Check out the Etsy shop of Ted Schrey

The strangest things happen on the world wide web. Many moons ago, in college, I dated a very nice young man. Now we are friends again through the amazing web that is facebook. After many years in the corporate world, Ted is living on the Big Island of Hawaii and is making beautiful stained glass pieces. He has a new Etsy shop that he (unlike me!) is keeping stocked with wonderful artwork.


I love the use of copper in the stands and frames.



I think he has something at every price point too...so you can own a small Ted Schrey piece or very large complex pieces.

Here are a few hanging in a gallery in Hawaii.

I've never seen one of these pieces in person, but Ted is pretty particular, so I'm sure the craftsmanship is beautiful. The coral and watery glass in this one...perfect.

Ted is also a painter, writer, and furniture builder. Hopefully we will see some paintings on his site soon. If we are lucky he might even start a blog one day.

If you need something special, he does custom work as well. Click here to check out his latest work...

...undoubtedly inspired by the beauty he encounters every day.

The White House

Last weekend we wanted to get away...Joe asked me to line up some help at the shop and we took off. I didn't know where we were going until we stopped in the little town of Rensselaer, IN. This is one of the towns we are going to bike through this fall on our trip across Indiana. Did I mention that we are planning to bicycle from Pontiac to Fort Wayne? Well we are!


Joe thought we could check out The White House on Park Avenue. We are definitely going to stay there in the fall. It's a beautiful old home....well kept with very nice guest rooms.

We stayed in a room called the cottage retreat. I want this room for our trip too, because I think my muscles will be screaming for a whirlpool bath after biking all day.

This home has only had three families own it since it was built. The current owners, Fred and Sally, are innkeepers as well as professors at St. Joseph's College. They are wonderful hosts and great cooks too!

We went down the road to Lafayette for dinner. Joe thought I'd like that....kinda nostalgic since I lived there while I was going to Purdue. Lafayette has one of those great old Indiana limestone courthouses and a vibrant downtown. There's been a lot of restoration going on the last 25 years and it looks great.


I love these sculptures on a corner in Lafayette. They are by Linda Vanderkolk and Roy Patrick.

The backside makes me laugh....look at the derriere on her....it's perfect!

Nashville on Dwellable

Small Town Girl in Chicago: Main Street Conference

I spent the last four days in Chicago attending the National Main Street conference...it was fun, tiring and I learned a lot about downtown revitalization. I always like going into the city....plenty of great architecture to check out. We stayed at the Palmer House Hilton. The last time I was in this hotel, it was elegant, but in need of attention. Since then, it has undergone a beautiful restoration...it's a lovely old hotel.

Here's folks filtering in to the opening session. There were about 1600 in attendance.



The lobby has such a beautiful ceiling and a great atmosphere.


Here's my friend Lori walking past the bean...er, Cloud Gate.

This is one of my favorite Chicago buildings...the old library, now the Chicago Cultural Center. This dome is by Healy and Millet.

Preston Bradly Hall in the Cultural Center is completely covered in the most beautiful mosaics, all lit by a huge (the world's largest) Tiffany dome and Tiffany light fixtures (not in the photo, but trust me, they are fabulous!). They don't build them like this anymore.


Lots of great public art in Chicago....taking a walk is a pleasure even on one of those cold Chicago days. As soon as it warms up a little I want to go back up to do some drawing in the city...I have to go alone or with another sketcher when I do that because no one else wants to sit still long enough to draw.

And when I came home I found the orchid on my kitchen window sill is blooming again...it must like it there. Brightens my day to see this in the morning!

Chicago on Dwellable