Eastern Market After Dark

Eastern Market After Dark is becoming an annual outing and I couldn't be happier. There's just something about exploring a city at night; there’s so much to do and see, especially when you find yourself surrounded by art galleries, food trucks, and people. 

The AIA Detroit Celebration of Art Fashion Show was lit up with LED lights, from the models outfits to the sporadic lighting in the shed. It was truly an architecture-inspired fashion show.

The shed outside was filled with food trucks, performers, and giant swings. They’re called the L’Arramee Sail Swings by Laavu Studio and were developed to recreate the childhood experience of swinging—the sail even create a ‘whoosh’ sound! I had time to stop by my favorite food truck, Treat Dreams, and tried out a new flavor called Batman, salted caramel and dark chocolate (my new favorite).

We wanted to stop by Red Bull House of Art, but we arrived just as it was closing…it was a bit disheartening, but I do know they have a lot of events throughout the year, so I’ll be going back soon. We did, however, get to see the graffiti along the walls of Winder Street and some of the street performers again! On the way back, we stopped at the Detroit vs. Everybody store to check out the merchandise.

By far, my favorite part of the time were the L’Arramee swings. Who knows, maybe this time next year, I’ll be on the other side of the EMAD experience as a volunteer.

If you want to look back at last year’s trip, check it out here. 

Thanks for reading lovelies!

Posted by : Unknown
0 Comments

Heidelberg Project

For the past 28 years, the Heidelberg Project has withstood the test of time, the elements, and arsonists. Tyree Guyton started the Project at his grandfather's encouragement when he returned to Detroit’s East Side after losing three brothers to street violence. They transformed abandoned lots into works of art with the help of paint, abandoned items, and neighbors.

From “The Number House” to the “Obstruction of Justice House", each lot is aptly named after the motif that adorns it. At a first glance, the homes are seen to be decorated with clocks, dots, and lots of paint while the abandoned lots are covered in piles of seemingly disjointed items. However, walking down Heidelberg Street, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of harmony among the chaos. What started out as a small idea of painting an abandoned house led to an entire street that inspired hundreds of thousands of visitors to come visit it every year.

The Heidelberg Project aims to improve the lives of people and neighborhoods through art. Their mission is “to inspire people to appreciate and use artistic expression to enrich their lives and to improve the social and economic health of their greater community.” 

But is it art? I believe that you can't really define art. What is considered art at one time and in one culture may not be considered art in a different time or place. Throughout the Heidelberg Project’s history, there have been two Mayors of Detroit who didn't believe it to be art and had it partially demolished. In more recent years, it has faced a plethora of arsonists intent on burning it down. However, despite the destruction it has faced, the Project still stands stronger than ever with the help of volunteers. If the Heidelberg Project is able to bring out such strong reactions in people, then what can it be, if not art? 

Before we left, a school bus pulled up on the street behind us and dropped off a group of children. One young boy started singing as he walked down Heidelberg Street and welcomed us to his neighborhood. I couldn’t help but smile at his friendliness. I leave hopeful of how the Heidelberg Project will evolve and I look forward to my next visit. A big thanks to my cousin for taking these wonderful pictures and as always, to you guys for reading! Til next week!

Posted by : Unknown
0 Comments

Le Petit Zinc

I’ve been meaning to visit Le Petit Zinc for two years now, so it was thrilling to finally stop by! It’s a little French café located in Corktown. The owner, Charles Sorel, was raised in France and opened up Le Petit Zinc in early 2009 with the help of fellow Detroit businesses. On the website, it states that the café uses only organic flour and local produce from the Eastern market. “Le Petit Zinc” is French slang for a local bar and in addition to wine, they serve crêpes, salads, sandwiches, ratatouille, and coffee.

With bright yellow walls and a hand painted mural, I couldn't help but fall in love with the quintessential decor. There were fresh flowers at every table and I could see a garden alongside the patio. I went with a group of friends and we ordered both savory and sweet crepes. I ordered the Quiche Florentine, a crêpe filled with spinach and feta cheese that also came with a salad. For dessert, I split the Chocolat crêpe, which was surprisingly simple and a little disappointing. I really, really enjoyed the savory crêpes, but I prefer the sweet crêpes from Good Girls Go to Paris (located on Kirby St). I thought it was charming how the water was served in empty wine bottles with little mason jars used as cups.

As we left, our waitress told me the sign for Le Petit Zinc actually lit up for special events like wedding rehearsals or dinners. I know I’d love to stop by if they were open late, but the current hours are from 10 am – 4 pm, except on Sundays, when they're open from 9 am – 3 pm. Le Petit Zinc is located on Trumbull Street (not too far from Green Dot Stables).

On our way back home, we saw two murals. The first was painted alongside a nondescript building across the street from Le Petit Zinc, while the second was Summer in the City's famous "Welcome to Woodbridge" mural that was featured in the Super Bowl's "Imported from Detroit" video.

I highly recommend stopping by Le Petit Zinc if you ever are craving a crêpe and are in Downtown Detroit. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next week!

Posted by : Unknown
0 Comments

Traffic Jam & Snug / Division Street Boutique

 Happy Friday everyone!

 I went out for lunch this week at the Traffic Jam & Snug, a restaurant bakery located in the heart of Midtown. It was built on the site of the Doghouse Saloon in 1965 and is known as Michigan’s smallest licensed dairy. Traffic Jam bakes bread fresh every single day and are renowned for their cheese and beer.

We ordered the bread of the day (Pumpkin Spice), the Tex Mex Lentil Burger, Vegetarian Spinach Lasagne, and Carlotta Chocolatta Ice Cream Cheesecake. The burger was mediocre, nothing too special, but the lasagna was delicious. One thing that I really liked was their variety of vegetarian options.I loved the cheesecake! It was such a luxurious dish and was served with my favorite type of ice cream: coffee!

Traffic Jam has a quirky interior full of things like Vernor’s sign, traffic lights, and huge globes. It has a really cool restaurant atmosphere and I would recommend stopping by at least once, especially since it is a local Detroit institution. Check it out on Canfield off Cass Avenue!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -

I stopped by Division Street Boutique today after eating out with some friends. It's a wonderful little store that sponsors and promotes local artists and is dedicated to the re-imaging of Detroit.

They sell apparel, hats, swag, and a wonderful collection of records and VHS tapes. One of the owners, a university student, gave us some free "Detroit Hustles Harder" stickers! Make sure to check it out on Fridays and Saturdays on Division Street at the Eastern Market.

Thanks for reading and have an amazing weekend!

Posted by : Unknown
0 Comments

DIY: Midi Rings

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I have a cold, so I haven't been feeling too well, but wearing these rings made my Monday a lot more bearable.

Midi rings, also known as knuckle rings, are rings that sit right in the middle of the finger. I love stacking them and wearing them with normal rings. Lately, I've been seeing them everywhere, but whenever I go out to buy some, they always appear to be sold out. So I decided to make some myself! These were super easy and didn't take very long to make at all.

Supplies:

• 20 gauge wire (gold, silver, bronze, etc)
• Beads (Optional)
• Round nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Sharpie/Marker

CHEVRON RING

Step 1: Cut five inches of wire and fold in half. Use the round nose pliers to create a point at one end.
Step 2: Fold up both the ends to create a triangle shape.
Step 3: Place the ring against your finger  and twist the wire ends together at the back, one over the other. Cut off any hanging wire.
Step 4: Use a nail file to file down any sharp edges and you're done!



BOW RING

Step 1: Cut six to seven inches of wire. We're going to use a sharpie (or a marker) to mimic finger width. Fold the wire so that the left is over the right—the left end of the wire should be a bit longer because we'll be folding that twice.

Step 2: Using the round nose pliers, grab the bottom wire and fold it over to create the right loop.
Step 3: Then grab the bottom top and fold it over to create the left loop.
Step 4: Next, grab the bottom wire and fold it through the middle of the ring and over the top, recreating the end of the left loop.
Step 5: Cut the ends to size and file the ends if needed. And that's it!



SWIRL RING

Step 1: Cut about eight inches of wire. Using the sharpie, wrap the left end over the sharpie twice, creating three loops.
Step 2: Trim the bottom end of the wire down to size and use the round nose pliers to create a mini loop.
Step 3: Do the same for the top, but to create bigger loops, start folding the wire from farther away and slowly work your way towards the end.
Step 4: I wanted to recreate the Hakuna Matata symbol, however, you can put in as many or as few swirls as you want.


BEAD RING

Step 1: Cut about eight inches of wire and fold in half.
Step 2: Using the round nose pliers, flatten the two ends as close together as you can.
Step 3: Then, using the sharpie as a guide, fold the wire around the base and add three beads to the bottom wire. You can use a smidge of glue to help them stay in place.
Step 4: Trim any wires that are too long and recreate the swirl pattern. You can definitely go crazy with the beads and experiment with the amount, color, or shape!

Remember, these are just guidelines on how to make wire rings. You can always adjust the wire to create normal sized rings or even toe rings—they don't have to be midi rings.

*I ended up making a ton extra in the process (especially bow rings), so if you want one, shoot me a comment or ask me in person! J

Posted by : Unknown
3 Comments

Eastern Market After Dark

I know everyone’s heard of Detroit’s Eastern Market, a food market open every Saturday morning…but at night? I couldn't miss the opportunity to attend the second annual Eastern Market After Dark, so I pushed my usual Thursday blog post to today in order to show you a glimpse of this amazing experience. The Detroit Design Festival hosted the event, which is a self-guided tour of the city’s art galleries, restaurants, and local businesses.

I went with a group of friends and we first stopped a local tea tent to sample some apple cider infused tea. And then I had some of my favorite ice cream from the Treat Dreams truck, the Kooky Monster. Make sure to try it out—it's blue and who can resist blue ice cream?

Our first stop was the AIA Membership Party and the Detroit Fashion Showcase. The American Institute of Architects gave out architecture awards to celebrate local designs around Detroit. I decided the check out a few more spots before coming back for the fashion show.

The next stop was OmniCorpDetroit, an art studio for designers, engineers, and musicians. They come together to create and often collaborate with the Detroit community. It was pretty neat seeing some of the things they've come up with and I can’t wait to attend one of their open hack nights!

We walked by two murals on our way to the next art gallery. The first was the adorable “Marry Me Tizzie?” mural on Orleans and Division. The second was the “Survive” mural, located on Service and Winder. It was created by a traveling art exhibition named Survive, who also created a mini-documentary of the city.

Our final stop was the Red Bull House of Art. It’s a collaborative art exhibition that works with undiscovered artists and provides them with space to create. We got to see their work spaces along with their final art exhibits. As we were leaving, I stopped to take a picture of the front door and a friendly stranger jumped into the shot!

Detroit’s Eastern Market After Dark was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to go again next year. Check out OmniCorpDetroit's website here and Red Bull House of Art's website here for more information on the artists that were featured. Thanks to The Detroit Foodie for suggesting places to visit! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Posted by : Unknown
0 Comments