Sniffle, Sneeze, Cough

I'm feeling a little under the weather. I was so catatonic last night, I found myself watching Dateline NBC. Ugghhh!

On the road from Portland to the Coast

I took an overnight road trip a couple of weeks ago. No kids, no husband, no dog. Just me and Lily Allen and the empty Dodge minivan ready to be filled with junk. I documented my trip from Portland to my favorite beach on the Oregon Coast. Here's how it looked...

Sun dappled buildings downtown

An old barn near Banks ~ 20 minutes from downtown

The Wilson river ~ about 45 minutes into my journey

A view of the top of the Coastal Range (Snow!) ~ 1 hour + 10 minutes from Portland

Dunes and a view of Tillamook Head ~ almost there....

Destination: Nedonna Beach ~ about 1 hour + 40 minutes from downtown Portland

I ♥ Oregon

How many birdbaths does one gal need?

In my case, three. So far.
This was my first concrete birdbath. I found the bottom piece in a woodpile and the top came from a garage sale.

My friend Maryann helped me load this one into the back of our Jeep. It weighs a ton. She almost lost a finger, I almost lost a toe. It was worth it. It moved with us from Pennsylvania to Oregon. I think the Mayflower guys might have lost a few digits as well. Don't fret....we gave them a nice tip.

I found this fishy one at a local shop here in Portland. It was a bit spendy for me, but I traded some fab vintage jewelry for it. Thanks, Astrid!

The tiny bird is so happy that spring has arrived. More of my concrete menagerie in a future post...

Grab Bag

At a recent sale, there were several plastic sandwich bags full of jewelry bits tossed haphazardly on the dining room table. I snagged this one that was marked $1.50. Just so you know, I don't like paying more than $1 for anything, so this was a stretch for me.

Just look at what was buried in all that bad 80's pot metal!

All of these pieces will be repurposed into rings and hair doodads. I like the shiny green rhinestone gem best of all. Which one is your favorite?

Junk Garden in Manzanita Oregon

Remember Cart'M on the Oregon Coast? I decided that their demonstration garden deserved it's own post. The staff cultivates this delapidated delight next to the dump/recycling center/thrift store. The garden is created using throw-aways; PVC pipe, a bathtub, rusted old modes of transportation and even a gigantic satellite dish. Have a little meander.....

And remember...please stay on the path!

CSI Portland

Okay boys and girls....
Spring is definitely here and so is estate sale season. I want to warn you right now about 2 regulars who seem to hit every sale, every Friday, on the east side of Portland. If you see these two; STAY CLEAR! I have seen one of them shove a little old lady out of his way, and witnessed the other in a screaming obscenity-laced fight with a dealer in a dead person's house. Believe me, you don't want to mess with these boys! Occasionally, there is a large sign on the front door at estate sales that reads:
"@*&^% and *#^$% are not welcome here!!!"

Suspect #1
Suspect #2
The Getaway Car

Cute and Talented

This is my friend Gail. We are partners in junk crime. She is funny and clever and can sing show tunes like nobody's business. See her stunning vintage necklace? We had a bitchfight over that at a recent sale. She won.

Gail finds old windows at sales (and sometimes by the side of the road) and takes them home. Then she does collage. So instead of ending up in a landfill, the windows becomes gorgeous art. Our friend Fiona commissioned this one.

I bought this one.

If you live in the Portland area and must have a window of your own, leave a comment or email me and I'll hook you up with Gail.
Here's to a junky weekend!

Run!!! Don't Walk!!!

This charming little spot is found just off Hawthorne Boulevard in Southeast Portland. It looks like it was brought over, brick by brick, (including the white metal cart) from Paris. But I digress. The real story is what is happening inside the miniscule kitchen behind the blue facade.

How about a waffle with bacon, brie and basil? Then for dessert, a Bananamisu? Oh! Yes, please!

The effervescent Mary runs the place with panache. Would you like to have a closer look?

My favorite place in Oregon

Once upon a time, there was a magical place called Cart M. It was in a small town called Manzanita, on the Oregon Coast.

It was a cross between a dump, a recycling center and a thrift store! People came from miles around just to see it!

They had very special things there...like an avocado green toilet with a wooden seat!

And a big, beautiful piece of art made from thousands of recycled cans!

They made it very easy to figure out where to put stuff.

There were wonderful things to see inside the thrift store too! Like...

I always wanted a planter made from a cup and saucer and rick rack and pennies! Hooray for Cart M!

Sweet 16!

Our Fabulous Emma with her mom ~ lucky me! ~ on her 16th birthday.

Birthday flowers for Emma on the kitchen table....apricot and lime cottage roses with deep pink wax flower...Lovely and Springy!

Quack, Chirp, Baaa and Hippity Hop

Happy Easter from my mantel!

A Junk Odyssey ~ the abridged version

Creepy house....

Much furniture found in creepier basement....

Beth is happy.

The End

Brick Edging for the Garden...and it's Recycling!

Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy asked for ideas for brick or stone edging for garden beds. I thought you might like a tip for your Spring garden too! This is a simple and efficient way to keep things tidy. Bury the bricks in the soil...one by one....so they are leaning on each other. Easy Peasy. This look feels very English to me...not sure it is, but it feels like it is. By the way, Alicia is a fantastically creative and well-loved local gal here in Portland. Her writing is clean and true and often moves me to tears. And her photography is just amazing. Alicia....best of luck with the new book and thank you!

Too bad it was closed....

I saw this storefront recently in a rather dodgy part of Los Angeles near the airport. Because I am, well...me, I stopped in the middle of the street to take a photo of the sign instead of getting myself and my two beloved children out of the area as soon as possible. I found the name of the shop non-sensical and quite charming: "LOVELY ARE YOU, AFFAIR"

Friday's estate sale highlights

A vintage PINK oven. How or why it was installed like this, I cannot explain.

Hand made money holders at a retirement community rummage sale. Adorable!

A cherubic concrete birdbath with lily pad pond feature. This was not for sale.

Speaking of yard art; there is a line you should never, ever cross.