ROOT AND SPROUT HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

I was surrounded by some pretty awesome women last month at the annual holiday open house hosted by Susan Kelke, owner of Root and Sprout. Mary Holland was selling Stella and Dot jewelry, which I hadn't heard of before but think has some super cute pieces. Kim Headbloom came to restock and promote her adorable line of Bee Xpression clothing and accessories that are available at Root and Sprout year-round. Each piece has a cute little phrase with an embroidered bee character in place of the word "be" - it's cute. And organic. And locally made. And did I mention cute? Debbie Lynch, founder of Common Spirit Organics was there selling the products she has aimed more toward women, but her baby products are also on the Root and Sprout shelves year-round because they are all organic. One of my favorites was Rebecca Sheak. She doesn't have a website yet, but I encouraged her to start an Etsy store because her stuff is just gorgeous! She made the little headbands Adelaide is wearing in these photos and is just a super creative woman. Her accessories can be found at Root and Sprout and hopefully she makes an Etsy site so I can come back to edit in a link to it! Even though I only saw her for a minute when she came back to the store to pack up her things, Amy Berent makes super cute accessories which can be found at Everyday Clippies. One of the coolest local business women there to promote her products was Tess Garcia of Tess's Pop-Top Jewelery. A teen who makes stylish jewelry from recycled soda can tabs. Her jewelry is always in stock at Root and Sprout and makes a great gift for the tweens on your list. Molly Mackey makes pretty decorative tiles and accessories at Molly Coddle. And last but not least is the local artist, Mary Kalocsay, who paints beautiful works of art showcased at Root and Sprout. You can see her portfolio here: Mary's Mural Portfolio. I just adore her greeting cards and fun customizable pieces that are styled in such a way that your child's fingerprint or handprints completes the art. For example, fingerprint on a cupcake candle as the flame or handprints antlers on an adorable moose head. Just great work. I'm not getting any sort of kick-back or referral incentives for showcasing these women, I just fully support their businesses as a fellow woman and business owner and loved hanging out with them for the day for this cause. BUY LOCAL this holiday season.