TRAVEL GIFTS: Personalized World Travels Map

We have always wanted a world map to mark with the locations around the world that we have visited though we have never actually acted upon that desire.

Today I found this fun piece, which allows you to do exactly that. It is a personalized world travels map designed for you to mark the places you have visited with a thumb tack though it might be worth your time to seek out some extra special little pins. I picture the ones with flags on them like you might see in the movies. I found Amazon's flag pins here but be sure to read the reviews and shop carefully.

Back to the map. The maker personalizes each map by adding your name or names. Ours would read "Chris and Brenda's Travels" or maybe, in an effort to include all of our family members, "The Littles Travel."

The map comes from House of Maps on Etsy and is available in various sizes from 12 by 18 inches to 29 by 45 inches and also with various frame styles. Read more about this map by clicking right here.  I think a personalized map would make another fun gift idea for a couple of world travelers or armchair dreamers.

Who would you give it to?

Happy trails to you!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Learn more about this wall map at House of Maps Arts on Etsy.

TRAVEL GIFTS: Bon Voyage Vintage Globe Art

I have found some fantastic travel-themed gift ideas and want to share them with you so this is the first post in a series I'll call the 10 Days of Travel Gifts. Who knows, maybe it will last longer than ten days! Some of them are  items that you could create on your own if you are talented. If you are like me and love looking and dreaming but never do much actual creating, you will be glad that you can actually purchase every single one of them.

How cool is this bon voyage vintage globe? I say, very! A vintage globe with a travel theme and I love the fact that it is an upcycled, recycled and reused piece.

Anyone who is attracted to vintage globes and who loves to travel will appreciate this item. Artist Wendy Gold reuses globes so every piece that she creates is different. Yes, that means the globe you receive will not look like this one.

The artwork Gold applies is hand-cut, put in place, decoupaged and finished. She alters the size and color of the artwork to suit each vintage globe but if you are after a certain color theme, she is willing to work with you. If you want a different sized globe, that can be arranged, too.

The globes are all pre-owned so they will have what Gold lovingly calls character. Some might call that patina. Others, signs of normal wear. You should also be aware that vintage globes are not geographically accurate so this might not be a great gift idea for a grade schooler to learn geography from. However, they are a great gift idea for a world traveller or for someone who dreams of travelling the world. They would make a brilliant gift idea for a wedding or for a golden anniversary. If you are curious, you can check out all of Gold's vintage map and globe art here on Etsy.

Happy Trails to You!
Brenda

World in Words World Map Jigsaw Puzzle

A young friend and his girlfriend enjoy working jigsaw puzzles and when he visited her family at Christmastime, they worked a puzzle that had pieces in the shape of countries.  Apparently that suited their other interest, which is memorizing all of the countries in the world.  With that puzzle, they could remove a country from let's say the continent of Africa and then the other person could try to figure out what country was missing.

This new Ravensburger puzzle is not quite the same as that but it still looks like fun for geography fans who like working jigsaw puzzles.  I think it would be fun to put the pieces in place for a favorite country, like Canada or for a country that you would like to VISIT, like Australia, Greenland or Brazil.  I really like the way the letters are designed...I am not sure what decade that harkens from but it is definitely retro in style. 

It's a 500 piece puzzle, that was affordable when it was released. However, it is no longer readily available on Amazon. You can check to see if it is available today by clicking here.  If that search fails, you might also try eBay by clicking right here though on the day I updated this page in April, 2020, it was not available.

Happy Puzzling!

Brenda

Treasures By Brenda

You Never Know What I

Might Have in Store For You!

Quick Links:

See the collection of new, used and vintage jigsaw puzzles in my eBay store.

Walt Disney World Sorcerer's Hat Adventure Playset

Last week's treasures included this unusual Walt Disney World Sorcerer's Hat Adventure Playset. It is a fun children's playset that allows your child to recreate a Hollywood Studio with Mickey Mouse as the director.

The hat itself is a handsome piece and measures about 10.75 inches in height and the accessories are tiny so this set is definitely not appropriate for children under the age of three.

The set I found is incomplete but all of the battery operated pieces are operating although I will not be providing batteries.

New sets are occasionally available on eBay and retail for as much as $157, including shipping. 

Used sets also turn up occasionally though they are usually without any of the minifigures or accessories.  They still sell but at a much reduced rate.

This set is the only used set I could find that includes many though not all of the accessories. You can see some of the pieces I have included with my set in these pictures or you can click through to my listing on eBay to see a written list of what pieces are included in my listing.

I have priced mine at auction at about what the used ones without accessories usually sell for and offered a higher buy-it-now price in case you do not want to let this item get away. Whether you choose to bid and take your chances or you decide to go ahead and buy it now, if this is on your shopping list, you won't want to let it get away.

This is exactly the kind of set that our eldest son wanted to purchase as his souvenir of our trip to Walt Disney World. Click here to find your Walt Disney World sorcerer's Hat Adventure Playset on eBay.

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You Never Know What
I Might Have In Store For You!