Wha...? Only Eighty-one Days?

Let the countdown begin?  I guess so.  Well, actually it really started last December 26^th, I suppose.  The countdown that is.  But I’m sure, like me, you paid no mind to it.  You may not even be paying any mind to it still.  But in fact, there are eighty-one days left until Christmas.  Eighty-one glorious shopping days, right?  And yes, I just put my mums out along with a pumpkin at the door.  

Well it’s really a perspective thing.  If you’re a shopper, there’s eighty one days left to fulfill your shopping orders.  If you’re a retailer, there’s eighty one days to move it off the shelf.  And if you’re a dreamer or a kid, there’s eighty-one days until your every dream comes true, right?  So.  Which are you?

Okay, I admit it.  I’m a dreamer.  Surprise, surprise.  But then you knew that right.  I love Christmas and everything about it.  I love the caroling, the cookie exchanges, the wrapping, the shopping, the community events, and the ballet.  I love the twinkle lights and the mistletoe, the cinnamon in the air and the holly branches too.  I love Christmas.  But one thing’s for sure when it comes to Christmas for me.  I do not like the commercialized industry of Christmas.  Nope.  Not me.  I love the personables, the intimacies, the emotional connections.  And that is why I want to pass along a something very special and dear to my heart for you to consider for your Christmas shopping extravaganzas this early on in the season.  

My friend Painter Girl has an etsy storefront that I just love.  Well here.  Here’s the location for you.  

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/keyperofhome45?page=1   

  Y’all’ve heard me talk about her before, remember?  She’s the one who has an obsession with all things industrial at Lowe’s and Home Depot.  She is an artist extraordinaire!  And I adore her!  Anyway, she has this storefront where she sells her wares and I have to tell ya, she’s got some lovelies there now.  Go on…hop on over there and take a look and see!  You know you want to! :D  

Painter Girl’s wire bugs are fabulous!  I have a couple that she made just for me that I cherish.  And the thing of it is, all of the artisan-ism of it is so very European Christmas Market.  I don’t know how else to say it other than it is simple and clean and real.  It is wholesome, I guess.  “No Machine Has Touched This Product” is how each piece should be labeled.  And I love it…it gives off something real and alive and wonder-filled.

So this is the kind of shopping I like to do. The kind that supports the arts, the individual artist, the one who puts their soul in each piece to transfer that extra something of their heart to you through their work.  I say, if you’re going to celebrate with a gift, do it personally and in depth.  Right?  

So now, when there’s still eighty-one days left until Christmas, I encourage you to check out your etsy artists, your local art venues and art walks, now before the shoppers get out there and strip them bare.  You might be surprised how wonderful shopping can really be when you tap into the artisan market as opposed to the commercial.  I myself will be heading to the Monte Sano Art Show soon to partake in extra personal artistic fun.  Who knows?  I might just find a masterpiece! 

 What about you?  What will you find?  I wonder, will there be any cows...?