I never tire of walking into a door of a place you have never been.
You might imagine by the outside of Aglamesis Bro. ice cream parlor that the inside surely serves a good scoop.
Well it may have had to do with the pink seats, or black and white tiling, or the old fashioned counter, but I can most certainly report that the ice cream met our high expectations. It could compete for favorite tastebud pleaser in the midwest I am certain.
After The Brand Market workshop I wanted to catch up with Andrea Dozier who photographed the day, so we went ahead and snapped some pics to share with you all. If you ever drive through Cincinnati, you will be happy for making a pitstop at one of their two locations (Oakley and Montgomery).
Fun Facts about Aglamesis:
It was opened in 1908 by two brothers.
The marble was imported from Portugal to build the inside counters.
The parlor’s popularity carried it through the Great Depression and WWII.
To this day, it is still family owned and operated.
Aglamesis Brothers is considered one of the last standing original ice cream parlors of a bygone era.
There is something a little tough about your first born son turning another year older.
Each birthday also brings an anniversary; a day seared into your memory forever.
Tiny flailing limbs were placed on your body as you tried to grasp how you took part in creating their life.
Love pours forth from your heart and soul as you were put face to face with the little babe who, with his first heartbeat, gave you the name mother.
From that day forward you never fall asleep again without wondering if you did everything okay that day.
You will never wake again without someone else’s life being more important than your own.
You watch as with each inch they grow, a little more independence is sprouted. You hold your breath, hoping this won’t be the last day you can pick him up in your arms.
And when that day comes and goes, you hold your breath, hoping this won’t be the last day he asks for his goodnight hug and kiss.
You understand God gave them to you to watch and protect, and that he is not yours to keep forever, but you sure wish the keeping part would take a pause now and then.
You wish with each birthday you could have squeezed in a little more time before the clock steals away another year.
With your first born, each birthday brings a year of new firsts and a close to a year of new experiences.
You look at them with tear filled eyes, and wish under your breath you could just hold them once more as a newborn babe looking at his mother for the first time.
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We love you Gabriel Joseph, and are so proud of the big heart your are growing inside your little 6 year old body. Mama (I hope you call me that just a little longer too.)
I grew up in Cincinnati and Columbus, OH so this past Brand Market workshop felt like coming home. I was so happy to get back and start the first workshop of the year! Since baby is due early August, this will be one of only two workshops this year. We do however, have a new website launching and some exciting announcements for The Brand Market coming in June! ( I am really good at trying to launch things right before a baby comes…what is my problem?!) I’ll be sharing sneak peeks along with helpful business tips along the way on The Brand Market instagram handle if you want to follow along.
I have been really lucky to have such a good team of co-hosts with each workshop:
Each have a different story of how they started their businesses, and each had a wealth of helpful advice to share on building an authentic business or blog from the ground up.
If you haven’t yet experienced Haven Magazine, dive into their story and sign up for their premier print only issue. I have been devouring mine! Liz Young talked about the experience of navigating her way into editorial and the incredible process of funding a print magazine.
Chris Sutton and his wife (they work together on this business!) broke down practical steps of building and growing Noble Denim and launching a sister brand, Victor Athletics. It was fascinating and extremely well done.
Tiffany Mitchell shared her step by step process of creating an effective business instagram brand and even gave us a lesson on styling and photography.
We had such a cool mix of entrepreneurs at the event and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow.
I got to meet long time friend Andrea Dozier who captured the day behind the lens so well. Mark her down for your go to photographer for the midwest.
Hope you all have a rain free spring weekend:)
I welcomed this week’s bump style breakdown with open arms. Continuing the series with my friends Jessica of Little Baby Garvin and Leanne from Elle Apparel to breakdown ways to navigate through pregnancy through limited wardrobe options! Here’s what I have been living in…
Sweatshirt tee – Longer length tees are a must with a growing bump. I had serious muffler midriff going on with my normal tees so Pea in the Pod came to the rescue with this one. Gabe is beginning to wonder if I threw away all of my other three shirts that fit because this one is all I want to wear.
Distressed denim – As I am nearing my third trimester, I can no longer fudge the non-maternity pants and jeans. I really just look forward to finding things that are no-fuss. I was a firm believer there were no such thing as a comfortable and stylish pair of maternity jeans until I tried these. Have never tried a softer and more comfortable pair. I might even wear them post pregnancy because of how good they fit. I wish I would have just invested in a good pair of jeans with my first baby!
Baseball cap – To hide my frizzy mane now that the warm weather has arrived in GA..
Sporty kicks – Found these incredible comfortable kicks at a thrift store. Couldn’t believe my luck considering I had been eyeing these for months. My feet are quite happy. They made the hike up Rock city an easier one.
Head over to Little Baby Garvin and Elle Apparel for two more sporty style looks I am taking notes from! You can find previous looks we have styled here. Cheers to the almost weekend!
x, Anna
P.S. By the way this bump is shaping up I have a growing feeling of what the gender will be. Any guesses? 😉
We have lived in our current rental home for over three years now, and have yet to touch the guest room (which is also the baby room). We are working on a bedroom overhaul with Anthropologie (stay tuned!), and I thought it would be fun to share the process of how I tackle a room from scratch. Here is what we are working with so far…
With our dining room, I started with the rug, and built up from there. This time, I put together the board of items we will be using from as well as chose the wall color (a light grey), and the rug choice is what will tie it all together. I recently stumbled on Loloi rugs, and was really impressed with their selection, their makers, and how unique the designs were. Here is what I consider when selecting a rug for a room…
1) Light or dark colors? – Think through your color scheme and layout a visual board to help you decide if you will go for a bold or subtle color. Bold or dark colors can pull out the more subtle patterns and tones in your room pieces. The rug color also affects how the light hits the room, and where your eye is drawn. I have a tendency for bold color, but since I am leaving the textiles mainly neutral with a hint of color, I wanted the rug to be a darker contrast.
2) Pattern or Solid? – If you have more of a bohemian style, you may be drawn to more pattern play. You can mix many patterns if they compliment each other. I chose my patterns to be mainly in the textiles so that if we need to change things up down the road those are the easiest to switch in and out. Since these patterns aren’t extremely bold, I knew I could go for a little more pattern in the rug. If you have a good deal going on in your bedspread or wallpaper, a solid color rug might be a better option.
3) Texture – The texture of a rug change the overall mood of the room. If you have a shaggy or ultra plush rug, it can offer a cozy bedroom vibe while a short haired/material rug gives a more clean and polished look. Again, this is all determined according to personal style, but I was looking for a short haired rug for the main goal for this space, which is also easier to vacuum and clean!
4) Wear and tear – If the rug will be in a high traffic area of your home you want to choose one that will require minimal cleaning and not reveal as much wear and tear. For instance, I knew my living and family room rugs would have frequent feet walking across them, so I went with darker colors with easy vacuum texture. In our bedroom, I knew it would be mainly just my husband and I in and out of the room so I knew I could get away with a white plush rug. This however wouldn’t survive in my children’s room. Since this room will eventually house the new baby, I chose a darker color that would hide any future stains that are almost guaranteed.
These are just a few things I think about when determining a rug choice. I took a risk with the black and tan rug from the Journey Collection (pictured middle right above), but have a feeling I will love the outcome. It is quite a beauty in person.
What are you drawn to in a rug? I will never tire of looking at and hunting for rugs. When my home is done I will come find rugs for yours, k? 😉
I hold onto normal jeans as long as possible when I am pregnant. I have arrived at the point of too snug for comfort though, and this is my easy solution for converting my regular jeans into “maternity jeans.” I bought a couple inexpensive pairs through Twice, so I didn’t shed a tear over cutting these up a bit. There are several ways to make DIY maternity jeans, but this is a way to avoid the big band or hosiery belly that I try to hold out on. Head over to the eHow style blog for the easy step by step tutorial. (Bonus: no sewing machine required.
Have you all gotten a good dose of these cherry blossoms in your area? I am pretty sure there the only ingredient to a good mood for the day;)
Shoes have been the hardest thing for me to cut out excess of (I come from a long line of hat and shoe hoarders), but I am determined to work my selection into smart choices of good quality, and ethically made pairs. It is so easy to fall for the bargain deals, and I admit I even fell victim to the lure as recent as last week! However, I keep going back to the video in this post, and am trying to make sure my dollar continues to go towards the right people if possible.
I discovered Poppy Barley shoes through a friend and really loved getting to know their story. Two sisters wanted to create luxury products at attainable price points in addition to allowing total transparency in the way these products are manufactured. My favorite aspect of the shoes is that they do custom width! A dream come true for me since I have purchased numerous pairs that result in blistered feet after a few hours because they were too narrow at the wrong places. Needless to say these booties have been a dream come true when all I crave is comfort (style is a perk of course). The soles have cushioning that support the pressure points in your feet as well.
They recently released their spring line and sold out of these snakeskin back booties fast, but excited to inform you all that they brought back 5 limited edition pairs for IHOD readers! If you want to invest in some long haul, with you to the end booties, get them before they are gone!
x, Anna
* Clothing rack can be purchased at the IHOD Shop.
