A favorite part of coming home from a trip is the unpacking of the souvenirs bought along the way. I tend to shy away from the typical souvenirs and look for some one of a kind items found usually in an antique shop or the occasional flea market, if I am lucky enough to stumble upon one. This trip didn't have much room (in time or suitcase) for much, but of course, that's not going to stop me from trying.
I found that red bordered religious paper under glass item at an antique bookstore in Rome. It was full of treasures galore. I also bought a few gifts there that I can't post here until they are given. I think I showed great restraint when I left with only the glass item (which I think would be pretty on the top of a travel journal) and the gifts. I was very tempted by a very old, small bird book that had one page illustrated by hand:
My phone photos taken in the light of the shop don't do the page justice. The shop owner was so gracious and interesting and full of antique paper loving information. Here's a photo of the shop,
A few vintage trims and bits from these antique stalls, part of the Mercato delle Pulci in Florence that our friend Carolyn told us about. The small book and vintage keychain in the top photo were both found in these stalls too:
Amy and I both love a good dig.
Some inks from Orvieto.
And a "limited edition" salmon colored Lamy pen, refill inks for a different Lamy pen I bought in Paris years ago, a new nib, a fancy waterbrush and pink colored brush pen all from the Fabriano store in Florence. And a mini stapler, white mechanical pencil and some Coccoina glue (thank you Michelle and Paige) from an office supply in Orvieto. Love foreign office supplies.
We stumbled upon a fun little handcrafted boutique in Rome called Mercato Monti Urban Market. I bought the little vintage hairclips and bag from a darling seller, who happens to sell on etsy too. Her etsy shop. You know I wanted some of her vintage wallpaper, but it was heavy.
From a different vendor I bought the ring you see above.
Isn't it sweet? And doesn't it look like a countryside scene or something? It's not, if you really look at it, it's just the stone. I can't remember the name of the stone anymore. Does anyone know? The jewelry artist showed it to me on her phone, and I thought I remember it as ludite, but a google search doesn't bring up any photos and hers did. I tried luddite too, but the closest I can find is agate that looks like it. Wish I would have written it down! I'm going to see if I can find her card...
and that was it for souvenir shopping...not too bad, eh? Personally, I think I showed a good deal of self control, with all that I saw. ;)
