A Very CLE Weekend

Seriously, was this the BEST weekend all year (so far)?! Warm, sunny-- fun activities…. its the little taste of summer that makes me so excited for what is to come this year!!

Friday I did not partake in the Indian home-opener festivities, instead I relaxed on the couch, doing damage to a bottle of wine and a giant bowl of homemade popcorn. After an INTENSE yoga class at Inner Bliss (seriously, so sore) I headed off to the inaugural Cleveland Flea of 2015 with Danielle and her 5-week old daughter Penny.

I seriously LOVE the Flea. Its my most favorite thing to do on a Saturday. I've come to know so many of the vendors that its basically a whole day of hanging out with friends, sampling delicious food, and buying fabulous trinkets. This flea, I was very impressed with two new vendors-- Soul Custom (pictured above) and Souls Repurpose. Both local vendors with excellent selections, and adorably styled booths (although Soul Custom was a converted semi, but still).

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Kickstarter Campaign to grow the Cleveland Flea. The Flea gets better every year, and if successfully funded, this will take the Flea to the next level. Phase I is infrastructure like beautifully handmade furniture to be a permanent part of the Flea--- all locally made of course. So if you're a fan of the Cleveland Flea, or local shops, or even supporting local economies, or fabulous community events, please consider funding this campaign.

Sunday, Nick and I tried out Cleveland's newest brunch offering, Graffiti: A Social Kitchen. A variety
of fabulous bellini flavors and a fun, innovative menu really put the "fun" in Sunday Funday. My favorite dishes were the chorizo pop tart (served with guacamole) and the breakfast strudel.  The food was so good that I completely forgot to take pictures, and the mimosas weren't half bad either ;) --- yes, I drank them all. No, of course I didn't drive!

After brunch, Nick and I took the pups down to Edgewater Park to hang out with our friend Sara. Romps on the beach later, we were back at our place to wind down into Sunday evening with some wine and cheese, and get ready for the week ahead. 

Hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as I did, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next Cleveland Flea on May 9th!

Is My Search For The PERFECT Work Tote Over?

I love bags. Its really not a secret. I love bags the way I love jewelry, which is to say its an obsession. I've been obsessed with finding the perfect work tote for a while--- something that is large enough to carry all my stuff, but stylist enough that I don't feel awkward taking it out to lunches or meetings. I'm happy to say that I believe I have found such a tote, on kickstarter!!

Introducing, the Leoht [lay-oat] tote: not only is a a leather tote, but it has a built in battery to charge your smartphone or tablet, interior lights so you're not digging in the dark cavern of your bag, a hidden alcove to keep your valuables, and that's only a few of its incredible features!

photo credit: Leoht

I had an opportunity to interview Co-founder Carnise and designer Gabrielle to learn a little bit more about them and how they came up with this incredibly product.

Carnise was born and raised in the Midwest. Her background in Graphic Design and Communications led her to Apple, and to freelance work in graphic design. In 2014, Carnise co-founded Leoht, a wearable technology company. They debuted in January at CES and Refinery29, in the company of Ringly, and are currently fundraising via Kickstarter to launch their debut line: The Seed Collection

Gabrielle was born and raised right here in Northeast Ohio-- she grew up in Solon/Chagrin Falls, and graduated from The University of Cincinnati. In her prior career, she was a designer at Coach, and she joined Leoht seven months ago.

Like me, Carnise believes that "you carry your world in your handbag" and designed this bag to truly be one with your life. I mentioned some of the features already, but you should definitely check out the video that talks about all its features in greater depth. I watched the video and literally could not sign up to fund this fast enough. The early bird backer level gets you your very own tote (height 11.2in x width 16.2in x depth 6.75 in) at $149-- an amazing deal for a leather bag alone! Add in all the extras and its a steal!! Oh, did I mention that the production team is committed to keeping the weight of the empty bag at or below 2 lbs?! The early bird backer is at limited quantities, so sign up as soon as you can. Oh, and did I mention that its a Kickstarter Staff Pick? The project must reach its funding goal of $100,000 by April 11th, and they're over half way there.

I am seriously so excited to receive this bag-- its the perfect balance of form and function. Future iterations include a micro satchel (that I'm VERY interested in), and a hobo/backpack-- I can't wait to what comes next!!

Disclosure: I funded this kickstarter campaign at the early bird backer level. I really really hope this is successfully funded because I REALLY want this bag come fall!