This Weekend in Cleveland

It's the 23rd Annual Parade the Circle this Saturday from 11-4. The amazing parade hosted by the Cleveland Museum of Art features the most amazing floats, visual displays, local dancers, and musicians! 

All of the colorful structures are built by each participating group. There are stilt walkers, steel drum bands, and costumes a plenty. This family friendly and free event is not to be missed. Get there early to experience the activities on Wade Oval or hang out afterward for food and fun! Shuttles run all day from the Gordon Square Park on the west side but if you plan to drive get out early to find a spot. Or ride your bike and get free secure bike parking. We will be walking from a a friend's house. I hope you see Clevelanders out there!

Saturday, June 9 from 10:00-4:00 check out the opening of The Indie Foundry. This event started as a conversation between two creatives, Stephanie Sheldon of Hello Parfait and Carrie Nardini of I Made It Market in Pittsburgh, and blossomed into a collaborative effort to support other "artistpreneurs". The Rust Belt Series is our traveling artisan market, small business incubator, and celebration of those small, passionate creatives that are changing the landscape of our post-industrial cities. The kickoff event is happening in one of Cleveland's most creative neighborhoods, Ohio City.  Open Air in Market Square is across the street from the 100 year old West Side Market, and vendors will be encouraged to have lunch, on the Indie Foundry, at the Market, in another example of proximity leading to collaboration.  The tagline of the series is "A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships" and we hope that this event leads to more positive collaborative efforts beyond us!  Join us from 10am-4pm for shopping!  Vendors will also be treated to a tour of The Cleveland Modern Hostel and we'll have an after party at Market Garden starting at 5:30!  


This just in! The Food Network's Great Food Truck Race is being filmed during the market! So bring your appetites! Nonna's Kitchenette will be parked in front of Market Garden Brewery from 11-4, in from of the Cleveland modern Hostel from 4-6, and then to the Beer Garden at Market Garden Brewery after 6! It's bound be be crowded to get there early to check it out!

Weapons of Mass Creation Fest starts today in the Gordon Square Arts District. If you are looking for a speaker to see check out my dear friend Brian Jasinski of Grey Cardigan on Sunday, June 10th! Yay Brian! The Weapons of Mass Creation Fest is the premier art, design, and music event in the Midwest. Now in its third year, 1,000+ attendees will descend upon Cleveland for three days to see 20 speakers, 20 designers, and nearly 30 bands. Creative professionals, entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, students, and fans will gather to learn, get inspired, collaborate, network, and celebrate together. 


Image Source: Indie Foundry // Weapons of Mass Creation

A Simple Interview with Judy Fitch

Hello Judy! Tell me a about your business Modern Pixie and how you got started making  jewelry.

Modern Pixie has had a life of it’s own! I started making jewelry people started buying it and the rest is history!

You always seem so full of inspiration. Where does that come from? What inspires you to keep creating?

That’s nice to hear!

I find inspiration in everything. In fact, if I didn’t believe it was possible to be too inspired, I’d say I was too inspired. I always have a backlog of ideas and often end up spinning my wheels trying to do it all! Being open to inspiration is the key I think. It really is everywhere. I’ve always had an active imagination, which helps. And I try to slow down often to appreciate tiny things. Staying inspired to keep creating one specific thing (such as jewelry) is more of a challenge. When I need a new idea, I stay AWAY from the internet…comparison, ie looking at other people’s good ideas, steers me in the wrong direction. One little practice that helps me when I’m stuck, is to think of a close friend and imagine I’m making something specifically for them. It helps me get out of my head and into a place of appreciation and love. Some of my favorite pieces have been inspired by the style and essence of my own favorite people.

I'm such a fan of your work and have several pieces. What's your favorite place to get supplies? And where can we find your jewels?

Etsy Etsy Etsy. I love ordering special beads from sellers on Etsy. I love supporting people who are putting time and care into their little corner o the internet. As an Etsy seller, I know how much it makes someone’s day to make a sale, so I try to order from different sellers as often as I can. Spread the love. And, I will forever adore the ladies at Bead Paradise in Oberlin, OH. Ruth and her amazing staff have been so patient, helpful and kind to me over the years. One of my favorite things to do is jump in my car to visit them and stock up on rare vintage beads and gemstones.

Currently, I am focusing on selling on my Etsy store and at shows. My jewelry sells very well at boutiques and can be found at Evie Lou in Tremont, and Corey& Co in Portland, ME. I stepped away from selling wholesale for a bit in order to get back to that person to person connection.

How do you like selling on Etsy versus getting to see your happy customer face to face?

I like them both for different reasons. I love selling online because the market is global. I love putting extra care into each package before I sending it off. And there’s something super cool about sending a piece of jewelry to someone in say, California, who I’ve never met before. I’ve made some really neat

connections with buyers on Etsy. One person I purchased something from in Maine in 2006 has become  a good friend who I’ve visited in real life several times! On the other hand, I love shows. They really bring me to life. They’re a lot of work but I get a lot out of seeing customer’s reactions to my jewelry and from talking to people face to face. Every time I do a show I find myself thinking how much fun it was. Connecting with other artists is another huge plus. Artists are nice people.

What do you do in your spare time (because business owners usually have so much extra time ;)?

I feel like I’m always working! But in reality, I do have down time. I love cooking. That always centers and calms me. My boyfriend and I go on a lot of walks, hikes, coffee dates, and mini-adventures. When I’m alone I journal, practice yoga & thrift shop. I hang out with my girlfriends (and their adorable kids). There’s a lot of love in my life and wish I had time to spend with everyone! I’m working on that. I also have to give a shout out to my favorite thing: canoes. Because I bring up canoes in almost every conversation and interview. I wish I could do everything from a canoe.

I've heard that working from home can be wonderful and difficult, how do you keep yourself on track/what's a typical day like?

I just took a little hiatus from Modern Pixie and it gave me a new perspective on what I was doing wrong in my daily work-from-home life. Working from home is wonderful. But it is definitely challenging!

Me? On track? ha.

Typical day: wake up early, make a smoothie, check the computer even though I’m supposed to be meditating, eat breakfast while replying to emails, check Pinterest and Instagram way too often, go to the coffee shop, journal and make a plan of attack for the day, come back and work…which consists of making jewelry, shopping for supplies, tweaking the appearance of my etsy store, photo shoots, packaging orders etc. I usually hit an energy slump in the afternoon, so I take a walk around the neighborhood or a snack break. Most days, I work from when I wake up until I go to bed! I’m always working on a million different projects and ideas!

One important thing I’ve learned is to schedule time to be social. I have a category on iCal called “Other Humans”! If I look at my calendar and I don’t see enough blue, it’s an indicator that I’m working too hard!

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us Judy! Your delicate creations have always been a favorite of mine and I hope that more and more people feel the same way! Please check out her shop and look for her a shows too!

On the Table: Eat Your Veggies

Are you a fan of vegetables? It's so easy to get in a cooking rut and end up making the same things every week, pizza and pasta are easy. So I'm trying my best to mix things up while making sure we get our fill of fresh vegetables. Visiting the farmer's market weekly helps me to find new and fresh things to build our weekly menu around (do I sound like a broken record yet about the market?). 

Fresh salads and stir fries are really quick and easy. These top two meals featuring fresh spinach, zucchini, and broccoli. Then I like to add beans or lentils too to bulk up the meal.

My husband loves green beans so I made an easy side salad of cooked beans with balsamic and garlic to accompany our quick dinner of Luna burgers and oven fries.

Every morning. I have a green smoothie. The ingredients always include spinach, banana, and flaxseed then vary between mangos and peaches, or berries. Sometimes I use kale but my blender is no Vitamix so it can be a little chunkier than I like.

Now that Little Man has mastered the straw, he's all about me sharing with him too. How do you add vegetables into your meals? I'm always looking for something new.

Well Crafted: Simple Skirt

Way back in March I bought some fabric only because I liked it, not because I had a plan for it. It kind of reminds me of a picnic tablecloth, but in a good way.

Then I found this skirt pattern. It's seriously the easiest pattern ever and she breaks down the steps really well. My piece of fabric was a one yard cut that was 18' wide. I picked up a wide piece of elastic and was ready to go.

I styled it with and without a belt, a simple black tank, and metallic flats. I had to include the photo of the kiss from my sweet little boy. Get out your sewing machines, it's time for a summer skirt!

Something Exciting...

I am very excited to share some news about our summer! I have decided to get back in the game of doing some shows and selling some goods. So I'll be participating in the 3rd Art in the Parc at Chartreuse Inc. Design firm in Lakewood! It will be held on Friday, July, 20 from 6:00-9:00. There will be food, drinks, and art by local artists. It was such a fun and cozy little event last year.

Please save the date, check out the links (you may recognize a certain handsome little babe in the photos from last year), and tell your friends. I'll of course post closer to the date with the invitation but I wanted to share the news now!

Here's what I've been working on.

Toddler bow ties galore! I have lots of fun fabrics to choose from because I buy things with no purpose from time to time...so they were here waiting to be selected!

And I'm making something for all the little girls out there too! It's been some time since I've cranked out any headbands and this fresh new style should be really fun! Plus, all of this excitement has got me working on another special project that I'll be sharing with you soon too!