The Beach.

It just never gets old.

#35: The Beach

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Click here to see my 92 To-Do's for this Summer - and to see the brave souls tackling their own lists!

Wedding Wednesdays: The Venue

This may have been one of the most stressful decisions of the entire wedding. I had always dreamed of this picturesque view of a pond with a giant weeping willow tree, dinner by hanging lanterns and dancing under the stars. Obviously with a December wedding (in Virginia) in the works, this wasn't an option - unless we wanted to be ice skating on the pond and bundled in our parkas. So, no outdoor venues, which automatically cut 75 percent of the options (including Mike's dream of renting a big house on the Ocean and having a week-long wedding celebration...darn :).

My number one choice was the Woman's Club of Portsmouth. This gorgeous venue was recently renovated and would have been perfect for our vintage chic theme. Mike immediately canned the idea of Portsmouth in general, but I called for details and found out we wouldn't be able to stay past 11 p.m., which simple wouldn't do for our NYE wedding.

The Obici House in Suffolk, top
Yacht Club at Marina Shores, bottom

We considered the Yacht Club at Marina Shores, but this venue really shines with warm-weather weddings when you can enjoy the deck and water views. We talked with the event planner at the Obici House in Suffolk, but dates, the commute and rising rates within a week, left us unable to commit.

From top left, The Parlor on Granby, pretty warehouse wedding ideas, The Wells Theater and Vintage Kitchen

We decided it was really important for all of our visiting guests to see where we met and have built our lives together, which narrowed it down to Norfolk-only venues. I tinkered with the idea of the Arts District...a loft, warehouse style wedding? The Parlor on Granby wasn't able to hold our growing guest list of 150. The Texaco Building wouldn't be completed in time. Vintage Kitchen wouldn't return our phone calls. But perhaps The Wells Theater? We were good on dates, fees, it was in our beloved Norfolk ... but we might not have use of the theater because it'd be between shows and sets would be under construction.

Somehow I came across The Woman's Club of Norfolk website, which didn't help one way or another. It was hard to get in touch and schedule an appointment, but when we finally met with Mrs. Miller and walked around the house I started to foresee a wedding. That is, until we saw the reception hall. It was dingy, dirty, the floors were in bad shape and the "stage" was covered in a dark brown poop carpet (the color, not the smell) that was frayed and frankly, terrible. I said thank you and left without a second thought. Mike, on the other hand, was totally in favor. We'll re-carpet the stage, they'll clean the house, we'll rent furniture and have them de-clutter the rooms. These seemed like pretty lofty requests to me. However, as I started to show pictures of the house to family and friends (one being an interior designer), I gained some assurance it wasn't really as bad as I thought.

The reception hall of ugly.

The main house was beautiful and full of history, stunning antiques and pretty much my idea right before my eyes. Once we added decor, food and 150 (drinking) guests, you'll never notice the other stuff, they said. I prayed they were right because we signed the contract and promised myself I wouldn't question it. But I did, until the day of setup.

Girls Day

Kelly Jo and I had a little girls day this afternoon at Croc's "Drag Yourself to Brunch." I have heard so many good things about this, but was still extremely surprised with the show. All of the girls were great, but our favorite was the Beyonce look-a-like (above).

The place was absolutely packed and I'd say everyone in the house definitely got their moneys worth...especially the handful of guys who decided to spend their afternoon at the Drag Show (kudos to them!). Although there was no dancing on the floor allowed, we danced and sang in our seats all afternoon. I would definitely go again, maybe for a special November Birthday coming up...

#45: Wear Red Lipstick 

#63: Girls Day
#87: Dance

#90: Drag Yourself to Brunch

Off the list!

I'm participating in my third annual 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

Monday Musebles: Berry Picking

Last year I liked going berry picking so much, I had to add it to the list again. Virginia Beach has so many farms to go 'pick-your-own' you couldn't cover them all in a day anyway. This year I decided I wanted to go blueberry picking and found a few farms that offered it. Apple Berry Manor was the closest farm in Virginia Beach, so that was my first stop.

The rules are simple: 1. Pick blueberries. 2. Leave what you think is a reasonable payment in the milk box at the front door. Or, leave half of what you pick and take them for free. How sweet is that? The big old house is quite lovely and on a long windy street of horse farms and training facilities. After driving down the long gravel driveway, you'll find the blueberry trees behind the house to the left.

I think I was a little early still. There were definitely enough for me to pick, but give it another week and the fruit will be overflowing from the trees. I picked about a pints worth of berries and left $5. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with them yet...Mike has requested blueberry muffins. Although these look pretty delicious.

After I finished up at the farm, I decided to drive further down the road. I noticed it was a dead end, although had signs for a marina - that certainly sounded tempting! Sure enough, there was the West Landing Marina. Quaint little place with a place to put your boat in the water, kayak and canoe rentals, picnic tables and great views of the Intracoastal Waterway.

I stopped at Cullipher Farms Market and Vaughan's Farm Market and scored some beautiful sunflowers and zinnias, which I am determined to have growing in the garden next summer!

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

#38: Volunteer

Friday I spent the afternoon volunteering for Equi-Kids, a therapeutic riding program for children with special needs. The horses provide equine-assisted activities that help develop self-awareness and self-confidence, improvement in concentration and fine motor skills and physical benefits. I was able to volunteer at the farm through my CBDX affiliation and am so glad I did!

We had a brief tour of the facilities, which encompass 92 acres of land, including a 24-stall barn and indoor riding arena. We got to meet a few of the horses (adorable) and then spent the rest of the time weeding, cleaning and gardening around the property.

To learn more about the organization, donate or volunteer, click here.

Visiting a farm and volunteering, off the list!

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about it here.

New Consignment & Felt Creations

Yesterday was a big, fun, fantastic day of firsts. Along with being on TV, I also started consigning with The Creative Wedge (#21: New Consignment). I stopped by the gift shop earlier this month and met Sloane, one of the owners. We decided that Fairview Place's felt food would be a good fit for the shop, so I got right to work. I made two new sets exclusively for CW, a berry set and a cheese wheel set (#25: New Products). I mean, what Artisan Cheese Shop is complete without fake felt cheese!? Haha. So excited to be venturing into the Hilltop area of Virginia Beach and working with such a lovely store.

Sloane taking inventory of Fairview Place goodies

The Creative Wedge is located at 630 Hilltop West Shopping Center. They are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

I'm participating in my third 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

#83: Creative Wedge

The Creative Wedge is Hilltop's new place to be (shop and eat!). I stopped in today during my lunch break and perused the great selection of handmade gifts, art, books, cards and much more! The aim of the store is to be a home for quality American-made artisan food and art. I found some fellow Kitsch consignors there (Glass Gardens, DreamFly), and several new artists. The cardboard deer/rhino/unicorn heads are to die for! And I love the Make Your Own Goat Cheese kits - never would have thought of that!

Within a few minutes Sloane, co-owner, was showing me around. She offered me horseradish cheese hot pepper jelly. I'm not sure how she knew these are two of my most favorite things, but she definitely won me over. I was debating between the cranberry mustard, honey for cheese or the pepper jelly, but I went with the latter for my parents who are coming to town tomorrow.

Soon the shop will be carrying local beer and wine, along with an ever-changing cheese selection and seasonal gifts. Can't wait to see what they have next! Be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

I'm participating in my third 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

First Town Fair

Next time I will have photos of the other merchants :)

Yesterday was the kickoff to the Town Fair handmade marketplace series at Town Center. Despite the chilly temperatures and wind, I think it was a success. We had 13 merchants and 3 Town Center businesses, which were scattered all around the Fountain Plaza and the three-hour time frame was perfect. Some applicants complained about the times not being long enough, but I feel we got the late lunch crowd, the people running errands in the middle of the day, and then the dinner crowd. We immediately had five people ask for applications for the rest of the dates and are still getting inquiries. Our original merchant cap was 30, but we may tip over that by the time the Summer is through!

The next Town Fair is Saturday, May 18 at 3 p.m. You can find us in the Fountain Plaza (in front of Bravo and Ruth's Chris) in Town Center, Virginia Beach.

Town Fair at Town Center

I am absolutely ecstatic to announce the Town Fair at Town Center, a handmade and fair trade marketplace that will be happening every month from April to September in Town Center, Virginia Beach. My friend and co-worker Alli and I have been working on this project for almost two months now and we're finally able to call for artists! 

It's going to be a fun, relaxing and handmade way to spend a Saturday afternoon. You can find more information here and also download an application if you're interested. Even if you're not applying, come out and see yours truly - I'll be there every month!

Thrifty Thursday

I'm excited to show off my newest creations, which have been handcrafted for a great cause! I was asked to donate some Fairview Place goodies for the Crystal Ball for a Cure silent auction. Since the event is always held at the Oceanfront (this year it's at the Contemporary Art Center in Virginia Beach), we decided to go with an ocean theme. We're putting together a baby basket with lotions, wash clothes and fish-shaped baby toys, along with my handmade ocean-themed quilt and "Ocean Pals" quiet book.

I could not be more honored and ecstatic to be apart of such a great event. I went a few years ago and it's so much fun, now they've given it a Halloween theme and encourage attendees to dress up. If you want to buy a ticket there is still time, check out the details here.

If you'd like to custom order a themed baby quilt or book, please shoot me a message. And don't forget to check out all the handmade goodies over at the shop.

Beach Day

In an attempt to cross #49 (Bury/Get buried in the sand) off list, I tried to convince Mike to let me bury him in the sand. But then everyone we were with at the beach told me about this horrifying story of the sand collapsing and kids being buried alive. I've decided to forgo this childhood necessity and be quite content with just sitting on the beach!

The weather was absolutely perfect today, in fact a little too perfect...my bright red nose is proof! We enjoyed some dinner at the Oceanfront and stopped for ice cream (#50) to finish off our day of indulgence. It was my last hurrah before starting work again, so I'm more than okay with it :)

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#81: New Deli

Bagel Works in Virginia Beach. Delicious. Cheap. Locally-owned.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#80: Pick Berries

Gettin' sweaty!

It's been years since I last picked berries, but the taste of locally grown produce is irresistable so I had to add it to the Summer list. To change it up a bit, I went blackberry picking at Henley Farms in Virginia Beach. What a terrific farm! The guys there were so incredibly nice, the fields are really well kept (for being a farm afterall), there is tons of great produce to pick from and best of all, their prices are great.

I went to pick the blackberries, but it's a little late in the season for that. While there are still berries to pick, the selection is getting a little wilted. I had no problem picking 2 lbs worth in less than 15 minutes. I also saw some quite interesting-looking bugs (big ones at that) and sweat off about 5 lbs (it was 98 degrees today).

Children of the Corn? Anyone?

I was also able to pick my own corn ($3 a dozen) and tomatoes ($1 per lb). Picking the corn brought back some eerie memories of "Children of the Corn" which I insisted on watching when I was 11. I quickly picked my ears and went onto the tomato vines.

I'm so excited for all my new fresh – and local – produce. I ended up with 10 ears of corn, 2.5 lbs of tomatoes and 2 lbs of blackberries for $9. I can't wait to bake with the blackberries...I'm thinking some sort of cake for the weekend....stay tuned!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!