It was a picture perfect day to hang out at the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park.
Besides the fact that I enjoyed doing a lil shopping, it also inspired me to seriously think about participating in this event next year. Thanks to all the talented people out there. I support Indie Artists. Enjoy
Featured today is a young vibrant lady that I met at a Chicago Craft Mafia meet and greet. Her name is Karlie Sherman and she is an up and coming artist of custom made silhouettes. Her store is nestled within the Etsy community called StudioNest. What's so great about her craft is that she handpaints a picture of your choice and creates silhouettes in various sizes of canvas all for a very reasonable price that won't break your budget. Take a glimpse of her talent below -one day when I find that perfect picture of Mikka (my pooch) I will definitely give her a call! Best of Luck Karlie and hope to meet you again !!
Summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye and the warm rays of the sun is going down sooner. Good Gosh - "Sweater Season" is near!! Living in Chicago in the summer has it's advantages of outdoor festivals, concerts and events that attract tourists from all over. But what you don't know is us city people sometimes want the peace and serenity of a small town. The perfect time to wind down for a mini getaway from the city's hustling and bustling is NOW....
We took a 2 hour trip, along w/ the pooch, to a Southwest Town of Michigan called St. Joseph/Benton Harbor. This town has it's share of history and character. Although we visited the area on a rainy weekend that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. There are plenty of festivals that take place in this town such as the Venetian Nights, but in this particular weekend we ran into the Epicurean Classic event hosted by KitchenAid.
August 27th-29th Epicurean Classic - A three day celebration of fine wines, artisanal foods and cooking. Live demos, tastings, classes and seminars. An international event that has landed in St. Joseph with the Boulevard Inn as headquarters. www.epicureanclassic.com
I've taken some personal pictures but obviously too lazy to post them; however, here is a mini video I ran across on youtube for you to check out. I hope this will entice you to visit this lil town as it did for us!
In closing, this is one of my favorite things I love to do around this time of year! Never say there is no time or too cold to travel - it is the best time to pack your bags away from all the chaos and enjoy a wonderful retreat with your loved ones. Til next time.
The following is a list of festivals going on the rest of the year. The direct link is St. Joseph. ==========================================================
September 4th -7th Tri-State Regatta - Sponsored by the St. Joseph River Yacht Club. St. Joseph is the first stop with boats starting to arrive late Friday night. Check out www.sjryc.com for more information.
September 5th Regatta Craft Fair - Craft Show on Lake Bluff Park, 10am-5pm. Presented by St. Joseph Today. 269.985.1111 to exhibit or more information.
September 19th Blues, Brews & BBQ's - Howard Band Shell. Bid a fond farewell to summer with soothing Blues, local Brew and spicy BBQ! The infamous Cornhole tournament returns to Port st. near the Bandshell. Music lineup and Cornhole details to follow....
October 10th Harvest Festival presented by Flagstar Bank - A festival of the harvest featuring our final Farmers Market, Flagstar's Furry Friends Petting Zoo, cider mill, chili cook-off and the Deep Fried Pickle Project!
October 24th The Great Halloween Spectacle!
Pumpkin Carving Contest – 1PM. Pumpkin carving contest in downtown St. Joseph. Dog Dress up - 1:30PM. Show off Fido in his best and win prizes. Halloween Parade 2:30pm - 2:45pm. A Halloween parade through the streets of downtown. Trick or Treating 3pm - 4pm. Trick-or-treating at area businesses.
November 20th Luminary Festival A Friday night holiday open house! Enjoy over 800 luminaries lighting the downtown. Take a free horse-drawn trolley ride, listen to holiday music and enjoy refreshments from area businesses. Hours for the festival are dusk until 9pm. Sponsored by AEP Indiana Michigan Power
December 5th Reindog Holiday Parade - Sponsored by Chemical Bank. At 12 noon costumed pets and their owners will escort Santa into the downtown to kick off the holiday season. Bands, carolers and crazy floats are all part of this extraordinary parade.
December 5th – 24th Santa Claus Sponsored by The Herald Palladium. Come Visit Santa Claus in his house at Pleasant and Broad Street. A horse drawn trolley will be going through downtown. Hours are Thursday & Friday 4pm – 8pm; Saturday noon – 5pm.
to see a full view of images and other links, please visit http://bastosgirlsgreetingsnews.blogspot.com
Living in Chicago has taught me how to EAT LARGE !! There is so much eye candy sometimes I wonder how I even resist from committing sin !
First stop: Sushi-x :: Happy Hour Sushi EVERYDAY from 5-7pm:: That means HALF OFF on most of their Maki Rolls.
Second stop: Mollys Cupcakes:: My favorite is the peanut butter filled choco cupcake called "the ron bennington" topped with chocolate ganach! Perfect dessert to end the night!
Enough said. Check out their sites and if you happen to be in Chicago - Enjoy Every Bit of it because these are another two of my FAVORITE THINGS !!
I recently attended a casual event hosted by ChicagoCraftMafia.com at a local cafe called Beans and Bagels. I met so many talented women from experienced crafters to those that are new to the community. I admire their work, passion and charisma. Speaking of which I met a lady who is as sweet as her name, Cinnamon. I was in awe when she pointed out the tote bag I admired from afar was her creation. Everything is made by hand and her workmanship is very detailed . A very active lady in CCM community and all over Chicago. So in turn, her bags along with her belief in her business are 2 of my favorite things.
Check out her shoppe and click on the image to the left.
Obviously you follow my blog because you are drawn to my quirky cards in some strange way. I hope to keep you entertained by sharing with you other talented indie artists, things I favor the most, and especially items I only "dream" of having. (Plus my 'new' postings takes it to a different level of being inspired - and not so boring with the same old same old)
One of my favorite shops/blogs called Grosgrain is promoting a Giveaway from BoojiBooAprons that I absolutely LOVE - and dream of having. So if you are curious about the contest, simply click on the link below and be prepared to be taken to another world far far away - Philly that is. Although I want to be theLucky Winner of this Apron, I wish you luck too !
