How to: Make a Cork Board World Map

This ManMade guest post was written by K.Faith Morgan

You can’t beat an awesome piece of wall art that is sure to strike up lots of conversation, and allows you to preserve your memories. This cork map art like a real world Where I’ve Been for your analog wall. (Is that weird that a website is now the reference point for a project like this?!)

Materials and Tools  

• adhesive-back cork roll, like this 
• map pins 
• 1 ½ yards quilter’s grid
• spray adhesive
• 2-x4′ plywood handy panel
• map template
• masking tape 
• staple gun and ¼-inch staples 
• tacky glue 
• masking paper 
• white spray paint 
• Craft knife
• scissors 

1. Print out the map template, and tape together the pages.

2. Cut apart connected landmasses and groupings of islands. Tape them down to the cork. 

3. Use an xacto knife to cut out the continents and islands. You can be as generic or specific as you want. (I chose to omit Antarctica. A: I don’t really want to go there. B: it allowed me to fit my map on a standard cut of plywood.)

Tip: Print out an extra map template. Before you stick the islands down, you can tape them to the extra map to keep track of their location.

4. Apply two coats of white spray to the plywood panel. Allow to dry.

5. Turn over the wood panel. Line-up the grid line with the long edge of the panel. Staple that edge of fabric to the wood. Fold the fabric underneath the panel and cover it with masking paper.

6. Apply spray adhesive to the painted side of the panel. 

7. Unmask the fabric. Wrap the fabric around and smooth it onto the spray adhesive.

8. Turn the panel over and staple the other three edges of fabric to the back. Trim off excess fabric.

9. Turn the panel back over. Peel and stick the landmasses and islands to the panel. Once you are satisfied with your arrangement, reinforce the adhesive back on the cork with tacky glue. 

10. Place books on top of the landmasses until they dry.  

11. Use map pins to mark the places you’ve been, lived and want to go.

Sources: vector map  

K. Faith Morgan is a designer, stylist, online editor, and producer. “I am a southern girl, but design is my football.  As a design school graduate and the child of two artists, I can’t follow X’s on a football field, but John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Madame X makes my heart skip a beat. I believe great design can change lives and life is too short for beige.”https://www.kfaithmorgan.com/