On Monday I mentioned that we had stopped by the Rose Bowl last weekend. Actually, to visit with everyone that we wanted to see while we were in LA on Sunday, it was more like pulling Kevin out of bed at 6:30am to be one of the early birds at the greatest flea market on earth (I didn’t make that up, the ticket says so itself). And it was worth every minute of lost sleep!
That little gem is so much fun to wander around in. Think world’s largest garage sale (something like 400 vendors) meets world’s best vintage stores – sometimes there are some really awesome deals to score, but most of the time it’s just a really great collection of stuff. I had my eye out for some big items like new dining room chairs or a new comfy side chair for our bedroom, but I didn’t end up coming back with most of my wishlist.
Here’s a little round up of what caught my eye, so much so that I nearlywalked away with most of the below. Top to bottom: the famous Rose Bowl stadium sign (alas, that was not on my wishlist ;)), the cowhide stools that would have looked amazing in our living room if I wasn’t searching for something a bit more modern, the crocheted chair that would have been a yes! if I had a tree branch strong enough to hold outside, the light up letters that I must attempt to DIY, a sweet British flag that I couldn’t justify because I already own two… and my new globes for an upcoming project.
In the end? Just a few decorations for the house, one of those being said project globe for the girls’ room. Right now they join an eBay globe on the top shelf of the new bookcases.
I’d show you the other side of the room with the third globe but it’s under construction. Not literally, but not close enough to share just yet.
I love the color of the globes – works so well in this space! but I love most that they are tangible maps for us to play with.
The plan was for each girl to have their own globe to begin tracking their visits around the world. Kevin and I are big globe trotters and it’s a big deal to me that the girls learn to embrace the world at large around them, and to desire to travel to each and every corner of this giant planet.
It’s hard to see, but we used a mini hole puncher to make small red dots and then used a glue stick to attach the dots to the globe. Here’s the start of Liv’s travel journeys:
It reminds me a bit of the map board project that I made for the master bedroom a few years ago:
That’s a vintage frame that’s been hollowed out (thanks to a mini quake that broke the mirror) and lined with cork. The pictures around the frame commemorate our trips.
Red pins are where Kevin and I have both travelled to, yellow just me and blue just him.
Now the girls have a way to track their own journeys, and I hope that the globes grow with them (dare I say – forever?).
Where should we go next? Spppiiinnn!
You can read more about our travels posted on the blog under the Travel Adventures tag. So far we’ve chronicled Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Ireland, Spain and (still need to post on) Morocco. Plus plenty of stateside stuff. One day I might get around to posting pics of Japan, South America and more of Europe, but a lot of those trips were during college, our dating years or just after saying I Do, and that feels like ages ago!
How do you keep track of your travels? I think that journals are a great way to remember special adventures, too…
PS Casa Sugar featured my white & gold placecard pumpkins in their round up. There are a ton of other great ideas, too!
Design Design, Inc. says
OMG! The tree idea is fantastic!! So creative and fun. Our employees loved seeing your ideas.
Sue Matteucci says
That’s what I did in Lizzie’s room so she will see all the wonderful places she has visited. Very fun
Morgan says
Very neat!
Kristian says
I like the idea of putting the cork/map where the mirror was.
SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says
What a wonderful idea! I wish we were globe trotters, but we’re pretty much home bodies. If we traveled more, I would love to use either of these ideas for a keepsake.
Leslie says
I love the way you’ve incorporated decor with memories for the girls. That, and those shelves still look fantastic! I wish we were better at recording our travel.