{i see london, i see france...}

Happy mail. Special delivery. A good post day. Whatever you call it when something that is neither bill nor junk mail shows up in the postbox, this is it. From the moment I caught sight of all those red stamps on the outside of the envelope, I knew it was going to be good.

Inside the envelope was a map. Not just any map. My first map. 

It's a beautiful map of Lyon, France, and the surrounding area, from the 1960s. Ooh la la indeed. It was sent to me by a generous reader, Sophie, (merci!) who had no use for it as the map didn't quite stretch to include her hometown.

One of my favourite details is the town of St. Etienne. Though Justin has already firmly vetoed the name, I've always loved 'Etienne' for a little boy. (He's more into naming boys after ferocious animals -- Bear, Wolf, Komodo Dragon). Ah, well, now I can enjoy it on a map. Whatever I end up making, you can be sure that this section will be used.

Notice that the roads are all marked in red? Perfect! Clearly, it's quite a bumpy, twisty mountainous area, and I'm imaging many of these roads running along crests of the Alps. Who fancies a bit of skiing? (And a nice hot pain au chocolat afterwards...)

So now, (well, once we're home again) perhaps some of our map projects can start to take shape. Although I'm finding that it's much easier to think about cutting the maps up when you don't actually have any... in person, this one really does look quite nice whole!

{creative ways to record your travels}

We haven't even left yet, and already I can't resist thinking about how we'll record our trip to Denmark. Of course, we're planning to build our postcard shelves (which, due to warped planks, will now be when we get back), so we'll be sure to pick up a nice Danish postkort to display. But, loving maps as much as we do, here are a few other ideas for remembering trips:

This felt pillow has been embroidered with travel routes, each trip in a different colour. Just don't try to fly from Los Angeles to Japan -- you'll have to go the long way round! (Paola of Atelier Pompadour, via Apartment Therapy)

Feeling stitchy, but don't want to bother with all that felt? What about these simple postcards, onto which you sew your journey. Perfect for our upcoming postcard wall! (Uncommon Goods)

Add a little scent to a postcard collection with these lavendar-filled postcard sachets. Probably not worth the risk of getting them through customs, but buy an extra stamp while you're away, and sew these up at home. (Victoria)

Frame photos, using maps as matting. Choosing a map of the destination where the photo was taken will make it extra special. (Martha Stewart)

And, if you love your maps so much you can't bear to cut them, frame the whole thing in an embroidery hoop! (Brigitte.de)

These pillows bring maps down from the wall and turn them from crinkly to cuddly. We are playing with the idea of having a map theme in our guest room, so these would be fun on the bed. (My Bearded Pigeon, via Re-nest)

And as the guest room is also serving as Justin's office at the moment, this map-covered stag would be right at home. Could we make it a moose, though, please? (Steph Goralnik, on Flickr)

Okay, perhaps I'm getting a little carried away here, but if we're going map-crazy, why not throw in this  map chandelier, too? With a $5 IKEA light-kit, I'm sure this would DIY in no time. (Umbu)

Do you have any travel traditions? Any special souvenirs you try to find while you're away? It looks like we'll have to save space in our suitcase to bring a map or two home with us!

{inspiration: what a corker}

We seem to be a family that can't sit still. When Tilly was five months old, we loaded her and 200lbs worth of her stuff onto a jet and flew to England. And just in case that doesn't make us crazy enough, we've decided to do it again in a few months, stopping in Denmark and England, this time. Exciting!

I've been admiring designsponge's cork map of The States (above) -- a fun way to keep track of all the places you've visited. However, it wasn't until I saw ManMade's world version (below) that I really fell in love. 

As well as pins for the places we've been to and wish to go to, I'd love to add photos of our family members and friends around the world. And, perhaps, a little photo of Justin to pin to different countries while he travels. Something to make those we love feel closer while we're apart.

Now, which do you think will be more difficult: cutting out a map of the world from cork, or keeping a wriggly fourteen-month-old happy for a ten hour plane ride?