Sowing the Seeds of Love

The Planted Earth
440 South State Street
Orem, UT 84058

I’ve appreciated all of your comments, including the ones that have come in via email and Facebook, about some of your best and worst V-day presents. I had forgotten about Luge the Gorilla; thanks for reminding me, Mom. The Ten Thousand Villages prize, however, goes to Marie for her great idea cutting out simple hearts and using poems and then delivering them to her girlfriends. I’m going to steal your idea, Marie. One common theme I noticed in many of the comments is that there are too many wonderful women out there who are not being celebrated. So I love the idea of spreading a little love and appreciation to the girlfriends in your life.

Last week, I spotlighted a store that is perfect for free-spirited Valentines whose yoga mats were woven by fair trade artisans, who have their own compost piles, and might even have dreadlocks. (You know, who you are.) This week, I want to spotlight a business for the more traditional Valentine, someone who appreciates a cameo and a silver-backed brush, and loves a good funky vintage find.

As a matter of fact, I first learned about Planted Earth from a friend of mine who sports dreadlocks. Planted Earth is a wonderful antique and floral shop located at 440 South on State street in Orem. I have been a long-time fan of this store. I have a bookshelf, several vintage hats, some vintage mirrored trays, and some unique drawer knobs—all obtained from Planted Earth. And that’s just scratching the surface.


Home décor
Furniture
Fresh flowers
A large selection of vintage jewelry
Antique books
Vintage clothes
Linens
Outdoor furniture
Chandeliers

I like to give unique gifts with special meaning to the recipient, and Planted Earth is one of my go-to’s.

I have two “honorary” nieces. If I could claim them as my daughters, I would. When they turned 10 and 12 years-old, I gave them each a shopping trip with me at a destination of their choice. (There was a price limit involved.) Both picked the Planted Earth. I loved indulging my “Alice in Wonderland/Anne of Green Gables” side as much as they did.

Ten Thousand Ways to Say I Love You

Ten Thousand Villages
1941 S. 1100 E.
Suite 1945
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
801-485-8827

There are 10 days left until Valentine’s Day, February 14th, and for many, this is the trickiest gift-giving day of the year. Whether the message you’re trying to send is ‘I love you truly, madly, deeply’ or ‘I noticed you across the quad,’ the underlying sentiment is the same: you matter to me.

When I was a student at Brigham Young University, the BYU bookstore used to go nuts on Valentine’s Day. I expect it still does. One service they used to offer was encasing your gift inside of a helium balloon. I still have visions of helpless teddy bears trapped in airless prisons. Talk about a metaphor for a suffocating relationship!

But I’m not the hardened Valentine’s cynic that my previous observation might imply. My best Valentine’s Day memories consist of simple gestures: an unexpected rose delivered to my work place or a homemade breakfast.

So fear not Valentine’s Day shoppers. I’m here to tell you the best places in Utah and Salt Lake Valley to shop for unique, inventive and non-schmaltzy Valentine’s Day gifts. (Tip: my readers of the fairer sex may wish to subtly refer their masculine counterparts to this blog entry.)

I can’t think of a better place to start your Valentine’s Day shopping than in a city called Sugarhouse. Ten Thousand Villages is a fair-trade foreign import store located on 11th East 1941 South in Sugarhouse. You’ll find home décor, jewelry and accessories, textiles, chocolates, cards and books from India, Korea, the Philippines, Africa--38 countries in all. Everything is handcrafted and fair trade, which means the artisans in each country receive a fair price for their wares.













Jewelry, scarves and handbags are all unique and beautiful. The jewelry ranges from sweet simple pieces as low as $12 to intricately-crafted works of art created with semi-precious stones. Picture frames made from diverse materials like bone, fabric, wood and newspaper also make great Valentine’s Day gifts.

Some of the most delightful items in the store are in the children’s section. There are hand-sewn dolls and animals in brilliant fabrics, beautiful painted blocks, and books that tell about lives of children around the world. I was particularly taken with a CD of international Sesame Street songs.















Candles, tablecloths, pieces of art and sculpture, exotic chocolate, cards…you can’t by a cliché gift at Ten Thousand Villages. Every piece is a unique way to say “you matter to me.”

Not that I’m knocking the traditional approach. Flowers are never wrong.

EVER.

But do you really want to venture anywhere near a flower shop on Valentine’s Day?

What is the best/worst Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever given or received? Share your V-day tragedies and triumphs in the comments section. The person with the most striking story will get a gift purchased at Ten Thousand Villages.