Tuesday, October 13, 2009

...sou·ve·nir

(Anniversary trip to Montreal)
Last week, I volunteered to do some work at home... frame a couple of items for the new Christmas Store that is going to open this weekend. Just TWO pieces. So, I dug out my cutting board, straight edges, rulers, matte board, screw driver, wire, hammer, matte cutter, razor blade knife, backing board, a couple of frames from the attic.... With all of this in place- (covering our Living Room floor! ), I quickly had the framing/matting complete. Then I got to thinking (oh, this always means trouble!!)... Since I have ALL of this stuff out, I might as well frame some of 'my' stuff that I have been procrastinating on....(M&M package graphics)
Aren't they FUN?!! I only got two done - 'Montreal' and 'M&M', but the 'Holiday' motivation was there. I'm seriously Loving them!!
The M&M graphics were bestowed upon me by dear friends - 'Mr. M' worked for an advertising company that did packaging graphics (pre-computer), and these were doomed for the dumpster. Knowing MY love for Halloween, they were saved!! (Mrs. M - Please don't squeal on how long it has taken me to get these framed - and thank Mr. M for me again!).
As for 'Montreal', that will require some 'background information'....
My favorite 'souvenirs' from vacations are 'found' posters - those advertising an event we attended! Some fellow vacationers yell at me for 'stealing'. I don't look at removing 'soon to be trash' from telephone poles and alley walls as 'stealing'! Do you? Since this has become a regular occurance, I even pack an empty cardboard tube in my suitcase (when space allows) for the safe return travel of my treasures. When safely at home, these become (eventually) wall art. Stop grimacing - I don't do the college thing of 'taping' them to the walls - They are neatly framed and matted. As I'm sure you are all aware, framing and matting can be BIG $$... unless you do your own... with thrifted supplies!! I do. It just sometimes takes me a while.

Back to 'Montreal' - one of my Favorites!! Anniversary trip... Halloween... 24" x 36" poster - (The kind that is like a Giant sticker w/ the entire back adhesive for 'durable' posting)... a few drinks... back alley... The 'acquisition' was quite a 'journey' unto itself!

Here are some other 'souvenirs' that have 'free-loaded' there way home with me...
(previously framed!!)
WARNING: I DO NOT PHOTO REFLECTIVE SURFACES WITH ANY QUALITY!!!
('TouLouse LauTrec exhibit at Grand Palais in Paris')
(My first INDIANAPOLIS race - w/ Sam Bass signature!)
(Chicago NEOCON - w/ Richard Meier signature)
(The Feria & Running of the Bulls - Nimes, France)
(New Orleans.)
(Sausolito, Spring Faire)
How could I possibly resist these beauties, that still make me smile after so many years??
souvenir [ˌsuːvəˈnɪə ˈsuːvəˌnɪə]
n
an object that recalls a certain place, occasion, or person; memento
vb (tr)
Austral and NZ euphemistic slang to steal or keep (something, esp a small article) for one's own use; purloin
[from French, from (se) souvenir to remember, from Latin subvenīre to come to mind, from sub- up to + venīre to come]
hc_dict()

4 comments:

★Carol★ said...

Very very glad to know that I'm not the only one who steals, I mean RESCUES posters! I used to take them all the time, from a particular vacation spot which I won't name, until one year there were signs saying that removal of these posters was considered theft! Did that stop me? No it did not. I just had to do it under cover of darkness, armed with a flashlight!

Rebecca said...

Uh, oh I steal too. But, always for events AFTER the fact. Living in Walmart COuntry, we are luckto have a good number of celebrities come thouh here - Jesse James, James Patteson and Ed Begley Jr., just in the past week alone. Anyway, if we go see or meet the person, I swipe a poster or flyer when I see one after it is all over. That isn't stealing, that's recycling! ;D

LOVE the M&M guys - those are old. Green is only a girl now. We have a massive M&M collection in our house. Probably never mentioned that one, of course.....It's the Bean's.

Shara said...

Holy hell, that last comment was from me!!!!! I was signed in under Rebecca's account doing maintenece on our Sweet Goodness Swap blog account. Forgot to sign out! DOH!

Vintage Christine said...

If a flyer or poster is stapled to a telephone pole, it's up there illegally anyway, so it's not stealing in MY book. Looks like you're quite proficient with the matting and framing and I know that matting & framing can be tricky ANY expensive if done at the frame store. Everything looks wonderful!