LITTLE STUMPTOWN

Stumptown sasquatch

2016-12-24T12:48:00.003-08:00

Ever wanted your very own sasquatch? Oh? You've seen Harry and the Hendersons? Don't think you want your house to smell and holes in the walls? Here's your compromise. This little guy is house broken, quiet, and smells like a rose. Straight from the Pacific Northwest he will take up residence in your heart. This Native Portland hipster loves long walks in the forest, moss in his hair, and foot rubs. He'd love to come home with you and teach you about craft beer, good coffee, and why umbrellas are tragically unhip. Handcrafted by a Native Oregonian, as all Big Feet should be.

He's available for order in my Etsy shop. Check it out!

Scenes from Sayulita

2016-07-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Sayulita Life

2016-07-08T00:29:00.003-07:00

We just returned from two weeks in magical Sayulita, Mexico. What a vibrant place it is! Stay tuned for more pictures and tips on where to eat and play in this lovely beach town.

New tees from Bobo Choses

2016-04-18T14:42:00.001-07:00

Summer is almost here friends! Time for some flashy new duds! Bobo Choses is one of my absolutely favorite brands for kiddos! Check out these super cute new shirts! PS) I snuck in a cat rug for fun...because cat rugs are awesome!

Ronan as an ornament!

2015-12-26T20:43:00.001-08:00

Gift toppers

2015-12-17T17:33:00.004-08:00

Check out this super cute gift topper from Mer Mag! Not only is it adorable, but it's a fun and easy craft for little ones to make! Great concept! I think you could even used large painted beads in place of the clay. Check out the full tutorial on Mer Mag. Ronan and I will be making some of these over the holiday break!

What we're wearing

2015-12-13T15:54:00.001-08:00

It's all about keeping warm these days here in the Pacific Northwest. Day after day of rain, rain, rain....then some more rain. We've been having some major flooding, roads washed out, homes under water,... some serious Oregon + El Nino drama. So we're huddled up inside trying to stay dry, dressed in our cozies (and maybe some of us are still in our jammies.) Ronan is rocking this awesome tiger sweatshirt from Tea Collection and some stripey stretchy pants from Tar-jhey.

Santa Visit

2015-12-11T19:21:00.002-08:00

Super kid turns 5

2015-11-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

I just can hardly believe that I have a 5 year old. Where has the time gone? This year I floated a lot of ideas past Ronan for party themes and he kept coming back to...Batman...Spiderman....Captain America... I wasn't super jazzed about the idea to be honest. But, he's old enough now to choose his own themes, so I decided that we would compromise. So I did a "Super Ronan" party. He loved it and kept shouting AWESOME! everytime he noticed something new. I had a lot of fun creating all the details, especially the paper-mache flying Super Ronan.

Resources:
back drop fabric from Spoonflower
marquee letters from Amazon.com and Michaels
lightning bolt cookies from Sunshine Bakes (Etsy)
mask cake from Papa Haydn (local restaurant)
Ronan's lightening bolt hoodie from Hannah Anderson (now sold out), shoes from Converse, leggings from Target, glitter shoe lightning bolts from Shwing

Each kid got a super hero mask goody bag

Resources for goody bags:

crocheted super hero masks Soft Stitch by Lisa

treat bag from Collage- hand-painted by me

mask tattoo from Atsuyo et Akiko

hacky sack from The Lippman Company

little mask necklace made by me from shrinky dinks

little wood doll from Michaels- painted and decorated by me

Boo bucket

2015-10-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Folks. I love candy just as much as the next guy. But I tell you what. My kid on candy is just about something like a rabid baboon on methamphetamines. Ok, well I may be exaggerating a bit... BUT.... recently I decided that I'd love to be festive for Halloween in a way that didn't involve a crazed preschooler running amok. Last year my partner gave Ronan the cutest Halloween "Boo Bucket" and this year I decided to create one for him myself! What fun!

Resources:

Lazy bones wooden collapsing skeleton by Kikkerland

Stack the Bones game by Kikkerland

Little bat puppet- local find New Seasons supermarket

Jack O' Lantern pail from Target

Jack O' Lantern drawstring bag from Joann Craft

Bottle of bones from Michaels

I can think of so many fun things to put into these! I think teenagers could even get into them with the right stuff. Hopefully Ronan will like his so much he won't even miss the candy!

Yearly photos

2015-10-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some of our photos from our recent session with a local photographer. Since Ronan was born I've been trying to do yearly photos to capture his growth. We had a wonderful photographer in San Francisco, but obviously seeing her yearly isn't going to work anymore, being that we are back living in my hometown. Shortly after we moved back I began searching for the right photographer for us. I needed someone with a great imagination, who was open to ideas, someone who is a master of their craft. Well folks..I found the most amazing artist in Kim of Campbell Salgado Studio. As my former photographer Anna will tell you, I have lots of crazy ideas, and Kim was totally willing to help me achieve my vision. Let's just say that this time around it involved pounds of goose feathers! The results of our session were stunning.. Kim is amazing! Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Cutest cardboard costume

2015-10-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know that I am a huge fan of Mer Mag. She always knocks it out of the park with her cool designs. This time is no exception. Look at this adorable llama costume! I die! She has an entire DIY tutorial on her blog. Check it out!

Pumpkins!

2015-10-01T16:50:00.001-07:00

So the weirdest thing this year...we've had such an incredibly warm summer that all of the pumpkins around here have already been ripe and ready for a month. Global warming? Freak cyclical warm spell? Not sure. The result is though, pumpkins are ready NOW! So we went out this last week to check it out. This is the first year that Ronan really was able to remember and talk about last year when we went to the patch, so he was super jazzed up to go. We weren't able to do the hay ride or anything this time around, so I think a second visit is in the works. Ronan has been practicing his "pretty smile" which kinda makes him look like a weirdo.

Around town: Beam and Anchor

2015-09-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

I just fell in love. Spoiler alert! It's with a STORE. I officially have a new favorite store in Stumptown. Beam and Anchor. This place is so fabulous....so speaks to the inner me... that I wasn't sure if I wanted to throw up, punch someone, or cry. Every single item here is something I would love to own. Every one carefully chosen. It's so thoughtfully curated, and the space is incredibly beautiful and well designed. I could have spent the entire day in here. Thankfully, I had to get back to my kiddo or I would have bought the entire store. Many of their items are made right here in Stumptown, but they also carry objects from around the country and the globe. I personally fell very much in love with a little brass bowl, a wallet, and the scent of one of Olo's fabulous perfumes. (Stay tuned for my post of a visit to their flagship store). If you are ever visiting our lovely city, remember, GO TO BEAM AND ANCHOR... (but please don't buy a house while you are here). You can also visit them online at beamandanchor.com

Dying to D.I.Y.

2015-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friends. Listen. It's been a LONG time since I have been able to DIY much of anything. To tell you the truth, this year has been rough. I've been in school preparing for a Master's program and it's been INTENSE. At the present moment I'm taking a little break and the creativity and urge to DIY is starting to filter back into my radar. I ran across this super cool statement necklace today from Nearly Crafty and all I can say is wow! I WANT one! Kate always has the coolest ideas! Check out her blog for the full tutorial!

Doughnuts doughnuts!

2015-09-15T15:06:00.001-07:00

We are obsessed folks!

Truer words have never been spoken.....

2015-09-03T09:49:00.002-07:00

Apartment Therapy has nailed it again.

As a life long, die hard introvert.....I can relate. Oh boy, can I relate.....

Here's part of their brilliant article.....

There are three things you should know about introverts: first, we like spending time alone; second, we're not anti-social, we just can't socialize nonstop without feeling like — how do I put this? — part of our soul is dying; and third, there's a right and wrong way for an introvert to clean the kitchen.

What? You didn't know that last part? It's true. If you're an introvert and you've never been a fan of cleaning the kitchen, it's probably because you're cleaning it like — gasp! — an extrovert. Here's how you can really make it work for you.

This is how you should feel when cleaning the kitchen.

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The Introvert's Guide to Cleaning the Kitchen

1. It's a legitimate excuse for staying home. USE IT.

When your friend texts and asks if you want to hang out, you should most definitely write back "Ack. Have to clean the kitchen. So bummed." You're not bummed. You're saved. Kitchen: +1. Socializing when you don't want to: +0.

2. Get everyone out.

Your lovely dinner guests just asked to help with the dishes, because they are considerate people whom you genuinely love and admire. But all you can think is:

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Go with that feeling to go it alone. You're not the only one.

3. Press play on the podcast.

"Woo-hoo! It's time to blast some dance music, invite the gang in, and get this cleaning party started, am I right?" — said no introvert ever.

A more accurate phrase would be, "Whew. It's time to listen to an intelligent discussion about something culturally or emotionally riveting while I slowly scrub pans, pause every so often to squint my eyes thoughtfully at something the radio program host just said, and then squirt some more dish soap into the water, the sixth time I've done that in the last five minutes because I'm not really paying attention to what I'm doing."

(Now, now — we know you extroverts love podcasts, too!)

4. Think about rejoining everyone in the dining room.

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Okay, so cleaning it is!

To read the rest of this brilliant guide, head over to Apartment Therapy: Introvert's guide. I promise you, if you are an introvert or you love an introvert, you will laugh out loud!

Eating Local: Pip's Doughnuts

2015-08-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ronan is off school for a bit and so we've been out adventuring. Checking out our new neighborhood and venturing out into the city to try some new things. I'd recently been to Pip's Doughnuts for the first time and was really excited to take Ronan. Best doughnuts I've ever had. Fresh and hot right out of the fryer. Ronan was equally impressed.

Rainy day party

2015-02-19T20:42:00.000-08:00

Ronan turned 4 years old this fall. To celebrate we had a "rainy day" party. Portland appropriate, yes? I had the cutest cookies made: umbrellas, boots, clouds, and rain drops. An amazing local baker made his cake, which was topped with a teeny umbrella and boots. I spent months making the giant cloud decoration out of paper-mache....it looked incredible I have to say,...so much like a real cloud! I used this post for inspiration and directions. For favors I did small umbrella shaped boxes filled with rain drop candies (chocolate covered sunflower seeds..delicious!) from the wonderful Candy Babel here in Portland, who specializes in unique candy from around the world. They do not currently ship, but if you are ever in Portland you must visit her incredible shop. It will be worth your while... Amani, the owner, is even sweeter than the goodies she sells! I always try to keep Ronan's gifts on theme, so this year he got a brand new pair of Hunter rain boots and a stack of books about: clouds, rain, boots, and weather.

photos by Remembrance Photography

Mini Rodini

2014-12-27T23:02:00.002-08:00

Well they've done it again folks. I walked into a store and saw some of the pieces from Mini Rodini's new collection and just about wet my pants. Why oh why am I not a millionaire? Want want want want!

Visit with Santa

2014-12-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

This was our 5th visit to Santa and Ronan was pretty excited to see the big guy in person. He asked me several times if this was "the real Santa." And let me tell you Ronan...he is...for SURE...the real Santa.

Modern advent tree

2014-12-01T19:56:00.002-08:00

OH.MAH.GAWD! I am totally in love with this advent calender designed by the amazing Kate from Nearly Crafty. Isn't it fun? You punch out the middle of each number to find a treat inside. Kate always comes up with the coolest things. I swear her head is just full of magic. Check out the tutorial on her blog Nearly Crafty and make your own!

A very Portland cake

2014-12-01T19:43:00.001-08:00

Check out this adorable cake from Oh Happy Day! Super Portland-y don't you think? I'm dying to make one! Head over there to check out the tutorial!

Pumpkin patch

2014-10-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

We picked up Ronan early from school today and took a visit to the pumpkin patch. It was very, very muddy...which in my opinion is kinda a plus. It's fun to wear rain boots and stomp puddles and get dirty. And boy did we....Ronan kept saying "Look at all the mud on my boots! Whoa!" Ronan had a hard time deciding which pumpkin to take home since there were so many cute "baby ones." It was a lot of fun watching him run around and check everything out. I think he was most impressed with the rotten pumpkins that he found, which he would stand over, scrunch his face, and then proclaim... "TOTALLY GROADY TO THE MAX!" Love this kid.

My fall boot obsession.....

2014-10-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm dying...
must
have
these
now.....

Bromley boots by Michael by Michael Kors image from Beauty and the Dirt