

One of my favorite shops in Fredericksburg is
Root, owned by my friend, Cassell. It has been so much fun watching Cassell grow from a cute girl working for another creative soul years ago, to the mature and extremely creative, talented young woman she is today.

Cassell sells great clothing, accessories and some home furnishings. She also sells
Toms, the ever so trendy and comfy shoes created by American traveler, Blake Mycoski, whose mission is to give a pair of shoes to a child in need, every time a pair of Toms are purchased. Read about this amazing concept and company
here .
Currently, Root is sponsoring a silent auction full of custom decorated Toms. The proceeds will benefit Friends of Toms, a non profit organization that helps coordinate the shoe drops to the children receiving the shoes.

The auction ends on June 5th and you can read about it
here.Local artists and creative business owners have each decorated a pair of Toms for the auction.
I have included just a few of the incredibly decorated shoes. What little jewels of art they are. I might buy some to hang on the wall or place on a bookshelf.

I won't tell you here who created each one or which I would choose. I am fortunate to know most of the artists and I certainly can't choose favorites! This is just a sample, though, so you must go to the
website to get the full scoop and see all of these amazing shoes.

Isn't this one of the most fun ideas ever! Great taste and philanthropy - shopping with a conscience. Count me in!
I am heading over today to see them in person.