Just a Blonde in Buffalo's Holiday Event Guide

The Holiday Season is upon us and with that comes a number of Christmas Tree lightings and pictures with Santa. Below is a list of Holiday events taking place from now thru the month of December. If there is something you see that's not on my list let me know, I'm always up for attending new events!! Happy Holidays!

-B

Holidays at the Market - the Broadway Market that is. Pay a visit to Santa, shop local vendors and get into the holiday spirit at a Buffalo staple.

The Fairgrounds - Festival of Lights - taking place throughout the month of November and December stop by the Fairgrounds for a holiday light spectacular.

Our Lady of Fatima Shrine - Festival of Lights - a beautiful place to visit

November 27, 28 & 29

Christmas in Ellicottville

Tuesday, December 1st

An annual favorite - Festival of Trees at the Niagara Power Vista - come see artificial evergreen trees light up by local non for profits who decorated them

Wednesday, December 2nd

Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo Haute Holiday Fashion Show

Friday, December 4th

Canalside Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting - 5-8pm come down to Canalside - ice skate, meet with Santa and watch the Tree light up the Ice.

Friday, December 4th & Saturday, December 5th

Hertel Holidays taking place - walk up and down Hertel Avenue, visiting the shops and dining and you may run into a visit from Santa Claus

Holiday Live at Larkin Square

Saturday, December 5th

Queen City Market event - Karpeles Manuscript {I went to this last year and there are a lot of local vendors with a lot of great gifts ideas - I knocked a lot of people off my list that day}.

Rotary Rink Tree Lighting beginning at 5pm - come for free ice skating and get into the holiday spirit

Pictures with Buster Claus - Coca Cola Field - come down to the ballpark for a unique picture opportunity with Buster Claus. Make a toy donation to Hillside Family of Agencies and be entered in a shopping spree

Wednesday, December 9th

Join Sarah Danielle {local Women's Boutique} for A City of Buffalo Artists Market. Taking place inside the beautiful Ellicott Square Building, a number of local vendors will be on hand from 4:30-9pm for all of your shopping needs.

Thursday, December 10

Wreath making with Makers Buffalo! Grab some friends and decorate a wreath for the Holidays with Makers and Fern Croft Floral

Friday, December 11

Tree of Hope Celebration at Roswell Park from 4:30-6:30pm

Saturday, December 12th

Buffalo Museum of Science - Celebrations - celebrate cultural traditions from around the world with fun family activities taking place from 10-4pm.

Deck the Halls at the Niagara Power Project - 10-4pm Free pictures with Santa and you can take a stroll on the trolley.

Saturday, December 19th

East Aurora Carolcade - I remember attending this when I was younger and it was so much fun. Make a day of it and stop by the famous Vidlers and MUSEjar's Holiday Market event!

Woman Who Move Buffalo - Vanessa from MUSEjar

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

Making my way to the beautiful East Aurora, I walked into Musejar for the first time and literally shouted out how much I loved the space and just stood there for a minute to take it all in. So if you didn't know already today I am featuring Vanessa from MUSE Jar on the blog as a Woman Who Moves Buffalo because of her pure creativity and passion she has brought into the Western New York community.

Majoring in the film industry in NYC Vanessa moved back home and started working at Red Fish Art Studio {located next door to Musejar}. While she was there she noticed that there weren’t any art supply stores in the area and decided to open shop.

2+ years later things are only getting bigger and better for her. Not only does Musejar offer a wide variety of supplies {paint brushes, chalk spray paint, Rublev Natural Paint Pigment, etc.}, but she also hosts an array of art classes {public and private} , parties for all ages {Birthday, Bridal, Holiday, etc.} and collaborates with a lot of local businesses in and out of East Aurora on a number of events. And if you don’t see an art supply you need, she can order them for you!

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photos}

Outside of her store, Vanessa does offer offsite lessons and parties – she has done workshops with Fisher Price and has started working with Mandala School in East Aurora to help fill a void with art programs being cut. Her business is a great space to go, for those who still want to get a great art experience.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

When asked what some of her favorite areas of her business are, she said she loves the farm-to-table events and wants to grow them more, hoping to make it more of a retreat and offering the full experience. She loves events where she can collaborate with other people and businesses. "The possibilities are endless when you can work with more people." Hosting kids birthday parties are also a favorite of Vanessa’s. "The raw creativity that comes out of it is amazing." Being surrounded by creativity everyday keeps her very inspired. Instructors and students who walk through these doors, they are all a daily inspiration for her.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

When I asked her what she loves about Western New York she said she loves the East Aurora community, everyone is very supportive of one another and help each other to succeed. The town is changing and evolving and people are being open-minded. Being here is exciting, young families are moving back and the area feels like a “little Brooklyn.”

There are a number of things about MUSEjar that I love, but the one that sticks out the most is that it’s one of a kind. Vanessa taps into areas that you don’t normally think of. When talking with Vanessa she gives off a great energy and you can tell she loves what she does and is passionate in her work. I asked her what MUSEjar means and she said an inspirational jar. She wants people to walk in the store and get inspired, by the supplies, artwork and environment. The goal is to have the store be one large jar of inspiration and it certainly was for me.

Stop by the Holiday Market event she is hosting on December 19th during the East Aurora Carolcade. Come before, during or after the event to check out her shop and the other participating vendors. Let's help make this a destination spot to visit every year.

{MUSEjar photo from website}

Exploring Chestnut Ridge Park

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photos}

This past Sunday called for a coffee date with a friend who I haven't seen since the summer. Instead of sitting inside a coffee shop to catch up we grabbed the Cup of Joe to go and hit up Chestnut Ridge Park for a little hiking and exploring adventure. We started off in the main park area by the toboggans and then decided to find the "eternal flame" since neither one of us have seen it before.

We got to the park around 9:30 and were there for about an hour and a half, two hours. Small signs are placed on trees making it easy to follow on the trail and not get lost. Once we started heading back from seeing the flame, groups of people started to make their way through - justifying are decision to hit up the park early.

With this unseasonably warm weather we've been having I've been trying to take advantage of being outside every chance I can be. If the weather continues to be decent, my next stop is Devil's Hole in Niagara Falls, NY.

Until next time..

#BuffaloLinks - Lewiston Edition

With my trip to Lewiston Saturday night I thought I would focus my Buffalo Links on that area this week. Every time I make a visit out there are I always wish I had more time to walk the streets and pay visits to the local businesses.

{Photo - The Lewiston Stone House Website}

A wine bar that was recommended by a co-worker/friend, this is a must visit place on my list of things to do. The Lewiston Stone House

{Photo - Village Bake Shoppe Website}

A dessert shop that was closed when walking by {that is a good thing} the sweet treats that I saw look like they would taste heavenly. The Village Bake Shoppe

A quaint little bar and restaurant on Center St. in Lewiston. Apple Granny's offers a wide variety of American style food items. Definitely a place I would visit again.

A cute shop I wish was open, so I could have stopped in Sister & Brother a children's apparel store looks like they are on my list to visit next time.

Two simple words that can mean so much - Thank You to all the brave men and women who have served and are currently serving are Country.

#BuffaloLinks

 

{Photo - Fern + Arrow Facebook page}

This will probably become my second favorite shop on Elmwood after Anna Grace. Fern + Arrow opened last week and I'm obsessed with every photo that is posted. I can't wait to stop in to purchase items for my new home.

{Photo - Nickel City Chef  Facebook page}

Tomorrow night feed your face and help fund a farm. Big Fuss 5.0 is taking place at Artisan Kitchen & Baths from 5:30-8pm. For more info click here.

{Just A Blonde in Buffalo photo}

A new update to the Buffalo Pedal Tours - As the company continues to grow, they celebrated their first anniversary and announced some exciting news - peddlers can now BYOB - there are some restrictions though -  a 12 ounce can per rider or a few 6 oz plastic bottles of wine per rider works out fine. No glass. No hard liquor. After all the purpose of the pedal tour it to visit and experience local Buffalo bars. They also announced they will be installing motors on a few crawlers to assist going up the Michigan Street lift bridge.

{Photo- Deep South Taco Facebook page}

For those taco Tuesday lovers out there Deep South Taco is a new place downtown to check out. For more info on hours and menu click here.

Friday Favorites!

Last week I attended the 43 North finalist awards event at Shea's and it was pretty to cool to see the excitement happening in this area. Attendees also received a custom We Make Buffalo New Era Cap.

Main Street downtown looks good at night

A stop to the Cuba antique shop this past weekend was fun. Seeing all the old "treasures" was pretty cool.

The local beer aisle at Wegmans is one of my favorite aisles at the grocery store.

Fancy "City of Light" Prosecco was on hand at the Canalside event this past week.

City of Light

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

My friend Jen and I were one of the 8,000 some people that attended the illumination event at Canalside last night. While it was a neat experience and nice to see I am going to be honest and say I wasn't "wowed" by the event. Leading up to the event you saw it all over social media and the news that it was going to be this big event and it was {I mean 8,000 people is a lot of people} but it wasn't as lively as I thought it would be.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

I will probably get some people who disagree with me, but I'm just being honest. For all the hype that built around it I guess you could say I was expecting more. More of what, I don't know.. I thought the music was mediocre and maybe I wasn't as patient to see the illuminations appear and change. Yes, it was nice to see lights on the grain elevators, yes I think it was cool that we had people and companies step up to make this happen and yes, I think having that many people in our community come out to attend the event was beyond great, but I think I would enjoy the experience of seeing the lights just as much on any other night. Maybe I'm being to critical, but that was my take on the City of Light.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

To The Suburbs We Go...

Nestled off of Transit Rd in Depew {across from Depew High School} is the Thai House. I never heard of this restaurant until my friend Annette told me about it. We went there for her birthday dinner and it was a cute place. You can dine in or take out. I went with the Pad Thai dish with shrimp and it was good {if I ordered it again, on the spicy scale I would have ordered it hot instead of medium because it wasn't to spicy}.

It's a cute restaurant in the suburbs and a great place to go if you are catching up with a friend, the staff checks on you once or twice, but is pretty scarce so if you are on a time limit  it may be best to do the take out option.

Until next time...

-B

Hey There November!

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

We are on the 2nd day of November and before you know it we will be hearing the Christmas tunes on the radio {insanely early} and it will be Thanksgiving. This month my focus is mostly on moving into my new home, but with that I have been following some local home décor/furniture shops that I am looking forward to checking out. Below are the few businesses I've been following, along with some other exciting things taking place around town this month that I hope I can try to attend.

-B

• Ro Home Shop
• Patricia's Back Barn
• Room Buffalo

Fun events taking place this month:

• Grain Elevator Illumination - Nov. 4th
• Buffalo Without Borders - Nov. 5th
• Liquor and Letterpress at WNY Book Art Center - Nov. 7th

{Women & Children's Hospital photo}

• A fun event taking place at the Buffalo Niagara Marriott for the little girls on November 8th

{Buffalo Zoo photo}

• Alex and Ani on Main St. in Williamsville is hosting an event on Monday Nov. 9th to benefit the Buffalo Zoo.

• Providence Social Happy Hour with the Buffalo Zoo - Thursday, Nov. 19th {more info to come on this}
• Small Business Saturday - shop and support local on November 28th

Friday Favorites!

Checking out a beautiful sunset from the Marriott Harborcenter from a 43 North event this past week.

A haunted hayride, beer and a bonfire. Becker Farms seems to have it all when it comes to fall activities.

I have been sick all week - so when I came across these cute little messages on my Halls wrappers it made me feel a little better {corny and a little childish I know}.

I still can't get over how pretty Griffis Sculpture Park is. I can't wait to go back.

Cool Art at a Sculpture Park

I've had the Griffis Sculpture Park on my bucket list of places to visit for over a year now, so I was determined this past weekend to pay a visit and do some exploring while getting some fresh air with my niece. A 45-50 minute drive from Buffalo, the park is located just before Ellicottville {driving down to Ellicottville this time of year is beautiful with the fall foliage taking place which was an added bonus}. There are three different trails to travel in the park; Green - easy, Blue- moderate, Red- hard. My niece and I went through the green trail and half of the blue trail before turning around because her sneakers were soaked. It was definitely a cool place to go and for a small donation of $5 for anyone over 12 {seniors and students $3} it was a nice way to spend your afternoon.

The park is open May thru October and closed for the winter, if you've never been it is definitely a place I would say you should check out come next spring. While we only spent a couple hours there, guests can have picnics and make a full day of it. Whatever your bring in, they ask that you take out with you. Below are some of the handful of pictures I snapped.

-B

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo Photos}

As you entered the park sculptures were on both sides of the road

The entrance to the green trail

The scenery was just beautiful

People Who Move Buffalo: Dan and Del from 26 Shirts

By now you have probably heard of the company 26 Shirts {and in case you haven’t here is a little blurb about them: 26 Shirts sells different limited edition sports-themed t-shirts every two weeks. After the two week period ends, the design is retired and never sold again. For every shirt sold, $8 is donated directly to a family in need. To see where donations have been made click here}. With that being said it is only fitting that I put them in my category for People Who Move Buffalo, because that's what they do.

Working out of suite 516 in the Tri Main Center on Main Street in Buffalo, 26 Shirts began in Buffalo and has expanded to other cities including Chicago, Pittsburgh and soon to be Cincinnati!

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with the masterminds behind this brilliant idea – Dan and Del and learn more about them, their background and some future plans for the company.

When I asked the guys what is it is that they love about their job, they both had similar answers, giving back. Dan said he loves having a business that is helping others with every sale made. Having the interaction from the company side and then with the family/child, the impact is amazing. Del loves helping families. His love for the Bills, t-shirts and the creative process together combine into paying it forward and helping others in need and that is the best feeling in the world.

To date 26 Shirts has raised over $164,000; that is a pretty impressive number and they aren’t done yet!

After talking with the guys I learned that they always are on their game, they plan ahead, but nothing is ever finalized until midnight. They like to be creative and authentic just like they like there product to be. When they look for artists they like to have people who know what is going on in their city, especially outside of Buffalo as they cannot always be in Chicago or Pittsburgh.

Recently the guys have brought back some best seller shirts – the “Comeback Shirts,” as they call them. For a limited time, people have a second chance to purchase a shirt they wanted,  but missed out on. The guys have recently partnered with Wegmans on this.

{just a blonde in Buffalo photo}

Dan and Del have also started to offer sponsorships with local companies who would like to get their name out there while helping a great cause. Sponsors come from big and/or small businesses within the community. Dan and Del are super flexible, so if you know of, or are a business interested in being a sponsor contact the guys here.

Another cool feature to be aware of is when you purchase a t-shirt you have the option to add on an additional monetary donation if you want.

The last thing I asked the guys was what they love about Buffalo. Both are born and raised here and this is what they said:

Del: Outside of his love for attending Bills games, he loves the summer time and Canalside. Every time you go down there is it continuously growing and expanding and that is pretty cool to see.

Dan: Loves the month of October and outside of football and hockey season being in full swing he likes to watch the baseball playoffs, loves Fall and the activities and events that come with it – specifically the Start Up events taking place with 43 North.

The guys are excited about the future and the amount of money they have been able to donate so far. They are looking forward to growing that number and helping more families in need. With that being said they wanted to thank everyone who has bought their idea and purchased a shirt. They also want to thank all of the artists they have worked with and who have helped them in this process.

At the end of day, to be able to work for yourself, be as creative as you want to be and to give back to your community and people in need on a daily basis is an amazing thing to do and the guys from 26 Shirts have a lot to be proud of.

Until next time.

-B

My Friday Favorites

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

When I stopped by the medical campus last week, I couldn't believe the progress that has been made, its definitely an area I would like to go back to, including hitting up this place for a pint and local fare.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

Walking past Groom Service Beauty Bar inside the Hotel Lafayette has always caught my eye so I decided to check out their services and get my hair styled for a wedding last week. Definitely a cute place to go to get pampered.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo Photo}

I will admit I LOVE flowers and these are a new favorite of mine thanks to Fern Croft. I'm horrible at remembering names so on that note I don't know the name of this flower type making it a blog fail, but they're pretty so it makes up for it.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photo}

Part of the Ooo La La Family at last weeks wedding at the Pearl Street Webb Building.

Stop and smell the flowers...

A cute little place on Main St. in Buffalo. Fern Croft Floral is owned by Erin Bauer who makes custom arrangements. On Saturday, thanks to my friend Amy from Linwood Candles, she told me about this mini workshop/event Erin was offering. It was on how to make wreaths and flowers and offered Butterblock oreos {those were yummy!} and Apple Cider. It was a nice way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday.

Here are some photos I snapped from Erin's studio.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photos}

"$5 Million. One Night" - 43 North

We are a little over a week away from meeting some of the best entrepreneurs and start up companies around the globe and its all taking place here in Buffalo, NY with the help of 43 North. 43 North is part of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's Buffalo Billion initiative which helps Buffalo and WNY with new economic opportunities. The competition operates with the support from The New York State Power Authority and Buffalo Billion.

Last week I was able to meet with Colleen Heidinger, Director of Events and Programming for 43 North and she broke down all of the fun and free events taking place starting Oct. 21st. The events taking place provide you with the opportunity to learn more about these entrepreneurs and their start up ideas while letting you interact and meet with community organizations you may not have known about before. During this week you also are given the opportunity to see a lot of the new economic development taking place in Buffalo through 43 North Week

A few of the events I am looking forward to attending are the following:

Oct. 26th - Think Big with 43 North  at the Buffalo Marriott Harbor Center - 5:30-8pm

Oct. 27th - Ping Pong Diplomacy - A ping pong competition taking place at 43 North  beginning at 6pm. To register email Colleen at colleen@43north.org

Oct. 29th - Finalists pitch session being held in the morning and afternoon with the awards ceremony taking place in the evening at Shea's. This is OPEN to the public and FREE. All you have to do is click here to get your tickets.

To see a complete list of events during 43 North Week click here.

{Colleen, 43 North}

Colleen is originally from Buffalo, moved away and worked with highly reputable companies planning events.  She decided to move back home to help make a difference and develop Buffalo and she is doing just that. With the help of Colleen not only do the finalists get to experience all Buffalo has to offer, Buffalonians are encouraged to come out to these free events to learn about the new and exciting things taking place in their hometown.

Star judges will be coming into town from all over the country to meet the finalists and hear their ideas {See a complete list of judges here}. This is a perfect night out - celebrate the city, before heading out to dinner. The winner will move to Buffalo by January 1 and receive mentorships from a variety of local partners and community supporters. For the complete list of sponsors you can check them out by clicking here.

I'd like to end with a quote from Colleen that I think sums up 43 North perfectly - "The award ceremony on Oct. 29th is not about trophies, its about building a culture of entrepreneurs while building the city and that is all possible because of the help from 43 North."

So what are you waiting for -click here to see the Next Things Now video from 2014 and get your tickets for Oct. 29th here to see where Buffalo is headed.

-B

My Friday Favorites

Coffee and  good conversation with a great gal pal at Sweetness 7 Café on Grant St.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but the barn at Arden Farms is magical at night.

Certainly a delicious culinary extravaganza Ilio DiPaolo's this past week.

Wednesday's were made for Wine Night and catching up with good friends and Coco on Main St. was the perfect place to do so.

#BuffaloLinks

{Photo from Kaleida Heath}

Take you kids to Salvatore's on Saturday and they can dress like their favorite Superhero. Click here for more details

{Photo from Escape Room Buffalo Facebook}

A new activity to do in Buffalo. Escape Room Buffalo opens tomorrow {October 14} and is sure to be a lot of fun. Check them out on Facebook.

{Photo from Sato Ramen Facebook page}

A new place I want to check out for lunch- Sato Ramen located in University Heights is a lower cost that Sato on Elmwood, but is calling to be equally delicious.

Down on the Farm with Muse Jar

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photos}

Saturday night my friend Tara and I headed to Arden Farm where we attended a farm table event with Muse Jar. The event was 3 hours and you made 4 Spanish tiles, drank some Spanish wines with Salut and had some delicious farm fresh food from Daily's Catering. All of this took place in a barn with the Troubadours providing music to calm those who felt like they had no clue how to draw {myself included}. Dan from Arden Farm provided tours and Vanessa from Muse Jar walked around throughout the night offering to help anyone with their designs. It was nice to see everyone's own personality coming through in their artwork. Overall the event was fun and something different to do. A lot of local businesses came together in one event and that was nice to see. To see a list of events from Muse Jar click here.

-B

{My finished tiles - by no means am I an artist, but these will make for great coasters}

{Vanessa introducing herself and welcoming everyone to the event}

Friday Favorites!

This week has been a little aggravating and needless to say I am happy that it is Friday. On the agenda for the weekend is volunteering at the zoo and catching up with some friends today. Have a nice weekend!

I went to the new D'Avolio location on Main St. downtown this week for a meeting and it was awesome. A lot of people were there once 12:30 hit, but the food was great and it makes for good lunch spot downtown.

One Buffalo beer was tried this past Sunday at the Bills game - Go Bills!

{Photo - MuseJar}

I'm looking forward to attending this event tomorrow night with Muse Jar!