Disclosure: I was sent a $50 gift code with free shipping to facilitate my review. My review is part of the TGP Media Group campaign on behalf of CatsMeow.com. The views expressed in the post are my own.
I’m not a shopper. I don’t look forward to trips to the mall. In fact, I kind of dread the mall. From the crowded parking lots to the hustle and bustle inside the mall, I would much rather shop online from the comfort of my home. I’ll go shopping if I have a need, but otherwise I can do without shopping. BUT, there is one type of goods that I will gladly shop for. Can you guess what I love to buy? Anything Christmas! I love Christmas ornaments, Advent calendars, tree skirts, snowmen, and even Christmas lights. Every item of Christmas paraphernalia is intriguing to me. I LOVE IT ALL!
My favorite part of our beach vacations to Ocean City, Maryland, is shopping for Christmas stuff. Yes, you read that right…I regularly shop for Christmas items when it is 90 degrees outside. Makes sense to me. Dressed in shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops, I will happily browse aisles of fuzzy tree skirts, shiny tree decorations, and hot chocolate mugs. One of the stores I visit in Delaware is the Seaside Country Store in Fenwick Island, Delaware. This store sells a bit of everything, from crafts to clothing to candy, including a wide selection of one of my favorite decorative items for the home: The Cat’s Meow Village.
I was tickled to see that the Cat’s Meow Village had the Absecon Lighthouse. I had to have this memento of my family’s #JerseyLove trip to Atlantic City.
I first discovered the Cat’s Meow Village through my mother. She collected a line of wooden houses called the Painted Lady houses. The houses were cut out of blocks of wood and painted in light, yet vibrant pastels. I loved looking at these wooden houses displayed on her mantle shelf. Some years later, I started my own collection.
When I wanted to start my own collection of Cat’s Meow houses, I had a hard time deciding what collection to start. While I loved the painted lady houses, I wanted my collection to be unique. I loved the national historical buildings sets. I found sets for houses and monuments in D.C., Williamsburg, and other places I had visited. I liked them, but I wanted my collection to be more directly related to my life and experiences. I just wasn’t sure what “my collection” would be.
During one of my visits to that store in Delaware I spotted a collection of Amish houses. I remember moving closer to the shelves where these houses were displayed. I loved the colors. As you know, the Amish are a plain people. Yes, they dress in a no nonsense way but they men wear bright blue or green shirts while the women wear pastel dresses. Even the Amish houses and barns were colorful and cheerful. The houses and other wooden items took me back to my college days in Amish Country, PA. Seeing horse and buggies on the roads near my college was a usual sighting, so I was anxious to purchase the horse and buggy at least.
The Amish Collection by Cat’s Meow Village is a treasured reminder of my college days in Amish Country, PA.
I had the horse and buggy in my hand. I decided that one item was enough, and then I spotted the Amish family. With a wooden Cat’s Meow item in each hand, I prepared to walk to the cash register, and then I saw the Quilt Wash Day. Three…was my limit…for that trip. On subsequent trips to the shore, I purchased a lovely tree showing a pair of pear pickers. Later, I couldn’t resist buying an Amish house, a barn, and a store.
The beauty of these pieces is that each one is from 2″ wide to perhaps 6″wide. I can easily display 9 or 10 items on my mantle shelf. I often move the items from shelf to mantle to table and back again. I would absolutely display them at the top of a door frame if I had any door frames inside my house.
When I was asked by Cat’s Meow Village to do some holiday shopping, I couldn’t say yes fast enough! I was so excited to peruse the site. Since I have only seen Cat’s Meow houses and such in stores, I was very surprised by the range and variety of offerings. Here’s a sampling of the Cat’s Meow Village series:
- International Travel, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa among others
- United States Travel, including the very cute Maryland State Snowman shown below
- Lighthouses & Coastal…check out the Absecon Lighthouse shown above
- Amish Life & Quilts
- Quaint Buildings & Times
- Four-Legged Friends…I saw a very cute Golden Retriever and his dog house
- Christmas, Santa Claus, and Halloween
- And many more
Though I don’t like crabs, I could not resist getting this little guy!
I was like a kid in a candy store as clicked from the Amish Barn Raising to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall. We have a friend who would I know would love this. But then I spotted the Maryland Snowman. My teen wanted to get the Eye Doctor Snowman. Before I knew it I was looking at lighthouses and other coastal houses and stores. The International Travel section caught my eye. I really wanted to buy a map of Italy for my parents. As a teen we lived in Italy for 4 years. The map reminded me of so many wonderful travel memories.
Choosing from the vast selection of Cat’s Meow Village offerings was VERY difficult. I hemmed and hawed and dithered and changed my mind. Finally I was able to select three. Do you want to know what I chose? It was a hard decision, but I finally decided to get the Absecon Lighthouse, the Maryland Snowman, and the Vietnam Veteran’s Wall. I could have bought 1o others. No lie!
My friends at the Cat’s Meow Village are very graciously offering my readers the opportunity to receive a free ornament with any purchase. Here’s how you get your free Cat’s Meow Village ornament:
- Visit https://www.catsmeow.com/.
- Peruse, enjoy, and imagine how these houses will look in your home!
- Use code FREEORN at checkout. This code is valid through December 31, 2013.
You can keep track of new products, fun giveaways and deals by visiting The Cat’s Meow Village Facebook page. And don’t forget to check out their Pinterest page for more great products, including retired pieces.
