Today's Finds

Blob party mini clutch by Kindah

Vintage bird brooch from Skomoroki

Folk art dolls by JessQuinnSmallArt

Vintage alarm clock from The Things That Were

Modern dollhouse from Milky Wood

Lots of little treasures in today's finds. I love to buy things that feel special, either because they're handmade or old and well-loved, with the hopes of passing them on someday to someone who will really appreciate them. :)

Souvenirs from Staunton

We didn't have a lot of time in Staunton to shop; in fact, we really needed to get back in the car as we had miles and miles to go that day, but I couldn't just walk past all these cute boutiques and not go in, right? I love to support small businesses, especially when they have great stuff! So we bought a few little souvenirs from Made, "a modern day general store" that carries lots of American-made products, including handmade things from local artisans. We didn't have a lot of money to spend, but lucky for us, they had plenty of affordable gifts. Here's what we got:

I bought a set of illustrated short stories from Scout Books. I've been familiar with Scout Books for a while (at one point I looked into getting my illustrated notebooks printed with them rather than hand-drawing each one...they do custom printing as well as sell patterned notebooks and stories...but the way they do printing wasn't cost effective for me at the time...maybe one day). Anyway, I saw these little stories by Jack London and thought it might be cool to have something to read once we got to the hotel, not that I expected to have a lot of down time (and we didn't), but normally I never travel without a book, and I didn't have one with me on this trip. I love all the illustrations, but the ones by Michael C. Hsiung are my favorite. I might pass these on to my nephews when they're a little bit older, but then again, I might not want to part with them! :)

I also got a little coin purse by Blue Q made of 95% post-consumer material. I'm kind of a sucker for little pouches and purses, and I thought the cowgirl illustration was really cute. Peter got this kit to make a wooden "treasure box" for his nephew. It's made by Jameson Woodworks in Belton, SC. I can't wait to see the box when it's assembled. I think it's going to be adorable!

If you happen to find yourself in Staunton, VA, I highly recommend a visit to this cute shop. We actually talked a little with the woman who owns Made, Corrie Park, and she was telling us how she and her husband moved from Norfolk because they just fell in love with Staunton. I can see why! We commiserated about the horrible traffic in Northern Virginia, and she was telling us how nice it is to live in Staunton where she doesn't have to deal with that anymore. Moving to a less-hectic place is already on my list of life goals, and visits to towns like Staunton just make me want to start packing, like, tomorrow.

I have more photos to share from our trip and other things here in our area too. I hope everyone has an excellent weekend filled with all good things. xo