Hello Fall!

I know I haven't been posting. In between work (at 6 am...groan), school, a boyfriend, and squeezing in some sleep I haven't had time to blog, or photograph anything! Its awful. BUT, I have completed my first woodcut in printmaking and am quite liking wood (dare I say more than linoleum? We shall soon find out!).

Today I went to see Drive By Press in action at PNCA. DBP is a group that tours the country giving printmaking lectures and demos, all from the back of their car! They set up a cool printing press in their Honda Element, where people can buy shirts and have them hand printed, right then and there. Artist Joseph Velasquez does the woodcuts for DBP and are sooo cool. I want, I NEED a token from their appearance in Portland.
See? In the back of their car.
Laying the block down.And one more happy customer with a rad tshirt. I want that to be me tomorrow!



Woodcuts!! The pieces at their appearance are HUGE. My hand would be so sore after carving that out.

Velasquez's work. I love the novelty Mexican imagery...its quite cool

You can check out Drive By Press here, and more pictures (including the ones I posted) can be found here. Check out their website for their tour dates.

Anyway...the next project for my printmaking class will be about the 21st Century. I really am intrigued with the independently made prints in response to the riots in Paris in 1968. The prints are very graphic and make a statement, and I think that inspiration will translate well into modern day conflicts.

So as I take a whiff of my delicious butternut squash soup bubbling on the stove (yes thats right, my first time making soup from scratch! Thank you fall!), I bid a fond farewell until my next post. Til then, enjoy the colder weather and make some soup, carve some woodblocks and print your own stuff!

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!

All Things Ginkgo

When I see ginkgo leaves, it conjures up images of spring and sunny days...so when I popped into Anthropologie today I saw a beautiful gold ginkgo tray that would be perfect for displaying jewelry or votives. So now its hours later and I decided to put up some images of all things ginkgo!

These save the date cards are sophisticated and simply modern. From vreeland design.

Etsy seller Ginkgo makes jewelry thats, guess what? All things ginkgo! Her jewelry is delicate and modern, and perfect for the end of summer and into fall.

This gorgeous ring is from Etsy seller esdesigns.

Yay!

So I FINALLY found a copy of Lena Corwin's new book, Printing by Hand. I just had to pop into Powell's to see if it might be there, and lo and behold, I found it! I immediately bought it and have started to look through it. Its such a great resource to have if you're into printmaking and DIY projects of all sorts. Her book makes using printing tools easy-I just want to dive right in and start making my own stationery! How cool would it be to get some custom rubber stamps made? Or upholstering a vintage chair with your own printed fabric? Love it. Grab this book if you want a book that makes it easy to start printing your own fabrics, clothing, furniture and original artwork. You can see Lena's products and books here. Happy printing!

Oh how I love the weekend

I finally get to enjoy one weekend free from coffee making and dealing with crazy people! The weather in Portland has finally gone from cool to HOT (were talking 100 degrees. oh. my. god.) and back to cool and gorgeously sunny. This morning started out with a walk around the Farmer's Market, where I picked up two tubs of blueberries and one tub of blackberries (hey, I better stock up before they don't appear til next year!) and a gorgeous loaf of bread from Delphina's Bakery in Northeast Portland. It seems like berries have been all over the food blogs- look at Tastespotting for gorgeous foodie pictures and recipes.

I went to the Pearl to enjoy the sun and walk around. Along with a birthday present for a friend, I picked up a beautiful silver glass flower vase from Anthropologie (along with an application-I want a nerdy retail job so bad!)

And finally, discovered an awesome asian-inspired furniture and novelty gift shop called Cargo. It was like a hidden gem of cuteness! I need to get myself back there ASAP.


Just how cool is that exterior? I thought there was some sort of party going on outside...but thats just how it is! Its a huge warehouse filled to the brim with Asian goodies and antiques.
I have my eye on these bar stools (which come in the pea green and light blue color scheme I have for my new apartment). All in all it was a lovely day outdoors in gorgeous Portland. Til next time :)

pictures courtesy Cargo, Flickr.