Over the past few summers, I have been lucky enough to travel to Asheville, NC to hang with my father-in-law at a place he rents. The kids just love it. We find so many fun trails, random places to play in the water and my personal favorite – visiting all of the local downtowns for the surrounding areas. This year, we visited Asheville’s downtown as well as Black Mountain, Hendersonville, Boone and Blowing Rock. I could spend days wandering around these little towns. There are so many eclectic shops, unique businesses and oh, the art. I love the art. I walk into these places that sell pottery or jewelry or something I totally don’t need or have space for, but I want it all!
One of my favorite shops is located in Blowing Rock right in the middle of downtown. The owners there travel to Mexico each year and bring back some of the most beautiful pottery I’ve ever seen. All the color! I’ve gotten several pieces and this year I added to my collection with some gorgeous soup bowls. But, as I was making my way to the register, something stopped me dead in my tracks.
There was a handbag.
Oh my gorgeousness. It was a deep purple with a hand painted “maria” on the outside flap. She spoke to me and she said, “TAKE ME HOME”. So, of course, I did. As if the bag itself wasn’t perfect enough, as I opened her up, there was a little card inside with the name of the shop in Mexico where she was made.
Jackpot, baby!
I reached out to the owner of Rosa Mexicano and hoped with all crossed fingers and toes that she would let me grab some of these for the shop. Not only did she say YES, but I found that my Maria was not the only beautiful option. There were hearts and skulls and dragonflies and bees and oh my…. I wanted it all.
Well, we are still small and growing, so I could not purchase every last piece, but I was lucky enough to get my hands on TWENTY FIVE unique, hand-painted clutches for our boutique. I’ve seen videos of her artists painting and I’ve seen their artwork and I just want to head on down to Mexico, settle in and watch the magic happen.
But, since I can’t do that… I will settle for pieces of her artwork instead. I hope you love these clutches as much as I do. They are roomy, soft and come with two different sized straps so you can use it as a traditional purse or a clutch. It also comes with a protective pouch. BEST of all, I could not be more thrilled to support these artists. They are so talented and I love nothing more than owning something that was put together with an artist’s hand.
Leave A Comment