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This guest blog post was written by Trisha Manning.
Everyone wants to take a little piece of paradise home when they return from vacation. That is why souvenirs are so popular. But truly special souvenirs are sometimes hard to find and are usually expensive. One way to take home a one-of-a-kind souvenir and save some money is to create your own souvenir gifts. You don’t have to be a craft wizard to do this since there are many options for creating unique, simple and inexpensive vacation souvenirs. The key is to choose the items that will most remind you of the special moments spent at a special place so that every time you look at them, you can revisit that time.

A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
This old adage is so true, especially for vacation photos. The best part is that these photos are your own, so they will truly be specific to your experience. Choose a photo or photos stored in your digital camera to print to t-shirts, mugs, calendars, and many other items. Photo collages you can frame also make nice souvenirs, especially if you decorate the frame with reminders of your trip such as ticket stubs. You can even create postcards with these photos and depending where and how long you are on vacation, have them printed and mailed right from the place. Using photos to create a special souvenir is also a great idea for an amusement park vacation. You can purchase some scrap booking supplies and use your printed photos to create a funny retelling of your experience.

Take The Beach Home With You
A beach vacation offers many ways to create your own souvenir. First, you can collect shells and other beach treasures on one of your walks. Don’t forget the sand. With these materials you can create your own beach in jar and bring the ocean back to you each time you look at it. Shells can also become simple earrings, necklaces or bracelets if you either use shells with little holes in them or make tiny holes in them to string together. You can purchase the rest of the things you need to make jewelry at a craft or bead store. How about using the shells to create a wind chime or another hanging ornament? Wire and string are all you will need besides your shells. Or you can decorate a frame with the shells and show off vacation pictures.

Go For That Nature Walk Again and Again
Collect dried flowers, twigs, leaves and rocks. These can be used to make collages you can hang. With some heavy cardboard, glue and your collected treasures you can easily make a collage or representation of your favorite panorama to take home with you. You can also use them to decorate the cover of a travel journal and then keep all your memories and even some photos in it. All these goodies can also be used to create a lasting centerpiece for your home, which will invite questions and give you opportunities to retell about your wonderful vacation.

Put That Art Class to Work
If you enjoy drawing or painting, a wonderful souvenir is to create your own watercolor pieces of the different places you visit. Simply take a small watercolor pad, some brushes and watercolors with you wherever you go and you’ll be set. Sit down somewhere peaceful and comfortable and spend your time not only admiring the view, but creating a special piece to take home with you. Once home, you can frame it and exhibit it, bringing back memories each time you look at it.

Trisha Manning is a traveling and craft enthusiast as well as a contributing writer for Aphrodite Hills, where there are many cyprus properties for sale.