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.

The Chalk King.

If you are ever on Pinterest, you've most likely seen the chalk crown pictures. It's probably the first thing I ever saw there that stuck in my mind way before this little O was born. Sunday we were drawing on the driveway and I remembered it. It's just as cute in person as I imagined. Just look at that mug. 

I was thinking it would be funny to draw all sorts of hats, ears, and antennae for a full blown photo shoot. O thought it was really hilarious. 

This one here is the picture that he took of me wearing the crown...I'll spare my husband the shot of him. He did get his face but it's way too close for comfort.

And naturally he had to take a sleeping one. He loves to pretend to sleep. Have you done this yet? It's a nice break from our normal rainbows and scribbles. Thanks for taking a look.

Three Things. In Red.

I think that September is my favorite month. The weather here is almost always so lovely, it's one of those times that Cleveland has bright blue skies and the overcast grey takes a much needed break. We have been out soaking up the end of summer with friends at BBQs, picnics, and now watching football. When I finally connected my phone to dump some photos today I noticed the vibrant colors that I've been capturing and wanted to share. This dahlia farmer at the market has the most beautiful bouquets that I admire weekly. I was standing and talking to a friend about how I should just buy some since they clearly make me happy. But then I didn't...and I've been thinking about them ever since. Why do I feel like flowers are such a splurge? They bring a little beauty indoors but I always hesitate and think, next time. 

Beet juice does not in fact make me happy. It's so red and pretty and misleading. I've tried it twice, gotten some advice about how to make it better. But I don't know if I can subject myself to this flavor again. But isn't it so cheery?

I woke up one morning thinking about the end of summer and decided that I needed to get as many tomatoes as possible before they are gone. I love them when they are in season. They taste like summer and are tangy. I hope you have a happy Monday!

Being A Boy.

This little boy of mine is a huge fan of all wheeled vehicles. Trucks are really high up on the list so we were really excited to hear about the Cleveland Metroparks Touch A Truck event last weekend. Things started out a little rocky with a skeptical and hungry two-year old but once there was food in that belly he was ready to "be the driver!"

I don't know if I can fully explain just how excited he was...horns were blasting, levels were pulled, buttons were pushed. It was a good day. He was serious about his work getting done. Look at that little face!

I think that we got in every single vehicle there was to get in as Oliver declared "I'm the driver" every time. Happiness abounds in this truck heaven and Papa was a good sport to wear the construction hat as directed by the boss.

It was a great way to start off our Sunday. Thanks for having us Metroparks, we'll be back next time! Happy Monday!

Chasing Summer.

Friday afternoon I got home from work to do a little more work and was feeling exhausted and unmotivated. O was napping at the sitter's house, JJ was a work. I got a few things done then imagined our typical evening of cooking dinner and winding down and I just was not interested. Instead I devised a plan in five minutes, packed some clothes and sent a warning message to JJ that I was on my way.

With both boys in the car I turned on the music and we drove off to enjoy some last moments of summer. We found a waterfront restaurant in Fairport Harbor and enjoyed a lakeside meal in the warm sun. Admittedly JJ was wary of my plan but things worked out beautifully.

After dinner we went to the beach to throw rocks and splash in the water. There were lots of other people there hanging out and waiting for the sunset. We played on the playground and just enjoyed some spontaneous fun. It was a good kickoff to the weekend and it's so nice to just have some time with just the three of us.

I hope your weekend was great. Here's to a happy Monday!

Cleveland Flea: August.

Saturday was one of those perfect Cleveland days, the skies were blue and the sun was hot. Little Man slept way in that morning so we knew we were safe to head down to the Cleveland Flea for an extended trip. Things timed up perfectly and we were able to meet up with friends and family to enjoy lunch and a beer on the Sterle's Country House patio. 

The patio was packed with people carrying bags filled with their vintage find, freshly canned food, and jewelry. We played the fun (also known as the very frustrating) ring toss game while O enjoyed a fresh apple from one of the farmers and a grilled pretzel. He made a little friend and the filled his pumpkin bucket with rocks happily while we contemplating making a purchase (see the industrial stools in the first pic).

After some thought and discussion we went back for the stools happy to see that they were still there. We chatted with the vendor about where he got them and how he cleaned them up so nicely. For the price and the cool industrial look, we knew we'd never find something quite like them. Our long term plan is to redo the kitchen and create an island. These will fit perfectly. We got them in the car and was ready to go just in time as O asked, can we go home now? Too much fun. Thanks Cleveland Flea, it was a fun day!

Three Things in the Summer.

The long, hot days of summer are finally here and we have been busy creating memories with O. Summer is his season and we are taking full advantage and openly throwing our schedule out the window some days. You just have to roll with it. There have been so many great moments so far and I wanted to share some summer happiness.

Some of our best friends have returned to Cleveland after years in Chicago. This moment, watching the children spray each other with the house and run around in this golden sun was perfect.

Wednesday nights at Wade Oval dancing and playing with friends. We rode The Euclid Beach Thriller Car (and The Rocket Car too) with the wind in our hair and our arms reaching up.

Some nights we trade in our normal bedtime routine for an evening trip to the playground. This guy was brave and hilarious. He tried new big slides and played on the swings like a sack of potatoes. Summer is our season. Happy Wednesday!

In The House: The Boy's Room.

When we were preparing to move we asked the child what color he wanted his new room to be, "YELLOW!!" he exclaimed, so we set forth with that as the plan. After some extensive online searching and one color swatch later we decided that yellow just wasn't going to work. It was too babyish for him and we just didn't love it. So here's what we did instead.

These are the before shots. The top is from when the house was listed and what it looked like when we first saw it. The minty green wasn't that objectionable but it was old and needed some freshening up, not to mention I immediately slapped up these test swatches so something had to be done.

We went with Mindful Gray. We both agreed that it was a nice cool neutral and I thought that the name was nice too. I had high aspirations of getting a mural wall done too but at this point I need to move on. There just isn't enough time in the day!

One of my favorite things about his room is the art collection. I know I talked of it before but we've added a few new things that I think are so perfect! Plus most of them are local artists, The alphabet by Oddball Press, Numbers by Little Monster Shop, Knitting Bear from Made in the 216 by Kiddo, Isaac & Oliver Go for a Ride (the man on the bike) by Grey Cardigan, The Oldest Olive Tree by Four Fish Ink.

The star pendant light is pretty fun but we've had issues with how it functions. This bulb doesn't send off the prisms that the previous one did but it works all the time. Fair trade off. And what little boys doesn't need a Cerberus toy?! Our guy acts like it's totally normal thanks to his Uncle.

And just in case you were wondering what was happening during this photo shoot... O created a pillow party with the pillows from our room. It was perfect as the runway for his brand new airplane and served a a softer cushion for his jumping practice. Hope you like and hope you have a very Happy Friday!

Derby Day.

How was your weekend? Ours was filled with fun and sun! And a little bit of Derby, and not to brag but my horse won!! My guys donned two of my favorite new bow ties for spring! O is wearing the seersucker, JJ is wearing the chambray and they both looked oh so handsome! We decided last minute to have a few folks over to enjoy the new house and to watch the race. 

These days it seems that the children outnumber the adults and they do their best to rule the roost. The fun part of having kids with your best friends is that even if you aren't in the room you know they are being looked after. They will get that extra serving of food if you didn't hear the request, and they will be told no when it's appropriate. I have no concerns that my friends will pick the correct option. They lighten the mood when things get tense and share silly stories about the hilarious life of a toddler. There is nothing more affirming than hearing that someone else's child did the same (totally frustrating) thing just the other day. But when you look at these ice cream covered youngsters there is nothing but joy to share. Have a good Tuesday!

Three Things.

This three things post is dedicated to yesterday. We had such an awesome day enjoying friends, the weather and new things! I am lucky to say that so many of my friends are close and in town and the best part is the O loves their kids! We checked out the new Acacia Park in Beachwood/Lyndhurst and it's just awesome that the Metro Parks bought that space and kept it green for all of us to enjoy. 

I know I've talked before about the wonderful brightness of yellow (now currently O's favorite color) but the dandelions in our new back yard are so cheerful and I love it. We played with a new yellow bubble wand too. Then our bike trailer arrived so we got to take an inaugural ride (after at least an hour of shared frustration...). Happy warm weather!

Camp Happy.

This weekend we took a whole gang load of kids camping. I have to be honest when I say that I was doubtful of this trip for two reasons, the weather and sleeping. But I was wrong. The weather was perfect and the sleeping was a breeze! 

O spent a good hour inside the tent when we got there. He just loved it so much and needed to inspect it.

We did a little hiking and found a river to dip our toes in. The kids just played their hearts out with bubbles and dinosaur chases. It was so much fun!

We finished the evening off with a very long and very serious marshmallow roast. These boys couldn't have been happier. It's such a simple treat that really made their night!

I do not take any credit for the ease of this trip as we were with some seasoned family campers but it really was so easy. The site was nice and secluded but the cars weren't far away. Between the six families we had each other covered, bubbles, trucks, a kids only tent...it was a great weekend. I hope you had a good one too!