Thanks Lingon, a perfect explanation Will deffinitely be giving this more thought...

I nicked the roses off the internet but will soon be drawing my own. Likewise with the mountains. I have downloaded a few free textures but might pay for a couple from 123rf.com. If I get time today I want to look at aging effects and borders/frames.

Does anyone know a good research or reference place to look for examples of map frames or borders?

Glad you like the map so far. This is just a learning prototype. I'll be putting a lot more effort into the final thing. There's just so much to learn! Arrgghh! lol