My DIY: Big Long Island map collage

Finally, my map project, inspired by map art featured in my March Inspired blog party.

Although this comes as a shock to many Brooklynites, we actually live on Long Island here. I wanted a big nautical somewhat vintage looking map of Long Island to fill the huge wall space above our huge sofa.

Inspired by this from House Beautiful.

And this from Amanda Nisbet.

But it's not an easy thing to find a big map that can be blown up to 40 by 60 inches without looking grainy. So I made my own by tracing over a Google map in Photoshop.

I added fake details like a scale and I hand drew a compass based off the one in the House Beautiful mural.

I had a sign shop print the whole thing out on plain paper, then I cut it into six sections and framed it with IKEA Ribba shadowbox frames.

If you'd like to make this project, I've uploaded my map at examiner.com, which you can have printed from PDF.

Mr. Bromeliad, the true talent in our household, pointed out that six frames hung closely together were always going to be slightly crooked. He recommended attaching the frames together with silicon glue (which could be cut through to separate the frames later if needed) and two lightweight removable metal bars.

Here he is using a city person's sawhorse for his drilling.

And a city person's workbench for the attaching.

The only bad thing is now the couch looks even more cruddy when seen next to shiny new art.

What have you been making lately? Link up at this month's Inspired blog party.