Boutique Shopping

Do I contradict myself a lot on this blog???...oh well. In light of my recent post on being content, this post will seem out of place. I'm not really contradicting myself. I am content but I have found a new love...boutique shopping whether it be online or in town. Now I am grouping all the cute boutiques in Tallahassee in with the "stay at home mom" businesses, local crafty people, far away crafty people that sell their stuff on etsy.com and my own friends that I am very jealous of, that have great talent! I will start with the actual boutique like stores! I love little shops such as these...Coton Colors and Pottery, Loli and the Bean, Learning Express, Cookies and Tea for Me, Kids pointe, Best Beginnings, Gammy and Gee, and Spriggs. Now some of these are probably chain stores but they are little, cutesy, and I love the sweet, very special, meaningful things you can find for people in these stores. And I never use to go in them b/c I figured they were too expensive but I have found, if you shop the sales and look in the store often..you can find some nice things that are very reasonable and they usually carry things that are quality at a reasonable price as well. I bought my "Happy Everything Plate" which I just love at a tent sale at Coton Colors and b/c they said there was something wrong with it (which I cannot find to this day) I got it for 75% off the usual price! I love having nice things in the house to make it look pretty! An old friend of mine recently started selling jewelry on Etsy.com. I had no clue what it was so I looked it up and boy have I found a great thing... It is a site where people sell all things handmade. I think the prices are great for the most part. I have found ALL kinds of things and it is so fun to look at what people have created by hand...everything is so unique! I went to a craft show the other day at Cookies and Tea for Me. It was all "stay at home moms" that had some kind of talent that they were using to make things to sell.....cute bows, pillowcase dresses, monogramming, etc. I hit the jack pot. I loved the pillowcase dresses and had never heard of them. I looked them up on etsy.com and there is like a million on there!!! Found a seller that I liked and she is making me matching custom candy cane pillowcase dresses for my girls for $12 a piece! Hot diggity dog!!! I have really gotten into bows for my girls and there are a zillion different moms making bows...around town and online. It makes me feel good helping someone out that I know is trying to make money so they can stay at home with their kids. One lady makes the most intricate, beautiful hair clips from felt!!!! So cute. I got my neice the cutest little ditty bag with her name monogrammed on it for $18..from a stay at home mom with her own business....a Christmas Present of course and at least it will mean something and be of value for years to come instead of buying some toy or game that I am not sure she will play with! A couple of the girls at my church are now selling their dresses that they make for girls and monogram online...I just love all that big bow, monogrammed, put my initial on it, polka-dot-it, beaded, bright colored kind of stuff...it is my thing right now I guess!!!!