Before my last two trips to Europe (in 2018 and 2019), I made a shopping list of things I wanted to look for.  I thought it would help me focus when I felt like buying everything!  It also gave us specific destinations to visit, which is always a great way to get off the touristy trails and experience a city.  It becomes like a treasure hunt.  And yes, when you travel with me, I will look at my map and say it’s just a short walk, and then we’ll proceed to go on a two-hour meandering trek to the Louvre.  My mom sent me a meme last week that pointed this out.

On our first visit to Paris, we went to E. Dehillerin, Julia Child’s favorite cooking supply store, so that I could purchase a copper pot.  (You can read about that experience HERE.)  I also wanted to find an antique dip pen, a copper mold, a linen sheet, and a few other things.  That first trip was a bit like grocery shopping when hungry.  I was so excited about the opportunity to shop in Europe that I packed every free crevice in my suitcase and carry-on with my purchases.

It’s so much easier to buy things from around the world online these days, and more things from Europe are even making it to local antique stores and markets.  Antiques and art supplies are still my favorite souvenirs, though, so I will still have a list and keep room in my bag for special finds.  Here is what’s on my list this year…

Piece of antique art

This is at the top of my list.  I would love to buy an original antique oil painting that gives me butterflies.  I would particularly like a portrait, but I’m open to buying whatever speaks to me.  I might have to ship this one back to myself, but we’ll see what I find.  (This is a painting I saw at the Lucca antique market in 2019.)

Fountain pen

I bought a 1920s pump fountain pen in a small shop in Paris in 2019, and it is still one of my favorite fountain pens.  (You can read about that experience HERE.) The ironic thing is, it’s an American-made fountain pen, but it was more about where and how I bought it than where it was originally manufactured.  At some point, it made its way to Paris, to the used fountain pen section in a pen shop, so it lived a well-traveled life before coming back to the States.

Anyway, I’d like to find another special fountain pen in England or Italy.

antique art supplies

I have a ton of antique and vintage art supplies, so I have to be picky when it comes to this category.  I need to stick with purchases that are very special and unlike anything I already own.

When I was little, I talked my babysitter into letting me have ice cream, even though I didn’t finish my dinner because I was full.  My argument was, “Ice cream just fills in all the cracks.”  Art supplies are like ice cream.  They fill in all the cracks, and there is always room for a few more.

I’ll specifically be looking for an antique wood palette (one that really speaks to me).

frames

I like chunky, antique gold frames that you would find in a museum, so I’m not sure how practical this is going to be!  I’m hoping to find some smaller frames that I can either fit in my suitcase or reasonably ship back to myself. I’m dying over this selection I saw in Paris in 2018!  I didn’t even look at the prices of some of those small, sweet frames.

clothes & accessories

While I don’t have anything specific in mind, I want to keep an eye out for some special clothing items or accessories.  In Paris, I bought a wool beret that I still have.  In Lucca, I bought a pair of vintage leather Oxford shoes that fit perfectly and the most amazing green velvet jacket.  In Florence, I bought a handmade silver bracelet from the artist’s studio.  This is the kind of thing that I’ll know when I see it.

More than anything else, though, I want to bring home a journal filled with stories, a sketchbook full of drawings and paintings, and a heart full of inspiration.