Reporting Live from the Souvenir Store

After quite a few trips under my belt and frequent flyer miles on my account, I am here to share all my souvenir tips and ideas. Documenting and preserving memories from a trip is just as essential as your toothbrush. I promise you will want to be able to look back on the memories you made one day....I for one can't wait for the day when my kids post "vintage" pictures of me having the time of my life at the Grand Canyon or cry over the cute postcards Seth and I write on after all our trips. It doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive either! So here are my recommendations for when you are reporting live from the souvenir store or flipping through 1,786 pictures on your phone!

POSTCARDS

Buying postcards every time I visit somewhere cool feels like I'm cheating the system. Oh I like that print at the art museum, but it costs $78 and I'm balling on a budget??? Postcard of the print. $1.06. boom. I get to take home a memory, AND can also afford dinner. When Seth and I go on trips we always grab a cool postcard at the gift shop that we both like. On the postcard we each write our favorite memory or funny moments that happened on our trip. Right now we are keeping them in a memory box, but I would love to find a cool book to put them in! I love this idea because it is cheap, personalized, and (in my opinion) pretty creative.

PATCHES

Although I haven't *really* started this project yet...I have been collecting patches from places I have traveled to for the past two years. I am picturing a cool, patched jean jacket that is filled with all my adventures that will eventually become a regular part of my uniform. Patches are anywhere from $5-$10 depending on what size of patch you want, so they are a pretty affordable souvenir. I think the biggest thing that has come between me and not finishing my patch jacket is that I am a part-time adult and don't have my own iron. And the first time I tried to put a patch on I used a straightener.....and to no surprise it didn't work out too well. I might have to call in the expert (my mom), to help with this project.

POLAROIDS

I love the thrill of documenting a moment with a polaroid picture....one opportunity to capture something and the pressure to not blink is immense. I have yet to blink and ruin a picture (*knocks on the wooden coffee table*). Seth and I bring along our pink polaroid on our adventures to snap a couple pictures on our trips to put in a photo album. The only annoying thing about the polaroid is that she is bulky and despite her size, sometimes easy to forget at home.

PHOTO BOOKS

I think my favorite souvenir to bring back from an adventure is a photo book. On an adventure I snap at least 3 million photos and for most of my life my pictures have just sat on my phone. In the fall of 2020, I decided to start making photo books on Shutterfly after each adventure. To be honest, I only initially did this because they e-mailed me a discount for a free book. I love using Shutterfly because the app is easy to navigate and they alllllllways have coupon codes. They have a variety of size options and also offer tons of products outside of photo books. So far, we have 3 photo books and I cannot wait to have a shelf full of them filled with moments, memories, and beautiful views we got to experience together.

VIDEOS

I will be the first to say that I am no video expert, but I like to try my best to piece together a video full of moments from a trip. I love that whenever I'm feeling emo or missing a trip I can just go back and watch the video I made from it. It's also a fun way for me to share with my friends and family what I have been up to....my parents show my younger siblings my videos when they say they miss me (they are seriously so precious) (I love them so much). When I make videos from a trip, I usually just use iMovie on my macbook. Maybe one day I will invest in a nicer platform to create, but for now I am content with the videos I produce in the Reporting Live with Ris Studio.

Souvenirs don't have to be t-shirts that you will rarely wear or key chains that have your name spelled incorrectly. Preserve your memories how you want to! These are just my ideas that I thought I would share with you on here! If you have any fun, creative, and cheap souvenir ideas please let a girlie know.

xoxoxo,

Ris 🦋