Tree Hugging Hazelnut Cocoa!

Fun news today! I drove up to Vancouver, WA this morning to see samples of my first licensing deal with McSteven's Gourmet Gifts. They have transformed my Portland art print into adorable packaging for three new flavors of cocoa! Chocolandia, Tree Hugging Hazelnut and Rose City Vanilla Bean!

McSteven's Gourmet Cocoa is all natural and made locally in Vancouver, WA. Arriving soon at your local Portland grocery store - see keep an eye out!

From the Weekend

My mom and I took a walk in the rain on Saturday. It was warm and the rain wasn't too heavy, so it was actually enjoyable. I loved seeing all the pretty spring flowers blooming in my neighborhood.

Dinah and I spent the day resting and painting on the couch.

I finished the watercoloring of this new painting. Next I will use some acrylic to finish it up.

Today is very noisy at my house. It is Day 1 of getting a new roof installed. I'm debating leaving for a while, but am worried about leaving the cats alone with all the crazy loud noise. 

Finished Craft Project: My Scrappy Chandelier

I'm so happy to have finished this project! I was originally inspired to make this fun chandelier using a tutorial from Red Velvet's Summer Camp class I took two years ago. I have collected and kept all the supplies needed to create it since then, but only got around to actually starting on it about a month ago. Made from all recycled and thrifted materials, this Scrappy Chandelier now hangs in my living room. I hope to install an actual lamp into it soon.

Supplies I Used:
• Lamp shade frame (found in my Grandma's attic)
• Scrap fabrics (I used mostly shiny, silky and 'fancy' fabric scraps I bought at SCRAP in Portland)
• Large wooden beads (collected from Goodwill and the Knittn' Kitten)

I first wrapped the metal lamp frame in strips of fabric, then got to work tying miscellaneous scraps around it to create a shade. I strung the large wooden beads onto t-shirt strips and tied them onto the bottom of the frame to create the chandelier affect. Lastly, I made my own braided rope (using scrap fabric) so that the lamp could hang from the ceiling.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and that I was actually able to finish it (even though it took me two years!) Now, on to the next project on my endless list of crafty fun...

Sunny Sunday

It's been bright and sunny here in Portland these last few days. It's such a nice change from our normal grey rain. I am just recovering from food poisoning (I was in bed for 3 days). Dinah and magazines kept me company, but I mostly slept and played a dumb iPhone game, Pocket Potions while I waited for the poison to leave my system so my stomach could heal.

Yesterday was the first day I felt well enough to venture out of my house. I made a trip to my favorite thrift store, Rerun and picked up some goodies...

I've been eyeing this piece of art for a few weeks now and decided to go for it. I just love the retro style of Daniel and the Lions- so adorable! On the back is written 1974 Israel. Now I just need to find a good home on my wall for it to hang.

I found this issue of Wimmen's Comix, an all-female underground comic from 1974.

In the evening, James and I took a walk through the neighborhood as the sun went down. I love walking through the neighborhoods of Portland, seeing all the different houses and people's yards. Makes me dream of having my own house some day. Afterwards we drove to Movie Madness on SE Belmont to find a weird movie to watch. I chose Times Square, which I had read about on Rookie Mag. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it. It's an 1980's movie about two misfit teenage girls who run away together to form a punk band in New York. 

Today I'm enjoying the sunshine from my window, catching up on work and my blog posts for next week. Hope you all are having a relaxing Sunday afternoon!

xo Rachel

Weekend Fun

This was the first weekend in a while that I was able to put down my work and have some fun! Saturday, James and I went out for happy hour and swing dancing. Here is what I wore...

I had fun trying out this new hairdo! I used some vintage ric-rac and these tutorials.

We had homemade breakfast pizza in the morning!

Fancy cocktails complete with a blue monkey!

Fresh picked strawberries ♥

What adventures did you have this weekend?

Summer Studio ♥

Yesterday, the sun finally came out in Portland. I took the opportunity to set up my summer studio in the backyard. It's so great working outside! I spent a few hours getting some new tie-dye t-shirts tagged and ready to be sold at Tender Loving Empire.


I'm so excited for summer! The clear skies and warm weather have brightened my mood and energized my creative motivation. I'm feeling ready for some new projects! ♥

Fun at the Alberta Art Hop!

Well, it turned out to be the perfect Saturday for the 11th Annual NE Alberta Art Hop. All of NE Alberta Street in Portland was closed off to traffic for a day of art, music, food, and fun! Here are some photos from today's happenings...

Weekend Adventures & Vintage Finds

Happy Monday everyone! It seems so weird that March is here already. I thought I'd share with you what I was up to this past weekend.

Friday...

I went to the I Heart Art Portland Meet 'n' Greet held at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in NW Portland. It was so much fun! Over 500 people showed up. There were food and drinks and even a few people from Etsy Headquarters were there. It was really great having the opportunity to mingle and talk with other Portland etsians and creatives. They also had little activity stations set up where you could make your own button and print your own gocco card. Fun fun!

Saturday...

I saw my favorite local band, Purple Rhinestone Eagle, play at The Know bar on NE Alberta. They are so amazing to see perform. I can't wait for their next album to come out. They start recording this spring!

Sunday...

My mom and I did some quick thrifty shopping. We stopped at 3 of our favorite thrift/antique stores: Atomic Ashes, Rerun and another thrift store I unfortunately don't remember the name of (it's located on the corner of NE Killingsworth and Williams). I ended up falling in love with the color orange and daringly bought these bright orange leather shoes, a cute daisy mug, and a little vintage framed mushroom art ♥

Weekend Adventures

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. It was beautiful and sunny here in Portland and I took the opportunity to go hiking with some friends at Horsetail Falls in Bridal Veil, Oregon.

Multnomah Falls

I wish I could make it out to Multnomah Falls this weekend. Everything is turning to ice and is really beautiful. If anyone's up for a trip anytime soon, let me know! I'd love to take this photo.

Photo taken by Mark Schroeder

Tender Loving Empire

I am very excited to announce that Camp Smartypants products will now be for sale at Tender Loving Empire on 18th and NW Lovejoy in Portland. If you're in the area, you should definitely check out the store! They sell tons of handmade goods all by local artists/designers. And, they also have a music label, so they sell lots of local artist music too!

Kitties

Since moving to Portland, my cats- Simba and Dinah- have been able to go outside. They didn't know what they're lives were missing! They are so much happier now that they can explore and play in the grass. Simba might even lose some weight with all of his new activities! :)



This is Jynx, one of my mom's cats. Probably the craziest of the bunch, he likes to find his own special hiding places.

Buon Appetito!

This weekend I went down to Portland to relax and visit my family. On Saturday night, my mom (and Lindsay and Rich) and I made an amazing pasta dish inspired by this recipe. Mom bought three live crab from ABC Seafood. We cooked them and made them into an amazing creamy pasta sauce. Lindsay and I used my mom's pasta maker (the one that attaches to her Kitchen Aid) to make fresh tagliatelle pasta. We tossed the pasta with fresh spinach and topped it with the crab cream sauce, parmesan cheese, and a dash of black pepper. With a glass of chianti, I was in heaven!


I wish I had my camera out when my mom put the crab in the pot of boiling water!

I know it's a little late but..

I realized I never posted the photos I took over Xmas. It was a wonderfully quiet Christmas this year. I spent it with my Mom and her boyfriend. The snow was so pretty. We just relaxed, cooked, watched movies, and worked on puzzles.