Marie Claire Idées Magazine, part deux

Lest you thought I forgot to show you the OTHER many dog-eared pages of my favorite french lifestyle magazine Marie Claire Idées, I have returned to show you a great party idea I saw in the most recent (to me, since I can't get these until 2 months after their European release) issue.

So, "cartes" is french for maps. When I traveled in Europe as a college student studying in Luxembourg, this word was an important one since every time I hoisted my 2-ton backpack off the train I went straight to the little kiosk that sold maps of the city so I could find the various cathedrals and bakeries within walking distance.  "Avez vous un carte du cité?" I would ask, and Charlotte, please don't be offended by my grammar/spelling. btw, Charlotte is my french sister-in-law who will correct me, if her father Alain doesn't do it first). But I digress...

I love the styling ideas for this little vignette and think they would make a great bridal shower theme for a bride and groom with a little world travelling in their history. Or if they are going somewhere cool in the world for their honeymoon. Or if you are throwing a Bon Voyage party for any lucky soul.

Check it out:

Do you see the tablecloth?? And the little pins? And the little journals as maybe favors?

Adorable little flag garland on the left there.

See the wrapped boxes? Those could be used as risers on the food table. Or use the map to decoupage a little plant favor.

So who can think of a fun game to play with the maps? I'm thinking that you could blindfold someone and make them pin somewhere in the map and connect to the bride or groom? Or team up and come up with a fact regarding that country (of course, with my geographic brilliance my fact would always be: It's a country that I've never heard of!) Ha ha.

OKAY BUT DON'T LET ME LOSE YOU YET! Here are some cool links to envelopes that have maps about them so you can make an adorable invitation. This is amazing, Map Envelope uses a google map position and makes an envelope out of that (so the image is inside the envelope like a liner--dang, that's cute!) And Jam Paper has some envelopes made from maps, but I must warn you, they are mostly topographical maps of places I've never heard of (see above commentary). However, they do get the right feeling going. Here are some fancy ones from the Cavallini stationery company.