Sweet Idea: Get Kids Crafting!

I ventured into our new Mt. Pleasant, SC Michael's Craft Store during my lunch hour last week and right there at the entry was this sweet looking craft classroom. They offer classes and you can rent it out for kid's parties or really any kind of team building event, etc. I couldn't help but check it out and it is quite an adorable little room!

It isn't one of those dark and dingy "back of house" spaces where they shoved some old tables and you are expected to be creative; it is a well-decorated light-filled space! I was so happy to see this, I think kids are spending too much time in front of the TV these days and their brains are turning to mush. I hope my future kids (girls OR boys) don't mind being dragged to a location similar to this one to hone some skillz! Ya know, just in case technology takes over and we have to go back to Oregon Trail days.

Mt. Pleasant gets all the cool stuff. They have the best school system and a great Design Review Board that forces the big box stores like Target, Walmart [see below], and Lowe's to make their stores more community and visually friendly. This is done by using design features like trellises, benches, small garden areas and building their stores out of brick and in some cases having them update the entire shopping center...

My husband says,
"All the yuppies live over there, you want to live there?"
"Yes."

Bike Riding + Modern Architecture

When I was little, my family used to go on bike rides through the nearby neighborhoods on nice nights after dinner. I used to call them "bike-a-rides" because that is what I thought they were called. To this day I still get a smile when I think, "I'm gonna go on a bike-a-ride."

It is great how kids say the funniest things. Like yesterday my nephew told my husband that he should marry me again. When my husband asked why he said "so you can have romance." I thought that was very profound for a 6 year old!

Sorry for the sidebar.

Anyways, the house pictured above was on a neighboring street of ours and was always one of my favorites. I would beg to ride by the "colors house" and it was there that my love of modern architecture was born. Windows that go from the floor to the ceiling, multi-colored panels, taking some queues from the indoors out, and outdoors in - just beautiful.

There were actually two similar houses right next to each other, but the other was more of a plain white color, just the same style. To my dismay, I found on my most recent trip home earlier this month that the house next to this one had been "normalized;" as in they added some architectural features such as fake shutters to make it look more like every other house - boring.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my favorite "colors house" had been virtually unchanged and I now have an even greater appreciation for the risk taken all those years ago. There are several good examples of modern architecture in our small city of Michigan City, I just wish that it would have caught on a bit more.

I don't get Americanized architecture. You do know that your fake shutters aren't even large enough to cover the entire windows right? Which is their rightful purpose? I guess if something becomes commonplace enough, no one even remembers why it is there in the first place, they just conform. I don't blame you though because every other house has them and it is an easy way to add an accent color in all honesty.

Small Rant Warning: When looking for new houses, I get so sick of it being a beautiful lot in a great location and the house has a giant garage facing the road blocking the house, or some of those "decorative" shutters... on the contrary I get a smile on my face when someone has broken out of the ordinary and places a sweet house in a boring neighborhood. Case in point, my "colors house."

Movie Review | Just Go With It

Grade: A-
Date: July 13, 2011
Location: in home - Netflix rental
Notes: I would recommend this movie because when compared with other Adam Sandler flicks, this one was actually funny!


Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star in this movie where Jennifer plays the part of the woman who has "been right under his nose the whole time" and he doesn't realize his love for her because he is mesmerized by 20 something year old hotties.

Everyone knows what is going to happen just from looking at this movie cover, but there are still some surprise cameo appearances and a whole lot of laughter! Happy Madison productions seems to hit the mark with this one compared to some of their other stupid movies and I really enjoyed it.

My favorite part was at the very beginning of the movie when this woman has asymmetrical eyebrows (Sandler plays a plastic surgeon) and it is just something you have to see.

The least believable part was that Sandler's character did not realize Aniston's character was a hottie before now... she puts on a bikini and he is "shocked." It is pretty hard to make Jennifer Aniston look bad in my opinion!

Rainy Day Lego Project

 

While we were in a torrential downpour here in Charleston on Saturday, I decided to build my early 30th birthday present from my mom, The Farnsworth House - Lego Architecture Set. It was a blast! I put it together while watching a movie and was reminded how fun some toys still are to me as an adult. 

The actual house was built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1951 and is one of the most famous examples of modernist domestic architecture in the country. I have never seen this house in person, but I think I should make that trip in the future seeing as how the actual house is in Plano, IL and I am from outside Chicago - it wouldn't be that far!

Check out the real house and museum [here].

I still have Frank Lloyd Wright's - Falling Water - set at home, can't wait for another rainy day!

Ain't That America...

Just got back into town from my trip back home to Indiana! So many people say "There is more than corn in Indiana." and they are right! There are hay bales too! haha My favorite thing in Indiana, by far, are my family and friends that still reside there and we had so much fun visiting.

I had a great time and actually took a surprising little architecture photo tour while I was there. I will share those shots when I get a moment, but for now it is just great to be back home!