I love to travel, and have been fortunate to visit some wonderful places around the US and around the world. It makes me really happy to display souvenirs from my travels around our home. There are a lot of ways that can be done, but today I'd like to share one of the ways that I incorporate travel mementos into our home decor.
This gallery wall is in our guest bedroom, just inside the door from the hallway.
In this grouping, I've put two different pairs of watercolor prints which were gathered in our travels, and the centerpiece is a hand-made piece given to me by my sister long ago.
The first set of prints is a pair of scenes from Cape Cod, MA. We've visited Cape Cod many, many times, because my brother-in-law and his wife have connections there. Her family has a cottage there, and so we've spent many summer vacations on the beaches of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean as guests. About six years ago, my brother-in-law and his wife moved to Cape Cod from Boston, and so now we visit them at their permanent home. I bought these watercolor prints on our most recent trip, at a pretty little gift shop in Chatham, MA. I framed them in greyish colored wood frames, to bring to mind the color of driftwood on the beach.
The second pair of watercolors depict old barns in North Carolina. We moved to North Carolina last summer, and during one of the first weekends here, we went down to Wilmington to explore the area. I picked up these prints at a gift shop in downtown Wilmington, painted by a North Carolina artist. I put them in wood frames too, but these are stained a nice walnut color.
When I arranged the four prints in this gallery wall, I decided to put the pairs on the diagonal, rather than on the same side or top and bottom. I tried all different ways, and I liked this arrangement the best.
The piece in the center is a counted cross-stitch piece made for me by my sister during the first year after I was married. I'm so thankful for this wonderful piece, and I love how it looks in our guest bedroom, which has a soft, feminine feel to it. (I'll share a tour of our guest room in a future post.)
I love having these prints on display in our home. Actually, I have one more pair of watercolors that i just bought on our trip to Hawaii last November, but I haven't framed them or put them up yet. I'm not sure if they'll also go into the guest room, or if I'll put them in another spot in the house.
It makes me so happy to display various items collected from our travels. I have some other souvenir displays as well - most notably the many Christmas tree ornaments that I've gathered over the years - that's probably my #1 way to bring home souvenirs. But I also have several large art books from various places, some lace and other linens that I've gathered, framed photos that I've taken, and some jewelry too. How about you? What kinds of souvenirs do you gather, and how do you incorporate them into your home? I'd love to hear about it! Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Now, on to our Happy Tuesday link party. What makes YOU happy? What brings a smile, lights up your eyes, makes your heart go pitter-patter? Please join the link party to share your little slice of happy today. I'm really looking forward to visiting! The party starts at 9pm Eastern tonight!
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Thanks so much for the party and the invitation!!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Deb
Thank you for stopping by the party this week! I'm very impressed with all your after-Christmas bargain shopping, and I love the winter themed decor you've put outside.
DeleteHave a very Happy Tuesday!