A Sneak Peek at Made in the 216 Summer 2013

Since I'm a lover of shopping and Cleveland, it should go without saying that I absolutely LLUUUUUUURRVVEE Made in the 216.

I love seeing all the amazing, unique artistic talent that our city has to offer, that frankly sometimes remains well hidden under the radar. This year is no exception.

The lovely Jennie Doran has done an absolutely wonderful job curating this year's selection, and I am SO incredibly honored and excited to bring you a sneak peek!!

Just a small part of a wall of LOVE

Artisan sauces and jams and general yummy goodness

A little something for cat lovers too... 

The curves of a vintage camera clad in cool concrete

Fun prints from grey cardigan make perfect engagement presents...

A little something for the hostess with the mostest....

Perhaps a little something for yourself....

With loads of bands + shopping, this year's Made in the 216 promises to be an absolute blast! I hope to see you there!!!

An Hour In... Ohio City

This past weekend, N and I had an our to kill, and so we decided to spend it in a part of Ohio City that I really haven't taken the time to explore yet. If you haven't checked it out yet, West 29th between Church and Detroit is an absolutely charming little party of Ohio City. 

Our first stop was Urban Orchid, a delightful floral boutique. To be honest, this is not the first time I've been here, but what I love most about this boutique is that you can give them a budget and an occasion, and they will create an absolutely stunning one-of-a-kind boutique that is GUARANTEED to put a smile on the recipient's face! AND, I always learn something new there, like...

Ornamental Kale-- I didn't know that was a thing!

Beautiful pink roses!

In addition to flowers, they also carry small gift items like vases and jewelry, and of course, adorable Cleveland themed merchandise!

We then walked around the corner to Rising Star Coffee Roasters, but not before I stopped to take a picture of this camper...

For someone who really doesn't care for camping, I am REALLY enamored with campers! I blame Charity.

2 Vietnamese iced coffee to go, please!!! 

I love this bench at Rising Star

A few steps across the streets, and we were at Cleveland Museum of Art's newest outpost, Transformer Station! Incidentally, Transformer Station is hosting Ohio City Stages every Wednesday in July, which is an awesome street fest with live performances! 

I absolutely LUUURVEE the industrial details in the space! There are usually 4 different exhibits each year, and like the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Transformer Station uses technology to help guide patrons through the exhibits (hint: take a mobile device with you!)

Another quick stop to check out the newest pet store: Kutya Rev.

Seriously, how adorable is this?!

I am also really excited that Harness Cycle will be opening at the corner later this year!! I can totally picture myself sweating it out and then heading over across the street to get some post-workout 

coffee!!! 

So, if you haven't explored this little part of Ohio City before, I strongly encourage you to do so! It is a really lovely way to spend a few hours! 

Getting Artsy this Weekend...

So if you've ever wanted to explore some of Cleveland's art fairs or local artists, this is the perfect weekend to do it!!

Starting this Friday through Sunday, Dredgers Union is hosting Made in the 216. If you're not familiar with Made in the 216, here's my review of last year's summer event. This year's event features 60+ vendors. It begins on Friday at 4 with an awesome kick-off party, and continues with a rooftop party at the Greenhouse Tavern.

Saturday is another fun event, but this one is right down the street from me- its the Clifton Arts Fest. Its on Clifton Blvd, between W110th-ish and W 117th. Lots of vendors and as an outdoor event, you can also enjoy what I hope is another gorgeous weekend! Some of the artists at the Clifton Arts Fest are listed here. This is the event where I first discovered Kate Bordine's awesome jewelry, so I'll be on the lookout for some new artists again this year!!

Hope you get out and enjoy at least one of these events this weekend!! Hang in there, it will be Friday soon! XO

What better cure for Monday than a contest?

UPDATE: The winner of this contest, as chosen by random.org, is #2 Sarah @Cooker Girl. Sarah, please email me with your full name at cleshopaholic@gmail.com, and your gift certificate will be available to pick up at Guest Services at Beachwood Place tomorrow!! Remember to take your ID! 


Hello all! Hope you had a lovely weekend! Mine was quite enjoyable and relaxing- highlights included giggling like a bunch of teen girls at Barre Cleveland with Alana, Suzanne, Michelle, Tabitha, and Jessa, followed by breakfast at Stone Oven and a spot of shopping at Lululemon.  N and I attended the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at the Q Saturday night- what a great show. Its hard to believe they're all close to 50- they're in incredible shape!!!

I'm always so disappointed when the weekend ends, but lucky for you, I have something to make this Monday a little bit better-- GIVEAWAY TIME!! For the second year in a row, Beachwood Place is hosting the Form to Fashion Event. I love this event because (a) it sorta reminds me of Project Runway, but without the crazy materials and insane deadlines, and (b) its a great event for student fashion designers to get some exposure. Its really pretty amazing when you think about the talent we have here in Northeast Ohio- I personally know of two recent graduates from Kent State University's fashion design program who have moved to New York City and have been hired by some pretty FABULOUS, internationally recognized designers!

In any case, this year's Form to Fashion Event gives these young designers an opportunity to design an outfit for Lorelei Shellist to wear as she hosts the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival this summer. The top 10 designs have been picked and are on display at Beachwood Place and also online.

So here are the details- if you would like to enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Beachwood Place, all you need to do is go vote for your favorite design HERE and then leave me a comment letting me know who you voted for!

The contest ends at noon on Thursday June 7th, with the winner announced Thursday evening. The gift card will be held for pickup at Beachwood Place Guest Services- you will need a valid ID to pick up your gift certificate if you are the lucky winner!!

Good luck!!

Disclosure: Beachwood Place is generously providing the $50 gift card for this contest. As always, all opinions are 100% my own!

Planning for the Weekend: Fabulous Friday

Do you live for the weekends? I certainly do, and sometimes, with the amount of stuff happening in Cleveland, its a little difficult to get it all in. Take this weekend for instance- on Friday (9/9) alone there are not one, not two, but THREE events that I really want to attend. Unfortunately, I can't be three places at once, but as it turns out, I will certainly be attending two of the three events.

So, the first event is one that happens the first Friday of every month- The Tremont ArtWalk. If you STILL haven't been, you really really should consider attending- art galleries and boutiques open late, yummy cocktails on the fabulous patios, not to mention the absolutely delicious food at any one of the restaurants on Professor Ave. If you end up visiting, I highly recommend a stop at Banyan Tree. At this month's ArtWalk, Banyan Tree will have a very special visitor- The Canton Box Company. I've picked up their creations before, and they may make excellent gifts for weddings, bridal showers, or even housewarming presents!

Unfortunately, I will miss the ArtWalk this month though, because instead, I will be attending F*SHO 2011! I missed it last year, and based on reviews from those who attended, I missed an amazing opportunity to see the work of some incredibly talented Clevelanders. I don't usually make the same mistake twice, so I won't miss it this year. Besides, I'm still in the market for dresser and some sort of linen closet (I'm leaning towards a chest, but I'm open to ideas) and I'm hoping I find some stuff at F*SHO.

That said, this Friday I'm MOST excited about the Dredgers Union End of Summer ROAR ALONG the SHORE!! $28 gets you a 2-2.5 hour tour on The Goodtime III, libations, live music by not one, not two, but eight (EIGHT!!) bands, and of course, time well spent with some fabulous Clevelanders!! Seriously, if you haven't seen the view of our city from the lake by nightfall, you are definitely missing out. Besides, if you're on foursquare, and haven't gotten your "I'm on a Boat" badge, this is a great opportunity to take care of that!! And finally, one more reason to go this party- if you take your ticket into Dredgers Union on Friday September 9th, you get 25% off all men's and women's denim!!! Tickets are available at Dredgers Union, Room Service, and online!!

Well Cleveland, if you STILL don't have plans for Friday, you should be ashamed of yourself ; ). Just kidding!! But seriously, I hope you will take advantage of the last few days of summer and enjoy our city this weekend!! Maybe I will see you around!

Product Runway Cleveland 2011

If you haven't signed up for your chance to win a $25 gift card to Legacy Village, please do so here

Last Friday, N and I went to a Fashion Show hosted by iida cleveland/akron. The theme of the show was Product Runway, and like some of the prior Project Runway, the purpose was to create fashion using uncommon products, in this case: interior design products. And wow! What a show!! It always amazes me that there are so many incredibly talented Clevelanders, and I love the opportunity to see their work!!! This is going to be a post filled with pictures, and when you look at them, I want you to remember that all these outfits are made with products used in interior design: upholstery, cork, paper, rubber  tile, carpet backing, carpet, l.e.d lights and even chairs!!! Enjoy!!

I can't wait to go to the next one!!!

Form to Fashion

So you know how malls have a reputation for only housing national retailers?  Well, luckily for us CLE folk, we have a few malls that defy this perception, one of which is Beachwood Place. In addition to local stores like Brigade and Style Lounge, this weekend, Beachwood Place is playing host to a really fun event that is a great opportunity for the area's budding designers.

The event is called Form to Fashion, and the event challenges 14 finalists from Ursuline College and the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design to construct pieces for their own collection. Themed "Be What's Next", the even encourages students to create garments using up-and-coming techniques to showcase fashion's next big trend! The 14 finalists were chosen from a panel of five "celebrity judges" that include Valerie Mayen (of Project Runway fame), Kimberly Criado (personal stylist manager at Nordstrom), Maria Pujana (with Fashion Group International), and Susan Smith (a fashion blogger; sorry I don't have the link to her blog!).

The 14 finalists creations are displayed at the mall and online, and the finalist receiving the most votes will win a $500 gift card!! The live fashion show is FREE and open to the public from 2:00pm-3:00 pm on 5/14/2011, so if you're in the area, you should definitely stop by and take a peek and enjoy some hors d'oeuvres provided by Maggiano's. Voting ends on May 12th, so if you have a second, please go ahead and vote!! My vote is going to #12, the cape by Rochelle Beres! What's yours?

Celebrate your 'hood

This past Friday, N and I stopped by Room Service for the launch of "The District" series of art by Arterx.  The series celebrates the unique Cleveland neighborhoods, however, for all my De-Sho (thanks seanski)/Gordon Square-dwellers, I will warn you that it is not one of the featured neighborhoods, but please don't shoot the messenger.

N and I picked up the black and white poster of the Guardians, since (a) we love the Guardians, and (b), N has one of them tattooed on his forearm. We're planning to have the walls of our dining room filled with unique posters! I can't wait to show you pictures of the finished product (when I eventually get around to it). Anyway, these posters are great gifts for a long time CLE resident, a new CLE resident, a former CLE resident, or someone who just plain loves CLE!!

Forest City Portage: great gifts for men and women

Until a few years ago, I had no idea that Cleveland had such a vibrant art scene. Since that discovery, I've been fortunate to meet some incredibly talented Clevelanders. One of those people is Michael Hudecek, the enterpreneur and artist behind Forest City Portage.

If you live/work/drive around downtown/Ohio City/Tremont/Lakewood (I'm sure there's similar spots on the east side too), you may have noticed an increase in the amount of bicycles around town. Forest City Portage has a number of bags specially suited to bike riders, but they work for pretty much anyone looking for a cool, unique bag.

The products above are available at Forest City Portage's etsy site.

 

In addition to the work featured on his new site (still in soft-launch), Michael does custom work, so feel free to contact him if you're looking to give someone a super special, personalized gift!

You know you want one!