Creating a 1-Minute Vacation Keepsake... {Life and Home}

The linoleum floors are coming along slowly well. Okay, yes, slow - but isn't that DIY sometimes.

We've completed the first half of the room and put the furniture back and are well into the second half. This afternoon, I'll paint the last coat on the white stripes (Behr's Bleached Linen). It's taking a while for several reasons..

a. Drying time between coats (we wait about 6 hours between 2-3 coats)
b. The large space we're doing (the basement living area)
c. Taping (ouch, my knees)
d. Waiting 48 hours for the paint to fully cure (before we move the furniture back in place)
e. We went camping... (for 1 1/2 weeks)

...2 days after we began this project. So, like many things, it was put on hold but it was so worth it to get away.

We camped at Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. It's about an hour from where we live. The water is clear, the sand is so beautiful, and our camp site backed right onto the dunes. We were in camping paradise. It was a great break from work, our home, routine.. and when it was all over we were refreshed and ready to dive back into life at home.

While we were away we collected special mementos.. mostly rocks and feathers.. which I decided to display in our living area.

The handyman and kiddies discovered these two feathers and were amazed to discover that they are from a blue jay. A bird we spotted briefly just twice while at the Pinery. The kids are at this wonderful point in their life where discoveries like this are fascinating and exciting. I love watching them appreciate nature.

Instead of letting these special feathers get lost in our mason jar of rocks and shells (from our cottage vacation) I remembered I had this little frame.. $6.99 from Winners. At the time, I was at a bit of a loss for what I would put in it (does this ever happen to you?) and found that it was a perfect way to preserve and admire our feather keepsake, that reminds us of a great time away.

Just another step in this attempt to have a creative home.. that appreciates the little things in life..

How about you.. is anyone creating easy vacation keepsakes?