CLE Museum of Art + Lakewood Arts Fest

What a great weekend to be a CLE art lover! On Friday, I finally got to check out Cleveland Museum of Art's MIX First Fridays: Caliente! And this time it was outdoors on the front steps. A total fiesta, complete with a live salsa band, happy hour specials, and droves of art aficionados and art newbies!



Just dance!

Reportedly there were over 1000 people who were salsa-ing and spectacting outside and inside the beautiful museum, myself included! So happy to see people come out and enjoy all that our city has to offer! Check out what's happening at the newly renovated Cleveland Museum of Art!



Sassy salsa sisters!

Just like Rodin's "The Thinker"

After the event, my sis and I headed around the corner to the new ABC Tavern that recently opened in Uptown. Great selection of craft beers AND skee ball, win! Definitely will be visiting there again!

On Saturday, I went to the 36th annual Lakewood Arts Fest. Over 160 artists participate on average in the downtown Lakewood festival each year, many of them locally-based. It's been a family tradition to go every year, and this year I hit it up again...twice :)

I purchased these 4 coasters as a set (for only $15!) from The Foundry Woodprints. I LOVE the old historical photos of CLE that were transferred as woodprints. I'm going to put my 4 in a shadow box and hang it on my wall.  His stuff was going like hotcakes and hopefully they'll be opening a brick & mortar soon. Yeah, CLE pride!

Some of my other favorite and noteworthy artists at the Lakewood Arts Fest this year included:

• Cynde H. Designs: 35mm Film Negative Jewelry. The name says it all! But check out her stuff to see her step-by-step process...very cool upcycling!
• Gold Designs by John Darlin: gorgeous handcrafted bracelets and jewelry. Love his bracelet hook clasps that actually fit my wrist. You could never go out of style with one of his timeless pieces.
• Marker Magic: I can't even do his work justice, you've got to see it up close! This Twinsburg artist takes the ever-familiar magic marker to create spectacular works of art that are deceptively stunning!
• Ironwood & Vine Studio: one of my favorites for his upcycling craftsmanship. Dean Myton creates several products from upcycled wood--my favorite, his serving trays, were made from wine corks, wine crates and salvaged wood from deconstructed homes throughout Northeast Ohio. Brilliant!

After circling the show several times, we worked up an appetite and decided to try out the newly opened Cerino's Casual Italian (previously Eddie-N-Eddie's). Honestly, as good as their burgers were, my whole fam was pumped a solid Italian family restaurant finally came back to Lakewood! And the  fast service, friendliness and food did not disappoint!


Eat Well.
Laugh Often.
Love Much.

We shared breaded parmesean planks and mini meatball sliders as appetizers, and I had the "smaller" portion of crispy pesto gnocci with charred cherry tomatoes for the main course. YUM! Needless to say, we were all in happy carb comas post-meal.

 

An artsy-fartsy, foodie, fun, family weekend in CLE! Have you been to MIX at CLE Museum of Art? How about the Lakewood Arts Fest? What's your favorite Cleveland area arts fest?

Wordless Wednesday: Good Luck & Positivity in AsiaTown CLE!

Wordless Wednesday: Good Luck & Positivity in AsiaTown CLE!

 

Want some extra luck?

Budda says,  "Rub my belly."

 

Here's to hoping for more luck and good fortune in CLE! Rub-a-dub!

 

But wait, there's more...

Taken in CLE's Asian Town Center

 

Get lucky yourself by visiting this giant Buddha (and many more) in the Asian Town Center in the St. Clair Superior Neighborhood and AsiaTown CLE. And spot the "Year of the Snake" Public Art Project on several street corners too.

 

According to the Chinese Zodiac, it's the year of the Water Snake. "Snake is a great sign, a positive one, with energy that can help us face all of the challenges ahead of us."

 

Good luck, positivity, and the energy to face the challenges ahead of me?

 I'll take that for a Wednesday, AsiaTown CLE! Thanks!

26th Birthday Weekend Recap in CLE!

Twenty-six. Officially late twenties. Eeps! I'm blessed with so many lovely people in my life who made a four-day birthday weekend totally JAM-tastic!

June Birthday Babes :)

During the day on Friday I spent time with my Mom doing some much needed retail therapy. We hit Crocker Park where I found 2 fabulous birthday dresses and some stellar accessories to fit the birthday mood. Then we popped into Vieng's Asian Bistro. I got a super legit vegetarian crunch roll (asparagus, avocado, cream cheese, wrapped with rice and deep friend in tempura batter) semi healthy...right? Calories don't count during birthday meals :)

Centering myself

Mama and me

Later that evening I tried out Market in Rocky River for the first time. Adorable place, great atmosphere and extensive craft beer and cocktail list. It was girls only and it was exactly the fun and laughter I needed to kiss 25 goodbye.



Lovelies left to right: Jenna, T.A. Regi, Donna, Gina, Kayla & Catie

After dinner and drinks, we headed over to check out the recently opened Vosh Club in Lakewood. You know, the place Kevin Costner was just spotted at while kicking back after a long day of filming in CLE. Yeaaah!

 

Yes, our drinks glowed in the dark!!!

 

There was an AWESOME jazz band playing and all the girls and I hit the dance floor. Thankfully, I don't think there are any pictures as proof, but it was pretty hilarious/amazing/fun/cathartic. My gf also snuck over and whispered to the lead singer it was my birthday and soon enough the band and entire club were singing me happy birthday. It was very sweet, embarrassing and special. Did I mention how much I love my friends :) I am one lucky gal!

Thanks for making my night special, girls! xoxo

After saying so long to 25, Saturday rolled around to welcome in 26. The sun peaked through in the afternoon and I decided to mosey down to Whiskey Island & Wendy Park for some sunshine seaside fun. I really love this place during the summer--laid back, low maintenance, access to the water, great views of the city, and live music.

Double thumbs up to birthday fun, kick ass sunnies, and wonderful friends!

I received so many thoughtful gifts, well wishes, emails, cards, phone calls, texts,&  posts that I couldn't help but have an ear-to-ear grin all day long! I'm feeling the love! Consider this my thank you to each and everyone of you who made my entire day/weekend terrific!


After Whiskey Island we decided to check out pARTy in Gordon Square. Gordon Square is one of my favorite neighborhoods in CLE--great food, chill vibe, emerging artists, Happy Dog, Capitol Theatre & CPT. There is always something fun happening there! Well consider this a mega block party showcasing all the arts & activities in the area.

Evan and I bringing our creative comic book characters to life

One of the activities was to make your own comic book character. Naturally, my super hero was named "Birthday Girl!"


Birthday Girl here to save the city and keep JAMmin!

Angry Asisan Carp taking over!!!

 

Awesome superhero outfit...

T.A Evan and I with our alter superhero-egos

Then we were greeted with the awwwwesome surprise of Last Call Cleveland performing. Please tell me you've seen these guys perform before. Literally pee-your-pants, good, true Clevelander jokes. I've probably seen them half a dozen times and it's always a bit different, and more Cleveland jokes and fun.  



 

Pet peeve: Your v/s you're haha

I couldn't think of a better combination of events and getting to laugh my face off with friends.

 

Night cap and birthday dessert at Spice Kitchen & Bar with Catie, Nathaniel, T.A. and Evan!

 

After all the fun festivities I finished up the birthday celebrations on Sunday morning with the family as we went to Nighttown's brunch. Great patio, great memories, great food.

 

 

 

What a fabulous weekend of friends, family, fun, and festivities. Despite having a rough few weeks, the ones I love rallied around me and helped me count my blessings and feel the love. So thank you, thank you for all that you do. Cheers to 26! And keep JAMmin!



Weekend Recap: Reunions, Brunching, Flea Market, and Rum in CLE!

On Friday, I met up with two of my ol gal pals, Catie and Marie for some good times. I was in for quite the healthy/delicious meal at Catie's house when she made an outrageously good vegan pizza. I'm so lucky to have an awesome friend who also is a dietian and fabulous chef! Triple threat :)

Vegan pizza made with cornmeal,
buffalo tempe, peppers, onions, black olives, sauce
 and deliciousness!

And then I met Marie out for a drink in Ohio City and received too many unsolicited pick-up lines.... Ayayayi! So it was an interesting start to the weekend sans any photos. (Probably the best for everyone's sake). When I'm with Marie...shenanigans always ensue along with lots of laughs :)

Saturday, I met up with more gal pals for brunch and a day full of adventures around CLE! We started off by brunching at Stone Town, which opened up this past fall in the bottom of 668. Good southern style eggs and fried green tomatoes! Yum!

Post-brunch, we headed over to CLE's old Slovenian neighborhood in St. Clair-Superior to check out the new Clevleand Flea.

 

"So what is The Cleveland Flea? Part urban treasure hunt, part culinary adventure, part maker center. An organized maze of experiences, The Cleveland Flea celebrates the thrill of the hunt and discovery of new to you treasures." source.

JAM packed space with flea market finders

Gina and Kayla showing off their treasures!

From hand-crafted jewelry, presents for your pets, soap, clothes, glassware, vintage finds, and upcycled goods...this place has tons of treasures! It was fun for me to visit an emerging neighborhood that's being revitalized by shining up the good ol stuff, creating new arts and crafts, and showcasing CLE's ethnic history too!


And speaking of making history, Portside Distillery is making some (rum) waves on the East Bank of the Flats. The girls and I continued our adventure by going on a wild goose chase to find the new rum distillery. Although they have no marked signs on the outside of the building, it was a welcoming fun place that kinda made me feel like I needed to do the secret knock at the door to get into the underground bootlegger :)  The area around the distillery will certainly transform once its neighbors in the new Ernst & Young building move in. More booming business!

We found 'em!

 

The place brews up some hoptastic IPA and some fancy rum too! Personally, I am more of an IPA gal myself, but after learning more about the process of distilling alcohol and getting a fresh taste of it too, I certainly have a new appreciation for rum!



Dan, one of the owners + silver rum + me cheesing

Dan, who is one of the three owners, gave us an incredible tour and explanation of how the process works to distill alcohol. He has a background in physics and chemistry but an affinity for good booze, so he does this as his hobby! How cool! And he was dropping some serious knowledge bombs on us, accompanied with a deep love for CLE, and goofy humor.



Dan explaining the chemical process--
and the copperpot that was made in neighboring Tremont!

Gina + Portside Silver Rum

 The Portside Distillery is slated to open a restaurant and bar on site too, which will be another exciting addition to CLE, and one of a kind venue. To stay updated be sure to like them on Facebook.

On Sunday, we hit one of my favorite brunch places, Touch Supper Club, for a reunion with friends and familia from JCU. Marie now lives in DC and we'll be going down to visit her in 2 weeks to celebrate Steph's bachelorette party. And well Kay, he's the one that everybody loves :)

Marie, me, Kay & Steph getting our brunch on!

 

 

The Touch Breakfast Bowl. Never fails me!

 Always great to catch up with friends over some the best brunch :) The rest of my plans for Sunday post-brunch didn't end up panning out how I intended, but it certainly was an action packed weekend of reunions, brunching, flea market discoveries, and wild goose chases for rum that maybe it's best if I sit back and digest the weekend!

Have you been to the CLE Flea? What's your best flea market find? Have you ever gone on a brewery or distillery tour? What's your favorite local CLE drink?

 

Hope you have a good week, kids! Keep JAMmin!

Tranformer Station in Ohio City, YOLO & Super Bowl Sunday, Baby!

Have you heard? The Transformer Station in Ohio City is now OFFICIALLY open! Woohoo! As an art-lover and Cleveland history nerd, I was thrilled to learn that the Cleveland Museum of Art would be opening a "satellite" branch, so to speak, on the west side.

"The Transformer Station is owned and operated by the Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Foundation in order to share work from the Bidwell collection and to inspire creativity and innovation in our community. The Bidwell Foundation has agreed to loan the facility for six months of every year to the Cleveland Museum of Art which will develop original contemporary art exhibitions as an extension of its programming in its home on University Circle." 

The opening exhibit, "Bridging Cleveland" by Vaughn Wascovich was the perfect choice of beautiful artwork to "bridge" the rugged industrial history of Cleveland to modern day art housed in a restored industrial facility. Rust belt chic! "The Transformer Station was built in 1924, and is one of sixteen substations built by Cleveland’s one-time private transit provider, the Cleveland Railway Company. The substation converted power for the Detroit Avenue Streetcar Line, which carried 19 million riders annually at its peak"(source).

Innerbelt Bridge

See what I mean?  Eerily stunning. Raw beauty. Cleveland captured. Bridging our past to the present day.

my favorite!

CLE love!

You should totally check out the Transformer Station in Ohio City, if you haven't already. It's a treat to have such a reputable arts organization now on the west side! Appreciate CLE beauty and art, both past and present!

After checking out the exhibit I headed over to Battery Park Wine Bar for some dinner and a glass of vino with my Mom! I'll tell you what, a girls night with your mom as an adult is thebomb.com! I'm lucky she's awesome, and hilarious!

cotton candy winter sky!

 As we made our menu choices, my Mom noticed the catchy pop culture company menu tagline. YOLO. Of course, she wanted to know what it stood for. "You Only Live Once," I told her. She loved it. She then dropped the best knowledge bomb dating advice a mother could possibly offer and it went like this, "Jessie, you're mature for your age. Don't date anyone under age 30, because they're all just a bunch of pant-peers. YOLO."

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. Man, I love her. Yes, crybabies, please keep it moving!

Battery Park Wine Bar
Grape, camembert cheese, pesto, & balsamic reduction pizza...YUM!

Our delicious menu choices! 

Battery Park Wine Bar
Stuffed grape leaves...always a big fan

We had a wonderfully good time and I was home and in bed by 9pm. Sometimes, those are the best weekend nights!!!

Pancakes, baby, yeah!!!

I started off my Sunday early and grabbed brunch with my besties and nieces. Seriously, I can't get over how quickly they grow after each week that I see them. They always bring me back down to earth, and really remind me of that "YOLO" theme. The world is their oyster! (...or  chocolate chip pancake for that matter!)

Open wide!

Sharing is caring! And these little love bugs always brighten up my day! They are officially becoming big girls and even using fancy utensils. Haha.

Get it, Chloe!!

Got the sassy smile down, sister :)

Post-brunch with the babes... I headed out to my sister's for her annual Super Bowl Party. Everyone brought their favorite Pinterest recipes (yes, finally made something we pinned!) I meant to take a picture of all the pinned party apps...but let's be honest, I hoovered that stuff down! Gina's Slow Cooked Pulled Chicken Sliders were a HUGE hit. Get the recipe here! And follow her BeautyFoodie finds on Pinterest.

Hahahaha!

As we chowed down, cracked jokes, soaked in the creative advertising during the commercials, and (semi)-watched the game, all of us girls were anxiously awaiting Beyonce's stellar redemption half-time performance. And seriously she worked it. <so much she blew out the stadium power, flipped the "off switch" from all those Bootylicious moves, insert the endless punchlines you read on social media during the power outage> As the guys all yelled at the TV because of the game delays, compared stats and checked their squares...we cheered... GO TEAM BEYONCE!

Left to right: Kayla, Gina, Jenna, me, Gizelle and Donna (Julie, pictured in spirit)
Go Team Beyonce!!!

Did you dig the Beyonce/Destiny's Child performance? I wish I could rock a Super Bowl dance routine/performance post-baby like that. YOLO, right? Work it, girl!

 And in case you live under a rock...catch the 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Performance here! How did you spend your Super Bowl Sunday? Have you been to any of Cleveland's awesome new art exhibits? Share your thoughts! And keep JAMmin!