An artist that is loyal to hot beverages. e.g. coffee & tea.

My husband, Justin and I drove out to the coast this last Saturday. We finally celebrated his birthday, it was in the beginning of July.
Here are lots of photos! Enjoy! Feel free to leave a comment.

Out on the open road – Hwy 99W

Rectangle shaped stacked hay bales

We are almost to the finish line!

Look! It’s a deer!

Standing on Proposal Rock

Looking up at Proposal Rock

Looking up at Proposal Rock – close up

Crevice in Proposal Rock

Seaweed find

Where’s Proposal Rock?

Close up of the orchids on Neskowin Beach

Looking out Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, OR

Crafting at Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, Oregon

My sandy foot and crafting/drawing tools

Looking out Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, OR

Sea Lions at Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, OR

I have so many things to share with you about my recent visit to my homestate, Nebraska. Being there for 2 weeks, I couldn’t help taking lots of photography. I plan on dedicating a few future blog posts to the highlights. Above is a shot I snapped in rural eastern Nebraska. I do miss the drives; being out and about between Columbus, Lincoln, and Omaha. It was nice to be reacquainted with the rows and rows of corn stalks. One thing I didn’t miss was the 90° – 100° humid mosquito infested summer weather.

When I left Portland at the end of June I began reading my friend, Kim’s novel suggestion… The Time Traveler’s Wife. Wow, it was such a good read. It’s confusing at first with all the time traveling dates. I don’t think I have ever read a novel (that was not a mandatory high school or college requirement) so fast. Niffenegger’s writing is to die for. I fell in love with her writing style. This is really her first book? I didn’t notice. Very well done Niffenegger. Before I read this book I wasn’t fond of the name Henry. Felt so old-fashioned. After reading this book, let’s be honest, I have a new appreciation for it. I loved the dreamy character Henry. Who wouldn’t. He’s compassionate, dashing, and a time traveling adventurous stud. I don’t normally read chick novels but this one went well under the radar for me. I give it 5 stars. I’m a little leary of watching the movie. It seems like when books are made into movies they are just not as good.

Chick novels… chick flicks… I only like a handful of either of them. Maybe 3 or 4.  Love & Sex is an adorable and funny one. I watched this flick a couple times this week. One of my favorite quotes is when Adam says to Kate, “I cheese sandwich you.” If you haven’t watched it, the 2 were discussing, that after a while, saying “I love you” is like saying “cheese sandwich”.  Saying “I love you” starts to lose it’s meaning.

This is off subject, but I’ll give you a little heads up of what I have been crafting up these days. I crafted these… “Handpicking La France Pears In Japan” earrings. When the day comes that I get to visit Japan, I do hope to visit a pear orchard. I love how the La France Pear is uniquely spherical, like these lemon jade beads. I have listed a few pairs in the ol’ Etsy shop. Click here to be directed to my shop.

Well I hope you lovelies have a great weekend. If you are in Portland… stay cool. It’s going to be a warm one! It would be a good time to go to the coast.

Here comes…
SHOW OF AWESOME!!!

It is this Saturday, the 19th from 10am to 3pm.
And like old times it will be at the Doug Fir Lounge.

Come shop and meet crafty superstars from across the country selling handmade goodness!
- Featuring 40 local and national vendors and a few authors too!
- Free DIY project at the Make Something Awesome Area.
- All ages and free admission.

See the vendor list here: http://www.hellocraft.com/summit/the-show-of-awesome/

Come buy gifts, or maybe a little something for yourself!

This event is happening in conjunction with the Summit of Awesome and is sponsored by Crafty Wonderland, DIY Lounge and Hello Craft.

I do hope you’ll come!

Good morning to you all! It’s very early for me… 4:00am. Some silly reason I’ve been waking up this time early every day this week. Let me state– THIS NEVER EVER HAPPENS. I heart sleeping. Make that a gigantic heart. Ok, so I’ve been pretty terrible about updating this blog. Eek! Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? I really need to kick myself in the rear. It even has been perfect blogging weather…rainy. Bleh, I am pretty tired of this stinking hard core rain we have been having in Portland. Well, I don’t hate it completely. I love having my apartment windows open. Hearing the pitter-patter is nice. And so is the smell. Mmmm. But I am yearning for a little Vitamin D and bicycling that doesn’t involve soggy skinny jeans.

For some odd reason the rain has gotten me thinking of “David the Gnome”. If you were a child in the mid to late-80’s like me & you had cable… you probably were a big Nickelodeon fan. I’m curious how many of you out there liked the TV show “David the Gnome”? I had a flash back of being around the age of 5, all curled up on the couch with my mom, watching the show that would eventually be subdued by an afternoon nap. All while it was raining, of course. I wonder what I would think of it, if I watched it today. My mom sure loved it. And I’m pretty sure today I’m the same age as she was then.

Very soon I will be making my first roadtrip of the season out to the coast. And absolutely NO Mr. Rain! You are sooo not invited. Sun? absolutely!

Speaking of roadtrips, remember when I posted on here about my drive out to Mount St Helens? Oh… back in the Spring of last year? Well here’s the post if you would like to read it. With all this H20 jibber-jabber, here are some earrings that I crafted. With Clearwater Lake on the brain, I named them…

“That time my toes met the shoreline”

:: View in Etsy Shop ::

I adore these faceted glass beads. They’re awesome! See how their colors, teal & amber, blend together? It’s especially cool how they hit the light. I really wish I had more of them. Yes, unfortunately I only will be able to make a few more. I guess you can say they are limited edition. He he.

Well you nice folks have an excellent weekend! I will leave you with a sketchbook drawing from yesterday. Enjoy!

Maybe see ya on Monday!

This Saturday, May 15th is the 11th Annual Art Hop on Alberta Street here in Portland. It’s from 11:00am to 6:00pm. I’m looking forward to being an art vendor for the first time ever! What is it you ask? “Art on Alberta’s annual Art Hop is a beloved day-long arts focused festival drawing over 20,000 people to see displays by local artists and vendors of various disciplines, juried exhibits, and performances along a 17-block stretch of NE Alberta Street. The street festival is lively with plenty of opportunities for participants to interact
with the arts and artists.”

Art Hop links: Facebook Fan Page • Facebook Event Page • Official Website

My booth will be located at NE Alberta Street & 24th Avenue, where the leaf is shown above. Stop by and say hello!

I designed new business cards. Front and back of card was printed on lovely 16pt dull cover with matte finish. Anyone up for a business card exchange?

Here’s a little sneak peek of the jewelry I’ve been making lately. These earrings are made up of antique brass kidney wires and green to brown glass faceted beads. There are some big plans for my online Etsy shop. Over the next week or two you may see some items trickle in.

This last weekend was incredible. I’ll cherish it in my heart always, as mushy as that sounds. I want to send out a huge thanks to Cathy and Torie for organizing such an awesome show! And lest we not forget… to you all that came out and supported it! Crafty Wonderland is definitely a staple in making Portland what it is. I’m so thankful to be able to experience it. So much creative talent at the event. It was so cool to see the faces behind shops that I have favorited on Etsy. I wish I had a chance to go around and meet more of you!

I took many photos of the weekend. You can check them all out on my Flickr. I posted a few below too.

Thanks to my friend Heidi for capturing this shot! www.heidihoffmanphotography.com

Make Something Awesome Area organized by Hello Craft

People a shoppin’. I got to sneak out of my booth when it was quiet for a moment to snap a photo.

I had a ball today meeting new friends and visiting with old friends. Looking forward to the 2nd day!

My booth…

Starting at 11:00am Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale will open it’s doors. You don’t know how uber UBER excited I am. It’s ridiculous.

Here’s a sneak peek of some handmade magnets that I will be selling…

Underneath the glass you can see vintage maps of Portland, Astoria, Corvallis, Tillamook, and more! If you look closer you will see that I drew tiny leaves around the outer edge.

Hope to see ya there!

PS: Yoshimi was being really goofy. She discovered a twisty tie and was playing with nonstop.

You can wear the first letter of your name on your finger! How rad is that?! I will be bringing a bunch of ‘em to Crafty Wonderland this weekend. If you can not make it this weekend and you really want one… contact me and I’ll make a custom listing in my online shop made especially for you!

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ONLY 4 MORE DAYS UNTIL CRAFTY WONDERLAND!!! YAY!!!

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Hallo!

This afternoon Justin & I checked out the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn. So beautiful I had to share! Enjoy!

Goedenacht!