Today is my birthday, so it seems like a good day to kick off a new series all about my favorite things! When I started to make a list of some of the things I love most, I was surprised to realize how many of them have remained unchanged since I was young, and my obsession with maps is no exception.
I’ve always had the travel bug! In fact, I had the travel bug long before I ever traveled anywhere, really. My bucket list is made up almost exclusively of exotic locations I want to visit, and unique experiences that I want to have in those places. I love looking at maps while dreaming up future travel plans, but I also get a thrill from studying maps for the pure, nerdy, pleasure of it.
I was traveling through New Zealand during the first week of the 2000 Olympics, and while watching the opening ceremonies on television from my hotel room, I wrote down the name of any country that I didn’t know the location of, then bought a map for the following day’s bus ride so I could locate those nations (yep, THAT nerdy). When breastfeeding my first son, I even spent most of the late night feedings playing a geography game on my iPad until I finally achieved my goal of being able to name every single country on a blank map {a skill that has since lapsed … so I guess I should get back on that}.
In school I enjoyed any assignment that required making or labeling a map – in part because it always felt to me more like an art project than homework. So, it’s no surprise, I suppose, that my love of maps extends beyond geography to their graphic, aesthetic beauty. When flipping through design magazines or browsing blogs, I am immediately drawn to rooms with maps, and I am always pinning all sorts of map projects on Pinterest. We already have quite a few maps around our home, and there will be more to come! In fact, just a couple of weeks ago we completed a license plate map art piece for Beckett’s new room.
{1} Denver Neighborhood Map: We bought this awesome typographical map years ago at a local store, but the artist Kristen now sells her amazing works on Etsy.
{2} Map Necklace: I have been drooling over this “There’s a Map for That” necklace for a long time, and for only $20 from ModCloth I’m considering buying it as a birthday present to myself today. Now the question is just gold or silver?
{3} License Plate Map: For years I have coveted the one of a kind license plate maps at Uncommon Goods, but since I will never be able to afford the $3,900 price tag, we recently found a way to make our own knock off version for only $140.
{4} World Beat Music Print: I purchased this amazing music note world map as a gift for Scott shortly after we were married. It combines my love of maps with his love of music {it’s actually a playable composition}, making it the perfect addition to our travel themed home office. It’s an original work of art signed by the artist, James Plakovic, who sells this and other works of MusicArt here.
{5} Map Wallpaper: Someday I’d like to cover an entire wall in one giant map, like this amazing room. I hope my boys share my love of maps, because I think this would be perfect for a teenage boy’s study space.
{6} Tracking our Travels: In our home office, we have a framed map of each continent that we have traveled to, and we use pins to mark the each of the specific locations we have visited {one color for Scott’s travels, one color for mine, and a third color for places we have traveled together}.
{7} Map Ornaments: Someday soon I plan to make my own DIY version of these cute map ornaments to commemorate all of our family’s travels.
{8} Paint Splashes World Map: I haven’t yet found a place in our home to hang this amazing map, but as soon as I do I will be buying it! It combines my love of travel with my love of art, and if I had the space, I could design an entire room around this piece!
{9} Map Puzzle: I am always looking for kids books and toys to help Scott and I share our interests with our boys, so this wood US Map puzzle from Anthropolgie is a must have. It’s educational, wood, and gorgeous – all the makings of a perfect toy!
{10} World Map Pillow: For a few years I have been on the hunt for a map pillow to add to the chair in our home office, and I think I’ve finally found “the one.” Best of all, it’s only $18 on Etsy. Yes, please!
{11} NYC Subway Map Onesie: I’ve always had a thing for subway maps because they look to me like modern works of art. When I was pregnant with Cooper, Scott and I spent a long weekend in NYC on our babymoon, and we bought this adorable subway map onesie. Cooper has since outgrown it, but it is definitely one of the items of baby clothes that we’ll be holding on to for its sentimental value!
{12} Uncommon Goods Map: I can never flip through the Uncommon Goods catalog without finding another map work of art that I think I can’t live without, and these American Souvenier Collection beauties are no exception. The price tag is too steep for me, but I can envision a great DIY version using stir sticks. Now I just need more wall space…
