This week I’ve invited Maria Confer, of Hickory and Juniper, to share her favorite winter cocktail with us. I first “met” Maria when she was fashion blogging at Lulu Letty, and was struck by her ability to make vintage fashion relevant and fresh. Now I know she’s more than just a pretty face in a lovely dress- she’s a sweetheart and a creative homemaker too. When you head to her blog, check out what’s she’s done with her new small bungalow! But first, here’s what Maria has to say about her cocktail of choice:

I really got into classic drinks about eight years ago which just so happened to be around the same time that my husband, Cole, and I fell in love with movies like The Philadelphia Story (the Hepburn version, of course) and The Thin Man series. We would drink endless G&T’s, gin martinis, sidecars and old fashioneds. There’s no other drink that I love more in the winter than a classic old fashioned. Okay, maybe it’s a tie with a hot toddy, but when it comes to a whiskey cocktail, I avoid the popular Manhattan in favor of its lesser known cousin. My husband prefers bourbon and I like rye best, but whichever you choose you won’t be disappointed.

• An old fashioned glass
• Ice
• Sugar cube
• Bitters
• Teaspoon of water
• 2 oz of Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
• Maraschino cherry
• Orange slice

Place a single sugar cube in your glass. Drop three dashes of bitters on top of the cube. Add a teaspoon of water and crush your sugar. Twirl the mixture around in the glass to coat the sides. Add two ice cubes and pour the 2 ounces of the Bourbon or Rye Whiskey of your liking. Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.

Thanks, Maria!

Living in a small(ish) Midwestern city doesn’t mean you’re cut off from a creative community. In design school, everyone seemed so ready to rush off to Chicago or New York, but I stuck around and was so surprised to meet a lot of creative dreamers like myself, right here in my hometown of Canton, Ohio. Friends in Cleveland have also been fighting Ohio’s creative brain-drain by hosting a growing (and spectacular) creative conference and Summer music festival called Weapons of Mass Creation, drawing interest from successful designers and artists all around the U.S.A. The rust belt isn’t giving up. And downtowns all over “dying” rust belt cities are beginning to revitalize themselves and bring in people from the suburbs with fresh restaurants, music venues, artist communities.

My friend Tim had been dreaming about an artist co-op/gallery in downtown Canton, and finally got a space to make it a reality. Now, when you drive down Sixth Street North past The Auricle (my favorite live music venue in Canton), you’ll see The Hub right across the street. Tim chose New Year’s Eve for its grand opening, and we had fun looking through the gallery downstairs and having a dance party in the artists’ work space upstairs. I’m so excited to see howCanton develops thanks to people like Tim who decide to stay and make their city a better place!

(P.S. Here are pictures from last year’s party, and the year before that.)

I felt all eyes on me the first time I wore one. Sure, I had worn winter caps and slouchy berets before, but the first time I took a real chance and wore a vintage hat in public, I was terrified. Would I look like a goon? What would people think? But it was 2010, and this was the year I had firmly resolved to wear more hats. Although stepping away from the mirror and stepping out in public, I was so close to giving up on the whole silly New Year’s resolution.

Maybe it was the fear of what horrible hat hair laid beneath, but I resisted the temptation to leave the hat in my car, and to my surprise, I received so many compliments and delighted looks throughout my whole day! When I got home and put my hat back into its box, my feelings of insecurity had been changed into the heroic sentiments of a do-gooder. Really, wearing hats does make the world a bit of a better place!

It’s true that wearing a hat these days can take quite a bit of courage. They’re an endangered species, so wearing a hat will steal your anonymity and invite attention from strangers. But if you’re like I was, always admiring women who wear hats and wishing you could pull it off, you might decide to make a fun resolution this new year and commit to giving hats a chance. What’s there to lose? Okay, so there’s a little at stake. You don’t want to waste your hard-earned dollars on something you might never wear. So you’ll want to find a hat that you can wear with confidence. One that seamlessly blends in with your wardrobe and makes you feel like Audrey Hepburn reincarnate. Or Anna Karina. You just want to exude awesomeness. So let’s talk about some guidelines and tips that will get you to Awesometown. Continue reading »