Sweet summertime! Families are flooding emerald coastlines, filling lake coves, and taking up real estate at campgrounds across the country.  If the last couple of years has taught us anything, it’s to never take one single memory for granted.  Each place we visit as a family, we make sure to take physical inventory back home with us, as a way to commemorate the beautiful moments made.  If like me, you want to savor every minute of those blissful journeys, keep reading for fun ways to take your travels back home.

Here are 3 unique ways to incorporate vacation memories into your home design.

THE THRILL-SEEKERS

Family Bio: We see you fam. You’re the quintessential memory makers. Bungee jumping from the highest buildings, parasailing over the bluest oceans, and zip-lining through the tallest trees.  The only rest you’ll be getting is in the waiting line for the newest roller-coaster.

Memory:  At each adventure, visit the gift shop and grab a magnet, find a perfect little spot on the wall and paint an area in magnetic paint, then frame it.  Place all your magnets inside the frame for a fun conversation starter.  You could also have a custom size metal sheet cut and frame it vs. the magnetic paint.

THE FINE ART LOVERS

Family Bio: You’ve seen the Eiffel tower, viewed Venice from a gondola, and you’ve taken a family photo in front of Ireland’s most historical castles. You only eat the local cuisine and wouldn’t dare step foot in a chain restaurant.  Visiting the local museums is on the list of to-dos. Since you’re a seasoned traveler, you’re no stranger to the Louvre and the MET.

Memory: Support the museum shops and local artisans by purchasing an art piece, wall tapestry, hand-made dish, or anything that would hang easily on a wall, then choose a blank space in your home to curate the most beautifully traveled and collected gallery wall. It will be a wall worth talking about.

THE OUTDOOR DWELLERS

Family Bio:  You’ve hiked every trail, and scaled every mountain. You prefer a tent over a 5-star resort any day.  Your backpack is full of an assortment of trail mix, water, and bug spray. Dinner plans definitely include something over the campfire.

Memory: Capture your family’s love for nature by collecting earth from every special place you visit. Take a rock from every hike, write the date and name of the trail then place them in a hand-turned wooden bowl bought from a local vendor, or layer all your gathered natural elements in a glass vase so you see sand from your beach getaway, red clay from your dessert escape, or pebbles from your trip out west.

Happy Memory Making!