#BuffaloLinks

This week's Buffalo Links are highlighting 3 places in the Buffalo food industry. Check it out!

Now open at 520 Elmwood Ave. Saigon Café is the place to go for that Asian flare you may be craving!

If you're looking for really good Fish and Chips check out British Chippy on South Park Ave. in Buffalo.

Division Market- a local meat distributing company providing meats to a variety of restaurants and food trucks. If you're in the business and want to buy local check them out.

#WinterBUF Canalside

Over the holidays my friend Agnes and I hit up Canalside. Agnes who is from Buffalo originally, lives in Chicago and was home for the Holidays, so I wanted to show her all of the progress going on downtown. Being it was a Tuesday afternoon, we hit up 716 first to fill our bellies and enjoy some brews before hitting the ice. When we arrived outside, we thought it wouldn't be a problem to grab some ice bikes from Ice Bikes of Buffalo, but we were wrong...there was a two and a half hour wait and the line to ice skate was long enough that we didn't want to stand in it! So we had to change up our strategy and we decided to just walk around the area check out all of the skaters and take in the new vibe that is happening at our waterfront.

Even though I was bummed we didn't get on the bikes {even if we wanted to it would have been so crowded} it was nice to see all of the people {on a Tuesday afternoon} down at Canalside. I'm hoping when I go back in a couple weeks, I'll have my chance at one of the bikes. In the meantime I'm enjoying all the updates and pictures I've been seeing on social media.

If you haven't been down to Canalside yet, this is the perfect weekend to do so {as long as you don't mind crowds}. Harborcenter is hosting a three day Winterfest, full of fun activities for everyone. For more info click here.

-B

{Filling our bellies with delicious food from 716}

{Experience your adventure}

{Ice Bikes of Buffalo}

{My panoramic shot of Canalside/Harborcenter}

{Make sure to get in on Visit Buffalo Niagara's social media fun and use the #WinterBuf when posting.}

"Lose Your Head In The Clouds"

As we kickoff the week and get back into some sort of daily routine, it's only fitting {for me} to look ahead at January. This past weekend was unusual for me, outside of a really fun game night with friends on Friday night, I had nothing else planned and for once, it was quite nice. I tend to always fill up my calendar with things to do, not because I don't want to, but because I feel like I will miss out on something if I don't have something to do {that's silly, isn't it?}.

So I got to thinking, sometimes having that time to yourself is the best thing for you. For me, it gives me time to focus more on my goals and aspirations and to be frank, just live in the moment. One of my most current goals is to "take time to smell the roses." Instead of always feeling like I have to do ten million things all the time and crunching tons of activities into my calendar, {leaving myself feeling like I have know "me time"} I'm going to focus on quality over quantity and try to learn that its ok to not be everywhere, all the time. Its ok to not have a plan or an agenda and to just go "wherever the wind takes me."

January is going to be about reprioritizing my life, building on relationships I already have in place and focusing a little bit more on me and not trying to please everyone, because we all know that is very hard to do.

What's on your agenda for January? Do you have anything specific you want to tackle this month? No thought is to big or to crazy, so go ahead and "lose your head in the clouds."

-B

Friday Favorites!

{Visiting Gram's and found this in the toy room. Brings me back to my childhood days}

It's the second day of the 2015, I hope the new year is treating all of you well! Have a wonderful weekend!

-B

{2015 I'm ready for you!}

{The life that has been brought back to Canalside is awesome!}

{The Lodge on Chippewa is one of the perfect spots to hit up during the winter months, the beautiful décor ties in perfectly with the wintery weather}

{I exceeded the expectations of my blog this year, thanks to all of you!}

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope all of you had a wonderful New Year's Eve! I'm wishing you and yours a wonderful New Year filled with happiness, good health and prosperity. Cheers to 2015!

-B

Saying Goodbye to 2014 and Hello to 2015

It's the end of the year and like a lot of people we all take time to look back and reflect on this past year. I feel like I tend to do this more often throughout the year, not just at the end of December. 2014 was a year of growth for me... building relationships, facing fears and living outside "my shell." I learned to snowboard, ran my first half marathon, climbed ropes and cables in trees and expanded my courage more than I thought I ever would. 2014 wasn't all great things though, I experienced hardships with the loss of loved ones, felt defeated at times and just wanted to give up. I guess one of the good things about reflecting back on your year is that even if you think you haven't grown or made improvements somewhere in your life, you do, sometimes you just may not see it.

While I'm happy with what 2014 brought me, I look forward to what 2015 holds not only for me, but for Buffalo as well. I'm not one to make resolutions, but I do constantly make goals for myself throughout the year and am looking forward to challenging myself to be a "better me."

Thank you for your continued support of Just a Blonde in Buffalo this past year. Until next time!

xxoo

-B

Here are some photos of mine throughout the year:

{The cranes down by Harbor Center January 2014}

{My snowboarding adventure in February at Holiday Valley}

{My 29th birthday at Paint on Tap with some of the best friends I could ask for}

{A visit to the Hamburg Brewing Company and interview with Jeff at Resurgence Brewery were just a couple highlights from April}

{My first rock concert, a makers class and much more kicked off the month of May}

{June was a great month full of living life and completing my first half marathon}

{July was about some of the biggest events I've done so far in my career}

{August was a month I will remember for a long time. Receiving a 30 under 30 award was one of the biggest highlights from 2014}

{September I faced another fear of mine.. heights and among the ropes course we kicked off the football season, visited restaurants and enjoyed the almost fall season}

{October was a trip to Disney, an introduction to new non-profit organizations, turning the falls pink with my Mom and picking pumpkins}

{November was a month of unexpected snow, a new addition to our family and prepping for the holidays}

{December was about enjoying friends and family during the craziest of times. It brought with it events, craft classes, a trip to NYC and much more!}

Ringing in the New Year in Western New York #BuffaloLinks

If you're still looking for something to do for New Year's Eve, there are plenty of options to choose from around town. Below are just a few {more of the popular events} taking place. Whatever you choose to do, have fun, be smart and don't drink and drive.

-B

For those who want to enjoy some music, food, and a guitar drop, ring in the new year in Niagara Falls, NY by the Hard Rock Café, for more info click here.

Perfect for the whole family, check out First Night Buffalo's drug and alcohol free event at the Buffalo Convention Center.

For those looking for a fancier way to celebrate the new year, there are still spots open for Statler City's Ice Ball.

And for those who want to go out, but go the more casual route, check out the free shuttle taking people around Hamburg, thanks to the Hamburg Brewing Company!

Ice, Skates, Pick Up Hockey, Curling, Gold Domes and Labatt Blue Silo's

This past weekend, I took my Dad, niece and best friend Agnes {who is in from Chicago} down to Buffalo Riverworks {we wanted to go to Canalside for the ice skating, but due to the warm weather we couldn't skate down there}. Buffalo Riverworks was pretty cool, we got to watch a pick up hockey game on one rink {the boys were nice to look at ;)} and on the other one we watched them set up for the curling lessons that were going to take place. We walked over to take some pictures of the Labatt Blue silo's before heading back at noon for open skate.  Unfortunately, they didn't have small enough skates for my niece and because it seemed there was a bit of disorganization as people were walking in, so we headed to Rotary Rink to test our luck and see if they had small enough skates for a 4 year old.

After are short trip down the street, we were in luck and Rotary Rink not only had skates for my niece, but it was a couple bucks cheaper for kids {$2 for kids 12 and under} and adults {$3}. There was a decent crowd on the ice, but it wasn't to bad. It was the perfect weather, while it was a little warmer than usual, the wind was still present downtown to make it just a tad chilly.

There is so much going on during the winter months, if you have people in from out of town, it is the perfect time to show them around the city - showing them all the new developments taking place, is pretty awesome! We spent an afternoon downtown and I still feel like it wasn't enough time to take in all the exciting things going on. Until next time!

-B

{Getting the ice ready for curling lessons}

{Not only an awesome view of some of the hockey players, but of downtown in the background}

{Down at Rotary Rink on Main St.}

Friday Favorites!

Christmas has come and gone and with that came a lot of laughs, memories and carbs! I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy this weekend! -B

{Post confetti for the ball drop in NYC, we all wrote down what we wished for, for 2015}

{Like a true New Yorker, this Metro Card came in handy last weekend!}

{The best place in Albany, NY ---Café Madison!}

{Christmas Eve at my Aunt's house is always the best. I love the childhood books and toys I saw on Christmas Eve. Classic traditions!}

{See this on the gift tags? It will never get old. To Beth From Santa}

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas filled with love, laughs and memories to cherish for the years to come!

-B

Tick-Tock Let's Try To Beat That Clock

Its Christmas Eve and before the holiday gatherings take place later today there will still be some last minute shoppers making the trip out to malls, local boutiques and grocery stores today. Their are those who haven't started at all and those who need to pick up small, here and there gifts. Whatever the case may be, below is a guide for some places that are open today to help you get those last minute gifts you still need!

-B

MALLS:

• Walden Galleria {Cheektowaga} - 8am - 5pm
• Niagara Falls Outlet Malls {Niagara Falls, NY} - 10am - 6pm
• McKinley Mall {Blasdell} - 8am - 5pm
• Boulevard Mall {Amherst} - 7am - 5pm

Department Stores:

• Target {store hours may vary by location} - 7am - 10pm
• Kohls {store hours may vary by location} - 12am - 6pm
• Kmart {store hours may vary by location} - 12am - 10pm

Local Clothing Boutiques and Businesses in the Elmwood Village, Hertel Ave., Main St. in Williamsville and East Aurora:

• From what I found it looks like most stores in these areas will be open from 10am - 4pm today.

A LOT of BuffaLOVE in NYC

This past weekend I set sail and headed up the 90 to Albany to visit my friend Shanna. On Saturday we took the train from Poughkeepsie and headed to the big Apple to visit our friend Lacey. Let's just say the 3 of us combined = A LOT of BUFFALOVE!! Are trip consisted of not shopping, but instead, enjoying each others company, our friendship and having some beers and seeing the Holiday sights and sounds.

We landed in Grand Central Station and our first stop was the Buffalo Bills Bar, McFaddens. After that we went on the subway and headed to Brooklyn to have some beers at Brooklyn Brewery {what an awesome place!}. We played Uno, had some laughs and then headed to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas Tree! Something I've never done before. It was crazy how many {more!} people were there, but it was so pretty! Afterwards we walked around Times Square, stopped at Mercury Bar to have dinner and then headed back to Grand Central to end our day.

It was a nice day trip in the city, with some of the bestest friends I have. I can't wait until the next time!

-B  

{Lacey and I at Brooklyn Brewery}

{Shanna and I hanging out at the brewery!}

{Subway}

{Model and Pep}

{Just a blonde in Buffalo in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree}

Monday's Thoughts

During a time when we should be loving more than hating... nothing has ever been solved by anger and hate. If we want to see change in this world we have to start making a difference in a positive light.

-B

Friday Favorites!

Another week has come and gone! Here are some of things that made me smile this past week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! -B

{ Another Win for the Bills last Sunday. I will never get tired of seeing this at the Ralph }

{ The trains going by on Broadway }

{ A unexpected, but very nice Thank You/Happy Holidays gift from the Vera Bradley Foundation }

{ Call me old fashioned, but one thing I love the most is sending and receiving Christmas Cards in mail }

{ I love this chandelier of Santa Hats at Salvatore's }

#BuffaloLinks

This week the links are a little limited {my apologies}, but they are just as great as every other weeks #BuffaloLinks.

Tonight down at Canalside is the kick off of the new ice rinks and winter activities. The ribbon ceremony and festivities begin at 5:00pm. For more information click here.

Part of the winter activities at Canalside are the Ice Bikes of Buffalo. I can't wait to try this out in the next couple of weeks!

Buffalo's first Blow Dry Bar located on Main St. in Clarence, Elle Air offers great services, is accepting new clients and will make you feel beautiful!

Holiday Cocktails with Slim Lizzy's

 

Can you believe Christmas Eve is one week from today and New Year's Eve is only 14 days away!  And with that comes the preparations, the gatherings at loved ones homes, the parties and so on. One question everyone will ask is what you'd like to drink and my friends over at Slim Lizzy's have some of the perfect holiday cocktail recipes for you to enjoy!

Below are two signature drinks that you can use in the upcoming weeks to treat yourself and your girlfriends!

Cranberry Holiday Mint Cosmo

• 4 oz. Slim Lizzy’s Cosmo
• 2 oz. Cranberry juice Muddled mint
• Shake Slim Lizzy’s Cosmo and cranberry juice together with muddled mint
• Strain over ice
• Garnish with mint leaf and cranberries

{Photo's courtesy of Slim Lizzy's}

Cosmo in a Pear Tree

• 4 oz. Slim Lizzy’s Cosmo
• 2 oz. Pear Vodka
• 1 oz. Grenadine
• 1 oz. Ginger ale
• Shake together Slim Lizzy’s Cosmo, Pear Vodka and Grenadine
• Top with ginger ale and garnish with a cherry

{Each cocktail is under 200 calories and can be found at Tops or NOCO stores in Western New York.}

Slim Lizzy's is a slim social cocktail for women. New to the area, Slim Lizzy's can be found in the pre-select areas of the Northeast, Buffalo is one of those lucky markets! Offering two delicious flavors, the Margarita and Cosmopolitan, each are only 80 calories {making it perfect for us ladies who enjoy a couple cocktails, but not the calories that come with having them}. Slim Lizzy's is malt-free and gluten-free.

So what are you waiting for? Try Slim Lizzy's out and enjoy your Holidays! Cheers!

-B

{Women Who Move the City} Lisa, Gridlock Lacquer

Today I'm featuring a woman who I have followed since she opened her business in 2013. Lisa from Gridlock Lacquer began mixing, combining and creating nail polish with a little Buffalo love and since her business began she has only expanded and is doing bigger and better things. Check out my interview with Lisa below. -B

How did Gridlock Lacquer get started?

It was started when I started noticing how major nail polish and cosmetic labels were re-branding the way products were sold. Instead of "sunset pink" or "mauve" nail polish, the major brands starting naming their polishes things like "I'm Not Really a Waitress" or "Topless & Barefoot" or "It's Raining Men". Women started to buy the products almost as much for the name as they were for the color. I thought it would be fun to bring that idea to a local level and create a collection based on things, events and history of Buffalo.

What is the thing you enjoy the most about owning your own business?

I own the successes and I own the mistakes. If the product is poor, that's  on me but if it's great then I know I'm doing something right. It also allows for dreaming much more than a traditional career. I'm only limited by myself and the only people I report to are my customers.

What is one thing you want people to know about you and Gridlock Lacquer, that they may not know?

Gridlock Lacquer is hand mixed! This means hours and hours have been spent blending colors, dropping mixing balls, filling bottles, adding brushes, twisting caps and labeling. It's a labor of love and very time intensive. I love that this is a hand mixed product and that it is made in Buffalo. It's my own tiny contribution to the re-shoring of American manufacturing haha j/k.

Where can they find your product?

-Online at gridlocklacquer.com

-At the Broadway Market on Saturdays from now through Easter

-At a bunch of retail stores in Buffalo, Rochester and Cleveland. The list can be found on the website if you're looking for something in your area. {Click here for the list}

Do you host private parties for those who want to make their own nail polish?

YES and it's so fun! I've only done a couple but people have had a blast and come up with some really creative colors! Eventually I hope to get to a place where I have a location that allows me to host the events myself and then people can just sign up when they'd like to participate instead of needing to assemble a group.

What is one thing you love about Buffalo?

Just one? Buffalo is such an underdog story. Everyone loves to root for the underdog and watch it come out on top.

Any other info you’d like to provide? Upcoming events you’ll be at? Promotions you are doing, etc?

Keep an eye out for coupon codes on social media!

Follow on FB, Instagram {@GridlockLacquer}, Twitter {@GridlockLacquer} . They've got all the updates on location, events, sales and new products. All are listed as: gridlocklacquer

I'll be at the Broadway Market on Saturdays, extra days around Christmas and 2 full weeks before Easter with a fresh set of Spring colors. The market is super fun and a really important piece of Buffalo's history, so stop by!

I stopped by the Broadway Market on Saturday and picked up a bunch of gifts for the holidays, the nail polish makes great stocking stuffers!. Check out some of my photos below. Thank you Lisa for believing in Buffalo and helping keep Buffalo moving forward, in a stylish way!

I love the names!

Other accessories to go with the nail polish, nail decals, soaps, nail polish remover

Queen City Market

Tis the season to shop! Being that I'm a big #ShopLocal gal I decided to head to Karpeles Manuscript Library on Saturday to get a chunk of my Christmas shopping done at the Queen City Market event. First things first, what an awesome venue this event was held in, the architecture is beautiful! Second, so many local vendors were on hand, some that I never even heard of before {that made for great networking opportunities} and they offered unique finds. This event had variety, something that you don't always find at some events. It was nice to walk around and not see the same thing on each table. Another great thing on my list, it was affordable! Some of the items I purchased at this event I would have paid double at if I went to a large retail store.

I know that if the event is held next year, I would definitely go back. There are to many reasons on my list not too. To see a list of who was there click here. Below are pictures of some of my favorite vendor tables and shots of the venue.

-B

Friday Favorites!

This week has been a challenging one for me mentally. I like to see progress in everything I do and when nothing changes over a period of time you have to walk away from it, even if its something you don't want to do. Being the bigger person in some situations isn't always the best thing, but its the right thing. I'm hoping a weekend with family, Christmas shopping and football will relieve some of my stress. In the meantime here are a few photos that made me smile this past week.Enjoy! -B

{Deck the Halls this past weekend}

{A classic car and white Buffalo on Main St. in Buffalo}

{The Ellicott Square Building is beautiful without any decorations, so having this tree set-up makes for a stunning display}

{Anyone up for some "snow" ball. A snowy Coca-Cola Field}

Creating, Making and Designing Something Different

Last week, my friends and I got together for a fun and creative ladies night out! We all met at Modern Nostalgia for Makers/Pear Design Studio, String Art Class. We had a blast! The class cost $42, came with all the supplies and you could bring your own vino and light snacks. You also received a discount off purchases made throughout the store. The class began at 6:30 and we left around 9pm.

Each one of us chose our own designs and hammered away at the reclaimed wood before picking our colors and stringing them all together. Laura from Pear Design Studio was an awesome teacher, motivating, guiding and encouraging us when we wanted to stop or thought are art pieces weren't good. She offered suggestions and was personable, just what you need for a class like this! Gretchen from Makers was great as well, making it easy to schedule the private class.

During a time, when everyone is super busy, this class was perfect because I got to spend an evening with some of my closest girlfriends catching up and doing something different. This was my second time taking a class from Makers and I highly suggest anyone who is looking for something fun to do, to take this or any other class by them, you won't be disappointed.

Check out some of the photos from my night below.

-B

Everything was all lined up, organized and ready to go when we arrived!

Just about done hammering away at my design.

We're ready to start stringing our colors together!

Hard at work!

Almost done!

Our finished masterpieces!