Way back on March 6th, the girls and I made our way over to the gallery at Sweetwater for the opening reception of the show “The Day After Tomorrow”. 

We all were extremely disappointed upon arriving and discovering that the show consisted of MAYBE 10 pieces.  However, once we  saw the few pieces in the gallery, we were all swept off our feet.  I instantly fell head over heels in love with Eva Funderburgh’s unique clay workings.  I imagine myself living in a land where these little creatures roam.  How cool would that be?

I was also completely mesmerized by Michael Angelotti’screations.  It’s simply unbelievable to me how he has managed to hand-make something so natural and organic looking.  Amazing.

After the gallery, we were all aching for something sweet so we headed over to the Sewickley Cafe, one of our favorite places to go when we can’t think of anything else to do!  The desserts there are provided by local bakeries and let me tell you!!! They are to die for!!

It’s a given that when the four of us get together, we are going to have fun.  And eat chocolate.

Once or twice a month The Clay Cafe in Sewickley has Ladies’ Night.  Reserve a table, invite friends, bring some wine and the rest is all right there for you.  Finger foods are provided along with a menagerie of clay goods to choose from and paint to your liking. 

The four of us are always looking for new, interesting things to do that allow us to express our individual creativity.  This was definitely a good place for us to be! 

Dana painted two pieces: A triangular dish with an awesome drippy pattern down the side and an adorable heart dish that she gave to her mom.

Lindi attempted the drip-method on her sqare dish for Chrsita.  She was so sure it was going to turn out hideous regardless of the constant reassurance Sara and I gave her.  Much to her surprise, it turned out totally cute!

 

Sara opted for this delicate little olive dish.  I love her intricate and organic design! 

I opted for these freaking expensive deep bowls.  I make a lot of soup from scratch and have been looking endlessly for the perfect soup bowls.. well I finally found them!  What better way to make them more perfect than they already were by painting them to be exactly what I wanted?  I went with a starfishy/squidish design.  It’s kind of my thing right now… sea creatures.

I definitely cannot wait to go back for another Ladies’ Night.  Thanks to the girls at the Clay Cafe for being so awesome and making painting clay so fun!!

Last night I took the girls to one of my favorite restaurants, Il Pizzaiolo.  It’s tiny, but so incredibly charming. When you enter you are greeted immediately by the wine bar… not THE wine bar, but a smaller version that serves the main dining area.  Behind the restaurant, across a path, up some stairs into a separate building houses the new wine bar, which most weekends is so packed that even walking from one side to the other seems like an obstacle course meant for basic training.  

The main dining area is inviting, the tables are close together so you feel as if you are sitting down to dinner with every single person in the room.  The wood burning oven is in the dining room where all of the delicious pizzas are made.  However, pizza is not what I normally order there.  I am a devoted fan of their homemade gnocchi’s with marinara sauce.  To die for!  The house salads are delicious with the house balsamic dressing.  To prepare for the wonderful meal, you start off with fresh bread and olive oil with some mystery cheese in it that is unbelievably savory.   I asked once what the cheese is and they told me, but I can’t remember.  I just know it’s not something that you can’t get at the grocery store.  The ONLY negative thing I have to say about this place is about the noise level.  Due to the extreme close quarters in the main dining area and the ceramic tiled floors with the high ceilings, every sound reverberates off the walls and is magnified.  However, once you taste the food and have a glass of wine, the noise is barely noticeable.  

Before dinner we stopped across the street at Avalon Exchange.  Holy thrifter!  We had a blast rummaging through rack after rack of second hand, vintage and new-but-vintage-looking clothing/accessories.   We all, except Lindi, managed to score a few desirables for hardly any cost at all.  We could have been in there for hours had our hunger not gotten the best of us.  

 Here are some more natural pics from the evening that I’m sure the girls aren’t going to be too happy with me for posting, but oh well!!

This past spring Sara, Dana and I took pottery classes at Sweetwater Center for the Arts.  For $150, we were given 3 hours of studio time a week for six weeks, 25 pounds of clay and instruction.  It’s amazing how just throwing pottery together can really make your true colors shine.  On more than one occasion Sara and I were near clay-throwing fights accompanied with a few “You’re such a smart a–,” or “B–ch!” being shouted across the room.  All in good fun.  The 3 of us all have very different styles when it comes to pottery.  Sara likes it BIG.  Dana starts big, but ends small.  I made a total of 3 things (the others averaged between 6-10), because I gave all my attention to the detail.  This compelled Sara to scream across the room, “What are making now?  The f—ing Mona Lisa?”  I laughed so hard I almost had an accident.  Later on we discovered that our instructor was a nun.  Lord forgive us.  However, that didn’t stop us from bringing wine and cheese and crackers to our last class and having to have my husband pick us up and cart us home. 

Sweetwater Center for the Arts is highly recommended by all of us!  Sara and Dana have taken numerous classes there and I hope that my list keeps growing.  The staff is wonderful, the cost is affordable and the facility is gorgeous!  (It used to be an old post office).  Not to mention that Sara herself teaches there!

This little winery was definitely not as we expected.  Upon entering it, I just couldn’t help myself.  I was laughing uncontrollably and as silently as I possibly could.  My eyes were watering, I couldn’t breath and all I could think was, “Oh my gosh”.  The neighborhood is all houses with a sudden little restaurant in the midst of them.  One walks in the door with a counter immediately in front of them.  To the right and against the front windows are 2 booths.  Behind the counter is a narrow hallway and the far right corner of the room is sectioned off with white walls that barely reach the ceiling, this is the kitchen. 

The door closes behind us and after a short moment of silence we hear, “You can come in here!”  Dana, being so sweet, cautiously tip toes around the corner and finds herself inside the kitchen with a woman wearing sweat pants and a dirty t-shirt. 

After an awkward exchange with the woman, we are led through the narrow hallway to a back room.  She flicks on the lights as we walk past and we end up in a quaint little dining area with an over-sized static television sitting on a table.  We are the only people there.  We are handed the menus on pages of copy paper. 

The name of the place having “winery” in it was awfully deceiving.  Not only did they only have ONE wine, no choices being offered, but it wasn’t even classified as a type of wine.  It was just simply “red wine”.  The menu left something to be desired and after 15 minutes of whispering and panic, I made the executive decision to order a bottle of wine and then we would go eat elsewhere.  We were served complimentary bread with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, which was quite delicious.  After about an hour we finished the wine and were pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  Sara and Dana had both purchased bottles to go in order not to insult the owner.  On the way out they were warned that if they did not drink it quickly, sediment would form at the bottom of the bottle and they would then need to transfer containers. 
**silence**

Lindi and I quickly exited the building, jumped in the car and busted out laughing.  Dana and Sara jumped in the back seat, still unsure of how to take the warning they had been given on the way out.

As quickly as I could, we made our way to Sewickley to recover and finally get something to eat.  We settled on The Sewickley Cafe.  We were more than pleased with our experience here.  The staff was overwhelmingly friendly.  The outdoor patio was beautiful (and heated, as well).  We chose, however, to dine inside.  We ordered the Truffle Fries as an appetizer.  Good Lord!  They were amazing. 

My entree was unbelievably delicious.  I ordered the Asiago Chicken.  It is Farfalle pasta with chicken, mushrooms and onions tossed in an asiago cream sauce.  To die for!  The rest of the girls chose seafood.  Sara had tilapia, Lindi had salmon, and Dana had scallops.  As far as I know, they all loved their dishes just as much as I did. 

We each took a piece of cake home with us as well.  Overall, the night was incredibly memorable and I’m looking forward to so many more crazy experiences like that!

(I omitted the name of the winery for fear of insulting anyone.  My intention here is not to defile anyone’s reputation.  However, if you are from the Pittsburgh area and want the name of the place, send an email and I’ll let you know.)