Professor Sibyll Trelawney Costume

I love Halloween. Dressing up in homemade costumes is so much fun for me and I kinda wish I had an excuse do it more often. So I usually jump at any opportunity where it's socially acceptable to get my geek on. This get-up was for a Harry Potter weekend in Chestnut Hill.  If you already own a lot of bangles, you're half-way to a decent Professor Trelawney costume!  I chose to imitate Emma Thompson's version of the character in film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. You don't have to be spot on, but there are a few must-haves to convey the look of the looney Divination teacher... or be mistaken for a new-age ceramics instructor living in Tucson*.

Etsy Craft Party: Philadelphia

If you haven't heard, Etsy is having a worldwide craft party tomorrow, June 20th! This year's theme is "Craft for Community". If you're in the Philly area, you should join me and Emily from Growing Wild Ginger! It's being held at 3rd Ward in Northern Liberties. There will be a potluck, craft supply swap and crafting fun. They will also collect art supplies for local art camps within the community. And the best part is it's FREE, so register here! 

So if you were only planning to sit around on your bum tomorrow night, gather up some craft supplies instead. Let me know if I'll see you there!

2013 Philadelphia Vendy Awards

The Vendy Awards are time when people come together to eat and drink amazing culinary delights prepared by the cities finest food trucks. After you sample everything, you vote! Just my kind of event. They are hosted and originated by the non-profit Street Vendor Project in New York city, and their success has spread nationwide. This was Philadelphia's third awards, and I finally got to be apart of it! This year, it took place in scenic Penn Treaty Park.

Even though lines were long, it was all worth the wait!

I got a delicious braised meatball from Foo, but it was their truck art that impressed me most.

Deep fried cheese curds from The Cow and the Curd were outstanding gooey crunchy morsels.

Nothing like a cold ale to pair with all this food on a hot day.

Left: KAMI noodles and Korean style cheesesteak were my personal favorite of the day // Right: Macarons from Sugar Philly

Cupcakes from Cupcake Carnival, Falafel from the Falafel King and Garlic Parmesan Tots from the Tot truck

Here's a list of all the Finalist Trucks in Attendance, follow the link to find out where they're located!

Chewy’s

Chez Yasmine

Christis’ Falafel Truck

Foo Truck

KAMI

King of Falafel

Lil’ Dans Gourmet

Poi Dog

The Cow & the Curd

Tot Cart

Cupcake Carnivale

Gozen

Jimmies

Lil Pop Shop

Sugar Philly

Sweet Box Cupcakes

The sun finally came out!

A view of the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Delaware River.

UPDATE: The King of Falafel took home the Vendy Award this year, congrats!

Sixth Annual Record Store Day

The Sixth Annual Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 20th. "Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally." The website has a list of special releases for the day, that will only be available physically in participating record stores. So support your local record store! A few releases I'm interested in...

Calexico, Spirituoso - Includes tracks spanning their career, re-recorded with an entire symphony.

Dawes, Stories Don't End - Their latest 2013 release comes with a limited edition lithograph.

Fun Fact: Chris and I got our first dance wedding song from Medium Rare by The Foo Fighters; a special release for Record Store Day 2010. We really liked the song, This Will Be Our Year, originally by The Zombies but the tempo was just too fast for us to dance to. Dave Grohl must have known and not only covered the song, but serendipitously slowed down the tempo, perfect for our first dance! Our friend even recorded a trumpet solo featured in the original on top of it.

The Philadelphia Flower Shower

This year the theme of Philadelphia Flower Show is a tribute to "all things British". I was extra excited about this particular theme as a person who has lived in London for grad school and as an all-around-anglophile. I went with my mother, grandfather and aunt, all of whom have an extensive knowledge and hands on practice with gardening and the science of horticulture (they know what they're talking about). And we all had the same overall thought about the shows theme: "Eh, a bit disappointing."

I was expecting to see things like this...

Little cottages with clusters of flowers. Photo Source: Peter Barritt

Impressive amounts of rose bushes. Photo Source: WindyCornerUSA

Walled gardens and giant Hydrangeas. Photo Source: Everton Downs

Some inspiration from designs of Cath Kidston (shown) or Liberty of London

But it felt more like neatly planted flowers with something "British" plunked in the middle, like a phonebooth, or Big Ben, or The Beatles. So I wasn't necessarily overwhelmed with a sense of Britishness in the flowers. But hey, that's just me. There were lots of displays that I did enjoy...

 The Gates of Buckingham Palace were flowerfied at the entrance.

Living walls were very popular in the displays.

And my favorite of the day were the aspects of English literary whimsy with a nod to The Lord of the Rings and Alice in Wonderland.

Even though the show didn't quite meet my expectations, it's still wonderful to be surrounded by the sights and smells of the flora, and to know that Spring is right around the corner! 

The Barnes in It's New Home

The historic and elite Barnes Collection has moved to it’s new digs on the Parkway in Philadelphia, previously housed in Dr. Albert C. Barnes private home in Overbrook. The Barnes Collection is, hands down, my favorite collection and presentation of fine art I have ever seen. Dr. Barnes not only had an exclusive taste for art before it’s time, but he arranged and displayed his pieces by elements of color and design. So, unlike a regular museum experience, each wall is chock-full of paintings, furniture and metal workings that all flow together, through shapes, color or theme. It’s eye candy for any art lover. Renoir beside Van Gogh and flanked with Soutine? Monet next to French 18th century hinges? See for yourself!

This was my first visit to the Barnes’ new home, and I was concerned that the new building would somehow take away from the beauty of it’s original setting. Thankfully, it did not, and I will venture to say it has enhanced the collection and the entire experience. All of the actual artwork is hung in the exact same way in a indoor replica of the original house. But the museum it self is modern and airy, allowing for dining, learning and other cultural entertainment. I’d like to think that a museum of this caliber will draw in visitors internationally, and maybe give Philadelphia some more cultural props!

Cezanne, Bathers

Van Gogh, House and Figure

Matisse, The Joy of Life

Manayunk Bike Race

The Philadelphia International Championship, ”America’s top international cycling classic, and one of the richest and most prestigious one day races outside of Europe.”