Saturday, October 6, 2012

Megan's Dining Room Projects

I'm enjoying a little down time this weekend, cheering my favorite team on to victory. It was a brisk 55 degrees this afternoon, but the sun was shining, the fall foliage was stunning and the home team pulled out a come from behind win in the final minutes of the game. It just doesn't get any better than that! ... It's been crazy busy around here, so I'm a bit (a whole lot) behind on blog posts. This one's from Megan and I'm just going to let her take it from here .....
 
 
Hi everyone!  This summer I worked on a few projects to transform the boring white walls of our dining room.  Since we rent, painting is out.  I wanted something to bring a little color and fun into the space.  We already had a white hutch that's great for displaying pretty kitchen items.  You've already seen my two painted Louis Blue chairs.  I decided to add some map artwork and a colorful felt banner.  Here's the finished look. 
 
 
 My map artwork comes from Michael over at Inspired by Charm.  He did the projects for an issue of FOLK magazine.  These projects were very easy and inexpensive!  I used frames and a Maryland map that I already had on hand.  My only expenses were a $10 circle cutter, two pieces of scrapbook paper, and a roll of double-sided tape, all bought from Jo-Ann Fabric.
 

I love this circle cutter because you can actually see what you are cutting.  I could make sure that all my favorite places in Maryland made it onto a circle.


I worked my way through my map and scrapbook paper cutting out circles.  I ended up using about 80 circles for my 9 x 12 frame.  I had so many circles left that I could actually do this project again.  I used the stock photo that comes with the frame as my base for the circles.  I started at the bottom of the page and put down a strip of double sided tape.


Then I started adding more rows of circles and staggering them to make a fish scale pattern.  I put the yellow and orange circles in at random.  I worked my way up the page laying each new row on top of the last.
 

Here's what it looks like when it's done!  I think the orange and yellow circles really help bring out the fish scale pattern.
 
 
For the second map project, I cut out a 9 x 12 piece of the map that I had not used for my circles.  I printed out the phrase that I wanted to use on plain white paper.  I love this script font - it's called LaurenScript from dafont.com.  
 
 
I used the same shading technique that I used on my Beadboard Sign.  I shaded the back of the paper with the side of a pencil.
 
 
Then I put the paper on my map shaded side down.  I used the pencil to trace over the letters.  The pressure of the pencil will transfer the shading from the back of the paper onto the map.
 
 
All that was left to do was fill in the letters with a raspberry colored sharpie.
 
 
Here's the finished product!
 
 
Now onto the felt banner.  I had been pinning pictures of felt banners for quite awhile.  Most of the banners I'd pinned were sewn using a sewing machine, but after an hour of trying, I just couldn't make it work.  My felt kept getting bunched in the sewing machine, and I couldn't feed the pieces in properly.  I had to go onto plan B and make this a no-sew project.
 
 
I used yellow baker's twine and tacky glue.  (Did you know that yellow is my favorite color?)
 
 
This was another very inexpensive project because I already had the felt left over from my rosette pin project.  I used some of my favorite pastel colors with some neutral gray, cream, and navy added in for the sake of my husband, Liam.  I didn't want the look to become too girly - he has to eat in the dining room too!
 
 
All it took was a strip of tacky glue on the back of each felt triangle.  I used a cardboard template to cut out my triangles, so they would all be the same size and shape.
 
 
Here's a shot of the gluing in progress.
 
 
And here's how it looks in the dining room.  I like how the banner draws your eye upwards and adds pops of color and a fun shape.  The framed maps mirror the symmetry of the blue chairs but aren't too matchy-matchy.  
 
 
Thanks for reading and letting me share my projects today!
 
Thank so much for sharing Megan! Your creativity inspires me and I love your sweet and charming home!
 
I'm linking to...
Catch a Glimpse Button


shabby creek cottage Beyond The Picket Fence Our Delightful Home Mod Vintage Life
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
The Girl Creative
DIY Show Off
 
 

17 comments:

Anne said...

Sharon I love Megan's dining room! What fun ideas for map art! And that banner looks so cool too.All together is a beautiful room!!
xx
Anne

Unknown said...

Megan's dining room is lovely, Sharon. The felt banner is so cute, and the map art adds fun and colour too.

Danylle McLain said...

The banner is so cute! I also love the map ideas. What a cheery corner Megan has created

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of writing on a map. Very fun pieces of art!

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

Your dining room looks great Megan, I love how you put the words on the map with the sharpie!
gail

Katie said...

These are so neat Megan!! The map with the quote is such a cute idea! Love the banner too - it really brightens up the space!

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Megan's dining room is very cute...darling blue chairs. Happy to hear that your team won...mine didn't.

Blessings,
Linda

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

Love the fun touches of color Megan has added. It's a lovely room!

Good Time Charlie said...

Love the fun colors. I love map artwork and crafts. I always feel inspired. Thanks for sharing!

Cassie Bustamante said...

i love the fun touches of color- it's a happy place!

chateau chic said...

Megan's dining room is so cute. Love all her creative touches to make it very personal and interesting.
Mary Alice

Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick said...

I love the pops of color those simple touches add to the room! Clever.

Hello, new follower here! I would love to have you link up with my Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/upcycled-chicken-coop-clever-chicks.html

I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick


Unknown said...

Oh I just love the map art!!! I am so copying " find a place and get lost "
XOX

Our Pinteresting Family said...

So creative, Megan! I love that you use a map for this project. Your dining room looks beautiful. Megan

Unknown said...

Love the map art! Very creative!!

Roeshel said...

Both the bunting and map art are sooo cute! Thanks so much for sharing Megan's creativity!

Stacey said...

So cute!
I love the banner of course and the map art is original...adds some nice color to the neutral room!
Thanks for sharing this week at the Creative Inspirations Party!
Stacey of Embracing Change