Friday, November 23, 2012

Geaux Local

Now that Thanksgiving is over and our bellies are full, it is time to concentrate on Christmas.

Giving is a joyful experience, or it should be. Supporting a local or independently owned business is a wonderful way to magnify that joy. Corporations are made up of people, so I'm not saying to avoid them completely; however, instead of buying all your gifts from huge corporate retailers, it would give such a boost to mom-and-pop stores if we each purchased at least one item locally this Christmas. With that in mind, even our blogging neighbors can be considered local, offering unique, well-made crafts, one of which I will showcase in this post.

Maureen at Cottage960 caught my attention with these beautifully crafted camera charm necklaces. I think these would also be fun to hang on the rear view mirror in your car. On one side is a vintage photo of a woman holding a camera and the other side has a saying or quote of your choice. I love these pieces and a very special someone will be a recipient this Christmas.







Aren't these delightful? Maureen did not ask me to promote her business, nor was I compensated in any way. I thought to do this post only after I received the order. As part of my Geaux Local mantra, I am happy to share her talent—it's as simple as that. Check out Maureen's Etsy shop here. I will be sharing similar posts like this one from time to time. YOU could be next! :)

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

34 comments:

hootnonny said...

What a sweet voice for Maureen's business! I identify with "And then she snapped," literally and figuretively!

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful post and such a creative artist ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

Brian King said...

Those are nice! She's very talented as are you with a camera.

Maureen said...

Oh Gail, you are so sweet. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your kind words for my work, and sharing with all your readers. I am so humbled by your kindness. Thank you. xo
Maureen

Barbara said...

I love Maureen's pendants and love the fact that you ordered some!!

Suzan said...

What a beautiful display for Maureen's items!! Gail - you are so talented. Have you thought of making money with your talent? You could go into an antique mall with a tablet to show your talent and help vendors/"little businesses" out by taking photos of their things in their spaces. Or even post on ITSY how you can advertise for them. Maybe even do some bartering for Christmas.
And yes, Maureen is talented too!

TexWisGirl said...

really sweet of you. those are cool. :)

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh Maureen is truly a creative talented woman. I love these. I also love your photos.
I cannot believe it is almost Christmas. B

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

What great finds, and excellent pictures!

Unknown said...

What a great thing you did here! I'm going to give this some serious thought!

Phil Slade said...

"Keep calm and snap on" - I think that should be my mantra this week. Very creative photos again Gail.

Deanna said...

How special of you to share this with all of your readers. Maureen is truly talented, I have been a fan of hers for quite some time. And your talent of sharing & caring shines through with this post.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

What a great gift idea for all the photography nuts on your shopping list. I love how you've displayed and photographed them for this post. If Maureen ever does a brochure, she may want to used some of these.

The Cranky said...

These are adorable and I love the way you've displayed them! It was very thoughtful of you to do this =D

We've made the choice to purchase at least half of our Christmas gifts locally this year; then again, we limit ourselves to four gifts each.

=)

Patrice said...

These are fabulous, Gail - so glad you found them and shared them! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

How cute! I love the little camera.

Anonymous said...

These are really cute!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Great reminder to shop locally. Even a local shop voucher would be appreciated by many too.

rainfield61 said...

There are people who are creative around us.

And there are sweet people like you as well.

Dianne said...

how wonderful that you highlighted her shop
I will favorite it
I do a lot of shopping on etsy
and in small stores

LindyLouMac said...

You are right Gail they are delightful. :)

Charlotte Wilson said...

I love these! And I love that you are promoting buying local and American! I will do that too!

charlotte

Anonymous said...

These are terrific!! I am getting to where I would much rather shop at a small store than the box stores these days...I just get so overwhelmed...plus I love the uniqueness that our small business owners bring to their shops. I need to get on etsy more often.

Jori said...

I agree, I try to support small business owners as much as possible. Thank you for sharing! I am definitely going to order one of these lovely necklaces!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Those are just adorable! We weren't able to go shopping today, but I do like to patronize local shops whenever possible. And you're right, Etsy definitely showcases great small businesses.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes -these are just adorable! I'd definitely like one of those. Unfortunately, the postage prices are just crazy and far more than the necklace itself.

Anonymous said...

I love what you did with the necklaces and the angel, and theXmas tree. I'm going to visit the shop thanks to you sweetie ;) haooy Sunday.. xxo

Anonymous said...

*happy

I've kuki sleeping in one arm and i'm writing with one finger ;) lol

Starla said...

I was loving the first little charm (keep calm and snap on) but I about died when I saw "Then she snapped!!" OMG!! LOVE IT!! Not sure if I'll get the charm or use it as inspiration, either way, it's good!!

Unknown said...

Those are so cute. I am going to have a look at her shop. I love buy hand made items from etsy. Your photos look so pretty. I do hope all is well with you my friend.

Hugs~

Nancy said...

Love these!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Gail, these are lovely but I really like the verse you chose. God is speaking to me today and using your blog.
Lord, I hear, now let me respond with actions and in truth.
Amen.

Anonymous said...

I missed too many of your posts while I was sick last week & the beginning of this week... I'm enjoying catching up, tho.
I LOVE the 'and then she snapped' & the lady holding the camera charms & I esp like that she included a camera w/ each one. I'm off, now, to buy one of each! Thanks for posting about this, Gail... too cool! =)

Anonymous said...

I just put my order in... i'm getting the one w/ the definition of a photog! heheheee =) love em all, tho =)