Fait Main began in a suitcase, a suit case full of little wonders...

Fait Main is a happy exchange where a little bit of the French summer market is brought to you, where ever you live.

"Hand made" in French for Good Girl means the joys of summer in the South of France, the smells and colors and sounds that blanket me while there, the conversations with local artisans at French markets and the beauty of something made by hand, from another country, from another world.

For the purposes of convenient travel, I have started with small, light weight, hand-crafted, pretty objects that I have gathered from the French markets - pottery, scarves, cotton tops, jewelry, sandals.

Filling a suit case full of Good Things Made by Good People in France made me incredibly happy. I delighted in the conversations I had with artisans, visiting them each week at the market, or discovering them while exploring different regions. Bringing home their hand-made objects and then sharing them with friends in America made me even happier. In fact, it has been so much fun that Good Girl Go Go Go will launch Fait Main on-line in 2015. That way, I can open my suitcase and share the little wonders with you, too!

This Christmas, Fait Main will be part of a local market in America, bringing French local to Berkshire local at Dottie's Annual Manual on Monday, December 22nd in Pittsfield, MA.

Good Girl Go Go Go loves showcasing Good Things Made by Good People. Fait Main objects are made by French artisans, people I know and visit each year... and yes, it is so incredibly easy to shop local in France and it would be so tempting to over-load but I can't. I am only permitted to carry over a certain amount to meet customs allowances. That means many of my pieces are one-offs and my inventory is small, very small. There is a beauty in this type of exchange because it keeps things simple: what's there is there and when it's gone it's gone.

It also ensures that you are buying something that no one else has. It keeps your Fait Main experience unique and special, just like the objects I carry home and deliver to you by hand. Rest assured, there's always the option to special order items, but only if you are truly patient and able to wait for special items to be made-to-order and then... wait some more for the French post to arrive...but we all know that Good Things Made by Good People are always worth the wait.

Are you beginning to feel like you're running out of time to find a really unique gift that will surprise the pants off your nearest and dearest? Have you been working too much, focusing on your year-end deadlines instead of your heartstrings? Procrastinating for lack of creative juices? or Heaven Forbid, experiencing a genuine fear of stores and parking lots and all those insane people?

My friend, worry no more. There is a pleasant [and wicked good fun] way to shop this holiday season. Dottie's makes it possible to get far from the madding crowd end enjoy local shopping at its best.

Jessica Lamb, proprietress at Dottie's in Pittsfield, MA, hosts a fun event that takes the stress out of gift-giving and puts the magic right back in... and she calls it A MANUAL ... but don't let that cheeky Christmas pun fool you: it's geared for guys and girls. It's not always easy to find a truly dazzling gift but Jessica has a way of making shopping fun and light and meaningful and isn't that what Christmas is all about?

You can sip and shop at Dottie's MANUAL where beer and wine flow under twinkly lights and mistletoe... I guess that means you can kiss, too, while you're at it. If a one-stop, lip-smacking, sip 'n shop isn't enough to make you want to go to Dottie's on Monday, December 22nd, then the fabulous line up of local, hand-made gift ideas is sure to lure you in.

Jessica has a solid knack for pulling people together and has aced the line up of unique and talented vendors for this year's MANUAL. She's made sure that you will find Good Things Made by Good People at the MANUAL: Elemental Vintage, jewelry by Ashley Junod; Olde Soul, knits and Soap by Jenna Lanphear; Therapeutic Massage and Body Work by Lena Harrington; Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness; Chocolate Springs; Fait Main [Good Girl Go's hand-made treasures from France]; Diane Firtell Decorative Art; Odo Bat Company; Pangolin Clothing Company; Ancient Language yoga wear; and HA Designs.

Just think, if you go to the MANUAL, you won't have to go to a huge mall, or brave crazy parking lots, or sit at your computer pressing buttons leading to no where good and getting side tracked by Kim Kardashian pop-ups. Come on over to Dottie's where the beer is cold and the vibe is warm. You can have a real conversation with a real person who makes something unique and special, so special it's capable of surprising the pants off of some one you love ... and maybe that's what Christmas is really all about [wink, wink]?