Friday, July 30, 2010

Faux and Fabulous!!

I have a huge magazine "problem". As in, I have a lot of subscriptions. As I flipped through one of them yesterday (ELLE, August 2010), I noticed that it looks like luxury is making a BIG comeback this fall. Part of it includes fur. As an animal lover, I fundamentally can't condone wearing "real" fur, but I absolutely LUURVE faux!!!!

I'm especially enamored with the idea of a faux fur vest for the fall/winter. I came thisclose to buying one last fall, and I'm kicking myself for not going through with the purchase last year. Luckily, I've found some SUPER cute options this year (I'm a big fan of the cropped jacket), which I will share with you below:


$88, fossil.com (unusual, I know! Not the first place I expected to find this) I LOVE this length!


$98, express (I apologize for the quality of this picture; flash does not like to be copied)

I'm probably going to wear these with a poufy skirt, maybe even a bubble skirt, and some super cute shoes like these:


rsvp Jaceline $88 zappos.com


Promiscuous Daena $63, zappos.com


The outfit possibilities are getting me really excited for fall!!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Exploring Cleveland: Cleveland Auction Company

After dinner at Fahrenheit last Friday, N & I took a little detour across the street to the Cleveland Auction Company, where we picked up this beauty:


Vintage Scale $65, Cleveland Auction Company


They have some of the most unique pieces for your home and your wardrobe (jewelry and even a few pieces of clothing). I know I've said this before, but its worth saying again; if you're in the market for one-of-a-kind home decorating pieces that no one else will have, this is THE place to find it. I don't know how or where they find this stuff, but it is absolutely fan-tas-tic!! I'm completely enamoured by some pieces they've recently acquired; there's a HUGE brass candle stand with an offering box that I'm completely head-over-heels for! N is a little creeped out by it because its origins are from a church, but I'm still considering it.... I'll let you know if we get it!!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Kings of Leon

I'm starting to suspect that Lady Gaga may have ruined concerts for me forever. I'm starting to compare every concert to hers, which is obviously unfair, but I just can't help it. Case and point, the Kings of Leon concert on Monday night.

The singing was solid; they are really talented musicians, despite Caleb's cold. However, I would've liked more audience interaction; I mean, they didn't even mention Cleveland once!!!! I'm a firm believer that if you're putting on a concert, you HAVE to give a shout-out to your host city. Regardless, we had a great time, and also had some very amusing people watching, including the heavily intoxicated early-20-something-year-old woman who was falling asleep before the concert even began. I really hope her intoxication wasn't a result of Blossom's $10 beers (wow, talk about inflation!!); that would've been a pretty hefty tab!



You may notice my shorter-than-usual bangs. I had to have my super talented stylist Anna Goldstein at Dino Palmieri fix my bangs after I botched them while attempting to trim them myself. Note to self: DO NOT attempt to trim your own bangs regardless of how many YouTube videos convince you that you can do it. No good will come of it.




All said and done, Kings of Leon put on a good show. Not a great show, but certainly one that I would attend again. A big thank you to the Richness for driving! Here's my little tip for the next concert you attend at Blossom: buy the VIP parking. Its usually $15, and WELL worth it.  The VIP parking lots are the first to empty out, so you can stay through the encore, and not have to worry about being backed up in an hour's worth of parking-lot traffic! Especially when its a concert on a school night!!!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Turning 30 for the first time



So Saturday night, I celebrated my 30th birthday by having a few people get together (I think it ended up being about 50 guests) at the Bier Markt. I ended up drinking Prosecco all night (classing it up at 30, no shots for me! hahahaha), and we ordered some pomme frites and pizza's as late night snacks.  A HUGE thank you to everyone that came to help me celebrate, including Brandon, who surprised me from Columbus!!!!







I also had a chance to use my new birthday present (thank you N), the HD Flip camera!!


Unfortunately, my video skills have a lot to be desired at this point, so I will spare you one very shaky video!!!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Under the Bridge

Friday night, I went to an event at THE COOLEST VENUE in Cleveland; the catacombs under the Detroit Superior Bridge. If you've never been then, you're seriously missing out on some of the coolest views of Cleveland. Unfortunately, the bridge isn't open all the time; there's usually a tour around Memorial Day weekend, and this past Friday, it was the site for the Ingenuity Fest Speakeasy. My only criticism was that the beverage situation was poorly managed; they had one station at teh end of the venue, which resulted in SUPER long lines; instead I think a number of beverage stations would've worked better. At one point, some of the organizers pulled a cooler outside to serve more drinks, which helped a little.  In any case, I absolutely LUUUURRVE this spot; see my pictures below:





Digital graffitti board










If you missed the Speakeasy event, you STILL have the chance to check out this amazing venue. September 24-26, this site will be the venue for 2010 Ingenuity Fest!! The best part: admission is free!!

I may need stretchy pants

I have to say, if this weekend was any indication of what my 30s are going to be like, then maybe turning 30 isn't going to be so bad after all : ) Thank you so much to all of you who helped me celebrate! I had a FABULOUS time!

So, before I get started, I'm going to give you a little preview of posts for this week; they're pretty much all going to be related to the weekend. This one is going to be reviews of restaurants I visited this weekend; there's going to be one post dedicated to the AMAZING Ingenuity Fest Speakeasy; one with pictures from my birthday party; and probably a few others thrown in. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed experiencing all these events and writing about my weekend!!

So here goes:
Friday (my last day in my 20s), I decided to take a half-day at work. Jess and I have a birthday tradition, where if our birthdays fall on a weekday, we go out to lunch and break with our normal routine and get dessert. This year, we went to Crop. I have a confession to make: I've worked downtown for almost 5 years now, and this is the first time I've been to Crop. I've been missing out big time!!!! I had such a great time there; I can't wait to go back. The decor was so cozy; I think it had to do with the dark wood and awesome lighting, but I have a feeling this is going to be an amazing place to visit in the winter while the snow comes down outside. 



I ordered the Salmon BLT while Jess got the Willie Bird Smoked Turkey. My sandwhich was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious.



For dessert, we split Some Like it Hot, which is Flourless Chocolate Cake, with Jalapeno icecream. OHMYGOD; Best.Dessert.Ever. Its hot, cold, sweet, spicy amazing deliciousness.




After our delicious lunch, I indulged in an afternoon of pampering at Zen Metro Spa. For Valentine's Day this year, N got me a gift certificate to Zen, but I ended up putting in a spot so safe that I couldn't find it. Anyway, as luck would have it, I ended up finding it earlier in the week when I switched purses. I had an hour-long massage appointment with Mandy, who is absolutely awesome at her job. After a manicure with Meghan, I left relaxed and happy.



On my nails: Zoya Demi; a really pretty purple. Incidentally, turns out I have sausage fingers that don't photograph very well.

Friday night, N and I went to our FAVORITE Cleveland Restaurant, Fahrenheit.  I can't say enough good things about this place; I've NEVER had a disappointing meal there, ever. I started with Peach Sangria while N had a cucumber martini. Our appetizer was the potato nachos, which we also had at the Taste of Tremont last Sunday! N ordered the Lobster Mac and Cheese (DIVINE!) and I ordered the Tuna with Indonesian Rice (soooo yummy). Am I gushing enough?!

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures at Fahrenheit; but you should DEFINITELY go there the next time you're looking for a restaurant in Tremont!!!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sometimes Bigger IS Better

If you've been reading this blog for some time, it should come as NO surprise that I luuuuuurve jewelry. Right now I'm going through BIG jewelery phase, the bigger the better. If its a delicate piece, I have zero interest in it, but if its big, and almost obnoxious, I'm all about it. One of my favorite places to find jewelry online is Overstock, especially the WorldStock section. The prices are really great, and the pieces are unique. Here's a look at some pieces that I've got my eye on:








"Dazzling Jasmine" bracelet $147




These would all be great gifts for someone with flair for the dramatic! And you can NEVER go wrong gifting jewelry...

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Party like its 1929

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I'm turning 30 (GASP 30!!!!!!) on Saturday. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand I'm super excited about my birthday weekend, but I'm not so happy about the "3" in front of my age. And, I know that its only a number, and I also know that a week from Saturday, it will be like nothing happened, but for now, I'm in minor freak-out mode. My 20s were GREAT!! I came a long way between 20 and 30, and I just don't know how I can top it, you know?

So anyway, Friday is going to be my last day in my 20s, so I have to make it count. I'm going to take advantage of my free birthday class at Ride and Work Out, work a half-day, have lunch with Jess at Crop, use the spa gift certificate N got me for Valentine's Day, and have a romantic and yummy dinner at my FAVORITE Cleveland restaurant. I'm really excited about all these things, but what I'm most excited about it how I'm going to bring in my birthday:  I will be partying like its 1929 at the Ingenuity Fest Speakeasy Party!!!! This amazing party is being held in the catacombs under the Detroit Superior Bridge, and there's going to be drinks, dancing, amazing people, and some INCREDIBLE views of our FABULOUS city! You may buy tickets at the door, but there's a small discount for buying tickets online in advance.

Hope to see you there!!!!!

P.S. Due to a technical malfunction, the link to the tickets is in the comments section.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Its Almost Football Time!

This past Friday, butnoteveryday celebrated her 29th birthday! Like me, she's a HUGE Cleveland Browns fan, and so this year, I decided to get her something fun, girly, and yet Browns related that she can enjoy all season long.


I ended up picking the Cleveland Browns Newsboy Beanie, which is available in sizes for children and adults. It is so cute in person; the little flowers are interchangable, and can be taken off the hat and worn as little hair clips. They're available in other team colors, and would make a great gift for any female sports fan! I liked it so much, I got myself one too! butnoteveryday, we're going to be hat twins!!

Monday, July 19, 2010

This Weekend in CLE (part 2)

When I last left you, clefoodgoddess and I had finished dinner, and were on our way to Tower City Ampitheater, because I ended up winning tickets to the Goo Goo Dolls courtesy cleveland.com !!! And to top it off, they were VIP!!!!!


The VIP tickets included comfy padded seats, in-seat bar service, free parking, and access to a special VIP area that had air-conditioned bathrooms (instead of the port-a-potties).



Look, there's even flowers on the table!



clefoodgoddess and I in the VIP lounge


Switchfoot was the opening band, and the lead singer actually sang in the crowd, and ran all the way to the back! Who does that anymore?!

Then it was time for the main event:  Goo Goo Dolls!! Obviously, it was a complete contrast to Lady Gaga earlier in the week, but it was a really good concert, the MASSIVE thunderstorms notwithstanding!



John Rzeznik

Sunday Funday was celebrated with the Taste of Tremont. If you've never been, its usually held in July, and Professor Street is shut down to traffic so all the Tremont restaurants can showcase their food. There's also other vendors selling jewelry and t-shirts and stuff like that, but the food is definitely the focus.




This year, we FINALLY tried the pierogis at Sokolowski's; I kinda hate to say this, but I can't wait for to go here in the winter and soothe my winter blues with their amazing comfort food! We also tried the booth at Dante's, and N got his usual cheese-steak at Fahrenheit. We had the puppies with us, so we spent a bunch of time at Flying Monkey and Edison's trying to cool them off with ice-water.  It was so ridiculously HOT, that 5 hours later, I had to throw in the towel and retreat to our airconditioned home. Poor Clair has now developed a cold, so we're going to be at the vet's office tomorrow!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

This weekend in CLE/ Eating Tour of the W.Side: RoseAngel and Touch

There was so much going on this weekend that I have to split the recap, otherwise, you're going to have to read one looooooooong post, and I don't want to do that to you on a Sunday night/Monday morning. Coincidentally, it turns out this one is going to be two restaurant reviews.

So Friday, N and I decided to go on a date; he's been so busy with his final project that I've barely seen him for the past week. We decided to try RoseAngel (5800 Detroit Ave; doesn't have a website quite yet), which took the spot of the former La Boca. RoseAngel's only been open since July 7th, but you'd never know it; the service was impeccable and the food was DELICIOUS!! The concept is an upscale taqueria, so its gourmet tacos, SUPER YUMMY margharitas, and sides.

We started with the classic margharita, which isn't exactly like the classic margharita you may be used to; it does have some fruit juice in it, but it.is.absolutely.delicious!


Intrigued by the menu, we decided to try the lobster nachos, which were lobster, avocado, with a soy-something drizzle (distracted by the margharita, I forgot what else was in the sauce. In any case, it was very good).



So, here's what I really like about the menu; there's a WHOLE lot of taco varieties, and quite a few vegetarian options for my veggies readers. AND, you can either choose 3 of the same kind, or mix it up, and get them a la carte! Better still, you get to pick between hard and soft shell. N and I both got soft shell, which is a white corn shell, but its thicker than the ones you get in the store, so it holds your filling together a lot better!


 

I ordered the tuna, spicy chicken, and braised pork. They all come with some coleslaw, which is unusual but quite refreshing. My favorite was the tuna; it was perfectly cooked, and the flavors were absolutely amazing.

We're definitely going to go back here; the challenge will be trying new items on the menu and not sticking to the ones we've already tried and enjoyed!

Saturday night turned out to be girls night with clefoodgoddess. We started out with dinner at Touch Supper Club. I know I've talked about Touch's hip-hop night before (incidentally the next one is July 31st!), but if you haven't eaten dinner there, you're missing out!


The spinach and strawberry salad was so good and perfect for a hot summer day!!!! On a side note, I really love candied walnuts! clefoodgoddess ordered the green pizza, which was also delicious. The crust is perfectly fluffy, and combination of spinach and arugula on pizza was fantastic. We're frequent visitors to Touch for their Sunday brunch (also fantastic), and looks like we're going to be there for dinner a lot more too!!!

After dinner, clefoodgoddess and I made our way to..... to be continued....

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Beautiful,Dirty,Rich

This is a longer-than-normal post.

SO, yesterday, AJP and I were part of the 20,000+ people that saw LADY GAGA LIVE at the Q. She.was.AMAZING!! Both AJP and I were of the opinion that Lady Gaga necessitated sequins. And we went SHINY. I have to be honest, it was more than a little awkward walking down St.Clair and W 6th dressed the way we were at 5.00pm.



AJP, shiny at 5:00 pm.

I, on the other hand, had purchased a hot pink wig, channeling Gaga's Flare cover from 2009



Gaga



Me. See, we look alike. Sorta. Or not at all.




Anyway, after a super yummy dinner at Chinato (review coming at a later date), we headed up to Harry Buffalo for some drinks. I LOVED seeing all the fun costumes!! It was like a mini-Halloween on E 4th!





Then it was time to go in. After an opening performance by Semi Precious Weapons, it was GAGA TIME!!



She was so.ridiculously.good. Seriously, this concert is so much more than its advertized to be.

This one's for you, JV. We missed you. And, this is my new favorite GAGA song.



I absolutely don't have the words to describe how much I loved this concert. She left me speechless!!! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to do that?!?!?!?!



I will end with this: Before the concert, I liked Gaga. I had a few songs on my iPod, but I was no way near fan enough to even buy her full album. After yesterday, I'm trying to figure out when I can see her again (there's 2 concerts in Pittsburgh and 1 in Columbus between now and April 2011. Just saying). I can't wait for her to release her next albumn and launch her next tour!!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Bubbles. Unfortunately not the kind you drink. But fun all the same.

OMG, I am SO excited about the LADY GAGA concert tonight with AJP!!! I have a fun surprise (not a surprise for anyone I work with), and will have pictures in tomorrow's post (although it probably won't show up until tomorrow evening or Friday morning), but in the mean time, I leave you with this.



You can entertain your own pet with non-toxic Incredibubbles from Moochie and Co. They even make a cat version!!!


$4 at Moochie & Co


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

aka Fanny Pack

Remember these?


The fanny pack, not Hulk Hogan

Apparently, they've been making a comeback. Since 2006. However, now they're going by the oh-so-glamorous "waist bag", "hip bag" or even "belt bag". But don't be fooled, its definitely still a fanny pack. Apparently, at one point, even Marc Jacobs got in on the act.


Yeah, still a fanny pack.

From my mocking tone, it should be pretty obvious that I have a VERY strong dislike for fanny packs, regardless of what they're being called now. Here's the problem. I've found that I need one. ONLY for walking the dogs. With a leash in each hand, its very difficult to hold my keys and iPhone, especially if I'm wearing something without pockets! So, I had to breakdown and get one


 $23 at overstock.com


EEEEEKKKKK! Please don't judge me.