Today, I received an Email from Mr. Randall McNalley, suggesting the following uses for old maps (and I quote):
- Use your outdated Road Atlas maps as gift wrapping. First of all, you’re recycling paper, which is green and green is good. Second, you save money by not buying wrapping paper. Third, you probably have an old one in your car that needs to be updated. Go ahead and tear into it.
- Cover the kid’s table for the big family gathering with an old wall map. Tykes can draw on it, spill juice, and you can toss it at the end of the day.
- Update the powder room walls or ceiling with maps. Often, there’s a consistent color scheme, such as blue water, that’s soothing and appealing. All you have to buy is wallpaper glue.
- Buy a large wall map and frame it yourself by gluing it to a plywood board (have the hardware store cut it to exact size specifications) and trim the edge with chair rail molding. Paint the molding first, of course. The hardware store can cut the molding, too. Large framed maps can run into the hundreds of dollars, but a self-framed map like this will cost less than $50 in materials.
- Cover an inexpensive lamp shade with a favorite map. Glue the edges to an existing paper shade, glue matching fabric trim, and you have light worth studying. Unholster your glue gun!
Such clever ideas, Mr. McNalley. Of course, I actually like looking at old maps. I do know someone that did the wallpaper idea though, and I did once cover a box (which I used to store maps) with old maps decoupaged onto it.
