Afterwards, the thirty-seven rooms of The Little Traveler await, where you can peruse and shop at a less chaotic pace.

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95% of the money raised goes directly to the agencies that need it most, serving local children, the disabled, seniors, the terminally ill, families, and emergency services through agencies such as Lazarus House and Tri-City Family Services.

Geneva Community Chest has been helping social service organizations that help the people of Geneva for nearly 40 years, and hopes to continue that important mission for 40 more.  The staff at The Little Traveler is thrilled to have been able to help them do that.  Cheers!

Jeff Rodewald and Lori Kohorst of the Geneva Community Chest with Mike Simon, Jane Bristow, Maggie Petersohn, Karen Baurle, Gail Cross, Sharon Bruce, Lynn Agresta of The Little Traveler

You’ll be the toast of the town at the Festival of the Vine in The Little Traveler wine tee, adorned with wine glasses and text that makes it uniquely Geneva.

Available in black with purple writing or pale purple with purple writing in sizes S-XL for only $29.99.

The Little Traveler wine tee scored highly with wine lovers for character and style!

Image is representative of products in our store. In-store selection may vary.

Beautiful florals are the heart of any home. Browse through our colorful selection of flowers for indoor and outdoors. Choose a ready -made arrangement, make your own or ask our designers to create something for you.

Escape the ordinary and make your own zen room with easy accessories: large bamboo poles (up to 8 ft. tall), bamboo or rattan Chinese candle lanterns and bamboo table top bowls to grace your table. A must for summer relaxing!

Make your porch or patio the place to gather this season with stylish new garden furniture.  Rattan and wicker seating, colorful metal and glass occasional tables, plant stands, gazebos, arbors and pedestals will transform your space. What’s really amazing? The prices!  See for yourself!

Garden Statues – Large outdoor animal figures to decorate your yard and garden.

Soothing whimsical fountains featuring frogs resting on lily pads or a colorful toucan harmonize your space.  Also check out our fun bird houses!

They’re back… our wonderful selection of bird baths in a number of sizes and styles and, oh so incredibly priced, starting at just $7.50.

Saturday, March 27 at 10am: St. Charles children’s book author Nancy Knights will read “Gracie’s Hill,” her story about a golden retriever and how she spends her day.  Nancy will be available to sign purchased copies of her book.

Saturday, April 24, at 10am: Storytime and book signing with St. Charles author Rachel Gies  “A Foxy Tale” is a fantastic tale of ecology and a sprinkling of magic. While the characters are fictional, the parks and preserves actually exist in St. Charles, Illinois.

At our Trunk Show, you will receive a FREE bracelet when you purchase an upgraded clasp.

From the Original Snow Village Series

The Department 56 Snow Village was inspired one Christmas evening when a group of friends went out to dinner at a small country inn nestled in a quiet river town. The lights sparkled on the new fallen snow, inspiring the visitors with Christmas memories.  To preserve the magic of the moment, the idea for a miniature lighted Christmas village was born.

Now headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Department 56 is the premier name in giftware and collectibles, including hand-painted porcelain bisque Snowbabies™.  But Department 56 is still best know for its charming hand-crafted lighted village displays, which have been expanded to include not only The Snow Village Series, but  The North Pole Series, The Dickens’ Village Series and many more.  Festive fall displays are also possible now with Dept 56 Halloween buildings and accessories.

From the Legends of Sleepy Hallow-een series

Create stunning, memorable displays that reflect your style and imagination.  From the quaint Dickens and Snow Villages to the magical North Pole to spooky Sleepy Hallow, Department 56 villages are thoughtfully created using hand-craftsmanship and the highest level of architectural detail to achieve authenticity.  And what better place to put together the village of your dreams than our very own Little Traveler building in the picturesque village of Geneva, Illinois?

Each year, certain Dept 56 products are retired.  See which village items will be retired at the end of 2010.

Trollbeads, created by eighteen Danish and internationally renowned jewelery designers, are so much more than pretty bracelets or necklaces.  They are functional art, finding  inspiration from mythology, astrology, fairy tales, fauna, flora, cultural diversity, and even familiar, everyday things.  Looking at the Trollbeads collection is more like viewing an art gallery rather than shopping for jewelry.  Trollbeads have won international artistic recognition and have recently been exhibited at Sculpture Objects & Functional Art in Chicago and New York.

Because each person’s story is unique, the Trollbeads gallery includes a wide variety of unique and interesting beads, charms and pendants to create beautiful and meaningful bracelets, necklaces, and now earrings starting with the highest quality of raw materials, including sterling silver, 18 carat gold, Italian Murano glass, natural pearls and precious stones.  Add to that the variety in design, from symbols to flowers to animals to zodiac signs and you’ll understand that truly, each piece of Trollbeads jewelry is as individual as the person wearing it.

Come into the The Little Traveler “gallery” to see our collection of one-of-a-kind Trollbeads.  Be sure to look into our Bead Club, where it’s like creating your own sale—a great way to buy your Trollbeads at a discount.  Several Trollbeads are compatible with Pandora, Chamilia and Halia bracelets, and most Trollbeads bracelets can accommodate Pandora, Chamilia, and Halia beads; our bead experts can give you guidance.

David has lived his whole life in the Chicago area and has been a resident of Geneva, IL for four years.  He loves the small community feel of Geneva and says that living here feels very natural. David is very active in the community and you can meet him at local book readings and signings. He’s a frequent and popular guest in The Little Traveler’s toy room.  To keep updated on David’s activities and where he’ll be appearing next, be sure to sign up as a fan at his facebook page.

David’s collection of books along with many other children’s books can be found in our toy department.  In addition, you can purchase any of David Algrim’s books at our on-line store.

In Wake Up, Papa Bear, toddlers get their chance to tickle Papa Bear’s toes, poke his nose and pull his ear when he falls asleep in Little Cub’s bed.  How can they wake up the sleeping bear?

Oops-a-Daisy is an interactive lift-the-flap board book for toddlers that helps them out in social situations by letting them know it’s okay to have a clumsy day, or in the words of our heroine: “Oops-a-daisy!”

Don’t Touch, It’s Hot is an interactive children’s book filled with interesting textures to touch and scents to scratch-and-sniff.  It’s a fun way to teach young children about what’s hot in the kitchen.

Greetings from South Florida!

Though I live in a vacation capital, for the last few years I have spent my vacation in Batavia with visits to my brother and sister-in-law.  And I just want to share with you how the highlight of those visits has become a day spent in Geneva at The Little Traveler– and I do mean a pretty full day.  Our day always takes on the same delightful pattern: we shop our way to the middle of the store, stop to energize at The Atrium Cafe for lunch, continuing shopping our way through the rest of the store.

These enjoyable “day trips” have actually taken on the status of family legend where the mantra, “Don’t buy anythng that won’t fit in the suitcase,” is featured.  It seems that with great regularity I not only fill my suitcases with your little treasures but I fall in love with a large treasure that requires a very large box that must be shipped home!  A chandelier, a wall decoration, and a statue have all made the trip from The Little Traveler in Illinois to my home in Florida.

Let my family tease me.  I’ll be back for more treasures… and I’m glad that you ship!

Thanks for the fun!  See you next year.

Fondly,

Trish Kornblatt, Boynton Beach, FL

Trish will receive a $50 gift certificate as a token of our thanks for this lovely letter. Send your letters to Almanack Editor, 404 S. Third St., Geneva, IL 60134.

November 21

Buy 3 beads, receive the Holiday bead free. One day only event.

Troll Bead Trunk Show

December 9 & 10

Buy 4 beads, receive the 5th bead free. Special showing of one-of-a-kind beads available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

]]> http://www.littletraveler.com/content/jewelry-trunk-shows/feed/ 0 http://www.littletraveler.com/content/pillow-story-book-signing/ http://www.littletraveler.com/content/pillow-story-book-signing/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:11:18 +0000 Bev http://www.littletraveler.com/content/?p=445 Continue reading →]]>

Local Author Rick Moser debuts his newest book with us on Saturday, November 21, at 10:30am.  The story is a fable about three geese that look very different from each other but discover on their journey that their hearts are very much alike.  This story is a great way for parents and teachers to teach children about diversity.

Rick will be available after the reading to sign your purchase.  $5 from each book will be donated to Lazarus House.

For more than four decades, my “girlfriends” and I have celebrated each of our birthdays with a long trip to The Little Traveler. Some of those dear friends are gone now, so we keep adding new friends and adult daughters. In the last couple of years, my granddaughter would always ask if she could come with us. We’d always say that Little Traveler was for grown ups, but maybe when she was older. We promised…maybe when she was five. So on Sara’s 5th birthday, July 29, 2008, Sara, her mom, and both her grandparents took the train to The Little Traveler for lunch and shopping (the Toy Room was Sara’s favorite). The next day Sara informed her mother, “I’ve been on a train and I’ve been to The Little Traveler. That means I’m grown up, so from now on I can make my own decisions.”

Coming of age fast at The Little Traveler!

Olivia Gow, Elmhurst.

Olivia will receive a $50 gift certificate as a token of our thanks for this enjoyable letter.

Send your favorite Little Traveler memories to:

Almanack Editor

c/o 404 S. Third St.

Geneva, IL 60134.

Save money and enjoy a gourmet dinner at home. With a few simple ingredients you can prepare a delicious and easy meal at home – add a bottle of wine, light some candles and any dinner can be special!

Little Traveler’s Gourmet Department is currently featuring a variety of tasty mixes and entrée enhancers.  Try Smoked Chili and Brown Sugar Rub from Vineyard Pantry on your favorite fish and chicken, or Beef and Burger Rub from Made in Napa Valley to kick up plain old hamburgers.  Add another layer of flavor to your favorite Potato Salad with Vineyard Pantry’s Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard.  Fire and Flavor’s Cedar Papers not only infuse a subtle cedar flavor into your meats, vegetables and seafood, but you can wrap it around a taco for an authentic smoky flavor.  Grilling Planks are a fast easy way to produce a delicious and healthy meal using meat, fish or vegetables…it will even work beautifully for Baked Brie.  These, and many more tasty ideas, are waiting for you in the Gourmet Department.