Ginger Blossom

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Originally uploaded by FlockTogether

I was born and raised in Park Ridge, IL a nice city that border the Northwest side of Chicago. I went to school in the city, lived in the city and for a while worked in the city. I’m done with the city. When I was growing up everyone wanted to someday live the swanky city life. Get a job in a high-rise, live in a cool loft or apartment and be a regular to the bustling city nightlife. Been there, done most of that. Done and done. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a great appreciation for the wonderful sites in the city, the Field Museum and The Art Institute are two of my favorite places. For some people Chicago is the place to be, but I have visions of grandeur. I want to live in a small house, with a lot of land, a barn for my studio off a country road somewhere.

So why do I bring all this up? The other day The Woodsman said “I want to take you to a place that I know you will love…” and he was right. He took me about 35 minutes North, right to the border of Wisconsin (he’s a country boy) to a glorious handmade Mecca called Ginger Blossom. It’s a heaven for anyone who loves handmade, eclectic, ethnic art or just has an appreciation for every kind of stuff. This handmade paradise is literally up in the country. This by far is the hardest place to explain so I took a bunch of pictures. I will, try my best to explain it though.

Ginger Blossom is in Richmond, IL. It’s a few buildings situated on a working organic produce farm (you can buy the produce right on the front lawn). Ginger (the owner) travels the world to get the most amazing handmade art, decorations, textiles, and anything else you can imagine straight from the artists that make it. Anything ethnic they have it. Another major draw for me is everything there is handmade, meaning that no 2 things are the same. From the wool socks and hats made in Nepal to the hand carved armoires housed in the barn, this is a place anyone who likes the different would enjoy. It would take days to make it through and thoroughly look at everything in the various buildings.

A big perk of Ginger Blossom is the cost; everything is cheap since it’s straight from the artist. I was lucky to have The Woodsman buy me a $6 pair of hand knit wool socks and an $8 wool hat. These types of things are in abundance since there are 2 buildings just for them. I’ll definitely be going back there before Christmas. Oh, and that house in the country in my dreams, will be furnish and decorated with objects from Ginger Blossom…I guarantee it.

Check out my ‘Ginger Blossom’ set on Flickr!