Does anyone out there get as overwhelmed by beautiful things as I do? Do you ever encounter a view, an object, a person, a song, an anything, and just stand there, quiet and unmoving, because you're not quite sure what else to do? I feel this way all the time. Mostly in Maine. Mostly about dirt roads that lead up weathered hills, cliffs that make their jagged way down to the sea, fields that stretch for miles, filled with buttercups in the early summer. I get overwhelmed by run down gas stations and falling apart buildings. There's just so much beauty in the world. Beautiful objects and handmade things get me, too.
So it was when I walked into Sugar Tools, a little store on Bayview Street in Camden, Maine. I walked from table to table laden with cards, notebooks, scarves, shoes, clothes, jewelry...and touched things, and stared at things, and picked things up (more after the jump).
Amy O'Donnell owns and curates the lovely store; she stocks her shelves with handmade, ethically traded objects and clothes. I took a few photos of my favorite objects, such as the awesome The Ropes bracelets above, which are made in Maine.
These scarves made me swoon. They're made of cashmere and silk, and the designs are simple and elegant.
And obviously I couldn't let the box with a pirate on it go un-Instagramed. You know how I feel about pirates.
Nor could I let the beautiful scrimshaw mermaid letter openers get away from me.
Don't you just love these African sandals? I might have to go back and get them. They'd be the perfect shoe to wear in summer, because they'd make any outfit pop. White jeans, a dress, a skirt, shorts...they'd work with everything, don't you think?
