I have been blessed to have traveled to some lovely and memorable places in my life. I think traveling has stretched and shaped my sense of what is beautiful in this world, I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had. I am definitely inspired by travel!

Some of the places I’ve been are far away lands like Italy, Germany, France, Budapest and England, sometimes the adventure has been a little closer like the East coast or over to Canada or Hawaii. Most often I go to places closer to home in the Northwest like the quaint neighborhoods of Portland and Seattle or my beloved Cannon Beach. But no matter where I’ve been, I try to collect sketches, drawings or paintings from my travels to not only decorate my home but to remind me of great memories and beautiful places.

Sometimes I choose art depicting beautiful scenery I fell in love with during my travels, sometimes memorable experiences like of a gondola in Venice, and sometimes of architecture I loved like castles in Europe or a street in a favorite town or a charming hotel where my husband and I spent an anniversary.

They are all unique, but they each hold special memories that I love to hold onto and treasure. I think it is part of my naturally romantic view of life, I want to hold on to beautiful places and memories as long as I can!

Having these memories framed on my walls or sitting on bookshelves or window sills makes me smile (at least inside!) every time I pass by! I have very little art or decor in my home that isn’t directly related to a personal memory. Ever since my husband and I got married and bought our first travel art during an anniversary trip, I have collected memories to keep.

Why would I invest in random art for my walls that ends up discarded when the next design fad comes along? My art will always be right at home with me, whatever style of home I have. More important than the art itself is what it means to me! I love what it represents.

Since I usually have very little money to spend, I almost always buy fairly inexpensive prints, or art directly from an artist on the street. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Sometimes I just buy hotel postcards or greeting cards (particularly line drawings), area maps, brochures, and now and then I bring home a book or some other piece that reminds me of a special place (for instance, I brought home The Orient Express book by Agatha Christie after a trip on the famous train!).

In this house I haven’t yet put up all of my travel art  since I wanted to paint my walls first. I am eagerly awaiting the day all of my travel memories are where I can see them!

I wish I had it all out right now so I could show you more, but I guess that will save something fun for a future post.

Unfortunately there are many places I have been that I didn’t bring home any art, so I am going to start finding it on ebay or ordering it online so I can enjoy more of those sweet memories.

Even if you haven’t traveled far from home, you can use this same idea of travel art for preserving special memories close to home. I have line drawings and sketches I have bought from favorite cafes, old neighborhood movie theatres, favorite neighborhoods, houses I have lived in and a favorite flower from a local park. Simple memories are so much more powerful when they are in visual form!

One of my water colors from a vacation is of a Westie at the beach, our 15 year old dog Winston has always LOVED our traditional family beach vacations so it makes a sweet memory!

If you don’t happen to have anything else from your vacations, you could also enlarge and frame your vacation photos  as a way of preserving those memories while decorating a wall. I have a little project in mind do just that!

For more inspiration, check out my framed maps of places I’ve been!

What do you like to bring home from travels?

And, what has inspired you this week?

Let’s link up our posts, shall we?! And be a pal, link back to this post if you include your linky!

Want to see what I was inspired by? As in, my vacation post? Head on over here to see where I’ve been the past week and what it meant to me!

I’m taking the day off to splash around with my son!
It was blistering hot here this week!

I hope you are enjoying your week and
finding beauty in those fleeting moments!

It is Beautiful Life Friday!

Please share the beauty you savored this week
in the comments or via a link!

PS. I have some fun new things to show you
and talk to you about next week!

Be sure to visit Hooked on Fridays,
today I am hooked on FOUNTAINS!

I love a garden path. Especially the curvy ones — the  ones where you don’t know what you might find around the bend! Or what about the paths that offer different directions in which to go? Should you turn left? Go down the stairs? Where does it all lead? It is a mystery that tempts you to discover what is just beyond your view.

Or how about that top photo and the topsey turvey stones? I love the randomness of it all. It must be a real adventure to get to that little fairytale house, trying to keep your footing without looking awkward and silly!

And then there is the lavender lined path! How delicious the air must smell along the way to your destination! I bet it sounds lovely too, with the crunching of the small stones beneath your feet as you make your way down the path.

These paths remind me of life, all the twists and turns of adventure and beauty! So much to pause and enjoy along the way.

Thanks to those of you who have asked how things are going for us. My Portland house is still for sale (after our sale fail last month we put it back out on the market) and just today made a major price adjustment. We are praying this will prompt a sale!

We have received an extension on our agreement to rent (and eventually buy) the house we are living in here in Washington until the end of the summer, so at least we are not out on our ear! But paying for two homes is not exactly our idea of a good way to spend our money. Eh hem. Needless to say, we are wanting to get our house sold ASAP, so we can buy our home here and live happily ever after.

While what is around the next bend for us is still yet unknown, I am trying to enjoy the path I am on! I am so ready to be settled here (I dream of hanging pictures, painting walls and planting trees) but until we can actually buy this house I must treat it as a temporary landing place. I am learning a lot about contentment while in limbo! {Something so many people live with every day!}

Nevertheless, life here in Washington is going well. I’ll share more updates soon!

Photos: Sunset
Find more inspiration from beautiful paths at Sunset Magazine!
This post was shared for Hooked On Houses Fridays! Today, I am hooked on Winding Paths!