Souvenirs of Armchair Travels

Last weekend I ground the edges and fire polished some faux gemstones in the kiln, to combine with some cast pewter emblems. I wanted the results to look like travel souvenirs from long, long ago.

Back before the turn of the century, the well-to-do of America and Europe went on tours, either with a travel scheduling company or with a well-worn travel guidebook in hand.

In those times travel was much slower, with steam ships and trains making the most of the travel along with carriages, camels and mules.

There are many well-written memoirs of those ladies and gentlemen and postcards sent back to friends from places that seemed exotic and foreign.


These two glass and pewter pieces are meant to resemble things that may have been brought back from such a travel tour. The ancient-looking celtic cross sits on top of a beautiful shimmery golden dichroic glass stone that glistens and changes color in the light. The celtic cross looks worn and old, possibly from some Irish monastery or treasuretrove.


The french Eiffel Tower charm sits beside a beautiful blue-green dichroic fused glass stone. It reminds me of the souvenirs available during the Paris World's Fair when the Eiffel Tower was opened, it has that Art Deco kind of feeling with the round settings.


There's another fused glass faux gemstone with a bright shimmery blue stone and a fleur de lys that I like in the shop now, too. My mind wanders and my hands follow, and out come these faux artifacts! Both one of a kind ... with a special feeling for travel.