Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles!

So today at work I was invited to a "cookie exchange"-how friggin cute is that? For tonight's fun (believe me, these girls are HILARIOUS), I wanted to make something easy and yummy, seeing as im on a limited budget and have limited materials with which to cook/bake with. I had all these pumpkin spice Hershey Kisses lying around, so I wanted to see if something could be made with them. Then I thought, sugar cookies=plain dough=easy to manipulate. TRA-LAH! Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles! I hopped (more like trudged) over to the store and got all my ingredients (plus some frozen dinners, a college girl's gotta eat!) and started baking. I took some pictures along the way, twas so easy and the first batch came out a little burnt, but what they hey, theyre still cookies!

This is what the kisses look like melted...yum!

My little cookies

And the final product! Go make some cookies, enjoy :)

(and check out my photos!)

Moving out and moving in!

Oh man. So saturday is the day I move out of my mom's apartment here in Portland and move into my brand spankin' new (okay it was built in the 1930s) apartment!! Today we went on a huge Ikea shopping spree and got everything for the apt. except my fabulous sofa bed (i hope theyre in stock come saturday! eek!) Then it was off to Target to grab small kitchen and cleaning items. I would love to post some pictures when everything gets settled, its going to be amaaaazing. Hardwood floors, crisp white walls just waiting to be decorated and filled! SO. EXCITED. Pictures coming soon!

Art in the Pearl

This past weekend was the annual Art in the Pearl-in, you guessed it-the Pearl District in downtown Portland. Each year artists pitch tents in the North Park Blocks and showcase their best works. It is always a treat to see what local artists are producing, so I had to go! Here is a small sample of the stuff I saw. The day was perfectly Portland: chilly and rainy, and some of the pictures aren't my best (I just took my little digital, not the Nikon). Click here to see a full list and links to artist's websites and work.

These cool prints were exciting to look through.

Loved these sculptural wall pieces using mixed media by artist Yoshi Aoki. There were also great nested pieces with wrapped wire. I can picture these in a salon/spa. Check out his website to see his awesome work.

I was delighted to see these delicately sculpted light fixtures that could instantly bring a room to another dimension. The shapes are inspired from nature like shells and flowers.

Mel Stiles is the mastermind behind her the line Stubborn Design Works. Her pieces were ultra-modern and are crafted of resin in metal. The jewelry's organic shapes would complement a structured outfit (by Leanne from Project Runway perhaps?) and are surprisingly feather-light.

Glass chinese lanterns!


What is a day outside in Portland without seeing owners showing off their dogs? These St. Bernards were HUGE.



These artists, in collaboration with the Oregon School of Art and Craft were forging metals, so cool!