With the unofficial start of summer behind us, it's time to start gearing up for all of those summer street-fests throughout Chicago. My favorite thing about them? The local art! My first summer in Chicago, I found a gorgeous piece of art at the Retro on Roscoe festival which takes place every August in Roscoe Village. An artist had her booth set up with dozens of hand-painted city scenes, all done on windows discarded from old torn-down homes and buildings. I brought home the largest piece in her booth that day and it remains my absolute favorite thing in my home (except my husband of course).

But every time I venture out to a Chicago neighborhood festival I'm always struck by the creativity that exists in our city. Whether it's a city-scape, a photograph of the El or some other abstract Chicago-related work, local art definitely adds a little flair to your home - not to mention a fantastic conversation piece when you have guests. Plus, by buying your home's artistic accents in our city, you're doing your part to keep our local economy in decent shape. And buying local is always in style.

Find a street fest near you this summer by clicking here.