Dirty30 - Souvenirs 101

Hello and welcome to Souvenir Shopping 101. Today, I'll offer tips for purchasing quality souvenirs.  I know... and you're welcome!

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Let's rundown the souvenirs from the Dirty30 cruise, shall we?  

I didn't find much on the Bahamas shopping trip (except for my bathing suit) and the Virgin Island's shops were a bust.  They didn't seem to have any jewelry in Munch's size.  The productive shopping wasn't until Puerto Rico.

I've spoken about our gallery wall of masks before.

I didn't have any masks from the Virgin Islands and I was bummed.  So, after our tour in Puerto Rico, Hubbs and I went on a hunt; we HAD to find a mask to symbolize my Dirty30 trip.  Not too far from the port (near market of street vendors), there was a Haitian-owned store (it was very well designed and had fancy track lighting so everything seemed more appealing).  Inside, we found some fabulous masks for TRIPLE the amount we normally pay.  While we were excited to FINALLY find masks, we did NOT want to pay that inflated cost.

Decisions. Decisions.

We stood in line.almost paid.got out of line left.

Hubbs was right.  We could always come back... So I agreed to check the other stores in the area.  A few doors down, we found a store (without the track lighting) and it had great masks for great prices.  I actually splurged and purchased two because it was too difficult to decide on just one... Aren't they fabulous?

I love.

After lunch in Puerto Rico, I washed my hands using this scrub in the restaurant's bathroom.  I couldn't believe it - my hands were washed and moisturized in 1 step!  They were silky smooth.  I FELL IN LOVE!  I purchased a jar of this miracle hand scrub:

After lunch, the guys went for their signature souvenirs, alcohol.  Deb and I left the restaurant and headed back to the port.  On the way, we spotted these cute little pink leather purses for the girls and, for $7, we HAD to have them:

Finally, I had evidence of the trip and started to feel good about our souvenir choices!

The shopping in Turks & Caicos was awesome! 

Hubbs and I always get Munch a "special" gift from us.  As her gift from mommy, I found a necklace (of floating pearls in shades of pink) - the real pearls will be a timeless piece she can enjoy for years:

We found a fabulous sterling silver shop.  Hubbs picked out a little butterfly ring as his gift for Munch:

He also picked out some everyday hoops for her:

We walked around for more than an hour looking through hundreds of sterling pieces... Until we found this Confetti collection.  It screamed sparkle rock star princess and we had to purchase a few pieces:

Hoops, chain and charm (sold separately)

One of my favorite parts of the sterling shop was checking out - each piece was placed in its own bag with a cute little flower tie (I saved one):

We purchased pieces for Munch that were unique and that she will enjoy for years to come.  It's NOT that she needed any jewelry, lol.  To prove it, here's her jewelry tree that sits on her bedside table:

The birdies hold earrings, how cute?!

Anyhoo, back to souvenirs...  In addition to all the goods, we got his mom a unique watch and I got these fab earrings:

You KNOW how I feel about zebra (and cheetah and giraffe and most animal prints)... SO YOU KNOW I love these earrings.  Every time I wear them, I think about my vacay :)  

We purchased a mask from Turks & Caicos too! It was a smaller version of the VERY expensive ones in the Haitian-owned shop in Puerto Rico.  I love the details of the carvings and I'm SO glad we were able to add it to the gallery wall - it makes the perfect addition!

>end<

I went on a mission to only purchase items I LOVE.  When shopping for fabulous souvenirs, remember these tips:

1.  Think of what you want before you depart for vacation

2. Try to find things you can appreciate all year long (home decor, conversation pieces, etc.)

3.  Buy unique accessories (like scarves, jewelry, shoes, handbags, etc.)

4.  Bring flavors of your vacation home (like seasonings, tea, candies, etc.)

Try this method and I guarantee you'll love your souvenirs for years to come.  Here are a few of our favorites.

Mini Ox cart from Costa Rica:

Mask gallery wall:

Hand painted wooden bangles from Sardinia, Italy:

Glass bangles from Haiti:

Handmade wooden earrings from Costa Rica:

O and keep in mind when you're buying souvenirs that I LOVE to get gifts!