apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It is such a cute idea ^.^

This is an amazing idea. The guy I'm dating has traveled all over the world - travel is a huge part of his life. Me, I've never had the money to travel much outside the U.S. (though I've been to Mexico, Canada and one unlikely visit to the Middle East.) He's been talking about wanting to show me all his favorite cities around the world. Who knows if we'll ever be able to afford that kind of travel, but if we can, I think I'd like to modify this map idea to chart our international adventures.

My question to Jennifer or other AT readers is: what would you suggest as the best way to make a threaded map like this for not just the U.S., but all over the world? I'm worries that if I print out a world map it might be too small and cramped to thread all the cities he wants to visit. On the other hand, I could print out and frame individual continent maps and thread each separately, but there's something less dramatic about having a few bits of thread per frame rather than a world map filled with thread.

Ideas?

Perhaps you could use pins, buttons or something else to replace the strings ? Or use sewing thread of a contrasting color and not a yarn thread ?

I think it is perfect. Love the way the blue stands out against the map.

What a sweet idea, I think this is a perfect Valentine

jplee... what about using an old globe? Don't know how you'd thread it though... but if you can come up with a cool solution, it could be really pretty

you can thread the globe by sticking small flat head pins into it in the cities, and then wrapping the embroidery floss around the pin.

this is amazing, i might do this.

Ours would be international though (although right now just north and south america will work, don't need europe *yet*). I think the entire world would be cool, just make it a little bigger. Or the individual continents idea is really cool especially if you then framed them and hung them in their correct places on a wall!

One of my friends had an old globe that had a bulb inside and lit up, so she started poking holes where she had been, so it would light them up and shine through when turned on.

But yeah i am stealing this.

oh if anyone needs good maps go here. hey are either AI or EPS files, so if you have a friend who is a designer the should be able to ready them and make it how you want.

http://www.webresourcesdepot.com/free-vector-world-maps-collection/3

this is also a great map product. I bought when at an art festival. She had the little stamps there so you could stamp it yourself. The hand stamped aspect of it made it look really good.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21315680

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20993055

i was thinking of doing something similar to make some art for our new home, with places we have lived, starting with the two different color lines separate and then coming together for our shared homes. great to see an example!

This is a charming idea!

jmorey - your mention of the light-up globe with pinholes in it made my heart skip a beat! I just love that idea!

Valentine's Day is a made up holiday. It's much more romantic to do something like this when it isn't a holiday. N'est pas?

It's a cute idea if you've traveled. I'm with Annieo - and take it a bit further. Holidays are made up. Pay your respects any day or every day. Love and romance every day. Christmas every day. Thanksgiving every day. MLK Day every day, President's Day, whatever! If you feel it, don't save it up for the day. You want to drink green beer in the morning, go for it. Are you alive today? It IS your birthday (just not necessarily the anniversary of the day you were born). Did a lot of things up until yesterday suck? Today is New Year's Day for you, pal. If you love someone and they love you, do not wait to give them a present.

Pretty much all holidays are made up.

Someone made up Presidents Day, Veteran's day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and so forth...

Just because you are the kind of person that likes to go against the flow and can't be like everyone else doesn't mean it's not a holiday. Most people like this are being exactly like so many other people though...

The smallest part of this post was apart Valentine's day... What do you think of the project?

Wow. Thanks for the rants on holidays... They may be over-commercialized, but holidays are pretty awesome.

Anywho, love this idea. I'd love to make a world map this way!

People can just make something into a rant, even. Don't feel you have to save up your feelings is all I said.

I like the idea, don't think it would look as good if you were too heavily traveled either. As for the globe idea, I have a broken globe. If you buy one that is made of cardboard, you can probably split it open at the equator, or maybe even carefully slice out a section big enough for your hand on a section that you aren't likely to travel and repair it. The pins are okay too I guess, but globes come apart in sections and can be reassembled if you want to go that route.

The cool part in the example, though, is how the states are only outlined and not colored in. Most of the maps or globes you are going to find will have the states and countries colored in, and the thread or ribbon might not give the contrast you need to make this really sweet and simple. The example above looks like a couple trips to meet each other's family and maybe a couple vacations, and a nice little, literal prehistory of the marriage journey.