A NC State Of Mind

I’m sure you all have all seen something state- themed lately, it’s all the rage. There are sellers on Etsy who make necklaces with little cut outs over your hometown. People have been making art too, like this adorable framed version at Lolly Jane

{Lolly Jane}

So when I had some scrap cabinet grade plywood leftover from my slim table project, I had Mike cut me 4 equal pieces about 2 ft high that we joined with the Kreg Jig to form a canvas.

I blew up a map of NC (it took 3 attempts, including one that printed 25 pages…wallpaper, anyone?). Then I taped it to the canvas.

My friend Alex showed up just in time to help me with this (thanks Alex!). Starting at opposite ends, we traced it hard with a pen to leave an indentation in the wood. It’s not that easy to see, so then we went over the indentation in pencil.  Enter the worlds tiniest paintbrushes and some Minwax Dark Walnut, and you have this:

 Complete with a heart in Asheville (which I accidentally placed on the seam, but oh well).

I plan to hang with triangle hardware on the back (because I’m selling it), but my friend Alex thought it’d be neat to hang on chain from eye hooks, and I totally agree. How sweet would that look?

Overall I would classify this project as easy, if you have a steady hand. Even though you’re following your trace lines, the stain is VERY thin and loves to bleed. So you sort of have to undershoot a bit because it spreads. An easier version could be done with paint. I’m totally digging the rustic nature of this art though, and plan to attempt a world map at some point. What do you think? Do you have any state-themed art in your house?