My mother was a woman of great taste and frugal habit, and at her side I learned to enjoy the hunt for a wonderful treasure to grace my home - something beautiful or just plain cool!  Antiquing with her was always a blast, and learning to assess the good, the mediocre and the flat out ugly with efficient speed is a skill that I have appreciated all of my life.  As a result of my dear mama's influence, and my own curiosity, I am insatiably drawn not only to seeing what is being made, but how, and with what materials. In my personal life, wandering through an arts festival or an interesting store is a fun pass time in and of itself.    How about you? How do you go about collecting for your home?  What is your favorite new find?

Folks frequently ask how I find the merchandise for River House. For this, the hunt can be a lot more arduous.  Sure, I find individual vendors here and there, but the huge wholesale home & gift "markets" (housing hundreds of showrooms, featuring thousands of vendors showing their new products, with the merchandise constantly changing) are also part of the job. For this hunt, good shoes and moving at a quick clip is the mode of pursuit.

You never know where a great find might lurk.  At one such market, I entered a showroom which showed nothing out front to recommend it, but inside I made my favorite find of the year- Rose Ann Hall's candles and glassware.  I personally owned one of the wonderful Santa Rosa candles, so I recognized them, but the real surprise was their fabulous etched glassware.  I love it when a find makes my heart jump, and this glassware does!  I was doubly in luck because co-owner of the company Charlie Hall was there to tell me all about the processes they use.  Charlie personally operates their factory in San Miguel where artisans (paid a living wage) blow and hand carve the glassware from recycled glass, make candles, and craft copper.  Upon investigation, I learned that the Halls are well known for their fair trade practices, employing a growing number of physically handicapped artisans.  A true find for River House!

I love it when that happens, don't you?!