Big Blow-out of Blogging

We're planning on a busy few weeks of doing blogworthy things from our list of things to see and places to eat. We're making our way to the inevitable end of our blogging in August because:

A.sometimes we don't want to spend the weekend worrying if we've done anything blogworthy

B.because sometimes we want to go back to restaurants that we love instead of feeling like we have to go somewhere that we haven't posted about before.

So, we'll try to cover as much as we can in the next few weeks.

Project Runway fans will want to note that Season 3 contestant Angela Keslar will be appearing at Gallery 116 in Fishers on Monday, July 20th from 10A-12P and from 4P-6P.

Smith & Hawken going out of business sale

We never shopped at Smith & Hawken much but we stopped in yesterday to see what was there and how their sale prices were since we read that all of their stores will be closing by the end of the year. Most of the merchandise is 20%-30% off but some of it is 50% off. There is still a pretty big selection of outdoor furniture, pots, watering cans, and statuary. We didn't buy anything, but we're going to keep our eyes on the "stack and grow" planter that we admired in their catalog that is now $31.


Smith & Hawken
8605 River Crossing Blvd. (the Borders shopping center by Keystone at the Crossing)
317.571.8091

Attention shoppers; these adorable place card holders from Spoon Sisters look perfect for summer parties and they are deeply discounted ($5 for the set of 4!).

Scenes from... Tipton, Indiana

Cinema Treasures has an interesting article about the history of the Diana Theatre. We'll have to get inside sometime to see the paintings of the Roman Goddess.
Horton's of Tipton has a little bit of everything, including a candy counter with lots of fudge:

Gorgeous displays at Horton's of Tipton:

Cute signs at US 31 and IN-28:

While we were disappointed that it rained on Saturday during Horton's Of Tipton French Flea Market, we certainly weren't disappointed in their store. It's a hardware combined with a gorgeous home decor boutique which is really brilliant because the fellas have things to look at while the ladies peruse the pretty trinkets. We even picked up some lovely Christmas gifts while we were there. It is a bit of a drive from Indianapolis but, if you are up that way, be sure to stop (or visit their room at the Logan Village Mall in Noblesville).

Scenes from... Kokomo, Indiana

This weekend was our first trip to Kokomo ever. We enjoyed being tourists and here we share what we found that we think are worth a look for anyone else who wants to take a day trip to the "City of Firsts".

We drove by, but didn't go into, the Elwood Haynes museum that is in his former residence. While his former home is quite lovely,

we didn't think it was a jaw-droppingly stunning as the Seiberling Mansion. We were starting to lose a little steam in the afternoon so we thought that we just might make the Seiberling a drive-by kind of visit and not go inside. We passed pretty homes along West Sycamore and we expected that it would just be a slightly more grand variation of those. However, once we came to the Seiberling Mansion, we were awestruck and knew we had to stop and go inside. Visiting hours are 1PM- 4PM, Tuesday- Sunday so be sure to time your trip so that you can visit this staggeringly beautiful place. Once you make your way from the parking lot in the back to the front door via the gorgeous wrap around porch, you just sign the register, a volunteer hands you a pamphlet about the place, tells you a little about its history, and then you guide yourself through the rooms at your leisure, reading informative plaques along the way. We appreciated that is was a self-guided tour. We also appreciated the amazing design and woodwork in the mansion. There are 3 floors to wander with the top floor being the ballroom. It was just stunning and absolutely worth the modest $4 admission fee.

The Carriage House:
Side view from the garden:
Garden statue:
Upstairs foyer:

Dining room:

Detail of one of the upstairs fireplaces:

While a relative of ours was running with the bulls in Pamplona last week (!), we decided to visit a bit more of a sedated steer. "Old Ben" is a stuffed steer in Kokomo's Highland Park. He was born just north of Kokomo in 1902 and grew to 4700 pounds! In 1910, he slipped on some ice, broke a leg, and had to be euthanized. A taxidermist stuffed him and he now rests here. It's just one of those quirky Americana attractions that we love. He's behind glass so we got the best picture that we could.
Glass lovers (or those who buy gifts for glass lovers) will want to be sure to stop by the Op Shop. It is the retail division of the famous Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company.

We ended our visit to Kokomo with some browsing (and a little Christmas gift shopping) at the expansive Treasure Mart Antique Mall at 116 Alto Road. We didn't bring home the pricey terra cotta warrior but we thought he was cool.

These are just some cute retro signs we liked near US 31:

Moorman's Perfumes is having a 34th anniversary sale starting today (the email said it goes through Friday, July 27th but the 27th is a Monday??). Anyway, purchase $25 and take off $5, purchase $50 take off $10; $100 save $20; $150 save $30; and $200 save $45. They are at 3435 E. 86th Street Indianapolis, IN Tel# 317.251.1111