DIY Scratch-off World Map

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During our search for home decor the boy and I kept seeing different types of scratch-off world maps. Although we both agreed the idea was very cool, we struggled to find a map that was right for our house. So when we found a world map we liked at a poster sale I thought it would be fun to try and make one myself. I found the formula for the chalk paint here and basically mixed equal parts of dishwashing liquid with acrylic paint.


Here are a few things I learned while working on the DIY:

This earth has a lot of islands, too many in fact, painting over the Russian coast alone was a bit of a nightmare, not to mention Indonesia.

When choosing a map try to avoid having the continents in black, or any other dark colours, as it will take a billion coasts to cover. Rookie mistake, I know.

Tracing and painting is very relaxing but takes a lot of time, I spend about two days working on painting.

When working with chalk paint only use shiny high gloss paper, like the type that posters are made out off, the paint will sink into more porous types of paper.

The beauty of working with scratch off paint is that it scratches off, so don't worry if you go over the lines, you can always correct it later.



I very much enjoyed this experiment and the result turned out better than expected. I am secretly surprised it even worked. Although making a scratch off world map myself was cheaper and more fun that buying a generic one in store I would like to add a little disclaimer. The painting takes up A LOT of time and it gets a bit tedious. This DIY is definitely not a good last minute Christmas gift idea, it would however make for a lovely project to do over your Christmas break if you have some time.

I hope you enjoyed this post!


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