Lets get Lost!

Have you ever felt lost? I don’t just mean physically, that happens to me all the time! I mean emotionally as well. Some days I get lost in all of the activities that happen through out the day, that by the time I go to bed I couldn’t tell you where the pacifiers went or if I put dinner away or even if i brushed my teeth before dropping in bed. Some times getting lost is a hassle. Its frustrating and overwhelming. But then there are those times in life where getting lost is the best experience ever.

The piece we are featuring this week features maps from around the world. When we found this piece it was already black, so no painting on this coffee table! Our first step was finding the right maps. For the background maps I wanted to find some that weren’t too bright and flashy. I wanted to leave that for our piece in the center. The Readers Digest Great World Atlas provided the maps I needed.

Once we found the right maps, we prepped our table by applying mod podge to a section and then laying that piece of map down on top of it. It is very important to only do one section at a time or the mod podge will dry and the paper will have a more bubbled look to it. Once the map is adhered to the table it is really important to smooth out the paper from the center, working all of the bubbles out. The next step is to apply a layer of mod podge to the top. We used six different maps for our background and I feel like it turned out to be a nice effect.

We let the table dry after two coats of mod podge to the entire surface. Then we added our feature map of South America to the center. This map is very colorful and adds a nice pop to the center of the table. We applied this map the same way as the others. To finish off our piece, Ethan applied two coats of clear polyurethane to the whole face. This seals the piece and gives the top a nice finish.

This piece has always been on my to do list to make. I love the thought of travel and exploration. I find that my husband and I have the best times when we enjoy those moments of being lost. Being able to embrace the chaos of the unexpected and the unknown. The fact is, while you are lost, you get the opportunity to find and explore new things. So the next time you get lost in your day, when the chaos is overwhelming, stop a minute and find the joy!

Happy Travels and Cinderella On!