RANDOM THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, VOLUME ONE

As Rebecca Black says, it's Friday! Friday! Gotta get down on Friday!So I am going down by sharing all the random fun things I have picked up recently but haven't gotten around to posting. I think this will be a new column (posted very randomly, as is only appropriate, ha ha) that I hope will make you as happy as it makes me. Without further ado . . . ONE > Recently during Paris Fashion Week famous supermodels Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) walked the runways and took some epic selfies promoting their eagerly awaited sequel to Zoolander, out in 2016.TWO > I am majorly in love these page flags that turn the edge of your book into a monster showdown in the sky. (Bonus! They also have regular city skylines, forests, deserts and many other scenes).THREE > The cards and prints in the Etsy shop Hooray Today are cute and colorful in equal measure—my kind of store!FOUR > Every slim chic woman of a certain in the city seems have a cool tote for their yoga mat. This adjustable suspender tote by Mimot strikes just the right balance between functionality and fun. Love it!  FIVE > Maps. Rainbow colors. Clean typography. Killer graphic design. English Muffin Shop is definitely worth bookmarking. (Plus, that name! How can you resist?)SIX >  Since its inception several years ago I have been a major fan of Kate Spade's spunky sidekick endeavor 'Saturday'. Popping into their online shop recently I fell into major love with this bright, brushy print.
I would love to hear what random things make you happy in the comments. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

PARTY PLANNING: A TRAVEL-THEMED BIRTHDAY

For most of the summer I have been eagerly planning a birthday bash for my beloved Mom, who turns the big 6-0 in September. It's been cool to brainstorm together and think of various means to make the party feel as special and fun as she is. Needing a theme, we decided to reference her worldly ways and make it a travel-focused party complete with tons of vintage maps and globes (my favorite!). After the party I will be excited to share all the fabulous projects I put together, but in the meantime I thought I would feature some of my inspiration.

Here are a few parties and products that have been jump off points for my planning process:

A bright, cheery teacher appreciation party. How awesome is that pull down map? I may have bought one of my own . . . 

This classy globe-focused wedding. I love the idea of vintage globe centerpieces!

This cake topper is too cute, perfect for that first birthday party!

The moment we decided to go with the travel theme, I thought of this print by Lisa Congdon as inspiration for the invite. Aren't they great? 

So here are some of the pretty things I am thinking of incorporating into the party. Clearly we are going with a light blue, turquoise and yellow color scheme (conveniently similar to my Dad's party last year) with pops of other bright color here and there. Overall we want to capture the vivacious, fun-loving, adventuresome character of my dear Mom and, with these sweet ideas, I think we can do it! Any other travel-themed things you can think of that I missed? Suggestions are welcome!

one  pull down vintage school map, $59.99 | two ocean light string from bright lab, $29.95 | three metal globe bank, $18 | four fun yellow and white bouquet | five stripey straws, 25 for $6.85 | six chocolate earth balls, one pound for $8.99 | seven yellow streamers DIY

MY DREAM HOME: MAP WALLS

Anyone who knows me knows I hold a few things dear in this life: family, good food, stripes, polka dots and maps. I love all things cartographic: maps, charts, globes, everything! So for a long time when I have envisioned my dream home I have pictured it to heavily include maps of all shapes and sizes in the decor. Like how great are these map murals? I am drooling over that bathroom, especially with that oversized gold mirror. Swoon!

sources: top, bottom

Click through to see my other map-loving picks!

BRIMFIELD RECAP

Every year my Mom and I go to a huge antiques/vintage goods show in Massachusetts called Brimfield. Usually we go as buyers, but this year we decided to mix things up a bit and act as sellers! And guess what: it was exhausting but so fun! Here are some shots of my favorite things we had on offer . . . 

Tiny plastic doll food!

Baby ironing boards, toy irons and tea sets!

And how about this 1960s-era Pillsbury Dough Boy? Perfect condition!

We had lots of great vintage board games and kids toys, including my Mom's personal favorite—a Howdy Doody hand puppet.

We also had a big rack of vintage clothes, lots of old magazines, and random decorations.

My favorite, by far though, was dishes of silver, pretty cordial glass sets and funky late 60s-era gold coffee pots.













































And how great is this little barware set we put together? That huge mixing glass with cocktail recipes, that green ice bucket!

And fondue forks! Nothing more vintage than fondue forks!

It was a great weekend! A lot of hard work, some wonderful quality time with my Mom, and a tidy little profit to boot. Not bad, all things considered.

And you know what? I did manage to steal a couple minutes to do some shopping on my own, picking up some great things for my own collections, like this mini metal globes. How awesome are they?


Like hearing about Brimfield? Check out previous posts here.

JOHN PHILIPPS EMSLIE

You know I love a good map or infographic. Though usually I fall for super modern, minimalist versions I have to say I love these beautiful images from the mid to late 1800s by the British artist John Philips Emslie. I love the rich detail and beautiful coloration, particularly in the 'Telescopic View of the Moon' poster. Gorgeous, right?

See more here and here.

JAUNTFUL: CUSTOM TRAVEL MAPS

I like to travel. And as an obsessive planner, I like to head out of town with a plan about the best sights, eats and cultural spots to explore. For years I have tried to keep track of these elaborate lists through google maps, random notebooks, and convoluted email chains . . . . you name it, I've tried it.

Enter Jauntful, a new site that allows you to create, share and print personalized maps for any place in the world. It's still in preview mode so they are working out some kinks but I have been testing it out for a few weeks and I love it! I particularly like that you can search other users maps for fun insider tips to any place you can dream up. I have already used it for a brunch and bookshop recommendation and can't wait to look for more.

In between browsing sessions I have started my own maps for restaurants to remember in New York, things I want to do in North Carolina (headed there for a wedding next weekend!) and guides to my hometown of New Haven, CT and my beloved Boston (below).

Best of Boston for Design Lovers

The Best of the Elm City


Interested in seeing more? Sign up to join the preview here and check out my page here. And happy (imaginary) travels!


(images from the Jauntful Facebook page)

NAOMI WILKINSON, MY COLOR SOULMATE

I think I just found my color soulmate. Her name is Naomi Wilkinson and she is an illustrator based in Bristol, England. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and her blog is chock full of pretty people drawings amidst gorgeously colorful backgrounds. Plus she illustrates maps! I think I just felt my heart flutter with excitement. Get your color rush too by checking out all the goodness here.

(Thanks to DesignLoveFest for the tip.)

PUT A PIN IN IT

Keeping this post short and sweet: how fabulous is this cork globe? A perfect palette to display my map pin obsession and a worthy addition to my map/globe/cartographic collection . . .

Pick up your own here for $200.

LET'S GET CREATIVE

Have you guys heard of Creative Mornings? I have written about it a couple times before (see here), but I was feeling in dire need of a jolt of inspiration yesterday and—without fail—the Creative Mornings site delivered big time. I mean, look at that homepage! It's like a perfect venn diagram of my obsession with bright colors and maps. Drool!

Besides being beautifully designed in and of itself, the Creative Mornings website also hosts an incredible archive of all their previous talks, now taking place in 71 (!) cities around the world. Since I will be giving a presentation on the first chapter of my dissertation next month at this fabulous design-focused symposium, I think it only proper to brush up on my public speaking skills by watching some of the masters at work in the Creative Mornings spotlight. In case you want some presentation pointers too, or are just in the mood for some good advice and a few laughs, check out the videos below. You won't regret it!

I loved Debbie Milman's talk when I saw it in person way back in 2011. I loved it even more when I rewatched it this week. Her advice here is both thoughtfully considered and amicably delivered—the whole presentation feels like an uplifting pep talk from a parent or friend.

This talk, by MailChimp founder Ben Chestnut, was the only one of my three picks today that I didn't get to see in person (it took place in Atlanta in December 2011). But it is absolutely hilarious in the way that a brilliant but rather crass friend can be—there is a common recurrence of a middle finger icon in the talk at very funny intervals—and is all the most inspirational for it. I can't recommend it enough. And I now I funny understand the MailChimp radio ads that say they make hats for small dogs and cats!

Last, but definitely not least, is this belly-laugh-, drool-, and awe-inducing talk by Christoph Niemann (who I have extolled on many occasions before, see here). His illustrations and masterful creativity never ceases to amaze me and this short and sweet presentation will show you why. I shared before and I have to share it again—it's that good.


See more of creative goodness at Creative Mornings here.

KELLI IS COOL

Have you ever opened up a website and felt your jaw drop? Well I just spent a very long time looking through the glorious online portfolio of graphic designer and illustrator Kelli Anderson. I am telling you, this woman is my design hero; she rocks color, pattern, maps and bold infographics like nobody's business. Every single image on her site is going straight to my inspiration file.

Do yourself a favor and check out all the Kelli Anderson goodness here.