Tips for how to make a push-pin travel map?

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right forum for this, so moderator feel free to move...

Saw this push-pin travel map in a friend's house, then saw it in the Skymall magazine:

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/deta...id=69745441&c=

I would like to order a nameplate, buy a nice map, and somehow mount / frame it to make one for my hubby for his b-day. Since I have never done anything like this before, does anyone have any tips on how I should make it?

Thanks!

As a DIY effort you'd need to buy a cork board/bulletin board, a map, a frame and the name-plate. Glue the map to the cork board, frame it and stick the nameplate on it. You'll probably be able to do it for less than the $100 they are asking but I don't know how much less. Frames are surprisingly expensive in many cases and you'll need one that can support the thicker "picture" that includes the cork.

I suppose you could also just dry-mount the map on foam-core and frame it without the glass and call it a day. That would probably be less expensive. Any framing store should be able to dry-mount the map for you.

We got one as a gift last year.

It's cool. If I was to do it on my own, I would get a thin piece of formica or masonite or something like that, I would mount some thin rolled cork to that, and mount the map on top of that. I would get the frame online, but first you need to measure the thickness and make sure you get one that fits.

I also know there is no way I would have it come out the same way as this, it would have bubbles, etc.

Any trophy store can do the palque for you.

The pins of course you can get at any office supply store.

A laminated 50 x 32 world map from Amazon is $18
http://www.amazon.com/Rand-McNally-R...4827600&sr=8-2

Cork is $1.80 per sqft or for this, figure 12 sqft, or $21. You can probably find it for less or get an old cork board at a tag sale.

A cheep deep set frame would be $60 or so, and a sheet of something to mount it on probably $20 or so.

To me it's worth just ordering it.

Thanks for the insight. After reading both your posts, you're probably right - ordering it would be easier.

Order it very early (and shop around, many places carry them), because ours was delayed a month or so.

Probably still worth ordering rather than trying to make from scratch, but $100 does not get the framed version--that's $170 plus whatever the shipping might be.

Again, thanks to everyone who replied. Found a beautiful framed one on the National Geographic online store on sale for $135 AI. Plus, I get to support a wonderful organization too! Win-win!

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/p.../4849/703.html