Category Archives: about town

ludington love

Steve and I try to live the Lake Michigan life for at least one week during the summer and this year we decided to explore Ludington and weren’t disappointed!  We squeezed our seven days of fun in just over 3 minutes in our little vacation video. Here are 10 things that made our stay special. Because we have a four year old who is part fish, we started our search for a place that .

a colorful christmas

a colorful christmas
Since it was such a warm December this year we made our way to downtown Rochester for a little photo shoot in front of their stunning Big Bright Light Show for our fun Christmas card.  This year has been bright, busy and colorful so this backdrop was the perfect scene to share a little joy with you. Here’s how the card came together… We created these cozy letters using foam core, yarn and some hot glue. .

lantern fest

lantern fest
I heard about the amazing “Lights in the Night” ArtPrize event in Grand Rapids, Michigan a couple years ago so when I came across the opportunity to be part of a similar experience, I grabbed it. Knowing this would be a magical night, I invited our nieces to join us.  The only  Lantern Fest taking place in Michigan this year was held at the Kalamazoo Speedway.  We got there in time to enjoy some s’more roasting and see .

seedlings art bar

seedlings art bar
On the way back from my vacation in South Haven, I made a little pit stop to one of my favorite downtowns, Holland, Michigan.  I had a number of shops I wanted to peruse (including the too cute Karla’s Place) but was happy to stumble upon this gem I had never seen before! Seedlings Art Bar is just a block or two from the main drag but well worth the stop for creatives like me! .

spreading silliness

spreading silliness
Inspired by the book, sneaky art and this surprise stone family spotted in our Ann Arbor catching fireflies courtyard this August, I decided it would be fun to spread some smiles of our own during our stay South Haven. Filippa, our Swedish daughter and I collected a nice collection of smooth stones in-between building sand castles for Lolo to smash. After sunset we headed to the local Walmart and picked up a few black and white .

fanciful fairy wings

fanciful fairy wings
It’s been a bit since my last craft project so it was time to see what I could whip up for the Fairy Tale Gathering in Ann Arbor this past Sunday.  Many of the little girls who attend this festive event dress up so I took on the challenge to make some pretty purple fairy wings for Lolo. I didn’t want the wings to be giant since she is only 14 months and relatively new at .

2014 REA Award Winner!

2014 REA Award Winner!
Our Cupid Call campaign we launched last January started out as a little idea, but turned into a BIG blessing for all parties involved.  Word spread about it like wildfire so we thought it was a perfect marketing acheivemnet project to enter for the Gifts and Dec annual Retail Excellence Awards.  We were thrilled to be selected as a finalist which means we get a lovely write up in their magazine. In addition to .

season of change

season of change
While looking over the last year of photos on my Instagram feed, you can tell my most favorite seasons are fall and spring.  Of course I also love summer and some parts of winter too, however my photos don’t seem to show it as much. It’s the gorgeous changes of the trees during these seasons that make my neighborhood walks so full of beauty. That and the stunning sunlight warming up brisk mornings and .

art for everyone

art for everyone
One amazing event that I’m proud takes place in our state is ArtPrize.  It’s now in its fifth year and all began with a “social experiment” idea from Rick DeVos.  He was going to give away the world’s largest art prize based solely on a public vote. DeVos said the event would take over downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, that fall. As it turned out, that was just the beginning. Steve & I have attended .

brooklyn bound

brooklyn bound
I promise this is the last entry about my August adventures (since I’m only posting this about a month late).   I’ve been to New York many times for gift trade shows but never made the time to explore across the bridge in Brooklyn.  Since Steve and I had a free Saturday on this trip we took the gray line to Bedford Ave for the afternoon.  Williamsburg is a hub for hipster’s so it’s .