Map Art {on a Budget}

Hi y'all!

I have some exciting, budget friendly, art I'd like to share with you today. So, we've been in our home for two years now, and are finally around to decorating our family room and entry walls. And since our budget was blown on new flooring, we weren't looking to spend too much. So for under $80, I was able to fill our entry way with art that meant something to us. 

Check it out! I was inspired by my neighbor, Jen, who has these exact frames from Hobby Lobby, that I love love love. They're the perfect color, and really pull the whole house together. I just had to find a frugal solution to the actual map portion, because I wasn't about to spend $20-$30 a pop on vintage maps. 

Well fate had it that a large travel atlas came up on our neighborhood free fare site. My husband kind of questioned my vision as I brought this large atlas home {probably way too excited} for my new project. But all turned out great and I am pleased to report that he approves of the final project. 

I used a self-healing mat, exacto knife, and straight edge and cut my maps down to 7.5" x 8" rectangles. I mounted these on white textured cardstock with dates printed below in american typewriter font. Once those were ready to go, I stopped by hobby lobby to pick up the 11x 14 frames {at 60% off!} and custom matting. I opted for the matting opening to be 8" x 10" instead of the standard 7.5" x 9.5" to have a larger area of whitespace around the map. 

And in about 10 minutes, my vision came alive! I absolutely love that this art is meaningful to our lives. The three maps represent where my husband and I met, where we married, and where we bought our first house. In a home that's mainly focused on our kids, i.e. their artwork, photos, etc, it's nice to have something that focuses on our start together as a couple. 

Thanks for the inspiration, Jen!