Thursday, March 14, 2013

Bombay Company Is Back!

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     Back in 2007 I won this contest on Fuel My Blog and the prize was $200. I used the prize to buy tables to flank our bed from Bombay Company. I love them as much today as I did the day I bought them. Not long after that, Bombay Company closed their stores in the U.S. and kind of disappeared from my radar. But they are back and as great as ever. They have a facebook presence now. I'm going to begin working with them on Pinterest soon. Here is a link to Bombay Company's U.S. Pinterest account.  Also, here they are on twitter. 

     I do not want to buy all my furniture from the big box stores made out of flakeboard. I like my furniture to have curves, like me. Maybe interesting, chunky legs, like me. I also appreciate the hardware when I buy something like this. My bedside tables both have a top drawer which locks, and a decorative keyhole on the bottom drawer.  The drawer fronts are rounded. 

     While I was on facebook today I saw they are going to start selling rugs. If their rugs are as nice as their other things, I would say we are in luck! Who needs a rug or ten for their new house? I know I do! 

Friday, March 8, 2013

I Don't Know Why

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     I don't know why this tickled me so much, but it did. Maybe you will think it's pretty funny, too!


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

P-I-Z-Z-A

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     Pizza. The newest word we have to spell in front of our dogs. Because the other day we mentioned Pizza to each other and the hounds got so stirred up we could not get them calm again. So we had to send out for pizza. Of course. Because you tell me: Who amongst us is not entirely at the mercy of the whims of their pets? 

     We already had to spell the obvious words: Park!, walk, outside, bacon. We get it. They get excited when they hear certain words and it's really not fair to talk about walks outside in the park with bacon when one isn't prepared to head out the door. But pizza? This came as an endearing surprise. And now it if I want pizza I guess all I have to do is casually mention it in front of the doggage. Go ahead, people who knew the old me. The "I would never have an animal in my house" me. The me of a few years ago. Laugh at how things have changed. You will not be laughing alone, I assure you. Also, you're ALL getting puppies for Christmas! *Not an actual puppies-on-the-way announcement, just an empty threat.


Sunday, March 3, 2013

PinPuff for Pinterest.

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Hello. Are you a Pinterest lover? So many people, and especially those of us who live in a house, have children, wear clothing, like to travel, or eat food really enjoy Pinterest! My very own Pinterest account is chalk full of things I would like to buy, do to the house, and eat. 


If you always feel the need to see where you stand there are some helpful tools for Pinterest. I like PinPuff, because it always seems to work. Some of the other sites  are always stuck or giving me an error page. But good old reliable Pinpuff is always willing to tell me where I stand. Using it today I found I have nearly 10,000 repins of my pins. I thought that was pretty neat! 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Remembering

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     Someone from the past talking about this blog when it was brand new. This is more for me than anything else, I just didn't want to forget about it. 

Home Invasion

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     One day, you're going along and everything is just fine. The next day? You find mouse poo in your garage. And you see that you've lazily removed Pepsi cans from the van and put them on a couple of surfaces in said garage. Then you notice the awesome red blanket you won in a giveaway with the Sonic Drive in logo on it has a hole in it. And you freak out, just a lot bit. That was me yesterday.

     I really want to kick the arse of the person who threw their little bag of Wendy's trash under the ladder. And I really want to stop hating myself for putting out the welcome wagon of Pepsi cans. I knew Sarah was my hero, but I did NOT say I wanted to be 'justlikeher'. I did not! (If you click on that link you'll see her recent mouse story) And if I did think I wanted to be just like her I didn't mean in this one specific instance, sassy universe! 

     Take this as a warning, all you lazy folks. Do as I say, not as I do. (This is always good advice from me) Do not be too lazy to walk the extra few steps to the trash bin thereby inviting critters into your space. It's tragic.

     I looked for signs inside the back door. I'm terrified the critters will have rushed in while we were walking into the house. So far I see no signs. It's cold comfort, though. I went out last night and bought wedges of poison. Threw down four of those in the garage and I will be throwing some in the basement around the food storage area. The main level of the house and upstairs will be protected with the early prayer system, because we have two little dogs. 

     I really hope by throwing out the blanket, the Wendy's bag and the Pepsi cans and putting out the poison the problem will be solved. Oh please, please, please let it be solved. If you have any tips or advice let please share!


Saturday, February 23, 2013

No Decapitated Dolls Included

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     Yesterday's ice? It's gone! Current temperature: 2 degrees above freezing! This means today I leave the house. Today I fill up the spaceship with unleaded at $3.69 a gallon minus my 60 cents a gallon fuelperks - so $3.04 a gallon, (such a deal!*read sarcasm) and run it through the car wash, because even from miles away I can hear my granddad say "You need to get that stuff off your car when it's gets above freezing." 'That stuff' being the chemicals they put on the roads to melt the snow and ice. Then we get to do fun stuff. Or what passes as fun stuff at our house.

     Now, usually I don't tell what I am going to do before I do it. I don't want to cause a huge mob to form everywhere I appear. But today I throw caution to the wind and announce, in advance, that I am going to the Habitat For Humanity Restore in Medina with my husband. Where we will be looking for an awesome vintage or antique bed frame, inspiration for the kitchen island that, so far, is only a gleam in my eye. But I will dream it and design it and create it. Just you wait and see. Also, I'll be looking for a big piece of wood with fancy curves and intricate details to mount at the ceiling at the opening to the bathtub in the master bathroom. I am enthralled by this photo:









     Isn't it lovely? I will do it without the curtains. Although I love the softness they add, I am just not feeling it for my own bathroom. I'll also skip the creepy (to me) decapitated dolls on top. I promise. I want the top of mine to butt up to the ceiling. I think.

     Wish us luck!

     What are you doing this weekend? Anything as exciting as this?


*If you do decide to show up at the HFH Restore and ask for my autograph please bring your own sharpie marker. I do not carry anything with me when I shop.


Friday, February 22, 2013

Double Pane Windows

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Today I am grateful for windows with double panes. 
Today I am staying inside. 


I hope your today is as cozy as mine. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Upgrades and Migraines

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     We have been doing mattress shopping. Is there a worse kind of shopping to do than shopping for mattresses? It's more confusing than shopping for a car when the options are all in packages called "K" or "L" or "Hollywood" and you have no idea what actual options come in those packages. Our old mattress, which is thirteen years old, has that Scottish burial mound thing happening. We think we have (mostly) made our decision and are working on some financial logistics so we can actually place the order and pay for it. It seems I did the thing I am always supposed to do for purchases of this type, only to find out I need to make different arrangements. This will take me a few days to figure out. Meanwhile, we are still sleeping in the Scottish cemetery. With pets. Which may or may not make it a pet cemetery? And why do I keep spelling cemetery with an 'a' instead of the final 'e'? Would two corrections via red squiggly line not be enough for me? The answer is no. 

      This Saturday I want to go to the local Habitat For Humanity resale shop and see if they have any king sized beds. We were there once when they had a lovely antique bed. We were not in the market at that time.  Yes, I have been building a bed - a queen size bed. Since it is mattress buying time we thought it would be a good time to upgrade to a larger bed. I have been searching Craigslist, but so far I have not been able to get just the bed for a price I am willing to pay.  Wish me luck! I look forward to getting one more thing checked off my list. 

     I am on day three of a migraine. It makes me, when left alone, melancholy in a way which leads me to want to listen to Cole Porter songs and cuddle doggies. When not left alone it makes me irritable. You're welcome, family. 

     I have done zero projects lately, unless you count moving things as a project. I did help move my daughter back into our house after her college graduation and bring a desk into my room and move lots of things from drawers in my nightstand to the desk. I brought even more things from the desk in the guest room into the new desk in my room. 

     In other news, I have covered the mirror on my dressing table with a tablecloth so the little dog would stop barking and howling at herself. She was not appreciating my migraine situation.


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Six Simple Ways To Improve Pinterest

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Pinterest is such a fun place! I love it, as evidenced by my barrage of  boards, my plethora of pins, my followers, and the people I follow. I have always felt like I should have a place to save things besides the bookmarks bar, and now we all have that wondrous place called Pinterest. If you need an invite, just hit me up for one - I'll be glad to send one to you. 

There are a few things I think the folks at Pinterest have missed, when it comes to being user-friendly. I would love to see them added, and thought they would have been by now. Here, in no particular order, are the things I wish Pinterest would change:

1. Drop down menu for boards is not easy to navigate. I have to manually scroll through the whole thing every time I pin something new. It would be nice if it was like most other drop down menus and I could click on the first letter to get where I want to go. 

2. Once you pin something to one board, there is not an easy way to move it to a different board. You can pin it to a new board and erase it from the board it is in. It would be nice to have an option to move things. 

3. It would likewise be nice to have a way to merge boards, which currently is not possible without pinning all of one board onto another board and erasing the old board. 

4. Have a way/place to see comments. If someone leaves a comment on a pin of mine I will never know unless I happen to look at that pin and see it. There is no notification system, so forget asking someone a question and getting an answer. 

5. Of course, there is no way to send a message to anyone via Pinterest. If they put other ways to contact them in their Pinterest header/profile you can do it outside of Pinterest. 

6. You can not rearrange things inside of your boards. Say you want to do a theme board. You find a bunch of a certain item and now you want to arrange them in alphabetical or chronological order. Or you want to arrange by color, shape, size, price, etc. Well forget it. Because you can't move things around once they are in a pin board. Which, by they way, is the total opposite of a real-life pin board, where you would definitely move things around.You can rearrange your boards in your profile, but you can not rearrange pins in your boards. 


Maybe one day Pinterest will give us all of these things and more. It sure would be nice to have it be a little bit more functional and user-friendly. Pinterest, are you listening?

What else do you wish for, Pinterest lovers? 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

7 Places You Should Be Shopping Online

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1. Decor Steals is one of my favorites. They have a different deal each day and some ongoing deals, too. You have to act fast because the better the deal, the sooner it might disappear. There are limited quantities available. They start a new deal at 10AM est every day. Shipping is always just $5. Some of my favorite household items came from Decor Steals. If you sign up for their daily emails via my link we each get $5 off the first time you make a purchase. Win-win!

In the photo beow there are several items from Decor Steals: The angel wings, the bamboo mat at the bottom of the photo, the bamboo mat up towards the piano, and the wooden basket on the table. 



2. Antique Farm House. They are a sister site to Decor Steals, but I haven't seen the companies do anything together besides post buttons for each other. Antique Farm House brings collections of items andI sells them for a couple of weeks or until they are sold out. You never know what kind of collections you will see or what will be in them. I got some awesome remote-controlled pillar candles from them for a great price. Usually when you order from them you get something which exceeds your expectations. They always undersell. It's a source of great deals and unique finds. Everything isn't farm style, don't worry. 

3. Wayfair. I have so much stuff from Wayfair, that if I listed it all you'd wonder if I ever bought anything anywhere else. I found my flatware from them, I bought my husband an industrial size popcorn machine from them, I was able to find paintable beadboard wallpaper through them. I even have a wine refrigerator I just got from them in a giveaway they did! I mean it - I have a label maker, a few open stock farberware pieces, coffee maker, sewing machine, giant wood cutting boards, desk chairs, quite a few pieces of Le Creuset, puppy potty pads, memory foam mattress toppers, shelving units - you get the idea, I'm sure. They carry everything at Wayfair. They are great about shipping; it is usually free and it is fast. Plus, they wrap everything well. I had bubble wrap for miles. Right now I am considering buying a mattress from them. I'm a little nervous about a mattress, but they have been great for everything else. We'll see.

4. Save On Crafts. I can't even begin to scratch the surface with them. Want decorating things for a wedding? Oh, you got it, dude! They are a great source for that German Glass Glitter everyone charges a fortune for around the DIY blogosphere. Seriously, the clear for $6 a pound and the silver or gold for $16 a pound. Compare it to the about $20 an ounce lots of re-sellers want for it and you can thank me later. They have wire baskets, bottles, lights, fairy lights, chalkboards, apothecary jars, boxes, buckets - forget me trying to list it. If it is home decor or home decor supplies or anything you need for a party they probably have it. Their prices are the best. Warning: You may lose hours the first time you visit the site. 

5. Peaceful Acres Lavender Farm. They sell you the stuff direct from the source. They offer free shipping on orders over $40. I can't promise the best prices in the known universe, I haven't done enough research for that kind of vow. I can tell you I did enough research to feel good recommending their prices. Lavender is another item where price gouging exists at little shops. If I am going to spend $40 on lavender, I'd like to get a generous supply. 

6. Decor Superstore. If you are a DIY'er  you will be in heaven! Crown molding, ceiling medallions, tin ceiling tiles, corbels, baseboards, door trim, window trim, chair rail, water features, rosettes, etc. They have it and they have good prices. They even have outdoor statues. 

7. Amazon Prime. Really. For about $80 a year we get a Netflix type subscription AND free two day shipping on most stuff we buy on Amazon.  We buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. If you buy from them often it's a no-brainer. Why pay more for slower shipping? Add the free video on demand subscription and drop Netflix and you save more than the Netflix streaming costs per year anyway. 

Do you have some go-to online shopping sites to recommend? I would love to hear about where you get your deals. 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Armoire makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

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The first picture is for those of you who can't believe I painted over beautiful old wood.
I used to be one of you.
I know it looks warm and rich in the photo, but it did not feel like it to me. It was just drab.
With Annie Sloan Chalk Paint you don't have to sand or prime! 
First side done. Use of flattened Pepsi boxes in lieu of drop cloths is standard at our house.
Louis Blue loves to hang out with Old White. 
The first coat, which turned out to also be the final coat. 
The hinges are covered with Glad Press n' Seal.


 Then I tried different wax treatments.
I used clear wax and added Old Violet to some, Paris Gray to some.



She's smiling! 
In the end I decided to use the wax tinted with Old Violet on the whole thing. 
I still need to fix the bottom drawer to match. 
It is still wearing the Paris Gray wax treatment.


I may still change the panels on the doors and top drawer.
I am thinking about painting them back to plain blue and stenciling. 
Or doing a sheet music treatment with mod podge.
Or piano player rolls. 
We'll see

What do you think? Would you have painted this? 


I've linked up to:




Thursday, December 27, 2012

New House, New Mattress

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When you give a blogger a great big new house, what could be better to have in the new house than a brand new mattress? I know we would love to replace ours. Here's a chance to do it for free:





Good luck! Wouldn't it be great to get a new mattress, either for yourself, one of the kids, or the guest room?

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Snowman Cupcakes

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Merry Christmas, kids! Here are some snowman cookies you can't eat because you aren't here. Make yourself some! 

Bake cupcakes and let them cool.
Get tub of frosting and put in microwave for 30 seconds.
Dip cupcakes in frosting. This gives you a smooth top.
Let cool and set. 
Use additional melted frosting for adhesive for adding decorative bits. 

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Lights and Outlets

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     Something to think about when building your home is where you may need additional lights and outlets. Think of it before it is too late, and you'll never be sorry.

Lights:

Do not take the standard kitchen lighting or basement lighting. You will be disappointed. Greatly. If you don't believe me check into it and make sure you know what you are getting. You really should go ahead and get the recessed lighting in these spaces.

We added light rough ins to each bedroom and each room which did not have lighting already, including the living room and office. 

We added recessed lights the alcove in the bonus room and in the large closets. The large utility closet on the 2nd floor got a recessed light. At some point it may serve as a small craft area or office area. (I wish I had also put an outlet in that closet). You may wish to ask for a recessed light toward the front of any large closet, including the pantry. 

And sincerely, as I sit here now I would definitely go back and put at least one outlet in every closet in the whole house, including the pantry. 

In the finished part of the basement we put in recessed lighting, but we also thought of the storage areas, how they would be utilized, and where we would need additional lights. 

We put in dedicated outlets for the freezers and the range in the basement. 

We added an outlet in the garage, and I wish I had added three more. two outlets on each side wall, in addition to the one which Ryan places near the light switches would have been perfect. At least one towards the front of the garage would be a help with Christmas lights, etc. As it is we are running an extension cord from the back wall. Not a huge issue, but it would be nice to have an outlet where the control for the driveway light is. 

In the master bedroom I would have added an outlet exact middle of the headboard, and also asked for a light switch for the big overhead light near the bed. 

We put a switched outlet above the mantel and above the kitchen cabinets. I wish I had added outlets at the bottom of the stairs and in the half wall for the purpose of Christmas lights. 

I also wish we had placed an outlet on the stair wall of the entry hall. It's the proper place for an entry console and there should be a lamp right there as well. It's also one of the largest blank walls in the place, and just ought to have an outlet. 

I would like one near French doors we had put in, to do decorations around them as well. Since they normally do not do French doors in the kitchen, for many people it may be a non-issue. 

If you have any other lighting/electrical ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments. It's great to see this stuff as you build!

  *To read more about our Ryan Homes Ravenna click the "Our House" button at the top of the page.    

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Merry Christmas, Stress-Free Style

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See? This part of the tree is fine like this. It wont fall over. Promise!
    
 This year we aren't buying a bunch of gifts. As a matter of fact, the plan as it stands this year is to buy everyone a new pair of jammies so we can snuggle in and enjoy our own company. On Christmas day we will attend a family gathering. The other part of our plan is to go see Les Miserables. Maybe on Christmas day, maybe after. It's low pressure, can you tell? And guess what? It feels great. I invite you to relax and enjoy the season. If it is already too late for you this year, then I invite you to try it next year. 

      Yes, we have five children. They range in age from seventeen to twenty-six. And you know, the thing is, we have everything we need. We have a lot of what we want. This year I felt no pressure to go and buy things we may or may not even want. Ask yourself what you bought for people last year. If you can't recall or they can't recall, take a few minutes and decide what that means to you. Do you find yourself in stores looking for stuff to buy to fill a certain amount of space under your tree or lines on your list? 


     I have seen a lot of people suggesting the 4 gift rule, and it looks pretty sound to me:
  • Something to wear 
  • Something to read
  • Something they want
  • Something they need
      This Christmas I will not be putting iffy gifts on credit cards, spending countless hours with aching feet and shoulders shopping aimlessly for things, or wrapping them. I will use that time baking,  creating, or enjoying the company of my family. 

     If you need someone to give you permission or the little push you need to call off the madness yourself, consider it done. Merry Christmas. 



Friday, December 14, 2012

Amazon Gift Card Winner

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Amber P said...
thanks to our 12 month old and 24 month old the tree is only decorated on the top half :) i love your decorations though.

Congratulations Amber! You are a big old winning winner!

Amber, since you did not leave contact information you are going to have to get in touch with me to claim your prize. (I hope you are one of the regulars)


Because I hate it when bloggers only give you a certain number of hours (usually 24-48) to respond to their win announcement I will not do that to you.

It's always a good idea to leave your email, twitter handle - something when you enter a giveaway. Either that, or subscribe to the blog by email so the information hits your inbox.


Sunday, December 9, 2012

You Fellow Ravenna Owners

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     To the fellow Ravenna owners,  I would love to see what you did with the entry area by the front door. (And the back door, too, but especially the front) I mean, we have no closet, and a really long wall on one side, but it's not really a hall since it is open to a room on the other side. I'm very curious to see what you guys did with that entry area. Warning: I am looking for swell ideas to steal.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

A New Kind Of Nightmare

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     Last night I was not in peaceful slumber. What made it remarkable is that this time my nightmare was the kind only a homeowner could have. It involved: our old landlord, who was also our neighbor, our old next door neighbor, and other people I do not think I know. Also? People from our normal Chinese takout place. You know dreams are always weird. 

     The worst part of the dream though, the thing that pushed it from a very weird dream to a nightmare was that I had an issue with my floors. If you have been following along for the whole ride you know how much we are in love with our 'perfect floors'. We really chose well. But you would also know these are not the floors either of us really wanted. I wanted the drank brown hand-scraped hardwoods. He wanted the yellowish ones. 

     When he looked at the ones I loved a college professor came to mind - one he didn't adore. When I looked at the ones he wanted I pictured my whole house looking like an elementary school gym. So we compromised.  By compromise I mean we chose the only floor one of us didn't hate. I had my concerns about it being to orange once it was in the house, and he wasn't in love with it either, but at least we were able to look at it without one of us feeling repelled. 

     It was such a strange way to make a choice about the house. All of our other choices had been led by one or the other of us having a strong desire. I really wanted slate around the fireplace, oil rubbed bronze everything, gray siding, the really nice cabinets,and a jetted bathtub. He insisted on the type of stone we got, the granite, the really nice tile in the bathroom, 

     So our floors, our one big compromise, they turned out to be one of our favorite selections. And when people see the house, the always comment on how much they love our floors. When I become sainted the whole world will consider them the 'holy floors'. Too much? Okay. Anyway, the floors are a great source of happiness and we really can not imagine them any other way. 

     In my dream, though, there was a problem with the floors. (This may stem from the issues we had with the baseboards being put down before the wood floors and so instead of the floors going wall to wall with the baseboard on top the floors were, at least in some places, crammed under/between the baseboards, causing them to buckle) But in my dream we were not just fixing the issue in the upstairs hall. They were replacing the whole downstairs, too. 

      I woke up in the morning, and saw, much to my horror, the floors I had originally wanted. And they were very imperfect, had lots of places where the dark brown was missing so the floor was a sad, depressing gray. I freaked out and ran downstairs to my husband's office, which was not really the same office he has downstairs. It was cold and uglier than an old unfinished basement. The whole downstairs was covered in the really crappy looking dark brown plastic (?) flooring and I was upset. There was an area where they covered great big junky tiles - with old white carpet. But not all of it. So there was my house with dirty carpet, junky tile and tacky plastic floors. Nothing was cut properly and there were places missing flooring. It was so upsetting and so ugly. The whole house was very dark. I cried. 

     Then I was with other people - can't remember who now, in a vehicle. Whoever was driving was using their phone so we were stopped at the crest of a hill.Because dreams are weird. 

     *Proving once again that life is also weird: last night my cousin ripped out my mailbox with her mom's beautiful leased car. One minute later my mother tripped over the other side of the end of my drive and fell. She was carrying a glass casserole dish and a glass pie plate. Result: One messed up car, one messed up mailbox, and one mommy with cut hands and a very bruised knee. The only thing worse than seeing your kids hurt is seeing your mom hurt. With your kids some weird mom hormone kicks in. With your mom - you just want your mommy. Except it's her you need to help. 


    

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Go - Go - Gelato. Paciugo in SouthPark Center, Strongsville, Ohio

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You want gelato in northeast Ohio? Strongsville? Medina County? Well guess what!? Now there is a place called Paciugo to get great gelato right at Southpark Mall! Can you believe it? I couldn't! It's right under the escalator, so don't miss it. You don't even have to go upstairs into the food court for it. Bonus!

It costs about the same as whatever you would get upstairs at Dairy Queen, except it's amazing! And has real flavor. Remember real flavor?

Also, check out > their facebook page,< where they sometimes put out coupons you can't get anywhere else. 

The staff is always friendly and you can taste any flavors you like before deciding. According to my husband they have excellent espresso. 

Want to take some home? No problem. They have styrofoam to-go packs from 5 serving sizes up to 15 serving sizes. 

No more searching for a great dessert in northeast Ohio/Cleveland/Medina County - go gelato! (Yes, I know Strongsville is not in Medina  County, but it's just a toe over the line for us) 

Want to call them? (440)238-5106

*This is not a sponsored post. I am thrilled to find them, excited they are nearby, and would love to share the greatness of their gelato with you.