Typographical Globe

Add color and style to an empty corner of your house with this Typographical Globe from Jessica Hill.  Decorative crafts like this would look great in an office or a living room.  Made with various thrift store finds, this fun craft is great for travelers and adventure seekers!  This is also a great way to help kids learn their geography.

Materials:

• A globe
• A lamp base, including the metal rod
• Hex nuts
• Spray paint – I used Krylon’s champagne nouveau and oil rubbed bronze
• Letter stickers in various sizes, fonts, and colors
• Packing tape
• Wax paper
• Marker
• Scissors
• Clear protectant spray
• Lamp parts
   

Instructions:

1. Did you know that most lamp bases come apart into several pieces? They are all stacked onto a central rod which is bolted at each end. When you take the lamp apart, all those pieces that can be rearranged in whatever configuration you want!
   
   
   
   
    
2. You can use this same process to make a pedestal that can be used for just about anything. Put a plant on top of it – instant plant stand. Glue a tray to the top of it and have yourself a new side table. Use your imagination!
   
   
    
3. Spray paint the lamp parts whatever color you desire.
   
   
    
4. Now that the pedestal was underway, it was time to get working on the art globe. I traced each of the continents onto wax paper.
   
   
    
5. Then I covered the area of each continent with packing tape. This will all make sense eventually.
   
   
    
6. I bought letter stickers at an office supply store to create the typographical element of the piece.
    
7. I spelled out the name of the continent using the largest letters. For some continents, like Australia, the name was too big for the space, but I actually like how that added to the design.
   
   
    
8. Then, I applied letter stickers in the other 2 fonts and sizes all over the area of the continent, making sure to overlap the border in places.
   
   
    
9. Next, I flipped the wax paper over and cut the continent out along the borders. See how I cut through the letters that overlapped the border?
   
   
    
10. With just a bit of picking, I was able to peel the wax paper off of the packing tape.
    
    
     
11. Meanwhile, I spray painted the globe itself a shimmery gold color.
    
    
     
12. When the wax paper was peeled off the tape, I was left with a continent-shaped sticker made up of letters! All I had to do was stick all the continents on, smooth them out, and seal the whole thing with a protective coat of clear paint.