The #CFW saga continues…

Micah from PB&J PR invited me to “Inspired by Anne,” an exhibition honoring the work of fashion illustrator Anne Wainscott. Anne did a lot of work for Shillito’s Department Store (which became Lazarus before being purchased by Macy’s) back in the day, and many of her drawings look just as fresh today as they did then.

Micah was a sweetheart, and I would rock that suit from the illustration tomorrow if I could.

Anne was so cute and tiny (she’s 93 and claims she’s been shrinking since her 70′s!) and seemed really excited and humbled about all of the hullabaloo around her.

We chatted a bit and she gave me a tip that I’ve always thought was the cornerstone of realism: draw what you see. Not what you think you see or how your brain interprets what you see, but what’s right there in front of you. She may have inspired me to pull out my dusty collection of colored pencils and charcoals and give it a try.

While waiting for my glass of vino, I ran into the lovely ladies from Chicken Lays an Egg, whose site I’d discovered earlier that day. I also got a few photos of the window display, which were all creative interpretations inspired by P&G products. The entire event was extremely well put together and was obviously organized by creative professionals accustomed to making brands look good. Well played, Landor.

In full bloom

The same evening, I headed over to Future Blooms (I just learned what they do even though I’ve walked past their studio a skillion times) for the Cincinnati Fashion Week Merchant Fair and met some of the talented vendors there.

I fell in love with a pair of vintage mules–which are totally not my usual style–and a soft suede vintage-frame handbag.

I also met Catherine, who not only creates lovely jewelry, but runs the Future Blooms studio. She and her husband were really nice and just too cute for words.

While I was there, my spidey-sense started tingling and led me to the rear part of the studio, where lo and behold, there was food! Of course I stopped to check it out. You know, just to be polite.

This guy is a local Slow Food advocate and chef looking to open a restaurant in the area etc. That’s all great, but the real kicker?

He was making fresh mozzarella cheese.

Making it. Cheese. With his hands. Cheese, y’all! I didn’t even know you could do that.

I sampled a piece or eight and marveled at the taste and texture, which was especially yummy atop a slice of garlic-y, buttery Shadeau bread. Seriously, I could’ve eaten that all night. And today. Probably tomorrow, too…

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Last weekend, I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and take some pictures. I’m still learning this whole photography thing…

Beau seemed to think I was doing okay. “I’ll watch from the window,” he said.

On Saturday morning, I got up and made breakfast for the first time in…hmm…what year is this?

Mmm, grilled cheese with smoked gouda and jack, and tomatoes and basil. I always add a touch of basil to my grilled cheese.

Later, I decided to hit Findlay Market for some fresh fruits and veggies.

At the market, I pretended to inspect the fruit as if I knew what I was doing. I didn’t.

I did know what to do when I got hungry, though:

The ribs from Ms. Helen’s Grill were fantastic–tender, juicy, and just spicy enough to make your nose run. The mac and cheese had a smooth, rich flavor and tasted like actual cheese. Ms. Helen put her foot in it for real!

Later, Emily and I headed over to Bromwell’s Gallery (where the Stop Traffick photo shoot was held) for Alison Shepard’s “Our Beauty Flows Like Water” opening.

I hung out on the fire escape while Jim Tarbell played the harmonica, and Emily checked out the artwork with 3-D glasses.

There was a really lovely breeze out there.

Ol’ Tarbell actually sounded pretty good!

The art changed from fluorescent pink and orange to bright blue and green with the glasses!

Beau was waiting for me when I got home.

“You know it’s past my dinner time, right?”

Right.

What did you do last weekend?

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The weekend before last, I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday two days in a row! I spent time with people I love, ate wonderful food, and dressed up for absolutely no reason. Oh, and I got to say I lived another year. I guess that’s pretty special.

Honestly, I spent most of the weekend working on the new issue of Style Sample magazine. Putting this one together was a doozy–missing photos, extra layouts, unanswered requests for information, a procastinating editor-in-chief (ahem)–but I was dedicated to meeting the deadline. Gotta git ‘r done!

The hours when I wasn’t chained to my laptop, I was treated to two lovely dinners. Saturday evening, FriendBoy took me to Honey, a well-reviewed little spot in Northside.

The food was excellent, but the ambiance could use some work. It was packed (see: excellent food), a bit noisy, and the decor was utterly nondescript. I wonder if they’d let me come in and decorate…

Sunday evening, my two favorite crazy people, also known as Mom ad Dad (hi mom!) took me to  Mt. Adams Fish House. They proceeded to act like children (I’ve always been the mature one) and showered me with gifts and love and unsolicited advice. Awww…

Perhaps due to my rapidly advancing age, I was really in chill mode for this birthday. No need for over-the-top celebrations or big parties, just…chill.

Am I the only one who’s not extra excited about this stuff any more? How did you celebrate your last birthday?

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I took a trip to New York City this past weekend to attend my good friend’s wedding. I hadn’t been to NY since–well, I don’t remember exactly, but it’s been at least 2 years. I love the city, but haven’t had the time or funds to make my regular pilgrimage, though I have been faithfully praying to the shopping gods on a regular basis.

After being “welcomed” by the rudest cab driver ever, I checked in with my friends and we got down to wedding business. I’ll spare you the details for the sake of privacy and interest, but my friend is a stylist and was surely the most all-out glamorous bride to hit NYC since Carrie Bradshaw at her non-wedding to Mr. Big. She was so beautiful I teared up a bit even though I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I won’t show the whole look (though believe me, it was fabulous), but here are the Patricia Von Musulin lucite bracelets she wore. They looked like miniature ice sculptures–very heavy, very editorial, and all-out amazing!

It was chilly that morning, so I was glad I packed appropriately. I wound up wearing an H&M dress I purchased a few years ago (I actually wore it as a dress this time) with brown tights, boots, and my vintage Ewok vest. The forests of Endor* get cold, you know.

*Props if you’re enough of a sci-fi geek to understand that reference.

I also had waaaayyy too much fun eating at the reception brunch that followed the ceremony. Pain au chocolate and flaky french croissants? Count me in! Lovely pastel-colored cakes and cupcakes in different flavors, including pear almond, caramel opera cream, and red velvet? I’ll try ‘em all!

Man, I need to hit the gym-bo.

Yes, but did you go shopping?
Um, have we met? Is this your first time here? The answer, of course, is of course! I didn’t have much time, but my mission was clear: Hit Century 21, H&M, and Topshop.

Century 21 was a madhouse–there was an actual line to get to the women’s shoe department– and I know I threw my share of elbows once I got down to the Designer area. I found the most gorgeous pair of purple patent leather Miu Miu booties that just happened to be one size too small. I tried so hard to squeeeeze my feet into those bad boys, but it just didn’t work. I was extremely disappointed. I mean really, do you know what I could do with purple patent leather booties?

A lot, I tell you. A lot.

I intended to stop in at least one of the H&Ms in Soho, but got sidetracked by Zara, Mango, D&G, et. al. By that time, I was in one-track mind radar mode and determined to make it to Topshop, if for no other reason than to see if the NY outpost lived up to the extreme hype generated by its opening and the glorious piece of heaven that is the Oxford Street store in London.
The verdict? Meh. There was plenty to love, but the atmosphere of cameraderie and discovery that exists at the flagship location was lacking at the Broadway store.

Still, being the resourceful gal that I am, I made my way to the top-level shoe section, where I had plenty of fun reacquainting myself with much-missed brands like Office and Faith. I also managed to pick up a pair of red shoeties I had my eye on:

I consider red a neutral, so I’ll get plenty of wear out of them. Did you buy anything last weekend?

Thanks so much everyone who took the time to express sympathy about my cat. It sounds corny, but your comments really make a difference.

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This past weekend, The Boy and I braved the heat and humidity and hung out at the Over-the-Rhine/Gateway Celebration.

We checked out some of the local vendors and marveled at the creative talent. You know I was all about the clothes and accessories!

I bought a pair of earrings from Amy at Ovenfried Beads. Can’t you see recreating a funkier version of the star necklace from the YSL Spring 2008 show with these star-shaped pendants? I smell a DIY project…

We talked about the tees from Wire&Twine–the Cincinnati Subway Map (for optimists) was my favorite. I really wish we had better public transportation…y’all know I hate driving.

We stopped by Lavomatic for some wine and a bite to eat. We both wound up ordering the mushroom lasagna, which was amazing!  Because I couldn’t resist dessert (I can never resist, really), I had the delicious white chocolate raspberry tarte. Mmmhmm. I’m really going to have to hit the gym this week!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting?

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I don’t know about everyone else, but I firmly believe that anything I eat outside of  a 30-mile radius of my home contains zero fat and no calories.  Fried foods, cotton candy, sugary baked goods–no matter what it is, it will not contribute to weight gain because I’m not eating it at home. It’s scientific, trust me.

I’ve actually been pretty “good” while here in DC, but last night we went to Georgia Brown’s and, welllll…let’s just say there was cornbread. That was all it took to open the floodgates, and a good hour of shoveling food down my throat ensued:

I ate so much that my stomach started cramping when I walked back to the hotel.  Luckily, there was a Pitango gelato shop a few blocks away. Creamy frozen treats help settle your stomach, right? Right?

To my credit, it was green tea gelato, which is practically health food in my book. They use (mostly) organic ingredients so it was okay, right? Right?

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