Holly and Jolly.

I hope that your holidays were happy and healthy. We managed to pull off a really fun couple of days with family and friends and ended feeling grateful and loved. This year in the new house felt flush with so many great things. We hosted most of the family for Christmas day and had a great brunch of oysters Rockefeller, homemade pecan rolls, and mimosas with fresh juice. It was amazing! Then we saw more friends and met the newest member of our clan that was born on the 23rd! Here are some photos I wanted to share.

Dancing lights set to music. This place had their own radio station set up!

Waiting for Santa and his reindeer. O was contemplating just how he'd get in the house and avoid the fire in the fireplace. Once he was in bed JJ assembled this awesome train table that he scored on Craigslist. He had it in the house for over a month and could hardly wait to give it to O!

The morning was filled with surprises including my new yellow bike! Which was a complete surprise and about four years in the making! And now O can officially join the families since he has his own work bench and tools. His Papa and uncle know him well.

I just had to include this one. Every time we are inside our friend's home O finds a way to lay on this cowhide. He loves it. It's such a strange thing to me since it's not exactly snuggly, but he thinks it is great. Not to mention that tired out look on his face, Christmas was good to him.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful day with your families. As you can see, we missed out on a full family photo once again so you'll just have to believe that we looked lovely in our matching green accents. Have a happy weekend!

Last Minute Market.

There is just something special about a handmade gift. And if you don't have the time to make it yourself finish up your shopping this Saturday, December 21st at Last Minute Market in Lakewood! 13000 Athens Ave, Lakewood, 44107. It is a huge show and so much fun every year. This will be my third time participating and I look forward to seeing familiar faces and also getting a few last minute gifts! Check out their website for more details about all the vendors that will be there.

I have lots of great new things for all of the dashing gentlemen in your life, including those of the canine type.

I'll have neckties, bow ties, tie clips, and more! Come by and say hello!

For Wreaths.

Thanks to my Instagram feed I have become aware of so many amazing artists and artisans out there in the world. One of which is a floral designer from California, Moon Canyon. I don't know too much about them other than their amazing and beautiful floral arrangements that they post. I was inspired by a wreath that I saw and I knew I had to make my own version.

Materials:

Grapevine Wreath from Michael's

Trimmings from the bottom of our Christmas Tree

Branches from the tree in the backyard, with berries

Thin gauge wire

Wire cutters

I was out in the falling snow cutting down low hanging branches feeling very merry. I was happy to know that other than the wreath, we had all of the required materials in the house.

I swept the Christmas tree branches along the bottom and secured it with the wire. Then wove the berry branches into the wreath and on top of the greenery. I wanted the branches swept to the side and kind of loose and falling to add to the dramatic look. The lion on our front door was happy to have some company and it only took me about twenty minutes total. Did you make a wreath this year? I'd love to see if you did! 

Happy birthday Dad!!

New Traditions.

We haven't had a real Christmas tree in years but this years. But this year with an eager toddler and a bigger house, we decided that a real one was the way to go. We headed over to the church near our old house last Friday night in the cold, wet snow and picked out a winner. O was so excited "we need a 'tah fa da top!" (translation, star for the top).

When we got home he ran around the house in complete delight (and nudity) to celebrate the arrival of the tree. He helped get it in the house and up in the stand, those photos are excluded due to content…The next day we got a star and had the decorations up by the end of the weekend.

He is mesmerized by it and has to give anyone that comes by a tour of the tree. I'm so excited to start new traditions with our little family. He is so delighted with the littlest things that it really puts a smile on both of our faces. From one happy house to yours, Happy Friday!

The Doberman.

I am the proud aunt of not one but three dogs. And when one of these said pups was in need of something special for the holidays, I went ahead and made it for him. See, Huckleberry Finn's owners are two very fashionable Clevelanders and he needed to hold his own. That's where I came in. 

I have in the past made two dog bow ties for wedding parties but it was done on the sly. I wasn't sure if it was something that I wanted to open myself up to. But once I found the proper gear it turned out to be a pretty fun thing to make! Just look at the handsome face of his! I can't wait to see their holiday card! Way to get in the spirit Huck! If you know I pup in need I have a few extra!

On the Table: Plenty

Feeding a toddler is…difficult. This little boy used to eat just about anything, his taste buds were new and he was happy to have anything flavorful hand scooped into his mouth. These days things are a little more peanut butter and jelly shaped but we do have our moments. 

My brother and sister-in-law gave me the most beautiful cookbook for my birthday when they were in town called Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. It written by a London based chef and is compiled completely of unique vegetarian dishes that focuses on freshness and variety. I spent the afternoon just looking through it. I found so many things that I would like to try but I started with something I was pretty sure this kiddo would eat. Mee Goreng is a stir fry noodle dish made with bok choy, green beans, and tofu. It was quick and most importantly the kid gobbled it up! Well, the noodles and the tofu but I'll count this as a win. 

Check it out if you are looking for something new.  Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend! There's lots to do in Cleveland so get on out there!

Fall Weddings.

I am so excited to share these photos from this really lovely couple. They were married in October in Cleveland on a Sunday. I first spoke with Danielle in early spring about getting three ties and a bow tie for their ring bearer and from the moment we talked, we hit it off. Suddenly, like old friends we were sharing texts about fabrics, wedding ideas, and a little snark too. Their mission was orange and a minty green/blue for the groom, father of the bride, best man, and ring bearer, They opted for four different but complimenting patterns and it was a lot of fun.

I love the vest and boutonniere combo. Matt's whole look was really fun, you can see in the last photo the chocolate brown Chucks!

It was really great to work with such a fun and sweet couple! I wish you a lifetime of happiness! Thanks so much for letting me share a little bit of your day!

Photos by Danielle Andes.

Get Made.

It's that time of year again! Time for holiday shopping and parties! Come out and see me and tons of other fabulous Cleveland artists at the MADE in the 216 Holiday shop! The kick off party is this Friday and here's the scoop from the one and only Jennie Doran, shop owner extraordinaire!

It's MADE's 6th Birthday!!

Join us this holiday season as we celebrate great design and the Cleveland artisans that make it happen at R/S's annual MADE IN THE 216 HOLIDAY SHOPPE!! There is tons to do in our fabulous Ohio City neighborhood, and MADE is right in the thick of it!

We've got THE gifts for everyone on that list, and we are open 7 days a week, 11-6!! Located inside Room Service at 2078 W. 25th St.

(Extended evening hours beginning 12/8)

Do be sure to join us for our OPENING NIGHT PARTY shenanigans on "Black Friday" NOVEMBER 29th at 4pm. 

Our favorite DJ Peter Pleasurecruise is on the tunes, and we'll have very own MADE brew on tap, wine and hot toddy's! Scrumptious treats provided by the fabulous Becca Ritterspach of the newly launched Save Room!!

Afterparty goes down at The DUCK ISLAND CLUB, just a skip from R/S at 2102 Freeman Ave in Tremont. 

Don't miss it friends!!!   Love Local. Shop MADE.

Measuring the Day.

I had a very happy return home to my favorite boys and was happy to spend the day solo with O on Wednesday. My patience was restored from my little getaway and it was funny to pay close attention to just how our minutes are spent.

We spent 30 minutes trying to put on a pair of socks. 10 minutes running outside avoiding getting into the car. Two 20 minute chase scenes, one was about putting pants back on, the other was just laughing, hiding, and chasing. 20 minutes at the BMV, behaving and making friends. 30 minutes on task doing some sort of desired activity. 22 minutes walking home from the playground looking at sticks, acorns  (coconuts he calls them for some reason), leaves, and squirrels. And so on. I did my very best to just laugh at just how very determined he is not to do what I ask, even when it's something he wants to do. Happy Monday, may you measure your day in happy moments!

Away We Go!

Last week I did something just for me. Me and seven of my favorite gals flew to Florida for what was deemed a "mama break" although we weren't all mamas. It was so wonderful to feel the heat of the sun and hear the waves crashing in while enjoying my ladies. No chasing babies, no real cooking, and lots of cocktails that kept the laughter flowing. Here are a just a few of my favorite photos I took that do not include any unauthorized bikini shots. 

It was such a treat to hang out with my friends without having to entertain our children (that we do love dearly) or worry about the time. It was a generous gift of time from my friends, the home owners (my friend's parents), and most of all my husband. He made it through the weekend without a hitch and even had some surprises upon my return that I'll be sharing soon! Now back to the grind.

Wedded Bliss.

I am so very excited to finally start sharing photos from some of the weddings that I had the pleasure to make ties for! Thanks to the lovely bride and groom, Terri and Ben, plus the amazing photographer Jeff from Dovetale Photography, I am able to show off. The amazing photos and the beautiful people really make the ties look great. 

Ben and Terri had a beautiful wedding day in Cleveland back in May. I was lucky to see a photo or two the night of the wedding and was amazed by how happy and love-filled the day was.

These two were a breeze to work with. The mission was to match the coral dresses with a cool fabric that wasn't too feminine. I honestly showed them two rounds of samples and the choice was made! Ben wanted to wear a bow tie and all of his men wore skinny neck ties. On my end, we picked and ordered the fabric...then we bought the house and moved! So the project spanned two homes and a lot of stress but I was really pleased with how they turned out. Thank you SO much for letting me share your special day. There are more to come. Happy Friday, friends!

Halloween Adventure.

I'm so late on this post. I've been late on many posts lately and then just don't end up sharing. But this is just too good. Our first real Halloween "trick 'n treatin'." He was way too excited to get over to Scareborough and get the fun started but once it was time to go, it took a little convincing. He didn't quite understand that he 1. had to walk 2. had to walk in the ran without an umbrella. He must have thought we were totally nuts but once he got that first morsel of candy he was off!

The wet streets were packed with families enjoying a warm October night collecting goodies. This neighborhood is serious about their decorations! There was music, haunted houses, giant spider webs, and a guillotine graveyard scene that was pretty brutal.

But it was awesome! We were out for an hour, I was ready to throw in the towel after a small block but JJ was not about to let that happen. O was amazed by the costumes of the other kids and kept stopping to say things like "look at that banana!!!!"

This is him ignoring me that the umbrella was just going to slow him down and a detail of the cute little tail I made for him. 

Eventually the soaking wet clothes and the dark night got the best of him and O said "that's enough candy, let's go." I loved it. I hope your night was great too!

And in case you were wondering what we wore...mama deer and papa wolf were trailing behind. I found the masks here in case you are in need. Have a great Wednesday!