Buying Local and the 3/50 project

Have you heard of the 3/50 project?  The idea is to encourage your friends and family to spend at least $50 in your local economy every month. If half the employed population accepted this challenge, it would generate $42.6 billion in revenue. When you buy local, much of your purchase stays in the local economy through taxes, expenditures and payroll. 

Of course, I'm not one to promote consumerism without purpose, but hey, go to the Farmer's Market, buy some handmade lotion or a craft for a friend,  or head to one of my favorite places in the twin cities, Piccadilly Prairie (salvaged treasures with a modern flair). 

Drew and I did our part for the local economy this weekend by attending the Saint Paul Art Crawl; the art crawl really reminded me of the importance of supporting local businesses and artists. The atmosphere of the crawl is so warm and energetic. There is an almost tangible feeling of inter-connectedness as you wind your way from artist loft to artist loft, chatting with the artists and listening to musicians. We fell in love with a piece painted by the same artist that painted the guitar piece Drew purchased before we met. (I included a picture of the guitar painting where it hangs above our record player). 

When Drew went to pick up the piece the artist had signed the piece and wrote "blessed be your journey together". I hope we grow old with this piece of art! I included some pictures of the final results of the bedroom makeover project! It's amazing what a little paint, some rearranging and some new throw pillows can do!