Travel Collections: Whimsical Musings

If you’re searching for something a little different to collect while traveling, look in unexpected places and think outside the box.  This is one of my FAVORITE items I’ve collected over the years:

This tin lion adds a whimsical touch to my bookcase.
It’s a tin lion with the Union Jack flag on it.  I bought this guy at TK Maxx (the UK’s version of TJ Maxx) in Scotland.  So unique huh?  AND it was only about $10!  Perfume is also a unique item to collect while you travel. 




I have a Cartier perfume that I bought in Paris on Valentine’s Day weekend in 2008.  The smell of it takes me back to a magical weekend spent exploring the city with my late husband, Dimitri.  I also have a cheap plumeria scented perfume that I bought at a hotel in Hawaii when I first moved to the island.  I wear this one whenever I want a smell to take me back to my sunny days of living in Hawaii. 

Here are some other items that are great for collecting:

This sangria pitcher from Spain gets used often but most of the time it is used to decorate my bookshelf.



This pretty sangria pitcher is from the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa.  Now it hold my cooking utensils!

This wreath was bought on the North Shore in Oahu and it’s made from drift wood and items found on the beach.

This German carved wood angel fits in perfectly with my gallery wall.  Unexpected?  Yes.  But it totally works.

Pillow cases are super easy and fun to collect.  They fold flat and add a punch of color once you get home!  Save money and space and just buy a down insert from Ikea when you get home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and that you have some great ideas of what to hunt for on your next trip!  Just to recap, here are the other things I love to collect that I featured in this series: art, wine stoppers, dish cloths and jewelry.  What other things do you like to collect while traveling? 

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Katie Vail
Katie Vail

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Leave a comment

  1. kelly
    April 1, 2014 / 12:13 am

    too funny.. As I was looking at your pictures, I saw the Columbia picture and the year & was like wait a minute- then saw it was from Tampa.. I live in St. Petersburg

  2. April 8, 2014 / 8:47 pm

    Hi! Love your blog. Could you let me know where you purchased the mirror tray that holds your Cartier perfume? I adore it!

    Thanks!

  3. April 8, 2014 / 8:57 pm

    Thanks so much Samantha! My mirrored tray is actually from Target. Got it a few years ago.

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