x14" piece of wood that I lightly sanded and stained. I wanted it to look a bit rustic, so I didn't spend a lot of time doing either of those... just enough sanding to round the edges a bit and enough stain (one fairly light coat of this stain) to give it some color. 

I used the Silhouette Cameo I got for Christmas to cut the world map out of adhesive-backed vinyl, then removed all the "land" with the hook tool to make my stencil.

Next, I used transfer paper to put the remaining vinyl onto the wood. I had never used transfer paper before, but it was really easy to use and I can't imagine trying to get things lined up just right without it! 

Here's how I did it: 

1. Cut a piece of transfer paper a little bigger than the vinyl you're transferring

2. Peel off the backing on the transfer paper to expose the sticky side

3. Carefully position the sticky side of the transfer paper onto the top of the vinyl 

4. Smooth out any air bubbles and make sure the transfer paper is really stuck on the vinyl (I used an old gift card for this step)

5. Peel off the backing of the vinyl to expose the sticky side

6. Carefully position the vinyl in the middle of the sign, making sure it adheres well and that there arent any air bubble (I used the gift card here too)

7. Peel back the transfer paper, making sure you don't pick up any vinyl with it

Next, I painted the "land" white, just using white craft paint and a foam brush. (Note: it probably would have been a good idea to line the edges of the vinyl with painter's tape, just to be safe)

Once the paint has dried, carefully peel away the vinyl. You'll need to use the hook tool (or a toothpick) to get some of the smaller pieces off.

Last of all, attach some hanging hardware to the back. I used a sawtooth picture hanger . 

Voila!

 

I really liked how this turned out, and it was really easy to make... Win-win! I'm thinking of playing around with some variations too, like just staining the "land" and leaving the rest of the wood natural, or vice versa. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them! :)

UPDATE 2/28/14: A couple of you have been kind enough to ask whether I would be willing to make and sell these. I just had a baby so things are a little chaotic around my house at the moment, but I have considered setting up an Etsy shop sometime in the near future. If you would like me to send you the info if/when I do start selling these, shoot me an email at mikaelablogs@gmail.com! Thanks so much!

UPDATE 5/9/14: My Etsy shop is now open! You can find me here!