How 'bout some geography with that muesli? (New "curtains" for the kitchen and kids' room.)

Close to 15 years ago, I bought two old classroom pull-down maps. They were a buck each, so I wasn't able to pass up the deal. About 10 years ago, I figured out how to use them--they would make great pull-down shades. Since then, they've moved with us and have been stored in various places. Today, I finally put them to use.

Below is the new shade for the kids' room. We have ceiling-to-floor windows, so the tall U.S. map was the perfect fit.




Here's the shade for the kitchen. The world map is so old that it has the present unified Germany.




To get these to hang without too much fuss, I used a table saw to notch out groves in a 2X4 to make a bracket these could slide on and mount.




Granted, it took about 15 years, but I'm pleased with the finished product.