We're hitting the road again! It has been officially one week since we left NYC and our awesome stay in Greenwich Village, Manhattan... but we're off once again.

Next stop, the American Craft Council show in Baltimore. It will be a two day trade show event Feb. 21 - 22, and then on Feb. 23 - 25th it will convert into a consumer show for all your purchasing desires. This is THE show of the first half of the year for me. It's a big event with about 650 of the most talented artisans coming from all over America. Of all the shows I get the honor to participate in, it is the show I am most proud to be a part of and not only that... [raises a pointed finger] it's so close to DC! Unfortunately, my best friend who lives there will be in India introducing her fresh one-year-old to her family, so my husband and I will be taking it easy in Baltimore with our dog Chloe.

Favorite things to do in Baltimore? Visit DC! Just kidding... I don't actually get that much time out to explore Baltimore, but the food options are pretty good. Last year Chester and I went to Cinghiale which is apparently part of Little Italy. The food was really lovely [having just come back from Italy, too, we had a fun time comparing the regional plates]. We treated ourselves to a flight of grappas that night since it was a setup night for the show at the convention center location.

The waitstaff was a lot of fun to chat with before AND after the tasting flight. I would hands-down, definitely put this on our list to go again. I don't eat out as much as before just because I find cooking while on the road much more relaxing to do these days. I'm all about the have-stove-will-cook mentality. It's a chance for me to be creative when I can't be at the studio and making things is really a calming activity for me. Is anyone else the same, here?!

If you happen to be in the DC area --and I know quite a few of you are because the website gets the most traffic from you DC folks (golf clap)-- wherever you're actually coming from though, be it Delaware area of beyond, I would love to see you, meet you, and introduce you to the other makers of the elite American Craft Council show network. While it's not a free show, it's a highly curated event that has a program to also help encourage and support young, emerging designers hitting the world of a skilled trade. I love that they make room to do that.