'tis the season...

This weekend's grey skies and wet roads confirmed what I should have known by simply looking at the calendar: fall has arrived! That means I have to get the house in order for colder weather, dig out the rain gear and winter sweaters, and OMG, the holidays are just around the corner, yikes!

Hey, nothing a little shopping therapy can't take care of! And here's a great place to do it: on Tuesday and Wednesday 10/14-15, Handmade NW is putting on a fabulous Fall Artisans Fair at Montgomery Park in NW Portland! It's inside the atrium on the second floor so you'll be warm and dry as you peruse the fine wares of local artists like these:


For a full listing of all the fabulously talented local artists, please visit the website.


And yes, yours truly will be there (Tuesday only) with show specials on calendars and card files to help you ease into the changing seasons - and help you get started on that holiday shopping list!


HANDMADE NW FALL ARTISANS FAIR
10/14 and 10/15 • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Montgomery Park • 2nd Floor • 2701 NW Vaughn Street • Portland

etsy finds

I simply have to share my latest Etsy purchase from Kalla Textile Design.


It came all the way from Japan and arrived at my doorstep in no time at all! This fun and bold pattern fabric is handprinted by Hitomi and then carefully sewn together into this cute pillow.


While chartreuse is one of my all-time favorite colors and this pillow would fit beautifully with the decor of our house, I have other plans for this little guy: it's going to travel all the way to the Netherlands as a house-warming present for my little sister and her boyfriend who recently got their very own apartment together. Surprise, Claire! Hope you'll like this little splash of color on your white sofa :)

calendar time

It's the first of October and you guessed it: time to update your computer's desktop wallpaper with Cecily Ink's free pattern for October available here.


Plus, the long-awaited 2009 desk calendar is now available online! Here are a few photos to pique your curiosity of what the new year has in store:


Just visit my website or my etsy shop to get your very own – or to share! It's never too early to start thinking about those stocking stuffers, right?

INSIDER TIP: enter "shipme" as the coupon code during checkout on the website for free shipping on orders over $50; if you only want a single calendar, etsy is the better way to go since I can charge less for shipping (I can only ship via priority mail on the website, which is more expensive than regular mail)

instant vintage

I love all things vintage, especially old family photographs. Now thanks to a link I discovered on Little Brown Pen's blog, I can make any of my present-day photos appear vintage with just the click of a button! Check out this site to see how (there's a button in the top right that will change the language from Japanese to English!)

Look at this "before" photo I took in the Netherlands:


And wow, instant vintage in the "after":


Here are a couple more – now go play with your own photos, it's so much fun!

more eye candy

This weekend I actually had a bit of time to surf the web and I stumbled across Cox & Cox, an online store based in the UK. The photography is so soft and serene, it really creates an amazing mood - it makes me wish I could live my life in close-up mode!


Plus, their product selection is very unique. Yes, there are a few things I've seen before in the US but plenty of things are new to me – enough to make me consider ordering a few things and paying the price to have them shipped across the big pond (I simply must have those heart-shaped brown sugar cubes to hang on the rim of my tea cup!)


COX & COX
www.coxandcox.co.uk • International: 0870 442 4787

eye candy

Do you ever come a cross a website that makes you say "wow" out loud? Well, I do (quite a bit, actually) – but this site by Amy Atlas not only made me talk to myself like some old cat lady, it made me wish I lived in NYC and had some fabulous event coming up so I could hire Amy to create her magic!


Amy's desert tables are simply out of this world! Just take a look at these amazing displays of confection and creativity:


And should you need any inspiration for your Halloween party this year, look no further:


To see more of Amy Atlas' delicious designs, just visit her website. (all photography shown here is from her site - isn't it gorgeous?)

AMY ATLAS EVENTS
New York City • 917.974.9285

shop talk - camellia

After driving by this store for months and always thinking "I gotta stop by there!" I finally had a chance to visit Camellia on Fremont in NE Portland. And boy, was I in for a treat!


Shop owner Emily has scoured the country and come up with a huge selection of beauty products that pamper your body and soul. And best of all, they're all natural and organic! Just think: beauty, cosmetics, skincare, and body care that you can feel good about in more ways than one!

Just take a look at these snapshots to get a sense of Camellia's fabulous selection:


And you'll feel rejuvenated just walking around her spacious store, taking in all the goodness it has to offer. Don't forget to look up at the ceiling for a visual treat:


CAMELLIA
4941 NE Fremont • Portland • 503.287.4645 • www.camelliapurebeauty.com