Shoppe Till You Drop

Obviously if you are going to shop for Christmas presents it's ideal to buy local. Better yet...buy vintage and handmade by locals! Sunday gave us the perfect opportunity to do just so; we crossed the canyon with Pops on a rainy afternoon to Nevada City where my sis and one of our very oldest and dearest friends, Ruebi, had set up shop at the Winter Craft Fair. Both collectors of minutiae, knick knacks, vintage housewares, and sundries, they had the fine idea of setting up a kind of mercantile right there in the heart of the craft fair offering a wide assortment of goodies and gifts. They called their little shop Sweetgrass General Store; Ruebi's husband made them a wooden sign, and they packed their shelves with the coolest trinkets. It was a stocking stuffer's dream, plus Addie framed some of her gorgeous 1920's sheet music pieces, Ruebi had some choice vintage children's clothes, and they had a collection of fun candies and kidstuffs on the front shelf. Something interesting to examine in every nook and cranny. Passersby were generally intrigued and many happy customers found a special little something. 

Bringing two little wild gnomey-kins to this event was a bit challenging, if only because I couldn't really shop to my heart's content nor talk as much as I'd like to Addie and Ruebi and friends and fellow vintage sellers. I was busy chasing my miniature 11-month old up and down the stairs to the stage area, and collecting the handmade business cards my two year old was scattering in her wake. Sigh. It's totally my fault; we were there for hours with no sign of a real meal (string cheese and candy canes, anyone?) and no rest in sight. Those two were actually troopers, and totally zonked on the drive home. 

Thanks of course to Pops for being a (somewhat hapless but very sweet) nanny for the day.

Here are some of my photos from the day, starting at home in our backyard while we waited for our ride and enjoyed the greening effects of all our recent rainfall. Then onward to the Fair!
















A few spots down from Sweetgrass was this handmade toy shop. Lucy was in love with the funny bunnies, which each had a name and brief description of likes and dislikes. She must've handled this bright pink glittery one a hundred times. She was totally drawn back to it again and again. Needless to say, Pops sneakily bought it for her and tucked it away till Christmas.



I did get some fleeting visits with this lovely lady throughout the day, in her lush winter blue velvet, always adding a little glitter and light to my day.


If you're buying gifts, I hope you are all having some equally charming shopping experiences!


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