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Nantwich Fridge Magnets

Nantwich fridge magnet 20190825

As mentioned in a previous post, when we visited the lovely English town of Nantwich, we couldn’t find any fridge magnets there. And as I also said last week, I think fridge magnets are a superior form of souvenir. (They take up less space than commemorative mugs, for a start). So I had a look back through the photos from our visit, and invented…a Nantwich fridge magnet design:

Below is one of my photos from our visit. Nantwich has such picturesque houses that I hardly needed to make any changes to the image. For the magnet’s design I added a heart for extra cuteness, but that was more or less it!

I was so pleased with the end result that I tried the design as a souvenir keyring as well…

So if you’re visiting Nantwich and also happen to be a fridge magnet fan (and depending on whether they still have any in stock), you should hopefully now be able to find one at Nantwich Museum. In fact I like the design so much I’m going to put one on my own fridge 🙂

The museum itself had some really unusual local history features – e.g. how Cheshire cheese was (and is) made. Plus, of course, the story behind those iconic black-and-white buildings around the town.

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Laser-Cut Porto Fridge Magnet

Even on holiday I always have my eye out for laser-y items. And better still if they happen to come in the form of my favourite souvenir…which is a fridge magnet. I like laser-cut fridge magnets so much that I’ve created a special category for them here. So last week when we were on holiday in Porto I was very happy to find a laser-cut fridge magnet.

Laser-cut ‘Porto’ fridge magnet

I think this one shows the river and the Dom Luís I Bridge and the city very well. The typical rabelo boat (carrying its barrels down the Douro river) sort of gets lost in the background – but then compensates by physically standing out from the flat surface. (I’m not sure how the boat could be made to stand out better – maybe cut it from darker wood?) I couldn’t see any details of the artist or manufacturer, but if you know who it is, please let me know and I’ll credit them here.

Closer up:

Here’s the fridge magnet from a different angle – looking straight down at it:

The boat shows up a bit better in this one, but the Dom Luís I Bridge still looks like the star of the show. Mind you, it is a very impressive bridge! And it definitely does stand out in real life. Apparently it was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel (as in the Eiffel Tower).

The picture is missing one of the key features of the bridge, though, because in real life it’s got two different levels for the different modes of transport across it. Top level: get a Metro tram-thing across the top of the bridge (or walk across as a pedestrian). Lower level: use the road for a car or bike (or walk across that one, as well).

Anyhoo – I like my new fridge magnet, even if it uses quite a bit of ‘artistic licence’. I like the way that they’ve made it into a serrated stamp-shape as well. It just screamed ‘souvenir!’ at me, so that’s another reason I chose it. And now I’ve got another laser-cut piece of artwork on my fridge door, plus some lovely memories of our holiday in Porto/Oporto.

In the meantime I’ve been having laser-cut-fridge-magnet adventures of my own, but more about that later…

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Laser Cut Fridge Magnet Souvenir

Laser Cut Fridge Magnet Souvenir – Bucharest

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I’d come back from our recent holiday with a few laser-cut souvenirs that caught my eye while we were away. Here’s another one. We visited Ceaușescu‘s bonkers giant palace while we were in Bucharest, and it was amazing and frightening in equal parts.

This piece is a bit more complex than the previous fridge magnet, because it’s also coloured, somehow. I’m not sure how it’s made, to be honest, apart from the shape itself being laser-cut from a sheet of wood. Maybe it’s a transfer/decal applied to the surface of the wood?:

laser cut fridge magnet – Bucharest

If you know what the process is, please give me a shout – I would be very interested to find out! You can use the contact us form, or Twitter or Facebook or the comments section below. Thanks!

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Laser Cut Souvenir Fridge Magnet

Laser Cut Souvenir Fridge Magnet – Belogradchik Rocks, Hungary

We got back from holiday last week and only just finished unpacking today – and I’d forgotten that while I was on holiday my eye had been caught by several laser-cut souvenirs.

This one is a laser cut souvenir fridge magnet from Belogradchik Rocks, in Bulgaria. Mmmm, laser-y!

I like the way that it has two layers to it. But whoever made it has left quite a bit of scorching/smoke-marking on the front, and I’d be really disappointed if I sold a piece like that. On the other hand, I’m too much of a perfectionist. Weird how it didn’t stop me buying a piece, but it would stop me selling one. Maybe I’ve got things the wrong way round?!