Teach.Travel.Find.Design

Hi all!   Happy New Year!   I'm a big fan of Gretchen Rubin's Happier Podcast and that's where I get my take on resolutions.   So, here's my 19 in 2019 which (as you can see) includes monthly blog posts. Did you make any resolutions this year?  Share them in the comments! Many of my goals are centered around Tesori dal Lago, a jewelry line curated from objects found along the shores of Lake Erie.  In 2018, I was honored to present my line to a variety of audiences by showing at The Ashtabula Harbor Beach Glass Festival, The Cleveland Flea, Ramparts Gallery in 78th St. Studios, and The Art Craft Studio Show. This year, while I'm strategically filling out show applications (and crossing fingers and toes I'm selected) I have an exciting announcement: I have an intern!  Her name is Jessica. Read more about Jess: Hello! My name is Jessica Bunnell and I am a senior marketing major at Ohio Northern University. This spring I will be...

Traveling inspires me.  A place will come to mind, I'll ruminate on it, start to obsess over it, transition to actually researching and studying maps, and then decide it's a non-negotiable to visit. Best end of year teacher gift ever! That's exactly how I ended up visiting Portugal this summer.  My original dream was to visit small seaside towns in Spain, take the ferry over to Morocco, and then wander the coast of Portugal - what actually happened was some quality time in Houghton/Wyton, England, a few days in Barcelona, and then on to Portugal. Mar Bella Beach, Barcelona  Reflecting inside of La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona  And, it was incredible.  Every single moment. The most charming village, Houghton/Wyton When talking to a friend that recently spent her 40th anniversary in Portugal, I realized that what I loved so much about the trip was the quality time with the friends I was with - the freedom from a schedule to sit outside (of ...

For those of you that know me well, you know I scoff at the thought of a stay-cation.  Traveling is as essential to my being as water.  So, when I was invited to spend a weekend in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, I began to rethink the beauty of being so close yet so far from home. In order to indulge in a weekend away, I had to thoughtfully weigh the pros and cons of reallocating time from making and funnel it into time for connecting and decompressing. You see, my full time gig has this glorious thing...it's called Fall Break. Ledges Overlook...need to go back for some fall color I promised myself I'd get up at sunrise each day (not asking too much as it rises at 7ish am now) and try a new trail.  It was time to break the pattern of the comfortable - no biking the towpath, no Oak Hill/Plateau trails, no Ledges Trail - Ok, I was on the Ledges Trail for a bit on Friday but just to the Overlook. How can one resist? So, there I was, restless, waiting for t...

Sometimes I think life is moving too fast to post an update.  Sometimes I think only my mother (you do really read this, right mom?) keeps up with my posts.  Sometimes I remember how much I enjoy scrolling through my own past and remembering moments that may have otherwise slipped my mind. Most of my spare time is spent searching for treasures along Lake Erie As I'm coming up on living in Cleveland for 14 months and the one year anniversary of living in the SAME apartment (hey family, friends…is this a world record?!) I'm finding my overall state of mind in a state of unrest.  I get antsy, therefore I travel and reflect. The Land. So, here I am, in Brooklyn, in my dear friend Beth's apartment this fine extend-o Labor Day weekend, sipping on coffee and typing for the third time since February.   Sure there are multiple posts started.  In case they are never finished (outlook not good), We'll play a quick game of catch up: The first, on Spr...