In 2010 I ... discovered the MOST amazing shop

Hunt & Gather, where have you been all my life? Discovering you will likely make my top list of fantastic things in 2010. This amazing antiques outpost on 50th & Xerxes came recommended by the stylishly on-point Diana, and she promised I would love it. She was so right. My only disappointment is, having grown up just a few miles away, that I wasn't aware of it sooner!

H&G is an absolute scavenger/crafter's paradise. Not a typical antique store by any means, I consider it more of a used supply house. Everywhere you turn you're met with vintage signing, salvaged letters (metal, porcelain, glass ... you name it) and all sorts of buried finds.

On my first trip I came across a pile of old school flashcards and fell in love with the simple sans serif typeface and manila card stock with rounded edges. So I snagged a few and pulled together this easy framing project:

The cards were a mere $1.25 each, and combined with IKEA fabric I already owned and a clearance frame from Target purchased for a rainy day project like this, the whole thing came out to around $8. Shamefully easy and super cheap = right up my alley. So, I couldn't resist a second visit last weekend to purchase even more cards.

Poor Brooke. We spent last Saturday brunching and shopping, with what was likely a painfully long H&G visit. No clue what I'll be doing with these yet (likely framing more for gifts or something similar) but even if they simply stay put in my crafting pile, I couldn't be more thrilled to have discovered such a fantastic shop just minutes from my house.

In 2010 I ... went to my first Metal Show

I like a lot of music. I'm very open to listening to new music. I love going to shows. But metal music and metal shows ... hmm. Metal hasn't exactly been on my radar before. Ever. So when a friend's metal band was playing at the Hexagon on Friday, my interest was piqued. Plus I'd never been to Hexagon before, which just seemed wrong.

A metal-enthusiast friend told me in advance that our friend's band was very talented musically, which turned out to be true. It's just the lyric yelling I can't get behind. (The neon orange ear plugs being sold behind the bar was another sign this genre might not become my music mainstay.) I did truly enjoy myself and am glad to have added metal show attendance to my show checklist.


It might have also been a bit more shocking considering the contrast between these guys and Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps, the first show we saw Friday at the Kitty Kat Club.


I love this venue and it was a perfect spot for a band with such a sweet, melodic sound. They've been on my to-see list for awhile, and I'm already looking forward to tracking them down at any outdoor venue this summer ... they'd be perfect on a blanket with a beer when it's finally warm again.