It’s time for the July edition of Sian’s Storytelling Sunday. I made a list some time ago of items I’d like to share, but I added a new one to the list after reading Sian’s suggestion to consider something related to travel. My jewelry box is quite full, and many of the items there were purchased as we’ve traveled. I love to put on a piece of jewelry that takes me back to the place I visited. I can still picture in my mind’s eye the exact spot where I bought the jewelry and memories of the trip come flooding back as well. Another advantage to buying jewelry as a “souviner” is it doesn’t take up much room in a suitcase.
Here’s a collage of some of my favorite pieces.
From left to right, top to bottom:
These handcrafted beads were purchased at a craft fair in Spring Green, Wisconsin the day we were there to visit Taliesen, the Frank Lloyd Wright home. The artist helped me choose the beads. I was leaning toward purchasing all black and white beads, and she convinced me to purchase some brightly colored ones. I wear them frequently, and am so glad I listened to her advice.
This is the newest edition to my collection of travel jewelry. I bought this is Athens, Greece last month. The black beads are lava, and the red one is coral. I’ve already worn it several times.
The red beads were purchased in Tucson, Arizona at the Tohono Chul gift shop. Red is one of my favorite colors, and as soon as I saw these I knew they’d be the keepsake from that road trip.
Red, again. These are my favorite red earrings. They were handcrafted in San Francisco, but I bought them during a trunk show to celebrate the opening of the new wing at the Chicago Art Institute.
There are several cute shops in Decatur, GA where Sarah went to seminary. Last summer when we were babysitting for Caleb while Sarah and Adam attended a conference, I found these earrings in one of my favorite shops. These are one of three pairs of silver hoops I wear nearly every week.
I don’t wear these earrings as frequently, but I do love them. Tracy bought them for me as a birthday gift at Taliesen West in Phoenix, AZ.
Next to the color red, I have a passion for black and white—especially black and white checks. The minute I saw this pendent, I was in love. I wasn’t planning on buying anything that day, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. It’s another favorite, purchased at the Southern Folk Art Center just outside Asheville, North Carolina.
These were very inexpensive beads that I bought in January in St. Augustine, FL at a free trade shop. They go with almost everything, and I’ve worn them a lot.
And finally, the last bead came from Sante Fe, New Mexico. I had seen a similar bead before our trip so searched many jewelry shops in Sante Fe before I found it. Each side of the bead features different colors, and it’s another long-time favorite!
Be sure to hop over to Sian’s Blog today to catch the other precious stories.
A lovely collection of keepsakes from your travels. All my favourites are in the bottom row, especially that last bead with the rainbow of colours.
What a gorgeous collection – I like the bright colours and the collage. Oh I’m another who likes to collect jewellery and remember where I was when I bought it. Most of mine are on my trollbead bracelet which I wear almost daily.
A lovely collection….I often buy jewelry as a souvenir as well.
Beautiful collection. I love those fair trade beads. So nice that you have those memories each time you wear them.
What a beautiful collection! I love how every photo has drawn out a story and a precious memory and each one is so very well worth remembering. Thank you for opening up your jewellery box for us today Karen..it feels like a treat to have been able to peep inside
Oh what a beautiful collection – I have favourite pieces too purchased from holiday places as souvenirs – I especially like your black and white pendant – but would wear all if them if they were mine. Thanks for the peek into your jewel box. J x
What lovely reminders these special pieces are x
Hummm, you make me want to go on vacation on a typical local village market and get something unique. Thanks for sharing your precious with us. xoxo from France
What a gorgeous collection Karen! A lovely post 🙂
You seem to have an attraction to beads, and you have collected such beautiful ones. I love the lava/coral piece and the ones in the corners on the bottom row.
I also buy jewelry whenever we travel. As you say, it’s very compact. I like buying one nice souvenir instead of several so-so ones.
Rinda
This is such a gorgeous way to show your beautiful jewellery, now which to choose ’cause if you ever ….;)
A beautiful collection and a great way of collecting memories from vacations.
Collecting jewelry that way is a great idea! Some of the knick-knacks we seems to buy when traveling just end up collecting dust. You get to wear yours all the time! A fabulous precious.
A great collection of keepsakes and memories, thanks for sharing x
You have quite a beautiful collection there Karen! I have a necklace from Hawaii made with black coral mined locally, gold leaf, and a pearl that is special to me!
Beautiful pieces – love the earrings.
Such a pretty collection, Karen – my eye was drawn to the Fair Trade ones, and I can see why they’d get plenty of wear. An unusual ‘precious’ and so enjoyable to read where each is from.
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