I’m so attracted to maps, both for the actual use (navigation) and for their design and craft aesthetic. Obviously I’m not alone in this, as maps have been decoupaged on everything from coasters to lampshades. But these crafts, like this amazing map dress by Elisabeth Lecourt, are taking maps to new destinations…sorry, it had to be said!

This looks crazy hard I know, but I think the artist just covered this cardboard deer head in maps. Love. Found via Babble.

This could be a very cool abstract embroidered design, but it’s actually the Paris Metro system. By Needle & Compass on Etsy.

I love the link between transportation and navigation with this folded paper map boat by d. Sharp Journal.

A travel scrapbook made with map pages? Yes. Found via Scrapbook.com.

Ok, so I’m ending with the decoupaged map chair found via Pins for Your Home because I just love it.

This is so very much how I feel right now! So much so, that I’ll come back tomorrow with the full update from my daughter’s birthday party! (You can buy this cute tote on Handmade and Craft on Etsy.)

I saw this adorable fabric play money on Estefi Machado’s blog (one of my favorite craft blogs that happens to be in Portugese), and it inspired a search for other clever homemade play money. She used a really cool technique…she coated a piece of cotton in spray mount, let it dry, then ran it through the printer. (At least this is how I understood the google translation.) Being on fabric save them from wrinkles and rips. Here are a few other clever DIY money crafts that caught my eye…

These homemade wooden coins by Lil Blue Boo are super cute: I love that they are in denominations of treats, rather than money amounts.

What’s better than a kid seeing her own mug in the center of currency? I love the iron-on and stitched details of this homemade play money.

If you are about to embark upon a week of kids at home (aka wild abandon) for spring break, maybe a few of these 10 ideas from my recent Mom.me story will inspire you! (And while you’re there, check out all the great things that Mom.me has to offer!)

Missing the beach in a bad way? Bring it home with this easy homemade recipe of flour and vegetable oil.

Too cold for a backyard camp out? Instead, camp in with a homemade tent in the living room!

Are Legos getting old? Try building a tower with marshmallows and toothpicks!

Download scavenger hunts for the grocery store, the mall, and traffic to keep your kids busy while you run errands!

Check out the rest of the story on mom.me!

I just realized that as I’m uploading the above photo collage to this post, I’m smiling. It’s been a crazy morning: husband and 2-year-old son make pancakces for 1-year-old daughters first birthday (picture it: egg yolk running down face of kitchen cabinets), son throws tantrum over wanting to be with work-at-home mommy and not scootering with nanny, and then just the on-going stress of crafting my 100-craft, insane (but awesome) book. Serious first-world problems here, but still, I’ve been a slight ball of tension for the last 2 hours.

And then I spot this photo on Flavor Wire. Romania-based photographer Alexandra Sandu’s technique in The Daydreamers Project is to place subjects against a colorful pastel background and ask them to close their eyes and think of something cheerful. She snaps a photo, and ahhh…images of Zen. She began the project in September 2009, and her goal is to document 1,000 daydreamers. This boy makes me particularly happy…adults seem to look forward or to turn their faces downward, but he turns it up…a true expression of joy!

Maybe this is a good exercise for us all to do…think of what brings you the most happiness and have someone take your photo with your eyes closed. When your problems start to plague you, first-world or other, glance at the photo for a reminder of your happy place.