The Treasure Chest: A Tale of True Confessions

First, join me in congratulating Cookie . . . who won my Travelogue Comment Contest.  The St. Petersburg Matryoshka dolls will soon be on their way, Cookie!

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Next, I thought I would share a little True Confession.

My sister and I pack very lightly when we go on our trips together.  For our 10-day cruise, for example, we each packed just one carry-on sized suitcase.  This doesn't leave a whole lot of room for . . . shopping.  On our previous trips, we've done a little shopping; a few things here and there, mostly small and packable.  But for this trip?  We figured we might want to do some Shopping!  (I had been planning on finding yarn, of course.)

So.  We brought an empty suitcase with us!  To fill with goodies we might pick up along the way.  We called it our "Treasure Chest."

And. . . fill it, we did!

In my family (and this tradition has now spread to my sister's family as well), we always buy a fridge magnet from every place we visit.  (I'll have to do a blog post about our magnet collection someday.)  So. . . new additions to our magnet collection went into the Treasure Chest.

I also have a special little cabinet on the wall in my bedroom -- handmade by Brian in his 8th grade woodshop class . . .

and on the middle shelf, I keep minature reminders of my trips with my sister.

What ELSE did I pack in the Treasure Chest to bring home?

A dala horse and a tomte from Sweden (to join others I already own).

Books, also from Sweden.  (I usually bring home coffee-table books as a souvenir of my travels.  Such lovely reminders of visits -- and very packable!  My sister, though seeks out cookbooks to bring home.  This time, I followed suit!)

I brought a pair of fulled mittens from Finland. . .

and a wool shawl from Russia.

My sister and I fell hard for the Baltic Amber jewelry, and each of us bought multiple pieces to bring home.  Here are my rings (not usually worn together!).  They're such delightful reminders of our trip.

I went a little crazy in Estonia.  I had been admiring the style of the Scandinavian women we saw on the streets of Sweden and Finland.  Linen.  Layers.  Simple.  Lovely.  And when I saw things in the shops of Estonia, I had to have them!

I got a long, linen vest (handknit) and a convertible shawl-thing (wool; also handknit).

Lovely.  And the closest things to "yarn" I saw!

The kind of Estonian lace. . . that suits my style!  Not too fancy; lovely in its simplicity.

I also picked up some scarves . . . because I loved their colors and textures.  (The blue wool scarf is from Sweden; the linen scarves are from Estonia.)

I also found this charming linen tote bag in an Estonian shop.  The buildings will always remind me of the fairy-tale charm of Estonia!

And in Copenhagen, I bought a pair of Royal Copenhagen coffee mugs.

(Which happens to be sitting on a hand-woven Swedish table runner.)

Let's just say. . . the Treasure Chest was not empty on our way home!

Comments

[Cheryl S.]

Fabulous! What wonderful things you brought back.

How did you deal with your extra suitcase? I used to have a large nylon collapsible suitcase that fit in my normal large suitcase without really taking up any room. If I needed it, I'd fill it with my dirty clothes to leave space in my other suitcase for purchases. But now that I travel with just a carry-on size, I can't do that.

Congrats to Cookie!

[margene]

Yay for Cookie!!
I'm so glad to see you brought back many wonderful treasures for yourself! All that walking, all that sightseeing, all that cruising and no mention of souvenirs. I was getting worried. Every time you wear a scarf you'll think of the beautiful trip and sharing time with your sister.

[Marilyn]

WooHoo for Cookie!
It looks like you are an excellent shopper. :D I especially love the Russian shawl.
What wonderful memories will be brought to mind when you use everything you purchased.

[joan]

She will love the prize!

Beautiful treasures!

[Susan]

Absolutely stunning souvenirs!! You will have such fun wearing and using and looking at all those things! I think the bag from Estonia is my very favorite, but the shawl and vest are beautiful, too.

[Cookie]

Really? Yay! How cool! Thank you, sweetie. I'd like to thank my mother, who never gave up on me, and the Academy...

Love the treasures you brought home from your trip! Jealous of the fabulous case that boy of yours made. So perfect for you and for keeping such wonderful memories in.

[Carole]

Those are awesome purchases and I love them all! Are Dala horses cheaper in Sweden? They are pretty pricey around here.

[Mary]

congratulations, Cookie! (and to you, that treasure chest holds an amazing assortment of lovely reminders of your trip!)

[Pam]

Thanks for sharing your treasures with us. The mittens are so beautiful. Will you wear them? I love the bag & the clothes from Estonia.

[kmkat]

I love the linen vest and red shawl! Plus everything else, of course, but those two are things I would have picked out myself :-)

[Vicki]

What a wonderful idea!!

[Chloe]

An amber and silver shawl pin would look stunning on that red shawl. Enough to make me want to make away with them.