more journal pages...and pondering on where we spend our money

I got the "A Few of My Favorite Things" paper and fabric from a collage pack from Martha Brown. I HAD to use it along my page edge. Thanks, Martha!

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Dad's going into the hospital today. Fingers are crossed. Thanks for thinking of him... If you knew him, you'd know what he's like and what a good guy he is, not to mention the best Daddy ever. He's the kind of man who walks down the street and smiles at you and says, "Hi" as you walk by. He's the kind of man who can't go anywhere without running into a "friend". Thanks for your support and good thoughts today.

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Make sure you read Sarah a.k.a. The Small Object Steno Pad's post about small businesses, where you spend your money, supporting your fellow working artists and more here. It's an extremely well written blog post and one that I agree with. It's always a choice where we spend our money and what on. I am a strong supporter of Mom and Pop shops (be they brick and mortar shops or online shops). I know how hard it is to struggle and to stay afloat as an artist and instructor. I know how much work goes into something. I would much rather spend my pennies on something handmade, locally grown, unique, one of a kind then go into a big box store and buy more crap that everyone else can buy. I may not have much, but I know where I want to spend it.

Lately there seems to be a trend of knocking off unique artists' wares with shabbily made, mass produced, cheaply priced items. I've seen it time and time again where I look at something in a big box store and think, "That's so and so's design!" I always think hard and think fast about where I spend my money. Think about who it's effecting. Think about the artist whose design and hard work was stolen. Think how you would feel.

See the list of shops (you know, the ones I teach at) that are on the right side of this blog? I also shop there. Yup. All of 'em. They're all small mom and pop shops (mostly Mom shops ;)). I'm a big fan of these stores and the people that own and operate them. They treat me right. They treat their customers right. They have dang good prices. They've got what I want and that's one of the many reasons why I not only shop at those stores, but also teach there. I, for one, don't want to be left with only big box stores to shop at. I want to be able to go and find that unique, one of a kind treasure, the kind that you can only find through a small business. The kind you will never find at the evil "M" store, regardless of the cute and clever packaging.

I also shop etsy.

You can see my favorite etsy sellers here

I shop online.

Some favorite online vendors-

Papier Valise

Hannah Grey

All This Is Mine

Who are some of your favorites? Who do you support? Where do your hard earned pennies go?