All Over The Map

One of the latest trends in decorating is incorporating old maps into home accessories. Antique and vintage maps are ideal for this but newer ones can also create visual interest. With technology as it is today, globes have become a thing of the past. But don�t dismiss their usefulness! They can still be quite handy around the home. If you are lucky enough to have an antique map, I recommend having photocopies made of it so as to retain the integrity of the original. While you are at it, have some of the copies enlarged and even shrunk so with the varied sizes, you create a number of decorating options with them. Very large prints can be pieced together as wall coverings. If you do not want to cover an entire wall, then frame out an area with inexpensive molding and paste the map inside.

Do you have some unique picture frames but no photos or art to display in them? Maps make for eye-catching art especially when showcased within an interesting frame, be it old or new.

Serving trays become real conversation pieces when decorated with map images. Simply place the map under the existing glass in the tray. If there is no glass, you can decoupage the image right on top. Any local crafts store has decoupage glaze that is used to easily affix the map onto most any surface.

The items that can be adorned are endless! For instance:

-Book covers

-Lampshades

-Transfer the image onto fabric to make one-of-a-kind pillows and sheets; even T-shirts

-Luggage

-Vases

-Lighting switch plates

-Photo albums � especially those of vacations pictures � use a map from your own travels

-Note cards

Globes can also be used creatively. When cut in half, the result is a perfect vessel that lends itself to various uses.

A wall clock can be easily made with the purchase of a clock kit. These are inexpensive and available at any box store or crafts store. Insert the clock mechanisms and hands into the hole that once supported the globe�s stand. Mount it on the wall and you have appealing wall d�cor as well as another timepiece.

While at the box or crafts store, pick up a light kit, which are also inexpensive and easy to use. Half of the globe could also be used as a hanging light fixture over a desk or side table.

Mount one hemisphere onto a base of your choosing, paint or lacquer the inside and you have a bowl that can be used for almost anything depending on the original size of the globe. If it is on the smaller size, it would serve as a perfect catch all on your desk for paper clips. Larger ones can even be used to hold a centerpiece of fruit or flowers on your counter or dining room table.

As you can see, when you look beyond an object�s original use, you can come up with a myriad of ways to repurpose it.