Accidental Hair Bling

The other day, Mr. Wonderful and I decided to embark on an adventure. There’s a small town situated an hour and change north of us…. Exploring Swansboro has been on the iPhone Notes App “to do” list for months. The weather was agreeable and neither of us had other obligations, so off we went.

Mr. Wonderful drove while I consulted MapQuest, sussing out the best possible route (easy, as there was just one way in). Then, once we were pointed in the right direction, I began googling shops and restaurants.

As I Foursquared and Yelped my way along, it became apparent that there was true potential for fun in old Swannie Town. Google revealed a tiny little historic district situated on the water, neatly tucked away, with oodles of mini boutiques and cozy bistros. Ding! Ding! Ding!

We drove up 17, then across 24 to the soundtrack of 80’s pop, taking in the sights and enjoying the sunshine. We were singing along to When Doves Cry (I’m not sure how that one made the playlist, either) when we suddenly realized we’d blinked and missed Swansboro.

Of course we blamed Prince: There had been a lot of high notes; and it did, after all, require much eye squinching to reach them; no wonder we missed our turn.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to a World of Curiosities

Since we’d already crossed the bridge over the White Oak River, we decided to keep going for awhile — to see what was around the bend.

I’m so glad we did. Because just up the highway and there across the road on the lefthand side in a village called Cedar Point was a funky little purple cottage — with a winding yellow brick road leading right to the front door.

Christina’s Collectibles, it said. “Dwell in Possibility, “ it challenged. Wine and Cheese, it promised. Curiosities, it declared. And they were open for business. How could we not stop?

With or without the yellow bricks, walking into Christina’s was like walking into Oz. The single story house was painted in deep, rich jewel tones and done up in polka dots, stripes and harlequin patterns. Colorful embroidered curtains hung in the windows; and delicate sheers were beautifully draped across interior doorways.

A Sampling of Miss Christina's Curios

The shop was filled with one-of-a-kind novelties displayed in antique cases, spread across hand-crafted shelving, stacked in buckets and barrels, piled into old wire locker baskets and resting on glass windowpanes suspended from the ceilings, artfully lit with fairy lights.

The Perfect Place to Sip Wine

A cozy sitting room situated in the back featured a darling faux fireplace, ice cream parlor-style tables and chairs, and a very nice wine list for sampling.

Yes, Christina’s Collectibles was complete and utter eye candy.

Distracted by shiny objects, I completely forgot myself and abandoned Mr. Wonderful in favor of shimmery gems and metals. I vaguely remember hearing him murmur something like, “that’s my girl” and was certain he would soon discover his own amusements (there had been the promise of wine, had there not?) as I turned away….

We spent about an hour in the little purple house, exploring the rooms, enjoying the bright collages hanging in the halls, admiring the antique fixtures, examining the finely detailed altered art necklaces so cleverly displayed hanging from vintage doorknobs.

Accidental Hair Bling Courtesy of Christina's Collectibles

We also had the pleasure of meeting Christina, who was warm and friendly and kindly made us feel like family.

Mr. Wonderful and I did eventually make our way to Swansboro — but not before sampling and purchasing a few bottles of wine, hearing an interesting story behind one of the shop’s treasures — and picking up some stunning vintage-inspired hairpins, too.

Though Christina’s Collectibles is well connected and listed on many social media forums, albeit not under any of the Swansboro business listings (well, they are located in Cedar Point), sometimes you DO just have to keep going to see what’s around the corner.

Oh, what a happy accident it was finding Christina’s! And that, my little blog peeps, is how you end up with accidental hair bling.

Bonus

Proof that we found our final destination.
And that what I was wearing was super-cute!

Enjoying Swansboro's Bicentennial Park; Jacket by Swak Jeans, Top by PerSepTion Woman, Skirt by Baccini, (suh-weet) Boots by Frye, Necklace by Lucky Brand, Bracelets by Fossil, Vintage Sunglasses