Is there really anything better than a long, relaxing vacation? Think of the time away from the office, a break from home projects and responsibilities, and the opportunity to explore and enjoy another part of the world near or far from home. But vacations can be expensive, and as much as I often want to bring back a special souvenir or two, I don't want to break the bank. That's why I've adopted a strategy over the years to bring back beautiful and meaningful mementos that can adequately remind me of our wonderful vacations without limiting my ability to go on future vacations due to limited funds.
When we travel, Alex and I gravitate towards two types of souvenirs: artwork and Christmas ornaments. Early on in our travels together we made the mistake (like many tourists do), of wasting our money on mass produced, sometimes tacky, and often low quality souvenirs. After making this common misstep during one or two of our early getaways we decided to focus our efforts and budget on bringing back items that we could incorporate seamlessly into our home as decor.
While we've mentioned our collection of glass Christmas ornaments in several other posts, I've never talked about our artwork. Typically Alex and I will search the streets of our vacation destinations for reasonably priced pieces from talented artists selling their works. To me, there's just something about a one of a kind piece created in the city we were visiting, but sometimes that's just not possible to find. When an artist or piece that I really like proves to be somewhat elusive, I have taken to purchasing local "art" in the form of postcards. Yep, you read that right, postcards.
When we recently shared the details on our Luckett's purchase of a vintage globe for our office, we received several questions about the national parks artwork hanging above the bookcase in that room.
These little pieces of art are a joy for both of us, and they are by no means random and simply stuck on the wall to fill space.
If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that Alex and I love California, specifically San Francisco and the Napa Valley. Each year for the last seven years, we've made a trip to this part of the country to eat, drink, and be merry.
A few years back, when wandering through San Francisco, we stumbled into shop that was selling large framed versions of a series of National Park prints for the Bay Area. Created by Bay Area graphic artist Michael Schwab, the prints highlight the various iconic US Park scenes in and around the San Francisco Bay. Alex and I both really loved the look, the colors, and the subject matter, but sadly didn't love the price tag. At over $100 for each poster sized print, we just weren't willing to drop that kind of cash on posters that were cheaply framed and would ultimately have no real place to hang in our home. Besides, we didn't like just one, we liked many, and many would cost, well, much more!
Though we left that store empty handed, the thought of those posters stuck with us as we tried to figure out a way to make it work. As luck would have it we found a way. The next day we were in the a store at Pier 39 shopping away like normal tourists. Alex was probably listening to the barking of the sea lions from their floating platforms while I was perusing the postcard selection. My eyes lit up as I discovered the exact same national park series, albeit in a much smaller postcard size. To add some spoils to my victory the cards were just 99 cents each. Score! I excitedly showed Alex, and explained that for under four dollars we could achieve the same look that could have cost more than $400, and it would be far more functional in our home. He seemed a bit skeptical at first, but I figured that for less than a fancy coffee, we were coming home with these postcards. He and I selected the four postcards that meant the most to us and our trip. They represent the places we've enjoyed the most on our various travels to San Francisco.
Once home from our trip, I tucked them safely in our bookcase and my search for frames began. Here's the thing about custom framing -- it can be very, very expensive. So while you might save money buying inexpensive art (or postcards as the case may be), you can easily blow your budget on the framing. Therefore I try to look for art that is a standard frame size, like 4"x6" or 5"x7", so that I can buy a ready made, matted frame, and a fraction of the price of custom. Wouldn't you know it, these standard sized postcards happened to be just the right size for our needs.
A couple months later, while shopping our neighborhood Crate & Barrel Outlet, I found exactly what I was looking for. For less than $10 each I picked up four pre-made frames. The simple lines and black frames worked perfectly with the design of the postcards, and were a perfect size to hang two over two in our office.
I brought them home, cleaned them with a bit of glass cleaner, and framed them up, using a bit of scotch tape to secure each postcard in the window of the matte. I then surprised Alex at Christmas and gave them to him as a gift. Wouldn't you know it, he forgot that we had even purchased them, but they were absolutely a huge hit with him.
I love the arrangement of these postcards and that they have the look of far more expensive artwork than the $11 per piece price tag we ended up paying. I love that the colors work well with the paint, rug, and our new globe. I love the slightly masculine feel they add to a room in which Alex spends a lot of time. Lastly, I love that every time I glance up at these four frames, I'm transported back to a wonderful, relaxing vacation, and I can smell the sour dough bread (and sea lions) and feel the cool Bay air whip through my hair. Ahhh, vacation.
Inexpensive artwork can go beyond postcards. Greeting cards also can be a fun alternative, like these letter press cards I bought last summer in London during our Olympic getaway. I haven't found the right frames or spot for them just yet, but like the National Park series, I'm sure the time will come.
Do you like to bring home souvenirs from vacation? Is there something in particular that you collect? Perhaps you look back at the pair of Mickey Mouse ears tucked under your bed collecting dust, and have regrets? I'd love to hear all about your vacation mementos -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
