Today’s DIY post is a decoupage application that I created for my bedroom. I decoupaged a map onto 2 doors, here’s a photo peek of me (in my chocolate colored nail polish!) applying the paste to the corner of the doors:
But 1st, here’s the definition of DECOUPAGE according to Merriam-Webster dictionary: the art of decorating surfaces by applying cutouts (as of paper) and then coating with usually several layers of finish (as lacquer or varnish). Fun? You betcha!
The inspiration: Hubby & I love to travel, so why not place a map in our bedroom. We purchased this paper map from Office Depot for about $10, then I cut it in 1/2 (to apply each half to each door) and trimmed off the borders for the perfect fit:
Then I grabbed my (1) brushes (wide one + thin one for the corners), (2) decoupage paste, (3) level/ruler, and (4) pencil to mark the location to apply our new door art! Placing my painter-scientist hat on, I applied each map differently to each door to determine which I preferred (umm, which was easier!!).
1st method: applied the paste to the back of the map, then onto the door
2nd method: applied the paste onto the door, then mounted the map to the door .. I preferred this method better 
.. realizing (duh moment!!!) that the paper gets a bit flimsy when wet (1st method), so this way is more manageable. After the map was attached to the door, the final step in decoupaging is applying the paste ON TOP of the map … so much fun … I felt like a kid playing with glue/paste.
I plan to eventually also add a ‘travel view’ guide showing all the places we have traveled to. Maybe using decorative thumbtacks, or color strings, or maybe I will draw the lines with a thin sharpie marker showings the travels (hmmm, any ideas? .. I am all ears!). Here’s the after pic thus far:
(Photo credits: Ada’s Interior Design), (Blog Party: Skip to my Lou) Too busy to visit my blog regularly? Then subscribe (for free) to receive new posts via email, simply follow the adorable birdie located at top right side of our website: www.adasinteriordesign.com.
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Hi Kim, Thanks for the write up. so nice to see my mapped door (which was so much fun to so!) featured on your blog!!
Very cool – love it!!! Maps go with anything too, don’t they with all the colours!
Hi Heather, Glad u love our decoupaged maps .. I LOVE staring at all the placed we have been … and .. daydreaming of the new placed to visit
Screamingly cool! Love maps too…we had a world map on the wall when I was a kid and my brother and I had it thumbtacked like mad with all the places we wanted to explore to look for treasure.
Maybe you could make little flag stickers with your initials or family crest and plant them in places you’ve been, like when they plant the flag on the moon to say “Been there, done that”.
Arrived via TCB…cheers!
Hi Nik, we ended up putting colorful thumbtacks for all the placed that we have visted … I LOVE looking at the maps (and reminisce of the visited places)
Love it!! Here we go again…yet another project I would like to make!
haha, I have a loooong list of project that I want to do too
Thank you ever so for you post.Much thanks again. Want more.
Glad you do – yeah!!
I love maps, and this looks great!
Hi Maria .. glad to see another fan (like me) that loooves map!!
Hi Ada! The work is already great. But you know, I had an Idea looking at the doors side by side, with a split Africa – what if you divided the map in three parts instead of two? Two equal parts for two doors, and one narrower middle for the wall in between the doors? That way, the map would have been spanning from door to door. Of course, you would have needed a larger map…
Incidentally, when I was young and lived with my parents, I had a map in my room too – guess where? No, not on the door. Neither on the walls. It was on my desktop! I simply found a world map that was roughly the same size of my table, and while I was looking at the map while spread over my table I noticed how exactly it covered the table, and that gave me the idea. I cleared up the table top, laid down the map, got a glass piece cut and smoothed the same size as the table and put it on top.
Then I rang up my girlfriend to show off.
Nice idea Andy!! Great to read that your creativeness sparked since u were young.
Well, not so young – I was fifteen, I think.
But thanks!