week 10 - small town america

i love chicago. summer fireworks, the new wing at the art institute, pizza art café in lincoln square, my neighborhood’s energy during the blackhawks finals….there is so much to soak in. but, every now and again, I like to escape to something a little closer to my roots…to small town america.

i grew up in a midwest town with one stoplight…that just blinked red. this weekend, my husband surprised me and planned an escape to a similarly small town. we took a trip to galena, illinois (population 3,400).

it was nice to be in small town america on memorial day weekend. somehow, the american flags seemed brighter and the clouds looked fluffier.

galena felt very familiar to my upbringing…surrounded by farms, banana bread that was exactly like my grandma’s, and coffee that just isn’t the starbucks i’ve become addicted to. however, it is also very different than my home town… as it is so rich in history, hosting ulysses s. grant’s home and the oldest operating hotel in Illinois. (which is where we stayed!) the shopping was fun…I think we strolled through every boutique on main street... there had to have been hundreds. despite being ultra relaxed, I was wondering…”how does mesh break into the galena scene?”

our best meal was at the perry street brasserie. i really thought i was in chicago. the food was beautifully displayed and was perfectly prepared. It was really a highlight of our trip.

i left galena feeling i had been on a journey far, far away. I would recommend it to anyone trying to get out of the city for a little relaxation and revival.

-sherry

week 9 - inspired by travel

sherry and i have both traveled to amazingly beautiful cities around the world, and we have been determined to bring our favorite aspects of these cities to our mesh creations. you will find trinkets from greece and beads from rome on our one-of-a-kind necklaces. you will also find photos from my honeymoon to barcelona on our collection of graphic t-shirts*. we also have a friend (shout out to richard) that inspires us by taking photos of beadshops and jewelry he finds while wandering around his hometown of london. we are always intrigued with the styles and color trends that can be found in different corners of the world.

*photo taken of a street performer on the streets of barcelona...don't worry, he's wearing a helmet!...find this photo in a graphic format on our travel collection ts.

in every city we visit, we are determined to find more unique items than we found on our last trip. our finds keep us current with trends that are happening all over the world. keep you eyes peeled for our latest and greatest travel inspriations!

-melissa

week 8 - oceans

one tuesday, a couple months ago, melissa sent me a starbucks quote off the back of her morning chai tea. the timing was perfect as the night before (on a standard monday mesh night) i was whining about my repetitive 9-5 job and vocalizing a desire for more flexibility in my schedule and a more rewarding feeling at the end of the day.

the quote was something like… "if you don’t take your foot off the edge of the shore, you’ll never swim in the oceans”…

the typical me would have rolled my eyes and thought this was pretty sappy…but not this time. what it said to me was…make the change now! i listen to melissa’s advice. It is to the poignant and direct. she is typically right too.

i did it! so, here I am with one brand new career that i am passionate about, more time for mesh creativity and no commute on chicago’s eisenhower. i accepted a full time position with a not-for-profit that I had been volunteering with for the last four years. one of our focus areas is orphan care and the fight against child trafficking in India. i have fallen in love with the country and especially my girls at the orphanage, after traveling there the last few years.

so i’ve found that perfect combination….the flexibility and the passion! and no, I am not sitting home eating bon-bons (you know who you are accusing me of this…)…it’s a full time position and I have tons to do!!

leaving the interior design industry was a little scary at the time, but now I get my creative ‘fix’ from mesh…so it’s a perfect fit!

as frightening as it is to take your foot off the edge of the shore…speaking from experience… it feels good in the ocean!


on the table bauble necklaces for barrington boutique

-sherry

ps...that is me...in india

week 7 - home|show prep!

well, here we are in week 7 of our monday night kitchen table blog! thank you for continuing to read about our latest and greatest endeavors. our facebook page seems to be taking mesh fans by storm, as we now have 85 whole people following our every post, and we couldn't be more thrilled!

this week we are in mass production mode...not as in making a bundle of the same thing on a production line...but as in taking every little and large trinket out of the credenza and making something of them.

we have a home|show coming up on saturday (shout out again to nici and the ladies of plainfield) that we are prepping for, along with a handful of other home|show events coming in the summer months. why not start off your summer right with a girls night in and mesh?! contact us to get on the growing list of sale locations. we can't wait to see you!

-mesh

on the table | combining classic oak park with novel new york