In The Mood - Map Inspiration

I love maps. I love looking at roads, rivers, lakes and mountains and trying to imagine what they look like 'in real life'. I love looking for unusual place names, unpronounceable names, funny names and names that just make me want to go there. I studied geography at university so it's partly understandable but it's also partly something I can't explain. I just love maps.

And I love old maps too - I have a little collection of 1930s maps that have the most beautiful drawings on the covers - pre-war snapshots of lives where if you want to go anywhere, you had to have a map. No downloading instructions, certainly no sat-nav but and understanding that to journey, to travel, was something very special.

Perhaps it's the sense of journeying, travelling along a road and heading to a new destination that makes me love maps for weddings too... 

Above - I know we've looked at paper hearts before but I know you loved them so a paper heart made of maps is just going to be a winner here isn't it? This is a definite possibility for a spot of wedding DIY - just buy relatively robust maps so they bend nicely and hold their shape well too.  Image - Crafty DIY Bride

Above - paper bird confetti cut from maps, how beautiful. No don't despair about the potential stress of cutting such intricate patterns, take a look at the Martha Stewart Crafts range of paper punches and get busy! For UK readers - the Martha Stewart Crafts range can be found at Hobbycraft. Image - Elizabeth Anne Designs

Above - now who would have thought a map could look like that? Map sheets turned into a large flower for a  bouquet! Smaller versions would make wonderful buttonholes or corsages too (and for ladies with delicate fabrics - these will be much lighter than heavy flowers so are less likely to pull at gorgeous outfits!) Image - via Flickr

Above - cake toppers are making a come back and I love this quirky map topper complete with two map-made owls. I also love that little string of map bunting behind - if you bought a supermarket cake, that strung around it would give it a great personal touch. Image - Great Green Wedding

Above - perfect map stationery, envelopes lined with maps and sealed with map stickers. Not a complicated idea but one that works so so well with this theme. Image - I Do It Yourself

Above - there's just no excuse for the dull old favour boxes. Take a little bit of time to 'wrap' them in maps (real or map style wrapping paper) and the little twine wrap and tag is a great finishing touch. Image - Mundogeo

Above - now you know I love tags but these save the day tags with the map background just tick lots of boxes for me. Personality - tick, DIY potential - tick, good looking design - tick. It's all good. And you could carry this look through to the day with the 'on the day' stationery too. Image - Paper & Thread

Above - beautiful table number. I am so against boring cards in boring silver holders - table numbers or names have got so much potential and this is just so pretty. I love the colour of the frame, the map backing and that matching 3d number just stands out so well but keeps with the look perfectly. Fabulous. Image - The Knot

Above - this would be a perfect decoration for a wedding that has a map theme. I can just imagine these hanging from gates or chair backs. They're really very sweet and if you could get the wood shapes, it would be possible to make these yourself. Image - Wow Thank You