Map Plates

Feast on this:



Available from What on Earth: "You might serve pasta on Italy, pierogi on Poland, sauerkraut on Germany, or paella on Spain. Each plate is shaped like the nation it represents, with major cities highlighted. Pieced together, you can create a substantial serving platter."

Via Apartment Therapy The Kitchen and thanks, Hunter!

Ireland Victoria's

My friend, Victoria, came back from a trip to Dublin last week. Whenever my friends travel, I tell them, "Bring back some map postcards!"

She brought these three for me.

Her primary complaint was that there appeared to be little variety in map postcards. Everywhere she went, she saw these same two maps of the island...

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Interestingly, both of these cards decline to acknowledge any sort of international border with Northern Ireland (is that not an Absolut provocation, Jonathan? ;-) ...).

The second card (to the left) reminds me of another postcard I own, Utah: Aerial View at Night

Eventually, Victoria did find one particularly unique card from the community of Howth. Located on the peninsula of Howth Head on the north side of Dublin Bay.



Thanks again, Victoria!

[Victoria is also the friend that allowed me to scan her St. Lenin postcard after her trip to Prague.]

Elisabeth Lecourt Map-Wear

In one of my very earliest Cartophilia posts, I commented on maps as art, by highlighting the clothing-art work of paper sculpture artist Jennifer Collier. Yet another maps-clothing-artist comes to my attention:



Elizabeth Lecourt uses maps to sculpt clothing. In the October 5, 2005 issue of Step Inside Design Magazine, Mary Fitcher said:

... Technically she's not a fashion designer, however, Elisabeth Lecourt (a French student of art in England) is turning heads with her intriguing line of map-wear. She folds and cuts individual maps by region to produce clothes not to be worn but rather hung. To date she has pressed and ironed 60 pieces of faux garments, mostly pleated parochial dresses and button-down shirts made out of modern maps. Universal by nature, her work is popular wherever shown...

Thanks to Ms. Cartophiliac for pointing me in the direction of this cartographic artist.

Erin Go Bragh

On March 17, millions of Americans drink foul tasting green beer, get staggering drunk and walk around spouting nonsense words like "Erin Go Bragh" and "Top O' the Morning To Ye" They call themselves "Irish for a Day" or desperately cry out, "Kiss me, I'm Irish". Unlike the real Irish, who drink good beer, don't wait till one day per year to get really pissed, and are probably kissed by other Irish persons on a daily basis! But, let us not digress into unfair cultural stereotypes.

In honor of today's St. Patrick's Day celebration, we bring you two map postcards appropriate for the day, from Karen's Whimsy and the St. Louis Time Portal (Irish music warning: turn down the volume on your computer...)



"They're After Me Lucky Charms!"

Follow this map to see if you can find the Leprechaun's treasure: