Holiday Shopping at the Cleveland Bazaar

Is your holiday shopping almost done?  If you haven't even made a dent in it (ahem, like me), be sure to check out the Cleveland Bazaar, an amazing indie craft show located in the 78th Street Studios that is happening this weekend only.  There's hundreds of super talented artists, food, drinks (a little liquid courage always helps you spend your money right?!), music and an eclectic, hipster crowd.  All of my favorite things!  I love how many Cleveland-based gifts some of the artists sell.  From funky jewelry to oil paintings of Terminal Tower to clocks made from reclaimed wood taken from demolished historic buildings around town, there's something for everybody.  I definitely got my history-loving, clock-collecting Grandpa that last gift from Rustbelt Reclamation for Christmas 2014 and he loved it.  So when is this happening?

Saturday: 10 am - 9 pm / Sunday: 10 am-6 pm @ The 78th Street Studios near Gordon Square
 (AND IT'S FREE, unlike The Flea which is apparently $5 admission now!)

See you there!  Probably tomorrow because I'm making my first turkey ever today for a Friendsmas dinner tonight.  A little intimidated but if it's super tasty like I'm hoping, expect a post for the recipe!

Wine Trivet Art

If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I'm pretty artsy. It's kind of inevitable when you spend 6 years studying design with 100 like-minded people in your class.  The second thing you should know about me, I love a good glass of wine.  After a couple of years, I had almost 100 corks that I collected from friends, parties, restaurants, basically anywhere I could get my hands on them.  I started a hobby making beautiful wine trivets for my family and friends, and of course, myself.  It's a very thoughtful and functional gift that doubles as a piece of art!  What I like most of all, is how little it costs to make!

Cleveland Art Panels

I got a new hobby...painting!  Actually, I'm pretty proud of myself that I found an activity I enjoy that doesn't involve cooking or working out.  This idea all started when Howie and I were in Seattle.  We were walking around the artsy part of Pike's Place Market and saw some incredible wood panels that had a painted background with buildings and skylines carved in using a CNC router.  Last weekend, we tried replicating them on our own, swapping Cleveland for Seattle and subtracting the CNC routing part.  I loved every minute of it, which is surprising since I usually prefer drawing with ink or graphite over painting.