It’s no secret that I love maps – most certainly for their primary purpose of helping me get from A to B  – but also as art, as design and, as appropriate, for gift wrapping.

Because I am so enthralled with maps and wrapping, I now see possibilities to combine the two everywhere. Map greeting cards, map bows, map ribbons and map dresses, transport maps, maps of all colours, sizes, scale, level of detail and fantastic features. I am sure I could even win my husband over with gift wrapped in a map of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Clever bow made from a map.

Stitching out a special place.

Map card and matching envelope from Made with Maps

Darling Dresses made from maps by the talented Marcelle Crosby.

Maps, maps, maps. Of all the maps I both used and came across in my recent gift wrapping trip to Europe and Hong Kong, the most stylish would have to have been from the talented Franziska Marielle Schatz from Roadtyping. She has created a stunning range of greeting cards and globetrotter goods based on her love for the landscape and adventures of the Allgäu region near her native München. Her illustrations are truly to die for (more on that in a later blog) and none more so than her clean and stylish black and white with pops of aqua and gold map of the Allgäu and the Alps. So much fun. I wanted to take handfuls of these maps so I could wrap all day with them, but that would not have been an appropriate thing to do. I excitedly took the one map I was offered and stashed it away for a special wrap.

A beautiful map designed and produced by Roadtyping.

Using the Roadtyping map would be enough on its own, but I have added in some aqua grosgrain ribbon tied to look like little skis. Too much? I don’t think so. It’s made me keen for more wraps in this style – but with so many outstanding options, there’s only one sensible approach  – I’ll just have to map it out.