bookmarks can be cool

I'm love love loving these grassy page markers! Innovative and attractive - so much better than the random tissues we seem to use at our house to mark our pages :). From the Yuruliku Online Shop.
{found via Laissezfaire - thanks Celeste!}

Inspired by Blue + Corals

Have a most lovely weekend everyone! We flew into Florida last night and will be kickin' it in the south -- so nice to be on vacation. I am inspired by this color combination of blue, pinks, corals and reds.

Lauren Moffit
Bando Corsage
POEMES DE RAYMOND QUENEAU

Friday flowers (fabric edition)

Playing with flowers and stripes this week.

{stripes}

These sashes won't be in the shop for a while (um, possibly months, because I'm pretty far behind on my new listings as it is) but one of them will be offered as part of the giveaway for Liam. I thought it would be fun for someone to win the very first one and have it in time for the start of summer.

{stripey sashes}

I've already entered (did you notice that the Heath set that's been on my wish list is one of the items available? - that would allow me to neatly sidestep the whole hiatus issue, I think). Details are here.

Jamie Shelman

Lovely artwork by Jamie Shelman.

Faith Works Is Moving

Hi, it's Sheila.
One of the unfortunate parts of being a journalist is reporting on terrible events and circumstances. That's why I am so happy when I'm working on my Faith Works series.

Faith Works reports are something I started last year to tell the stories of how local people are putting their faith into action. They are stories about people who probably would never be recognized for making a difference in the lives of others. And they are stories which inspire me every time I meet these people.

In the next few weeks, I'll profile the Elder High School Spiritual Boosters program, and the principal of Notre Dame Academy, Sister Elaine Winter. I also have great stories planned about the Pure Fashion club for girls and a local couple who spent their honeymoon on a mission trip in Africa. I hope you'll find inspiration in these stories too!

My Faith Works reports air on Friday mornings at 8:25 a.m. on the Fox 19 Morning News. Starting this weekend, the stories will also air on the Sunday night 10:00 News. And you can find all of them on our website http://www.fox19.com/. Just look under Faith Works on our homepage.

Not Only in Vegas

I never thought my first Cirque Du Soleil show would take place right around the corner from my house. I thought that was something that only happened in Las Vegas or Orlando.

Sara Celi, here.

I was wrong.

Last night, my good friend Katie Scheidt and I had the pleasure of being in the audience for Cirque Du Soleil's "Alegria" opening night show at the Bank of Kentucky Center. Not only was this my first Cirque show, it was also the first time I had ever been in that new venue.

If you've never had a chance to go to one of the shows, it's hard to describe. There's not really a plot. There's more of a focus on acrobatics, amazing costumes, dancing, and gymnastics. In between the acts, clowns entertain the audience. It's truly an experience.

We were lucky enough to have tickets on the floor level, with seats on the second row. That also made the show so amazing, and I really had a chance to appreciate the amazing venue that is the Bank of Kentucky Center. I really could tell the designers of that event space clearly thought thought acoustics, layout, and performance areas.

"Alegria" is playing for seven more performances at the Bank of Kentucky Center. If you can, check it out!

baby bloomer bump update: 7 months

7 months along with my Baby Bloomer, who is also known as Miss Pixie. She is quite an active little thing - lots of kicks, wiggling and aerobics from time to time. Definitely getting there! I can hardly wait to meet my little girl.

man trend: taking wedding fashion chances!

Looks like the mans are getting more into the whole wedding thing lately! Or their womans are forcing them too...not quite sure! But less and less am I seeing Tuxedo Royale clad wedding parties and boy oh boy am I grateful!

{Brightly coloured ties seem to be making the rounds. These found via Green Wedding Shoes}

{This guy looks pretty sharp - and I also love the backdrop! Found via Brooklyn Bride}

{Also found via Style Me Pretty, these sweaters make me smile!}

{This was from a photo shoot found via Style Me Pretty...so I guess a designer put this look together but methinks a man should copy it! And his woman should copy this girl's look too...so pretty!}

{And of course my very own man and his two wedding looks that I am very proud to say he put together all by himself! He totally got the vintage look down with the Circus Wedding and then he put together a casual beachy ensemble for the Israel Wedding. Love it!}

Quick choker re-do

Lately I've been looking for vintage chains at the thrift store. You would think they'd be easy to find, but you actually don't see them that often, so when I saw this three chain piece I snatched it up.

{thrift store choker}

Sadly, my sense of scale failed me completely here. I got this out of the store before I realized that it is a choker. A serious choker, as in, I put it on as a joke and then started to have a mild panic attack when I realized it was inhibiting my breathing and I couldn't get it off quickly enough because man, that clasp is sturdy. Thrifting life is exciting, you guys. Full of drama and adventure.

I let it sit around my house for several months, which is sad because 10 minutes + a couple feet of silk ribbon remedied the problem nicely. I don't have a picture of me wearing it because it is truly difficult to take a picture of your own torso if you are too lazy to get out the camera tripod.

{finished}

DIY details: I just made a long braid out of the ribbon and then tucked each end through the clasp ends of the choker, folded them over and secured them with a few stitches (you could use hot glue if you're sewing averse, or simply knot it if your ribbon isn't too thick). I ended up cutting the braid in the middle, holding the entire thing around my neck and then tying it back together so it was the perfect length for me.

Pretty Business Card

I love the simple perfection of Erin's new letterpress cards. Printed by Studio on Fire.

감사합니다 "Kamsamnida"

That means thank you in Korean.

Hey everyone. Rob here.

A Brit named George has been stuck in Cincinnati visiting his brother Nick.

His trip is lasting 10 days longer than expected because of the volcanic ash which covered much of Europe.

Well, he goes back to England tomorrow so we decided to send him off with a great meal. Let me tell you the meal was better than expected at Riverside Korean in Covington.

The meal starts with a whole bunch of small dishes. Some are sweet, some savory, all tasty.

The entree I chose was the Dolsot Bibimbap. Rice, beef and vegetables come in a super hot stone bowl.

There is an egg on top which our server mixes into the meal. I got it super spicy.

In fact it was so spicy my head started to sweat. It was perfect.

I don't think there's a bad thing on the menu. The restaurant has been around since 1995 in the 500 block of Madison Avenue. Only bad thing: I'm too old to sit on the floor for too long.

miss cuppie hits up magnolia bakery in manhattan

there's no stopping a miss cuppie...

This weekend in Manhattan, Miss Cuppie hit up the one and only Magnolia Bakery, and, well, oh my goodness me, there are no words to describe this experience. Let's just put it this way: It's located in the Rockefeller Center, where NBC studios is located (so Tina Fey must go there ALL the time). Given its location, it is busy, and there are line ups out the door which, yes, Miss. Cuppie had to wait in. I felt a bit irritated by the wait, but once I got into the sweet little shop, which by the way had like a million workers icing those cuppies behind the counters to keep up with demand, I was absolutely floored by the cuteness and simplicity. The first thing I noticed was that the icing on all the lil cakes were so simple. There was nothing overly fancy here at all (as you can see by the pics). I couldn't really imagine how something so simple (even though pretty) could live up to it's insane reputation but, well, it might have been the best cupcake I have ever eaten. Ever. ESPECIALLY the "red velvet" one. The mysterious "red velvet" cupcake is apparently a blend of chocolate and vanilla batter, and it appears extra red (must be food colouring!). I was skeptical at first, but it really was insanity once the flavours hit my taste buds. And the whipped buttercream icing on top...mmm mmm mmm with gusto. When can I go back?!

My rate card for Magnolia Bakery:

Cupcake decor and aesthetic = very simple, soft colours, nothing fancy but still delicate and pretty

Cupcake variety = enough to make you second guess your final choice

Cupcake taste = oh my goodness gracious me

Cupcake icing = can i stick my face in a giant bowl of it and leave it there all day?

Shop decor = quaint, tiny, pretty; loved the patterned sugar counter (pic above)

Shop owner = no idea since it was jam packed and there were about 20 people working behind the counter!

Infographics

I am working on a freelance job dealing with some infographics. Here are a few that I thought were well-done and interesting that I came across on the tumblr - We Love Datavis.



This graphic accompanies an interesting article about Salt Levels in our food.



Color Theory by Paper Leaf



Are you Happy?

Silver, reclaimed

Our everyday flatware is very simple and I love it. But I have a serious soft spot for ornate silverplate and when I saw this box full of mixed pieces for $8, I couldn't resist.

{old silver}

This is my favorite kind of antique find - it's like a treasure hunt because you really have no idea what you'll find under all that tarnish. And it is some serious tarnish. The polishing process is going to be slow going, because my hands can only stand so much and each piece takes 15 - 20 minutes. So far I've unearthed several pieces of this beautiful pattern, all large enough to be used as serving pieces.

{old silver, polished}

{silver crests}

It's hard to tell, with the scroll-y script, but I think those might be "B"s. But if I squint a bit I can call them "R"s.

There's much more to come. I'll share as I work my way through it.

Sunny, Frosty, Foggy, and Crisp Start

Good Morning Frank Here...

A little bit of everything this morning bright sunshine, temperatures in the low 30's, and even some patchy areas of fog. Check this picture out, from Loveland Madiera Road, where patchy fog moved in this morning. Grab a extra cup of joe this morning! We are experiencing some of our coolest air in sometime here in the Tri-State this morning, however this is not totally out of the normal for us. Officially so far we got down to 32 degrees at the airport and 31 degrees in Hamilton. We usually average our final frost / freeze around April 21st so this is pretty much on schedule. However, temperatures at 32 degrees have been reported as late as May 25th here in Cincinnati. Lets hope we do not see that trend this year! The nice thing with all of this sunshine we will warm up very quickly today with a high of 63 degrees and then 73 degrees tomorrow.

Miley Cyrus & The Reds Make Wishes Come True

Sheila here.

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus is making a local girl's wish come true today.

Nine-year-old Chianne from Fairfield will be part of a monumental celebration when her wish to meet Miley is granted in Los Angeles as part of the first-ever World Wish Day put on by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Chianne will be with 29 other wish kids at The Grove, a popular entertainment, dining and shopping district. Her wish experience will include a private meet-and-greet with the star of Disney Channel’s "Hannah Montana" and the movie "The Last Song."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. I've had the honor of meeting many parents whose children's wishes were granted at a the hardest time a family can face, when a child is ill. Wishes are a chance for them to put aside the doctors and medicine for awhile and just enjoy being together and having fun.

You may have seen stories in the news recently about some other local wish kids. Last week Zack from Florence got to announce the Pittsburgh Steelers' first round draft pick, live on ESPN.

And earlier this month, a wish was granted to a little boy from California. Tyler is a huge Cincinnati Reds fan because his dad grew up here. Tyler's wish was to meet Jay Bruce. Make A Wish flew his family to Cincinnati, and the Reds rolled out the red carpet for Tyler. Not only did he get to meet Jay, he tossed the ball with his favorite player, and spent the day with the team on the field and in the luxury of the locker room. It was a dream come true for his whole family.

The Make A Wish Foundation grants about 20,000 wishes every year across the U.S. You can help in small or big ways. Some fun options for getting involved can be found on my blog from Monday. Just scroll down on this page if you want to find out more, or log onto http://www.makeawishohio.org/