The Magpie Society
Somewhere along the Cours Saleya in Nice, with the scent of blooming wisteria in the air and the hum of French conversation floating past us, I realized something beautiful: we were all becoming magpies.
Not the feathered kind, of course—but the soulful seekers, the gatherers of beauty in unexpected places. My travel journal workshops have always been about more than art. They’re about paying attention. About pausing long enough to notice a bit of torn paper fluttering on the sidewalk, the label from a sardine tin, the shape of a leaf pressed between book pages. These aren’t scraps. They’re treasures. Tiny witnesses to a place and moment in time.
This year in Portugal and Paris, I made it official: welcome to The Magpie Society.
Each participant on my Portugal and Paris tours received a Magpie Badge—a small, handmade honor bestowed upon those who truly embrace the treasure hunt. These aren’t prizes for skill or precision. They’re tokens of presence. Of curiosity. Of the gentle art of stumbling upon exactly what you need.
The badges include my favorite quote from James Joyce’s Ulysses:
“Chance furnishes me what I need. I am like one who stumbles along; my foot strikes something. I bend over, and it is exactly what I need.”
Isn’t that just the most perfect sentiment for vintage travel journaling?
Our journals aren’t pre-planned, polished artifacts. They are layered stories made richer with each serendipitous find—a train ticket, a wine label, a bit of overheard poetry. The mundane becomes meaningful. “Trash to treasure,” as the badges says. “Foraged and fabulous.” It’s a mindset, a way of seeing the world with wonder and reverence for the overlooked.
In The Magpie Society, there are no mistakes. Just discoveries.
So if you find yourself on a street in Paris, Porto, or your own hometown, and your eye catches on something discarded, something ordinary—pause. Pick it up. Hold it like a gem. Add it to your story. You’re already one of us.
Welcome to The Magpie Society. Your treasures await.
