Lets do the time warp again

Friday night I set out on an adventure to find my creative side and wound up in 1972 surrounded by antique avocado dishes and polyester...lots of polyester. Flower Child, located directly on Clifton, provides thrifters and vintage advocates alike a chance to time warp. Serving the Greater CLE area, Flower Child has been open for 7 years dishing out decor and threads from the 1930's through 1970's. I found myself aimlessly walking through set displays wanting to purchase everything and anything. I have to say the furniture was a bit pricey but is really fun to look at. Sifting through the record albums, I found a few that would look great on the office wall and knew I could easily mount them with UO record frames. Not wanting to waste the classic beats I would send em' off to Bob (dad) who has a record player. I figured he would enjoy the sweet sounds of a young Santana and James Taylor (the record actually had a version of Taylor signing You've Got a Friend which is Bob and my's father-daughter song). Walking up to the counter with what I thought would be my purchases, the woman working casually asked me if I had been downstairs yet... uh oh, I knew then and there I aka my budget was in trouble.

Creaking down the tiny stairwell lands you in a mecca of housewares, barware, clothing and furniture from varying decades. 20 different rooms, each owned by a specific vendor, are scattered throughout the slanting lines of the basement. Rooms like the one featured below had me trying on hats, fumbling through racks of synthetic fiber and wondering how Pam (mom) ever fit into those leather pants...

I have to say, for the hour I spent in Flower Child, a smile never left my face. I wanted to make a bed out of the

vintage Ladies Home Journal and spend the night! Totally awesome place to go on a Friday night. I ended up

ditching the records and opted for this amazing Mens cardigan in my favorite color of the moment, Avocado!

I also snagged a cute little pom pom hat in off white. Hoping to wear it soon, as CLE is blistery these days

Enjoy the evening and stay warm Lakewood!

To learn more about Flower Child visit http://www.flowerchildretro.com/

Next stop -----> West Side Market with Chase (nephew) Stef (sister) and Kurt (brother in law)

Get Grilled...

Last night, my sister called to discuss our adventure plans for today:

Steffie - "So, is this place like fancy?"

Shel - "Ummm, No, its more like artsy, eclectic. Very friendly people, and some of the best food on the west side"

Steffie - " Oh okay good, I can't wait to see your place."

That's right, the family is trekking out from Willoughby to see my new abode at the corner of Lake and Cove. Grammy, Aunt Kristi, Mom and Stefanie will all be coming to see the new place and take me out to lunch at Melt Bar and Grilled in Lakewood. Hence, why I'm up at 7.57am on a Sunday. No I'm not getting ready for church; the ooozie cheesiness of a Melt sandwich is a holy enough experience for me. Ultimately, I'm trying to make my space look like a home and dispose of the empty bottle of wine on the kitchen counter that was easily downed last night.

I went to Melt's website to check out the hours and did a little bit of exploring. It seems as though my friends back home will soon be able to enjoy "The Kindergarten" without the drive into Lakewood. Melt is opening a second establishment on Cedar Rd. in Cleveland Heights. With its close proximity to Lee and Coventry, the East Side venture will pull in a similar crowd as the Lakewood restaurant.

My favorite combination at Melt is the "Half Combo". Half of "The Kindergarten", with your choice or cheese and topping, side salad and choice of soup...which is usually the vegetable chili. Favorite Salad (My usual order - I have a bit of a weak stomach to handle all of the above) is the "Bread, Bacon and Blue". The salad is a huge pile of fresh greens, blue cheese, fresh made herb croutons and warm bacon balsamic dressing. I usually add grilled chicken on top, but steak can also be added.

Today, we have the Sunday Brunch menu to choose from as well. This includes breakfast combos and Belgian waffles.

I love the quirkiness of Melt. From the year round Christmas decorations to the random coffee mugs that are used to serve soup, Melt is a conversational piece in itself at every table in the Pub. I can't wait for my family to get here... all this talk about food is making me a bit hungry!

Enjoy!

http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/

New Beginnings

Halloween weekend is coming up and we are very excited to say that the Space will be picking up from its current location in Willoughby and heading to the West Side! Lakewood, Ohio will become our new stomping ground and we couldn't be happier. With its close proximity to Downtown Cleveland, Lakewood will provide Studio Space and its writers the chance to branch out in the music and art scene. Currently we are working on interviews with up and coming Cleveland artist and the fun doesn't stop there. Keep following along! We will be updating soon!

Blogging from Bed

A few things I'm happy about today:
1. I'm currently cuddled in my bed and not ashamed to admit that I'm still in my pj's
2. My finger hurts like hell, but I am able to hit the enter key with it again!
3. Dad made the best breakfast this morning... Perfect cure for the Holy Moses/Stella Artois blues
4. Browns vs. Steelers.
5. Troy is back on the field today. Epic!
6. I have decided I would like to see Paranormal Activity tonight. Who is in?!
7. Last night may have been the last time I drive to Wlby from Lakewood at 1:45am due to my fear of sleeping in strange places - Somniphobia?
8. My room is a mess. Hopefully that means I'm making progress on packing
9. The newest edition of Real Simple Magazine - its the simple things in life :)
10. Apple Crisp

http://www.realsimple.com/
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=4474

Leasing Office

Today is a great day. Not only is it Friday; a day when if all else fails, you watch movie trailers at work. But its also the day when I officially sign my lease to the new place in Lakewood.

Lakewood, Ohio. What can be said? Aside from the fact that its close to downtown CLE and the CLE Metroparks, its also has great history and an amazing social scene.

First things first, I'm not a newbie to the Lakewood scene. Working in Rocky River for the past year, I have learned to love and appreciate the surrounding areas known simply as the West Side. Don't fret East Siders - I still love Willoughby and all that it has to offer, BUT I'm ready to try something new!

Secondly, I finally found a place that has everything I want (well almost). Right price, right size, wood floors, high ceilings. Only downfall - NO PARKING. So street parking it is, not a problem for Izzy. Izzy is my car for those of you who are unaware... I'm sure one day I will write about all the loves in my life, but for today a simple introduction will do: Izzy the Impreza.

Well, I'm off to sign the papers!