Christmastime is my favorite time of the year. I love that it’s one word. I love that there are trees with lights. I love the music, particularly Christmas Waltz and Last Christmas. I love the giant Christmas trees in town. I love how much cake and chocolate and cookies I eat with little to no remorse. And my absolute favorite thing about Christmastime:
Craft Fairs and Church Bazaars.
From the end of November through December I had a schedule for local craft fairs and church bazaars every weekend. It was a tight schedule (Sorrynotsorry A!) and I met up with friends and even my mom one weekend to go to Vermont, where I found new love for $4:
Which is basically my dream crockpot that I never new existed. I proudly carried it down the church corridor until I almost dropped it, at which point A safely took it from me for its (and my) own safety.
After that lovely day, I went to the 5th Annual Alchemy Initiative Craft Fair. I was particularly excited about this craft fair – tons of local vendors with really unique stuff – and an added bonus I discovered upon arrival: one of my fav coffee shops serving up local brats and proscuitto mac and cheese. A and I happily sampled both.  While there were a lot of really amazing artisans, there were two vendors I really loved.
The first I’ve purchased from several times: Dancing Bare Soap. I really love bath products (hence the reason I always have a large stockpile of LUSH stuff in my linen closet) and I always like strong, earthy scents that last. In November, I bought a a Patchouli Avocado bar of soap from Dancing Bare Soap and I couldn’t get enough of it. It smells so amazing (reminds me a bit of LUSH’s karma soap) and the bars last a really long time.  A & I picked ups  bunch of gifts for family – including some really awesome hand creams which were perfect for winter!
3 Little Birds was my other favorite vendor. Michelle Ridgeway is an artist with an MFA in Studio Art and she is also a teacher! Her work with 3 Little Birds is a side project form her art, but I fell absolutely in love with her amazing creations I discovered, most of which were made of upcycled materials (look at all the owls!). I wasn’t shopping for myself that day, so I only got one tiny little owl that sits on my tree. (Which I refuse to take down. CHRISTMAS FOREVER.)
Now that bazaar season is over, I’m taking a bit of a break from thrifting until I finish up my current house reorganization. I’m currently reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – I can’t wait to share a few of my  organization projects (because I not-so-secretly live for this stuff)!
