Goodies from My Hood

When we bought our house in the Ukranian Village section of Chicago almost four years ago, we could see the potential in the neighborhood, but knew we were taking something of a gamble moving into a neighborhood just south of Wicker Park that hadn't quite hit yet. Yet we really wanted to be living in the city, and most of the neighborhoods that were considered really happenin' at the time (Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wicker Park, West Loop) were already too well discovered for us to afford them or just didn't have enough interesting things around them besides good freeway access to draw us in. So we put our money down and took a spin at the wheel.

Our gamble has paid off in spades. Over the last year, we have watched as streets like Damen and Division have blossomed with new shops and restaurants. And now we're just beginning to see Chicago Avenue and Grand Avenue transform as well. It used to be that most of our favorite restaurants were east and north of us. Now, in the summer, we can walk to so many good places and we almost don't even think about going too far out of our own little sphere.

Saturday was a lovely day. Julie came into the city to visit so that we could plan our trip to Maryland Sheep & Wool. And since the weather was so nice, we decided to take a little stroll up Damen and down Division to see what we could see. There's nothing quite like exploring neat new stores with a good friend. It made me realize how many nice new creative places are springing up. Here's a little sample of what I came home with.

An Excellent Shopping Trip: (from left to right) Susanne Lang Perfume in "Cashmere" from StinkerBelle, Handmade Candles in Yuzu and Gingered Grapefruit from Tatine, and some new bamboo double points and Habu Textiles Silk Mohair from Nina's

Tatine, (formerly Wicked, located at 908 N. Damen) is home to a candle maker who specializes in bringing wonderful scents into your home. I'm burning my Gingered Grapefruit candle as I type, and it's filling my room with a delightful spicy citrus scent. The store opened at just about the same time that we did and I've never had a chance to go in before. I don't think it's going to be long before I go back and purchase one of her incredible coffee scented candles or one of the orange chocolate pillars she has available. I used to spend most of my candle $$$ at Illuminations, but given what I found on Saturday, I'll definitely be visiting Tatine for my candle needs in the future.

While were on the subject of good scents, I also got to make my first trip into StinkerBelle, a place that focuses on wonderful scents to complement human skin. I fell in love with a fragrance called Cashmere by Susanne Lang. Cashmere is billed as a unisex fragrance, but I think it leans a little bit towards woman. It has spicy and musky qualities to it with just a hint of something floral (to me). The husband liked it too. And I need to take him back to see if he likes Exotic Tea. StinkerBelle has also shares it's space with and esthetician who does aromatherapy facials. Definitely something I want to check out in the future.

And last, but not least, Julie and I wandered through Nina's. I added to my collection of double points (she has the 6" versions of the nice small sock sized needles) and I took home just a little tuft of fibery goodness in the form of some Habu Textiles Silk Mohair in a light springy green color. It's destined to become a lacy little scarf for my spring wardrobe. And it helped to provide me with some fortitude with regards to not taking home any of the Habu paper yarn that I am currently very fascinated with. The paper yarn is actually 100% linen. I'm wondering how it would do paired with a fine hemp yarn in the table runner department. That will give me something to hunt for while I'm in Maryland in early May.