Posts tagged ‘events’

Twice this summer our family has attended Music in the Meadow, which is a free family concert at Howe Meadow in the Cuyahoga Valley. I can’t say enough praise for this event. It is on Wednesdays from 5:30, music starting at 6:30. Most people pack a picnic dinner and spread out a blanket and watch the show.

Music in the Meadow Photo Credited to CVNPA.org

If you come at 5:30 there are kid-appropriate activities including giant bubbles and frisbee golf. There are also music related crafts, which encourage kids to play along with the concert. We’ve taken home a easter-egg maraca and a wooden framed drum the past two times we came.

So far we’ve seen HeartBEAT Afrika, and another band which I can’t find the name of for the life of me even though I’ve been searching for 30 minutes! Next up is Copus Hill, a Bluegrass band on July 28th. If you’re looking for something free to do this summer, this is it.

Devona & I are hooked on swapping.  I don’t think we can imagine life without them.  They’re perfect motivation to pair down your belongings and give things away.  Plus there’s the hope of bringing home more useful items & meeting some great people in the process.

So, next up is a book swap at Craft Akron.  Any books are welcome… fiction, kids, crafts, magazines, and even old ripped books for altered art.  $5 admission covers snacks & room rental.  Unwanted books after the event will be donated to local charities.

Well, I’ve already been wearing my new-to-me clothing from the Swap on Saturday. We had a small group, but still everyone one found something to take home. Here are some pictures of the fun, keep in mind that the next swap is a book Swap and will be coming in August.

Hip Hip Hooray for trading stuff with friends and strangers!

Tomorrow’s Clothing and Accessories Swap is upon us. Today I spent the evening making the snacks for the event and whipped up this colorful fruit pizza. It is the usual fruit pizza with a sugar cookie crust, but I changed up the frosting a little bit to pretty it up.

Here’s the recipe:

Purple Fruit Pizza Toppings

One 8oz package cream cheese

1/2 c powdered sugar

3 Tbsp frozen grape juice concentrate

Colorful fruits such as berries or mandarin oranges

In a large bowl whip cream cheese until soft and add the powdered sugar little by little. Add frozen grape fruit concentrate and whip until smooth and even in color.

Spread onto a cooled “pizza” sugar cookie crust. Slice pizza before adding fruit, then decorate the pizza with fruit slices and berries. Keep chilled and covered until ready to serve.

So remember a while back I asked for some feedback regarding how you’d like a clothing swap to be executed. Well I took the responses and I have been planning it out. I hope you don’t mind that I am postponing this week’s tutorial until Friday so I can give you more information about the Swap instead. I want to make sure everyone has enough time to go through their closets.

The date is Saturday, June 26th, from 11am to 2pm. We’ll have the space at Craft Akron at our disposal. There will be snacks, dressing areas, and full length mirrors. And the more people who come, the more items there will be to choose from.

How does it work? Well, everyone comes at 11ish, and brings with them their items. Eligible items  include excellent condition clothing, shoes, hand bags, hats, and jewelry. The Swap is only open to women, so don’t bring in your ex-boyfriend’s sweater you found in the back of your closet, even if it was only worn once and cost $90. For each item you bring you will receive a swap ticket. For the sake of simplicity, all items will be considered equal value, one for one. Since this is the case, the Ticketers can choose to not accept some items for the swap, for example, tacky Walmart jewelry. Keep in mind we are trying to have a blast and bless our friends while getting awesome new-to-you stuff in the process. Read more »

items picked up at ZeroLandfill Akron in February

If you’re artistic & want to build your stash of recycled supplies, come to Zero Landfill!  It’s an event where architects, interior designers, and graphic designers donate their discontinued samples & materials so artists & teachers can collect & reuse them.  You’ll find paint samples, tiles, carpets, wallpaper books, fabric samples, and binders, and you can have them for free!  The event will be happening in Cleveland on 3631 Perkins Avenue, Fridays in July & August.

If you want to see how Devona & I used ZeroLandfill items from our previous visits, do a “ZeroLandfill” search on our sidebar.

This is the second year I’ve gone to the organic plant sale at Crown Point Ecology Center (in Bath, Ohio)  I love their unique varieties of plants, which some are heirloom and others hybrids.  Plus they have plant-related demonstrations, food, and a kids play area.  Sorry I didn’t mention it last week, but you can mark the calendar for May of next year.

I was really interested in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, but there’s a minimum one-year waiting list.  I like the idea of being a part of the farm I get my food from.  Members help anywhere from 1-10 mornings per year with farm work, and they can pick up food weekly or bi-weekly.  They invest in the farm & experience the risk of a good or poor growing season.  Plus a portion of the produce is donated to the local food bank.

Since this CSA has a waiting list, does anyone recommend other ones in the area?  Or are there interesting aspects of your local CSA?  I want to join one mainly to experience the community aspect of it, but also to get more gardening experience.

I hope you’re planning to come to Musica tomorrow for the Mini Mart. I’ve got my both all set up in my living room to make sure that I fit into the allotted space, and it’s getting me all excited seeing everything all together.

Sculpture by Brittany Dell'Aglio-Mitchell

If you’re heading downtown already, please don’t forget to stop over in the Northside District to check out the Red Light Galleries which are open for the Akron Art Walk. My baby sister (OK fine, she’s graduating college with her BFA next weekend. I guess she can be a grown up now.) Brittany Dell’Aglio-Mitchell has an installment exhibiting in two rooms and you will love it, especially if you’re into fabric and fibers.  Then you can head over to Musica for Mini Mart, which is down stairs from WE Gallery, also participating in the Art Walk.

Seeing two sisters’ art in one weekend sounds like a great idea to me. Make sure you tell us “hi” if you see us!

The Lollipop Guild and I are going to be attending OddMall on May 8th. This is going to be a great show, and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the vendors I met last year as well as meeting some new crafters.

I’d love to see you guys out there too.

Our Art Supplies Swap was really great even though it was a small group of only 10 of us.  I think it’s because the sun was shining & it reached 40 degrees outside for the first time in months.

Everyone generously brought lots of art supplies and found useful things to take home.  The few boxes of leftovers were donated to the Firestone Branch of Akron-Summit County Public Library for their craft programs.

5 people brought handmade items for the gift exchange.  Mary made the purple hat (this pic of it on the table doesn’t do it justice.  This hat looks amazing with the bunched area worn off to the side and it sits loose & casually on the head).  Megan made the wire wrapped clip (for recipes or labeling foods at a party).  I made the fringe earrings.  Devonna made the apron from a repurposed skirt.  And Martha, the owner of Craft Akron, made the hand-dyed yarn.

The plan is to have the next swap in late summer or early fall.  So you have plenty of time to sort through your stash.