Funny Friday

Today has been a bit of an emotional day for me as I pack up my apartment and prepare to move.  This week I have been saying my goodbyes to my favorite people and places in this part of Ohio and it has caused my sensitive emotional side to come out in full force.  To help combat these emotions, I decided to do a Funny Friday post.  If you find yourself in a bit of an emotional state today, are in a funk or would just like a good laugh to start your weekend with, scroll down and take a look at these hilarious underwater dog photos I found over at Little Friends Photo!  The photographer is Seth Casteel and he has captured some of the funniest dog photos I have ever seen.

Have a great weekend friends!

Tall Paintings by Holton Rower

The past few days I have been looking all over the internet for painting inspiration.  I want to paint something pretty big, colorful and geometric for our new apartment.  While searching, I came across this video of a painter named Holton Rower and was so impressed with the way their tall paintings were so simple and different.  This is not the type of painting I was looking for, but the video caught my attention; enough so that I watched it three times before moving on!  I've never seen this done before, and thought I would share this find with you.

Enjoy.

Tall Painting from Dave Kaufman on Vimeo.

Stanlee Gets Noticed

Most of you have probably been introduced to Stanlee, my Boston Terrier pup who is the face of Little Blue Feather bow-ties and collar accessories.  Incase you haven't met, allow me to introduce him to you:

Stanlee is such a unique Boston Terrier, and he has my heart for sure.  He is very loyal, loves to be cuddled and instantly turns into the best pup model when the camera comes out.  He makes my heart very happy and I can't imagine our home without him.

Recently, this pup has not only been melting my heart, he has been winning over stranger's hearts on etsy.  This past month he has been on the front page of etsy three different days, which lead us to meet some new friends in the handmade world. 

A few weeks ago, I was asked by a couple painters if they could use Stanlee as their subject for their next painting.  I was first contacted by Clair Hartmann and introduced to her amazing paintings she sells in her shop.  I was so impressed with her work and definitely agreed to let her use Stanlee as her subject.  In turn, she is also sending me a print of Stanlee for my home!  I can't wait to receive it and am blown away by how well the painting turned out of my little Stan man.

Please check out Stanlee's painting in Clair's shop and let her know how you discovered her.  She is a sweet person with great talent and I feel honored to have been asked for her to use my pup as her painting subject.  

Isn't it amazing the way an animal can touch your heart?  Even when you don't know him/her?  Stanlee is doing just that across the internet.  

I am one proud momma.

Moving

photo source: Alain Delorme

It was one year ago exactly that my husband started his new position here in northeast Ohio.  

{My husband works for a large freight company that originated in Ohio and is located in several cities across the midwest.}  

Today marks the end of my husband's time here and although his service center is proud, they are very sad to see him go.  Yesterday I attended his going away lunch party, and it was very nice to hear the amount of people come up to me and say how much they are going to miss him.  It's a great feeling knowing that the dedication and hard work he has put into this company is not only being rewarded, but it is very visible and appreciated.  And today, I have an emotional heart for my husband's last day, and his good-byes he has to say to some of his favorite employees yet.

This will be our fourth move in four years, and after one year in the Cleveland/Akron area, it is time to say goodbye and move to our next location - southwest Ohio.

It's bittersweet in a way.

This new job offer is an amazing opportunity for my husband, we will be closer to family, I will have more help with LBF if/when needed during busy seasons and we will get to spend more time with our always-growing-too-quickly nephews and niece. 

Although there are so many wonderful things coming from this move, it will be hard to leave our lives here.  The past year we have discovered so many hidden gems in northeast Ohio and made great friends along the way.  It's never easy to leave people you love in a city you love, but I know this past year was more than just a location for my husband and I.  It's our way of life.  No matter where we live, we will find new adventures.  We will seek out local places and friendly faces, and for this I am excited to see what lies ahead in out new city.  In two weeks from today, I will finish packing up our apartment and move into our new place.  I'm 100% sure there will be tears but don't mind them, they will be good tears associated with good memories and faces I had the pleasure of meeting along the way.  I'm ready for the next chapter!

Handmade Print By Vol 25

Made in the 216 event

This weekend is the Made in the 216 event held in downtown Cleveland, OH.  I am so excited to be participating in this event and am even more pumped to shop other local artists!  

Made in the 216 is held at the Dredgers Union on E. 4th Street in the heart of downtown Cleveland.  This show is very different compared to a traditional art show because the handmade artists dropped off their goods to the store two weeks ago and the store owners are creating a retail store environment with all the handmade products displayed throughout the space. 

Pretty cool, right?

Friday is the beginning of this event, with a party celebrating Dredger's Union's first birthday and to help kick off the Made in the 216 event.  If you live in or near Cleveland, come shop talented local artists in this unique event on Saturday or Sunday that will be sure to impress you and your friends.  And if you see me out and about enjoying downtown Cleveland (I might have a Colossal Cupcake in hand) or shopping at Made in the 216, stop me and say hi.  I love meeting new people! 

Vacation Instagrams

This week husband and I took a little vacation with his family to a cabin in the Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg TN.  This was our first family vacation with everyone together and we definitely enjoyed it.  We ate a lot of good food, put-putted, shopped, played games and did a lot of front porch sitting.  I sure wish I could enjoy coffee this morning on a wrap around porch with a mountain side view surrounded by trees, but having the pups lay on my lap happy to have me back in Ohio is just as good. ;)