We are so excited that Maptote will be on the Martha Stewart Show today! The episode is all about birthdays – specifically Martha’s.

Martha recently celebrated her 70th birthday (she looks unbelieveable, right?!).  Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings, contacted us a couple months ago about designing a custom Maptote for an intimate birthday party she was throwing for Martha.  We personalized our Manhattan design featuring all of Martha’s favorite spots in Manhattan – from her favorite coffee spot (Via Quadronno) to where she loves getting a facial (Mario Bedesco).  The totes were given out as favors at the party to each guest.

On today’s Martha show, it is all about throwing the ultimate birthday party.  Darcy is on the show recapping highlights from Martha’s b-day dinner party.  We’re so excited that the custom tote we designed for Martha is featured on the show.  Each member of the audience received one of  “Martha’s Manhattan” limited edition totes.  We have a couple extra at Maptote HQ and we will be giving away 1 on our Facebook page.  Just share or comment on our post and you will be entered to win one of Martha Stewart’s birthday totes.

Here are some pictures we took while at the show! Enjoy!

There is no hiding my love for the Massimo Vignali 1972 New York City Subway Map. The MTA has recently created The Weekender based off of Massimo’s brilliant map. The map shows up-to-date weekend service changes.  As a New Yorker who is constantly flummoxed by the subways on the weekends, this is not only incredibly useful but it’s also graphically pleasing, unlike their latest version of the MTA Subway Map

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Mindy Weiss recently brought our Wine Totes to the Nate Berkus Show! So excited!

The summer trade shows have been keeping us busy, but Store Spotlight is back! We left off last time in San Diego, so now we’re heading up the west coast to Picnic in San Francisco! For the last seven years, owners Jasmine Tan and Pei Sze Ng have been providing the bay area with their favorite items ranging from clothing to home decor (more on this below!) Here’s the Q&A session we had with Pei:

Q: How would you describe your store aesthetic?
A: An eclectic mix of vintage and modern.

Q: Any fun or interesting store facts?
A: We are an urban, neighborhood department store! We stock everything from clothes, gifts, candles, soaps and small furniture.

Q: Why do you love your city/neighborhood?
A: The weather!

Q: When not in your store, where is the next most likely place you’d be?
A: Home

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in your city/neighborhood?
A: Cordon Bleu Vietnamese Restaurant

Q: If there is 1 thing someone “must do” when they visit your area, what would you recommend?
A: Check out the local neighborhoods; each have their own vibe.

Q: Any recent news about the store we should know about?
A: Last November, we opened a next-door store, Picnic Home

Q: What blogs/magazines do you follow?
A: Living, Lucky, San Francisco

Q: Where do you find all of your products?
A: Everywhere and anywhere !

Picnic can be found at 1808 Polk St [map] or on their website…and even on Facebook!

We recently collaborated with L’Occitane on a double sided tote. We did Provence, France on one side and the other side is a little bit of Provence in New York City. If you are in NYC on September 8th (Fashion’s Night Out), you should definitely drop by a L’Occitane store where you’ll get a free L’Occitane Maptote with a purchase of $75 or more.