apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We like to buy/collect one small item to use as a non-traditional Christmas tree ornament. These can be artistic (miniature woven baskets, small wooden figurine) or corny (gaudy plastic keychain, poker chips from Las Vegas). We attach a wire to each item and get to reminisce about our trips as we decorate the tree in December. Then they spend 11 months of the year safely tucked away in a couple of shoeboxes. (OK, one or two usually get left out on the mantle or bookshelf, but they rotate each year.)

Earrings usually, sometimes a print or bandanna. Very occassionally clothes. I love the bowl you brought home.

Love the Christmas ornament idea! I think I'm going to start doing that.

those bowls are ok - people always mix up pork and cabbage for jiaozi (dumplings) in those.

the little lucky hanging things are great for xmas ornaments or for your car's rearview mirror.

i always bring back a doll to add to my late mom's collection, and a patch for my pack!

I love souvenirs... anything special and unique that I can't get at home - artwork, jewelry, clothing, etc. And of course a cheezy magnet for my fridge :)

textiles--they store easily, can be rotated, and can totally change the decor in seconds

fabric that I can use as a tablecloth, make a pillow from or hang on my walls; a little doll or figurine from that country; music boxes, Christmas ornaments; and of course, jewelry and scarves

I have a huge Conch shell that I bought on the cruise pier in Nassau for $5 in my guest bathroom (and tons of hotel/ship shampoos/lotions/conditioners/etc in the medicine cabinet)

Other than that, I rarely buy anything for myself on my travels - I buy things for other people (Birthday/Xmas gifts)

I limit myself one one important piece from each place I've lived or travelled. For India it was the sari I wore for a friend's wedding there, for Nepal it was Tanka painting, for Borneo it was hand loomed Iban table linen that a coworker's aunt made. I find lots of inspiration while traveling and that is more meaningful than trinkets.

I love to bring back natural things (provided they're not part of a national park, or illegal to bring across borders, of course). I have rocks from beaches in Wales, sea glass from beaches near Dublin, sand from Omaha beach, gravel from the driveway of CS Lewis' house in Oxford, holy water from St. Margaret's well in Binsey, etc.

I also love used books and things from thrift stores. I avoid cheesy souvenir shops and get things used by locals. I just bought an entire tea set at a thrift store in Oxford.

I worried so much about finding the right item to commemorate my trips overseas that I stopped enjoying the trips... subsequently, I have stopped buying things to bring home. I spend the money instead on local consumables (food or tobacco I can't find back home, for example) and 'use' them while on the trip.

Another thing I noticed was I would spend too much time viewing my trip thing a camera lens. So the past few times I've purchased one disposable camera take shots I cannot vet beforehand (as with a digital camera). I only have 30 or so pictures to take and I refuse to purchase more than one roll. So I'll snap once and then move on. It's exciting to get them developed afterward and see what appears!

That should be: "... viewing my trip *through* a camera lens."

I buy tea towels and souvenir pencils from museums for myself & friends. Who wouldn't love a shiny pencil from the Parthenon, I ask you? Or a cool Cadbury chocolate tea towel? Small, easy to pack, and practical.

One good piece of jewellery (usually a pendant) from each country i visit.... they're small, quality, and something i never regret bringing home. Plus, knowing that's the other thing i might take home with me makes searching for it an adventure in itself.

oh - and photos!!

um, I do like the souviner shops, that's where I usually pick up the badges and key rings that I give to freinds and family, plus the magnets and ash trays depicting the city that I like to collect.

I'm a magpie, usually anything that catches my eye that I can't get at home...oh and books...which ends up costing me a fourtune in luggage weight fines!

For myself, coffee mug and shot glasses (usable for either liquids or small-storage). I always send postcards en route, so friends/family receive messages as well as pretty stamps. And then whatever gifts I can afford to carry home and pass along (I'm not a huge buyer for my own self, but I love giving a perfect gift).

Molly Margarita my boyfriend and I do the same thing! We buy small items that can be used on the tree and rotated depending on how we feel that year. Even cheesy fun stuff works for this. Last year we were in Belgium and picked up a tiny pair of those blue and white delph clogs hanging on a piece of ribbon. They were perfect on the tree this year and made me wonder if they weren't used for this purpose, they'd just be discarded in a box somewhere. At least this way you can be reminded of past fun trips every December (which is especially nice when this years budget does not afford a vacation!)

I buy books from wherever I go, usually language learning books or dictionaries in whatever the local language is, and/or local-topic photography books. If I stick around long enough I'll also end up with some sort of textile or pottery/dishware. I'm a sucker for pretty, soft things and random weird-looking bowls and cups...

I buy most of my souvenirs at drugstores and chemists. I like bringing back shampoo, lotion, lip balm ... the little things you use all the time. I'm a sucker for foreign-language packaging and good smells, and it always makes me happy to see my Danish elderflower shampoo and Italian lip balm peeking out at me in the bathroom. When I'm feeling a bit more flush, I pick up kitchen gear: metric measuring cups, collapsable mixing bowls (I saw them first in Scandanavia), anything from Alessi. I had a Danish measuring cup (with markings on the side for water, flour, and oil) that I used daily for years until I left it in the microwave too long.

JAW--that's great I love doing that too, finding the everyday things and bringing those back. i always bring back french toothpaste!

I do the earrings and Christmas ornaments, too! As for little remembrances for friends at home, I like to get the weirdest-looking candy available at a drug store. Either it's fantastic and a wonderful treat, or an interesting cross-cultural moment of, "So, this is what they consider candy in [insert country]."