Friday, June 24, 2011

stellar shops: glitter workshop

Happy Friday! (How sad is it for our culture that I can't even type that without Rebecca Black coming to mind?!)

The first hint of sunshine is emerging this morning after an entire week of doom and gloom outside, making today the perfect day to introduce a new weekly feature called stellar shops. You see, I've found over the last few weeks that I've been ogling and taking lots of photos of cute boutiques, antique stores, and other miscellaneous little places that might easily get overlooked since they aren't engulfing all other surrounding forms of life (a la big box stores). So, I've decided that each Friday I will feature a new shop that I find delightful on this blog.

This week's shop is:

GLITTER WORKSHOP
6138 Mineral Point Rd.
Madison, WI 53705 

While I was home this past week I did some shopping in Madison with my mom. She headed to one of her favorite quilt shops, Stitcher's Crossing, on the west side off Mineral Point Rd. It's a great place; I bought the fabric for Neil's birthday quilt there last summer. However, this past week I knew better than to get all googly-eyed over $9-a-yard fabric. I'm heading off to grad school in the fall and staring straight at approximately $40,000 (give or take) in student loans -- all so I can be an academic librarian, underappreciated and underpaid. At this point, I've got enough nice fabric to play around with, and buying more will hardly help the future of impoverishment that looms so ominously ahead. (I'm just naturally sarcastic and cynical like this. Despite it, I'm actually quite excited about librarianship, FYI.)

So instead of hitting up the fabric store, I lingered in Glitter Workshop, which is located right in the same strip of stores. It is a gorgeous place, combining an affordable assortment of both vintage and handcrafted pieces. The displays are all soul-renewing eye candy, and very well set up, in my opinion. I'd been to Glitter Workshop once or twice before, and I always vacillate between pure joy that there are others who share my style sensibility and despair that I don't possess most of the objects there!

The owner of Glitter Workshop, Naomi Richardson, very kindly allowed me to take some pictures for my blog. Enjoy the loveliness.


Even the outside of Glitter Workshop is almost too cute for words!


However, the inside is even better.










Artsy jewelry, vintage tablecloths, birdcages, embellished frames, flowery headbands... it's like an overload of things that drive my happiness levels way up. Neil was clicking through my photos after I took these and he exclaimed, "Wow, this sure is a Bri-ish store!" Yes, yes it is.


I loved this father's day themed display

plethora of magnets. (I am coveting that blue polka dotted suitcase.)

























don't usually go for paisley, but I loved this dress.


I also got the chance to peek in the back room, where all the glittery, crafty projects are created during workshops


As if I need more temptation to keep hoarding buttons... these pretty platefuls don't exactly dissuade me...

I'm extra curious to find out if these fantastic suitcases are going to be used in an upcoming project or whether they're future displays for the store.






















And, last but certainly not least, Glitter Workshop has a cute little room off the main area that kids can play in while parents shop.  

Naturally, I didn't leave without making a purchase... I think it was well worth it, though.

























I bought this bag from Glitter Workshop for $15 (told you it's affordable!). The floral design is on both sides, and it's in near-pristine condition. I buy things to use them, not to have them sit on a shelf, and I think if I had paid more for this (which I probably couldn't have afforded anyway) I wouldn't have felt like I could use it in my everyday life. Expensive, pretty old things sometimes take on the status of relics, and while that's nice, I'm a proponent of practicality. Hence why I won't let it's excellent condition and craftsmanship intimidate me.

I've just discovered that Glitter Workshop also has an etsy site. I highly encourage you to check it out. The vintage samsonite red carry-on bag is something I almost bought...sigh...

3 comments:

  1. AwEsOmE... There's a spot on state street that reminds me of this place. Also, I can't wait to show you some of the lovely things I've acquired in Wellington. You would LOVE love love this city. You post simply reminds me of that fact. <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. lisa, it's truly a treasure trove! such a wonderful, inspiring place :)

    ReplyDelete

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