West Side Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show Review

We warned you! Even though we're still a week away from Thanksgiving, Christmas is creeping its way into our psyche. Thankfully, we eased our way into it the best way we know how - with a good ol' fashioned craft show! The West Side Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show last weekend had vendors and shoppers from all over Northeast Ohio flocking to Rocky River Memorial Hall buying and selling goodies of all sorts. We had a blast on Saturday and are here to show you what we found!

Even though there were two entire huge rooms of vendors, we made purchases at the first three booths we hit! #1 was the hand-sewn originals of Aunt Jeannie's Attic. Brightly colored patterned purses caught our eye, but it was this black wristlet, made from vintage men's suits, that had us sold!

I recognized the nautical pillowcases from Avant-Garde's blog when we came by IndoDesign's booth. Our second stop had even more fun patterned fabric goods but we couldn't help but fall in love with these wooden Christmas trees! So unique, this will definitely be a conversation piece hanging at the house around the holidays. Gives off a beachy vibe even amidst the cold Cleveland November/December temps, thanks especially to the starfish tree topper!

Nestled by a window was the soothing smells of Peripeti Home. Also sold at one of our favorite spots, Salty Not Sweet, these handmade soy candles and wax melts have the most unique yet satisfying scents we've ever come across! Orchard Picnic will be great to have wafting around the house on Thanksgiving and Sherwood Forest was too calming to pass up. These layered fragrances are also available in large tins and crackling wooden wicks.

I'm a sucker for fun and unique jewelry - anything that has a story and makes people ask, "where did you get those?" I could have bought every ring, necklace, pendant, and pair of earrings displayed at Diella Jewelry's booth! Her handmade, handpainted, mixed media pieces are not only to die for, they're very reasonably priced! I picked these sparkly earrings for myself along with a few other Christmas presents that I'll have to keep hidden for now...two words: rhinestones and chevrons.

Last but not least, we have to give it up to Colleen Smith and her amazing mixed media, Cleveland pride art! I would totally be down to furnishing my home with Colleen's large scale collage prints but let's start with what we bought from her at the show... we went with the coolest Cleveland Christmas cards EVER and a Browns inspired ornament! Hard to say if we'll be gifting these or maybe even framing them for decorations at the house!

Needless to say by our fabulous finds, the West Side Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show was a success! If you missed out on the fun, fear not, there's an East Side show coming up in December! More details on that to come...

Be cool. Shop local.

The temps are dropping (consistently), decorations are sprouting up everywhere, and Starbucks' red cups are back. It's time to face the facts - Christmas is coming, and that means so is the holiday shopping season! It may seem like a burden when your idea of Christmas shopping is trudging to the mall or busy shopping plaza and facing the insanity.

Believe it or not, it doesn't have to be that way. If you take a page from our book, shopping local is where it's at! Skip out on all the craziness, support independent businesses and vendors, AND chances are, your friends and family will truly appreciate something unique for Christmas this year!

If you're at a loss for where to start, fear not, Crooked River Couture is here! We are all about shining a light on all the fabulously awesome small businesses in the Cleveland area! Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course the ol' blog here for great places to shop as well as shows and events that will help you with your all-local holiday to-do list!

Here are some upcoming November events to kick off the season right...

Beachwood Arts Council Holiday Arts & Crafts Show
Saturday, Nov. 9, 10am-5pm
Beachwood Community Center (25225 Fairmount Blvd.)
www.beachwoodarts.org
Get your arts & crafts on at this free event! Browse the over 50 vendors selling their handmade jewelry, soaps, ceramics, photography, fiber art, handblown glass and more! Plus the Beachwood Arts Council will be accepting canned good donation for the Heights Emergency Food Center to help the hungry during the holidays! It's a win-win!


2013 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, Nov. 16, 10am-5pm 
Sunday, Nov. 17, 10am-5pm
Rocky River Memorial Hall (21016 Hilliard Blvd.)
www.avantgardeshows.com
We are so excited about this two-day craftastic extravaganza! $3 gets you in the door to browse the almost 100 local handmade vendors! Part of the proceeds to this event will benefit Drink Local. Drink Tap., a local non-profit focusing on bringing safe water to those in need. Plus on top of all that you can treat yo self at the on-site concession stand!

Calling all vendors!

One of our favorite local boutiques, Ohio City's Salty Not Sweet, is looking for new vendors! If you or anyone you know has artsy, fun handmades or other items to sell, send an email over to saltycleveland@gmail.com to be considered.

The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, now is the time to get your name and goodies out there!


To learn more about Salty, check out our blog post from their grand opening in 2011.

Fall Funky Prep

Well Cleveland, today's high temperature was right around 50°, which that means summer is officially over and we will likely not see warmer temps until March. Maybe April. All right, probably May. But hey, with all the positives we have in this town, we have to accept some negatives right?

Although we may be hesitant to accept the cooler weather, at least we have fall fashion (and pumpkin spice lattes!) to keep us happy and warm inside. Let's take a look at my #OOTD...

I am all about the infinity scarf. Even scarves I've bought recently that aren't of the never ending variety I tie up the ends to make them that way! H&M has perfected this trend with their jersey tube scarves. The best part about this scarf is that there is so much material bunched up around your neck, you could, hypothetically, make it a blanket, a lap warmer or even a seat cushion!

Denim shirts have been in for a few seasons now which means they're easier and cheaper to find than ever. Old Navy has a wide variety from your basic light wash denim oxford to cute patterned ones, including always irresistible polka dots.

Fashion is nothing without comfort, especially here in the midwest. Comfy pants and jeans are now as accessible as ever. I have two pairs of these Jennifer Lopez pants and the black are a perfect pair for any denim shirt. Plus they fit like a dream and feel like a second skin on top of being cute, flattering and on-trend!

I resisted the oxford shoe for long enough before I spotted a pair for a cool $15 at Marshalls with hot pink accents. You have to commit to these and accept that they're a little masculine and a little preppy but their super cool and make you feel like a hipster (even if you're not into that whole scene ;).

Although this outfit may be fun and funky, color wise it could use a bit of a pick-me-up, and that's always where accessories come in! Multi-colored jewels are very in and easy to come by. Pair any denim/black/grey/brown ensemble with eye popping color jewelry to brighten up the cloudiest of fall days!

Stay tuned for more fall fashion #OOTD (Outfits Of The Day) all season long! The best way to honor the beautiful Ohio fall foliage is to suit up with fabulous fall fashion!

Ingenuing on the Lake

Another Ingenuity Fest done come and gone! A few weeks ago artists artists of all kinds gathered at Docks 30 & 32 on the shores of Lake Erie to share their innovation, ideas, and more to the people of our fair city.

Always a highlight of the year and fall must-go, this year's Ingenuity did not disappoint. An arguably different, however no less creative vibe was felt at this location versus those of the past, which include the underbelly of the Detroit-Superior bridge.

There were acrobats, light installations, vaudeville acts, lake views, and more! However my favorite part of the Ingenuity fest were all the handmade and other goods to oogle at, be inspired by, and spend a few bucks on.

Flip through the photos below from this year's festival and be sure to keep up with Ingenuity Cleveland's web site and social media pages for year-round creative Cleveland awesomeness!

Links:
23 Skidoo
Ape Made
The Vaudevillian
Ingenuity Cleveland

Ingenuity Cleveland 2013

Just like fall fashion September issues and Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Crooked River Couture is back! And if you're a diehard Clevelander there's something else that always comes around this time of year. Okay other than football...it's the Ingenuity Festival!

You may remember my post from the 2011 Festival, the last one located under the Detroit-Superior Bridge. I must say, I am going to miss hanging out down there this year, but hopefully it will soon be open year round, thanks to the Bridge Project!

This year, the ingenuity gets cooking down on the lakefront combining the indoor space of two warehouses with the ample outdoor space just north of the Factory of Sadness. Arguably the most underused gem of our city, Ingenuity promises to "offer a glimpse of the long-range lakefront development plan." Let's hope the luck the Festival brought to the Detroit-Superior Bridge comes to the Erie coast as well!

If you've never been to an Ingenuity Fest, check out my blog from two years ago for a little taste. But trust me, no pictures, videos, or beautifully vivid description can do it justice - you just have to go and experience it for yourself!

Ingenuity Festival 2013

September 20-22

Fri: 5pm – 1am

Sat: Noon – 1am

Sun: Noon – 5pm

Docks 32 and 30, North of First Energy (Browns) Stadium

Anniversary Sale at Deering Vintage

Attention all Cleveland vintage lovers! (Not to be confused with vintage Cleveland lovers. Although maybe...) One of my very favorite vintage shops is having a sale! This Saturday is Deering Vintage's one year anniversary and everything* is 20% off! This comes a week after DV's Ohio City neighbor and presidential favorite West Side Market celebrated its 100th anniversary proving that OH City is here to stay. So head down to my favorite Cleveland neighborhood this weekend, perhaps some breakfast at Bonbon, a jaunt around the Market and pick up some discounted vintage goodies at Deering!

Deering Vintage

1836 W. 25th St. 

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

(216) 274-1211

Open Saturday 12pm-8pm

*except consignments