Lucy Engelman is a Michigan-based freelance illustrator whose work we stumbled across at Kaufmanm Mercantile, an expertly-curated online store for well-made goods. This Botanical Print from Engelman was inspired by the summer she spent on Rabbit Island, three miles off the Michigan coast in Lake Superior.

Source: Kaufmann Mercantile

Bear Fox Chalk, a husband-and-wife illustrator team, shared this recent project: a whimsical call to adventure on the back of a bear. They created the piece for a Cystic Fibrosis benefit at BANGbang Salon in Minneapolis. The duo is known for their distinctive chalk art with impeccable hand-letting and one-of-a-kind style. Take a spin through their portfolio for more of their handiwork.

Source: Bear Fox Chalk

We found this modern gem tucked away in Indianapolis. It was built in 2009 by Demerly Architects, who who used a unique mix of cement, metallics and playful pops of color. The design values indoor space as much as outdoor — the two decks extend the living area, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a near-uninterrupted view of the acreage.

Source: Demerly Architects

The antics of Ferris Bueller, Chicago’s favorite fictional son, have now been immortalized in LEGOs. Every year, the Swedish LEGO fan group Swebrick holds a design competition, and this year’s theme called for LEGO enthusiasts to recreate a movie scene with the mini-bricks. The 2014 winner painstakingly recreated the moment when Ferris attempts to run back the odometer on Cameron’s father’s Ferrari, after a day of cruising around Chicago.

Source: The Chicagoist

The Great Lakes Coffee team loves coffee. We’re highlighting our favorite Midwest coffee players for National Coffee Day, and Great Lakes keeps Detroit in fine caffeinated shape. They roast small batches of organic beans and serve it up at restaurants throughout the city, as well as at their own three coffee houses in Midtown, Bloomfield and Lake Orion.

Source: Great Lakes Coffee

On National Coffee Day, savor the flavor at Bow Truss. The Chicago company is a collective of veteran coffee professionals. They roast their own beans in the Lakeview neighborhood and serve them up at their coffee houses in River North and Pilsen.

Source: Bow Truss

To celebrate this highly-caffeinated holiday, grab your morning cup of coffee at Dogwood’s Uptown Coffee Bar. You can get by-the-cup Chemex brews or expertly-crafted espressos. Their beans are roasted twice per week, and their seasonal specials will keep you on your caffeinated toes.

Source: Dogwood Coffee

In honor of National Coffee Day, we’re celebrating some of our favorite coffee houses around the Midwest. When in St. Louis, check out Sump Coffee. Owner Scott Carey (pictured) spent a dozen years in New York City working as a patent attorney before moving back to St. Louis to brew the perfect cup of joe.

Source: Sump Coffee

Say hello to a concrete beauty: the Dorothy Turkel House, built in Detroit in 1955 by Frank Lloyd Wright. The home’s defining feature are its peek-a-boo windows that run around the entire structure. Current owners Norman Silk and Dale Morgan purchased the historic home in 2006 and completed a million-dollar renovation to restore it to its original glory.

Source: Time

The Eastern Market, which has been serving up fresh food and local produce since the 1890s, is about to get a much-needed boost from the Knight Foundation. The foundation has pledged $250,000 to update the historic district and to ensure the landmark continues to serve Detroit for another century.

Source: Metro Times

Hot Doug’s, the beloved Chicago sausage shop serving up everything from rattlesnake to antelope, will close its doors in October. Sarah Knippel and Carlie Lusk decided to celebrate there while they still could. While waiting in what has becoming an epically long line for hot dogs (up to 5 hours), the couple decided they might as well just hold their wedding there. One friend ran out for cake and champagne, another got ordained on her phone, and by the time they got up to the counter, they were ready for their wedding. Definitely one for the Hot Doug’s history books!

Source: DNAinfo Chicago

Call it Thirsty Thursday, because here’s another American-made product that can better your cocktail game. William Rogue & Co., the Minneapolis-based merchant of heritage goods, just put up this steel-banded whiskey barrel where you can age your own spirits. The American Oak will age your bourbons, rums, vodkas and whiskeys to perfection.

Source: William Rogue & Co.

We knew Stu’s Bloody Mary mix was one of the best on the market — we covered the perfectly spiced mix in March. But their partnership with Food52 has kicked things up a notch. Now you can order a complete Bloody Mary Mixology Kit with everything you need to knock some socks off. The kit includes a special secret: sweet corn powder to dust the rim, along with lime juice, hot sauce and Stu’s signature mix.

Source: Food52

Taking notes was never fun — we much preferred to doodle. Milwaukee designer Mike Rohde has invented a stylish solution to that quandary. He specializes in sketchnotes — stylized, illustrated notes that synthesize keynote speeches, conferences and other events. And he’s willing to share his secrets: he has two books on the subject, so you can learn to sketchnote yourself.

Source: Roh Design

The Craft Alliance offers online tours of their resident artists’ studios, and their latest destination was the studio of fiber artist Grace Kubilius. Kubilius’s work is a mesmerizing blend of fabrics, textures and sculptural shapes. Pictured is a taste of her inspirations and works in progress. You can get a closer look at her work at FABRIC, the official St. Louis Fashion Week kick-off party.

Source: Craft Alliance

The Detroit Experience Fashion is going high style for its latest walking tour. Their route will wind down the Avenue of Fashion, the hub of the apparel industry in the Motor City. The avenue is abuzz with fashion students, designers, shoppers and boutique owners; the tour will highlight some of the thriving new businesses and on-trend showrooms.

Source: Detroit Experience Factory

The intersection of Logan and Milwaukee, in the heart of Logan Square, will soon be home to Chicago’s first urban orchard. It’ll be awhile before this new project bears any fruit — the trees take five years to mature — but it will include rarely-seen apple varieties and pawpaw trees. For all the Chicagoans who head to Indiana for their fall apple picking, the trip will soon be a lot shorter.

Source: The Chicagoist

This miniature slice of Chicago history is coming back to life. The Pickwick Stable building was completed in 1892 and will be the new location of Asado Coffee. The Chicago Tribune‘s records show it’s the oldest standing structure in the Loop. Until recently, the historic building, which is just 19 feet by 19 feet, was blocked in by a makeshift parking lot, but this fall coffee-seekers will be able to stroll down the alley and get their fix in a historic spot.

Source: Chicago Business

Let the fall road trips commence — it’s leaf peeping season! (We didn’t make up that term.) We’re celebrating this first day of fall with a road trip suggestion: hit Northern Wisconsin to see the colors in full bloom. Along the way you can stop for cranberries, wild rice, gourmet cheese and the occasional antique barn tucked off the highway.

Source: Northern Wisconsin

Anyone who considers the classic ranch home out of style needs to check out Sharon and David Byers’ Kansas City-area home. The home, designed by the El Dorado architectural firm, is an ultra-modern reincarnation of a ranch home. Set on four acres in Lee’s Summit, the Byers enjoy tremendous views of the sun setting and storms rolling in across the plains. Long live the ranch!

Source: The Kansas City Star

New York City’s High Line park, built on an abandoned elevated rail line, has been a smash hit since opening day and now Chicago has its eye on a similar project on the city’s West Side. The trail will connect neighborhoods and provide an alternate path for pedestrians and cyclists across the city. Dwell shared this rendering of the finished project, set to open in 2015.

Source: Dwell

The latest awe-inspiring structure from Studio Gang Architects opened on the Kalamazoo College campus — the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. Studio Gang shared this snapshot of students and faculty exploring the space, built from stacked white cedar logs harvested in northern Michigan.

Source: Studio Gang

Detroit’s abandoned houses have been the center of many news stories, but they’re not the stories you might think. They’re the stories of creative entrepreneurs turning the homes into everything from terrariums to ice sculptures. Our latest fascination is Wallace Detroit Guitars, which is making electric guitars from the reclaimed wood. “I got interested in seeing how far we could push that,” founder Mark Wallace says. “What can we build with reclaimed materials from Detroit?”

Source: Model D Media

St. Louis furniture designer Martin Goebel was named 2014’s Young Woodworking Professional of the Year. (We’ve highlighted Goebel’s stunning work on Modern Midwest before.) The design that won over the panel was the pictured table, featuring classic timber frame construction with some ship-building influences at work.

Source: Woodworking Network

GQ just crowned Chicago the Greatest Drinking City in America. Whether you’re looking for a neighborhood dive bar or a world-class cocktail, you don’t have to stumble far in Chicago to find one. The magazine name-dropped a few of their favorite watering holes, including the Sportsman’s Club, which walked away with the “Best Backyard” title. We agree: their outdoor patio is the toast of the town. Let’s hope for a late winter so we can fit in a few more drinks.

Source: GQ