DIY Vacation Souvenir for the Home

We're not really 'Souvenir people', and judging by all the sombreros and coconuts at Goodwill I don't think most people are. Although we forego the typical tourist junk, I start every vacation by saying, "It would be neat if we could find something cool for the house", and every trip I'm disappointed with what we find.

 A couple of years ago we were in Cabo San Lucas where I was on the hunt for otomi napkins.  I was able to get a great deal on one that went great with our decor, but there was only one. I bought it anyway, and when we got home I turned the lone napkin into an accent pillow for our living room.  I love that is's a reminder of our vacation without screaming souvenir. Now when we go on vacation instead of looking for a perfect piece that doesn't exist, I look for things that I can use in less obvious ways to remember out travels.

DIY Address Pillow

I couldn't find a third pillow for our sectional so I made this pillow that incorporates our address!

I used a variety of stencils to get the lettering on the fabric.  I just used a pen to outline them since they would get filled in with paint later.

Tape helped me keep the words straight.

After all of the letters were traced, I filled them in with brown fabric paint.

After sewing into a pillow case, here is the finished product!

Pleated Purses

For Christmas last year I made a few purses to give as gifts (and one for myself)!  Since spring has sprung I just began using mine.  Can you guess which one? Mine's black and white. 

The pattern I used can be found here . I modified the straps from the original pattern so mine only have one strap.  I bought most of my fabrics for the purses at a great store here in Minneapolis called Crafty Planet.  I love using fun fabrics for both the outside and the inside!