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I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with maps – they can be so beautiful + creative not to mention expressive of place + full of memories. Since I signed up for Anne Ditmeyer’s Map Making class on Skillshare, I’ve been wanting to mess around with drawing my own maps + sharing them with you here! I was finally inspired to take a little action when I saw that Adina of Gluten Free Travelette (you’ve met her on the blog before in this post!) was doing a mapping challenge in the month of March, drawing 30 maps in 30 days. Now that is seriously impressive, and I decided to join her. I’m not going to get to 30 maps this month, that’s for sure, but I have two! Which is more than I had in February + I’m happy about that. Anyone else feel paralyzed sometimes by their creative projects?

So, since I’m sharing a little sneak peek of a few maps that will show up in finished forms later on the blog, I thought I’d share a couple maps I’m loving at the moment.

India Stamp Map - Sophie Scaplehorn

Stamp map by Sophie Scaplehorn

barcelona-map-1

Barcelona map via DesignLoveFest

P.S. If you’re looking for more map love, I created a Pinterest board to collect all the beautiful maps I’m inspired by lately.

Filed in:Inspiration
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  • Adina | Gluten Free TraveletteMarch 8, 2014 - 4:05 pm

    Thanks for the shout out! Glad to have helped give a little push into more mapping. I love the little illustrations in your maps! That’s a challenge I haven’t really felt up to tackling much. Can’t wait to see more!ReplyCancel

    • Annabelle MintzMarch 11, 2014 - 9:50 am

      Thanks Adina 🙂 I love your little watercolor squares…I have the hardest time coloring my maps (or anything for that matter!) Guess the extra practice is good! xoReplyCancel

Looking for Aurora - Mintz

Alternate title to this post: we drove to Wyoming + all I got was this photo.

stay fearless

Back in mid-January, there were little rumors floating around the internet that we might be able to actually see the Northern Lights from as far south as Colorado. It was one of those spontaneous moments – do we stay home because it’s cloudy/snowy or do we go for a little drive to the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night on a chance? Well, we went for it. Took off driving in the middle of the night from Denver all the way up north of Cheyenne, Wyoming, pulled off onto a dirt road + stared at the sky.

And all we saw were clouds.

Lately, life has thrown me some pretty big curveballs, but I’m learning that sometimes you just have to take a chance. Drive off into the night + hope that you find what you’re looking for. And even if all you see is clouds – no stars even, certainly no aurora borealis – there is still plenty to appreciate in the journey. This, at it’s foundation, is why I love to travel. There’s a sense of spontaneity, of suspending daily life, taking a chance + fearlessly going on an adventure. And even if that adventure doesn’t turn out like you anticipated, it’s full of tiny everyday but unusual moments that define you. It’s easy to let the fear of the unknown (how will this end? what if I don’t see anything?) keep you at home, but you’ve gotta stay fearless, friends. Stay open to the little adventures.

So, although there whispers of faint sightings on the horizon from Estes Park, we didn’t see anything from our little road in nowhere, Wyoming. But I did have a great time on the way.

Isn’t that the point?

Have you had any adventures (travel or otherwise) that didn’t turn out how you expected? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Filed in:Life | Travel
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A Postcard from Palm Springs Title_Mintz

Palm Springs 2_Mintz

Palm Springs_Mintz

Palm Springs 3_Mintz

Thought I’d pop in today to share a few photos from the idyllic Marriott resort we stayed at in Palm Springs (well, technically Palm Desert) over the holidays. Something about palm trees + flamingos just says relax, doesn’t it? I know I said so yesterday, but I’ll say it again – I’m definitely missing warm weather at the moment. I’m not generally a resort-type when I travel, but I will say that a few days of sitting by the pool with a piña colada + a good book in hand will turn pretty much anyone into a resort-type.

So while I know I’ve still got plenty of wintery days ahead of me here in Colorado, I’ll be conjuring up a little sunshine with these tips:

1. Have a drink outside. I know right now it’ll probably have to be a hot chocolate + scarf on my porch rather than a cocktail + swimsuit by the pool, but fresh air is good for the soul.

2. Take some vitamin D + add a little natural glow. Making my own sunshine, indeed – and if that lotion freaks you out, I love Trina’s tip for a more subtle application.

3. Watch the sunset (or sunrise). That’s such a vacation thing to do, right? But I’m all for bringing a bit of vacay into the everyday + a few minutes of nature appreciation will definitely do it.

Hope you’re having a sunny day, inside + out!

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  • Anna from The Blonde BananaMarch 1, 2014 - 9:26 pm

    Beautiful!! I’m in NYC and we have our 13th snowstorm of the season coming tomorrow… what I would give to escape to Palm Springs.ReplyCancel

    • Annabelle MintzMarch 3, 2014 - 8:17 am

      Thanks Anna! I definitely understand that…I have family in Chicago + they were all to happy to get away from all that show + cold for a little while. This time of year is the hardest…so ready for spring! 🙂ReplyCancel

daydream-londonmuseum

{ sit / sip / style }

It’s Monday, which is the perfect time for a little mental wandering, right? I’m thinking an afternoon of museum exploring in London, followed by a summery happy hour special somewhere. My heart is definitely ready for a little warmer weather so I can pull out my spring wardrobe again – or add something perfect to it, like this vibrant maxi dress. A little romance, a little wine (both in color + in beverage) would make for a perfect evening!

Filed in:Daydreaming

I always love to discover new places and hear about people’s favorite adventures – and I thought it would be fun to share those discoveries with you! So each month, I’ll feature a different blogging friend of mine they’ll share with us their two favorites, near + far.

nearfar_CreatriceMundial

After a little break for the holiday season, we’re back with the Near + Far guest series! I’m super excited to host Amy of Creatrice Mondial today. Amy is a fellow travel blogger that I met at Alt – it was so amazing to connect with another soul that is passionate about travel + living abroad + how important all those adventures are to life! We sat together through several sessions during the conference + I’m really thankful we crossed paths! Without further ado, here’s Amy’s near + far.

What is your favorite haunt close to home? 

There is a restaurant in my town (Stuart, Florida) that is absolutely to die for! It’s called District Table + Bar, owned + operated by chef Jason Stocks. He really highlights the use of fresh ingredients and the “farm to table” concept by using local products. He also changes the menu weekly, making sure to feature the best of what’s in season. His wine list is also pretty impressive, which means I’m up there at least a couple times a week.

What is your favorite far-away find?

So many to choose from! I have to say one of my absolute favorite little places to go though is the Train Trak Winery in the Yarra Valley, just outside Melbourne, Australia. The place is just a gem! It doesn’t look like much when you first approach it – just a green warehouse. But as you go further on property, you see that the winery is nestled amongst the most beautiful rolling hills, all covered with grape vines. The people are friendly, the restaurant on site is excellent, and the wine is simply amazing. It was my favorite way to spend a Saturday Down Under.

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Find Amy elsewhere: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Bloglovin

Photos © Amy Hayes. Graphic by Annabelle Mintz.

Filed in:Inspiration | Travel

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