Unique Treasures

A few weekends ago I took a jaunt up the coast to Mendocino for a mini getaway and had such a great time exploring the area and shopping around the local stores.  I've been trying to see more of the beautiful places that are in my own California backyard; I'd never been to Mendocino before but had always heard great things about its picturesque landscape and quaint town.  A quick google search and I had found a fun Western themed Bed and Breakfast (The Blackberry Inn), and a list of delicious sounding restaurants that I knew I wanted to try out.  The weekend called for rain but it was a beautiful drive up, the sun tried its hardest to poke out when it could, and made for some spectacular photos.  

Besides exploring the lighthouses, beaches, state parks, coffee houses and restaurants, I expolored a few local shops and was excited to find The Village Toy Store.  I've always been a fan of toy stores, and this one was a true delight.  Filled with unique handcrafted wooden toys ranging from swords to dollhouses, spectacular kites, books galore and everything else a kid (of any age) could have fun with, The Village Toy Store made me excited to play again and soon I was trying on silly hats and poking my tongue out the side of my mouth trying to solve wooden Rubik's cube type puzzles.  

I found these great alphabet blocks and purchased the letters to spell out my niece's name.  I can't wait to see a picture of her playing with them and hope they'll be fun play toys as well as help her learn her letters. They're magnetic as well, so the letters can be mixed up and re-arranged, and anything that you can tote around like a train is fun in my book. 

I also found this cute ballerina tote, I'm sure it could be used for a number of things... ballet shoes, snacks, any kind of little girl treasure will do, I'm sure.

So, if you're in Mendocino, be sure to check this fantastic shop out.  They don't have a website but they are reviewed on Yelp, and with the holidays around the corner, I'm sure that there's many treasures to be found and enjoyed in this unique little place.