What I brought back

If you read my post yesterday, you know that we were waaaay abroad over the holidays.  We didn't do a ton of shopping while away, trying to be thoughtful about which souvenirs to choose, but I did come home with a few special things that I would like to show you!

First up, and probably most special, is this wall hanging that our hosts had custom made for us - a handmade/hand-appliqued wall hanging of our names written in Arabic, in the shape of a family tree.  I unpacked it today and carefully ironed out the creases and have it in a temporary home while I figure out where it's going to hang.  I can't even begin to imagine the process that would go into hand-appliqueing something like this and it will definitely be something we will treasure.

Next up is a small-ish (approx. 12"x12") embroidered piece.  It is unfinished so will need to be made into something - a pillow cover?  a wall hanging?  any other ideas?  It is stitched on canvas and is a little stretchy and wonky so I'm a bit nervous about working it into a project but I'm hopeful that I can come up with a good way to make use of it.  It was too cute to leave behind!

And finally, two lovely alabaster candle holders.  I purchased the one on the right and was gifted the one on the left.  The one on the left is particularly unique since the top half is carved and smooth whereas the bottom half was left unfinished.  The nature of the rock somehow allows light to shine through which adds to their beauty.

Things are rather rainy/windy/dreary/dark here these days, and on top of that we're having just a little gloominess that sometimes comes from having to return home after an awesome adventure, so it's been fun for me today to tidy up some more, unpack some of these things, and reminisce a bit.