Small Business Saturday inspired me to write a post featuring some of my favorite local businesses! Although I do enjoy big box stores and our favorite online retailers as much as most folks, it is great to support local businesses, artists, and restaurants. Spending some of your money with these folks helps to support your local economy and improve your community! I encourage you to try shopping from some small businesses around you for the holiday season. If you're in the St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding area, here are some of my favorite places for holiday gifts!

Restoration Alley DIY Studio and Handmade Market located in Ellisville, features a variety of handmade items from local crafters. You can also sign up for classes in their studio, with projects for all ages.

LotusColour offers a variety of handmade and custom clothing for yoga, festival-wear, performance, and more. Check out their super soft fabric and unique designs! 

Binx Ceramic is the best place for super sweet ceramic creations! Find Binx at a variety of local craft fairs, and stop by the open house on the 21st!

The Tiny Hedgehog offers a selection of handmade baby & toddler clothing, featuring adorable fabrics and trendy designs.  Pick up something fun for the tot on your list!

Riley Construction offers modern handmade rag dolls and stuffed animals. Her plush mermaids are the cutest!

Bright Idea Toys located in Town & Country has a great selection of the newest, popular, and educational toys. They also have lots of fun events (they even hosted us, and our friend Mermaid Waterlily last month!), and they also offer gift-wrapping in store!

I Dream to Be written by local author Rebecca T. Clark encourages readers to use imagination by dreaming of different occupations.

The Sleep Catcher by local author Za Goodbrake is a captivating wordless tale about a young girl's dreamy quest to fall asleep.

Kind Soap Company in Webster Groves offers natural skin care, and other scented goodies! I just recently tried a few items from this shop, and love them!

Jewelry by Michele Mohr offers beautiful handcrafted enamel jewelry. What a decadent gift one of her pieces would make!

St. Louis and the surrounding area is really becoming a restaurant city! There are so many delicious choices, and I love that many are locally-owned. Here are a few places I frequent: Lulu's Local Eatery, Candici's, Tree House, Kakao Chocolate, and Sarah's Cake Shop.

If you're looking to find a variety of handmade items, check out one of the many holiday markets this month! Visit our event page for a current list of ones we're attending.

For the month of November we are featuring Australasia critters (animals from Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean)! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Numbat
Emu
Echidna
​And for Thanksgiving...pumpkin pie!

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

For the month of November we are featuring Australasia critters (animals from Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean)! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Kookaburra
Quoll
Wallaby & Kangaroo
​Little Penguin

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

For the month of November we are featuring Australasia critters (animals from Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean)! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Platypus
Sea Turtle
Wombat
Bearded Dragon
Kingfisher

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

Kiwi birds are the cutest! These adorable, plump birds are native to New Zealand, and are unable to fly. Kiwis have a very long bill with nostrils at the end, which helps these nocturnal birds forage for food on the ground. Find our top 5 kiwi bird gifts below!

1. This adorable Kiwi Bird Magnet.
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2. This colorful Kiwi Bird Pillow.
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3. This funny ​Kiwi Bird T-Shirt.
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​4. This whimsical Kiwi Bird Art Print.

5. This funny Kiwi Bird Card.

Disclosure: Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

For the month of October we featured our favorite Halloween monsters & critters, and for the month of November we are featuring Australasia critters (animals from Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean)! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Candy Corn Monster
Green Blob Monster
Bat & Pumpkins
Kiwi Bird
​Koala

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

For the month of October we are featuring our favorite Halloween monsters & critters! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Mouse Wizard
Bat with Lantern
Cthulhu
Busby the Forest Spirit (tank tops now available in the shop!)
Furry Green Monster

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

For the month of October we are featuring our favorite Halloween monsters & critters! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Octopus & Sandcastle (for World Octopus Day!)
Lonely Ghoul
An illustration from an upcoming picture book
Toothy Troll
Creature with pumpkin balloon

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

For the month of October we are featuring our favorite Halloween monsters & critters! You can follow along on the Facebook page, Twitter, and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2018.

This week's critters:
Fuzzy the Bat
Krelis the Forest Critter
Leif the Forest Spirit
Teeth Monster
Fangs Monster

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<