Not-So-Newlywed Map

Have you ever heard of a Newlywed Map? I hadn’t until I saw this post on Heather Drive. You might remember that Heather and I have teamed up for some Operation Baking Gals teams in the past. I can’t remember how I found her blog, but I’ve enjoyed following it. She’s got a mix of food, travel, and life posts in her blog.

The idea of a Newlywed Map is that you mount a map of the world on some foam and frame it. Then you mark all the places you’ve traveled with your Hubby. We have been married almost 4 years at this point, so we’re not quite Newlyweds, but this is still a great idea.

Hubby and I added places we’ve visted together and individually since we met. Hubby spent a couple months working in India and traveling near there and we didn’t want to neglect those travels. When we sat down to make our map, we realized that we’ve been to the Caribbean a LOT (thanks to 3 cruises), and all over the East coast and Midwest. Other than that, there is a lot of world out there that we want to visit!

This project was really easy and Hubby and I had a good time putting it together. First I ordered a map and some pins online. My craft store didn’t have foam in the 24×36″ size, so I had to go with a tri-fold science-fair board. It worked out perfectly. We just used some packaging tape to tape the flaps down to the board so it was twice as thick.

Next we used spray adhesive to glue the map to the board. Once that was dry, we placed it in the frame. We got lucky because about 7 years ago I bought a big painting from a starving artist sale to go over our mantle in our first apartment together. The painting was the kind that just pops out of the frame. Since we don’t have a mantle in Boston, the painting has been in our basement since we moved. The frame was the perfect size and our mounted map popped right into the frame.

The next step was the fun part. Placing all the pins on the places we’ve been. It was a good time reminescing about various trips we’ve taken. And lastly, Hubby hung it on the wall. You might remember me mentioning that during our kitchen renovation, they put a circuit breaker box in our hallway when the electrical got updated. We have been searching for something large enough to cover the box ever since. This map hides the box perfectly!

One Year Ago: Spicy Orange Shrimp
Two Years Ago: Dairy Free Cheesecake Pops and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus