Globe Trotters

Well, we didn't get that far, but we had quite a busy summer including an Alaskan adventure!  We are all settling into a new fall routine as the school year has begun and fall has returned in all it's crisp air, leave changing glory.  I'm hoping to share more adventures in home decorating and parenting on a weekly basis throughout the school year as I really do enjoy crafting and picture taking and sharing in general.  We'll see how it goes!

Here's a quick project I just tackled in 15 minutes this morning while sweet Clover was napping upstairs.  Chalkboard globes are all the rage these days.  See here and here for examples.

I had already made Charm a chalkboard globe over three years ago!  And I decided I wanted to change it up a bit by permanently painting the outlines of the countries on the globe.  That way, Charm could use chalk to mark his superhero's journeys or treasure hiding locations, etc, and the map wouldn't wipe away when it was time for a new adventure.

I found a globe at Marshall's for $24.99 that had a loose hand drawn country rendering that I was going to use as my guide, along with a Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pen:

I actually bought the small Marshall's globe to use as a guide with the intent to return it, but I soon discovered that it was easier to grab a real globe (of which I already own a few:)) and use it as my guide since the scale was the same as my big chalkboard globe.  (So buying the Marshall's globe was pointless, except the return of the globe will force me back to Marshall's which is never a bad thing:)!)

(And as an aside, ignore the kitchen mess.  If I'm going to blog, I've got to be okay with messy backgrounds now and then.  The wine glasses were left over from book club the night (or two) before, and I decided to paint country lines on a globe (that I had previously painted over the country lines on) instead of washing those wine glasses.  My priorities make total sense...to me anyway.)

I also discovered it was easier to make a pencil tracing to start instead of going straight for the paint pen.  I only erased my pencil line in one or two places, but it was nice to have that option.

And here's my finished product to be added to Mr. Charm's Superhero room that has been in the works for a LONG time.

So much more to come!