Souvenirs Précieux - Precious Mementos

This memento, above, uses an antique souvenir spoon and antique button found in England, and some handmade marbled papers

Using the newest Amazing Alterables™ winged medallions is such a terrific way to create your own very special keepsake or token as a remembrance of a very special event. Using and displaying special finds and treasures you've collected on your trips and travels and holidays is so much better than boxing them up and leaving them in a drawer to be forgotten.

I like collecting bits of foliage, stones, maps, brochures, twigs, antique "smalls" like buttons and keys, and I stash them away hoping that inspiration will strike and somehow they will be used in an exciting way.

It was, after designing the newest Amazing Alterables™ medallions, that inspiration did, indeed, strike!

This memento uses an antique buckle given to me from my son and DIL from one of their travels, along with pressed foliage, a beach pebble and an antique bug ornament found in an antique store on one of our roadtrips. 

I pulled out my box of collected goodies and the new medallions and set to playing.

When working with the Amazing Alterables™ I always start (almost always) by using spray paint to paint all the assorted wood bits that come with the particular product I'm working with. I love love love Krylon Antique Bronze so that's my go-to color. I also like the gold spray paint as well as satin nickel or silver.

Once I've sprayed all the alterable pieces I then start to add additional shades and tones of color by painting with my finger. I'll add touches of craft paint in assorted colors, as well as Inka Gold (usually Old Silver or Old Gold). 

I scratch some of the surfaces to get a kind of distress antiquey thing going on and then I'll use Distress Ink in Walnut Brown or Staz-On in Saddle Brown to antique the pieces.

 This memento is displaying beach pebbles found on a recent roadtrip which I painted with gold ink. So happy to use beach pebbles in a memento!

I love collecting stones and pebbles on my travels so I was excited to incorporate some of those in my mementos. I also pulled out a couple of antique buttons, an old souvenir spoon found in England, an old buckle that was given to me as a gift by my son and his wife collected on one of their travels, some old papers and an old map, and some pressed leaves I've had for years.

This memento uses an old map, a clock key found while antiquing on a road trip, an antique button from England, and twigs collected on a hike. 

I painted a bit of gold ink on the stones and also the pressed leaves (Winsor & Newton). I wrapped thin wire around an old clock key collected eons ago that I discovered made a jolly little vase when turned upside down for a few special twigs I'd become fond of for some odd reason.

Where you go with your mementos is entirely up to you but using the little treasures you've collected on your travels, or treasures shared with you that were collected on someone else's travels is such a brilliant way to adorn and complete these newest medallions (or any of the medallions that are part of the PaperWhimsy Amazing Alterables™ collection). So fun and so much better than hiding your sweet little collection of travel treasures in a box in a drawer.

You can find these cool winged medallions by clicking HERE or by clicking on NEW GOODS at the top of our website.

Enjoy and Happy Travels!

g xo