A Sneak Preview . . .

So - here are some examples of some of the treats I will be showing to the managers of the various Made in Oregon Stores.

I also am looking forward to a few items making their way north to the Tacoma area. (More details on that later). 

And some of these can be found in Corvallis at Botticelli's .

Hope you enjoy the show . . .

Lazy Susans . . .

magnets . . .

8 x 8 plaques . . .

9 x 9 mirrors . . .

Long and short boards (these are the short boards - approximately 4 1/2" x 18". Long boards are 24" long). . .

Nothing like a little color to brighten the day.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Some "Me" Time

We traveled to Sisters, Oregon for our Harvest Festival - is it any wonder why I love this part of Oregon?  Every time I travel over there I am filled with a desire to relocate.

The sky is expansive,

the mountains are magnificent,

the high desert landscape seems to go on forever,

and some of the most beautiful sunsets are seen on a regulat basis.

I wonder if the people who live there come to take it for granted?

Our sale was all right - Sisters experienced some rather odd weather - but we enjoyed talking to those the braved the elements. And it was still a lovely "mini" vacation.

After returning from Sisters - I traveled to the Oregon Coast.

Is it any wonder that I love where I live? From my home, I can be in entirely different landscapes in a manner of 2 1/2 hours. From desert to ocean.

This trip was about rest and relaxation.

Recharging my batteries.

Bonding with my mother.

Just the two of us -

enjoying a delightful escape and some of the most beautiful weather I have experienced at the Coast in a long time.

The Oregon Coast has plenty of sun - but it is usually accompanied by strong, cold winds -

but if you are lucky enough to be there during an Indian Summer . . .ahhhh.

Those are the days that I live for . . .

And this little seagull was enjoying the evening at the beach as much as we were.

He decided he needed to go get some firewood and s'more supplies for a little evening fun!

Now it is back to reality. Yesterday I experienced a bit of "reentry shock" as I returned to my day job and the day extended into the 8:30 pm hour.

The rest of my week-long escape was spent at home catching up with friends.

Long telephone conversations

Long lunches

Long sessions of laughter

And a few long naps and time spent with my journal.

I spent time on my deck, soaking up the warm sun.

We celebrated milestones -

(he even blew these out with one quick breath!)

And the last night of my week off - we prepared for the upcoming busy-ness with a roaring fire in our backyard.

The night air was clear and cold.

The fire was warm and glowing.

Watching the coals and the flames is rather hypnotic.

Stay tuned - we are preparing our prototypes to take into Made In Oregon. If all goes well, product will be available throughout the state by the Holidays.

Enjoy these last beautiful days of fall. At least in my part of the world, I am sure the rains will be here before we know it and I will be longing for the sunshine again.

When It Rains, It Pours

I feel like I have dropped off the face of the planet over the last few weeks - and if you judge my existance by this blog, that assumption would be correct.

I have been buried in the studio over the last few weeks working on all sorts of exciting things. And of course, real life exists too.

There have been birthday dinners, family events, homework help, my day job and of course life necessities like chores, grocery shopping, sleep . . .

But as of today, I am beginning to emerge and only slightly worse for the wear. So what exactly has been dominating my time? 

Well - thank you for asking!

We are gearing up for our fall and winter holiday sales. We don't have a lot - but they are heavy hitters for us. The summer kind of wiped us out, so we really are trying to rebuild our inventory. And because we don't do anything the easy way - we have been working on redesigning a few of our best sellers - the plaques and mirrors. In the past, we have relied on an outside source to purchase the raw product and then we have created the magic. But now we are creating our own from raw wood and only have to rely on ourselves. I like that much better - and I am much happier with the end result!

We are heading to Sisters, Oregon this weekend to take part in the Sisters Harvest Festival. This is a big show that takes over the town of Sisters. Wonderful art and music and food - great fun.

Unfortunately, the weather report is not looking good - so if you are so inclined a few prayers and positive thoughts our direction would be most appreciated!

 This is our last outdoor sale of the year. Last the skies were clear and beautiful cool. I am hoping that the rain stays away just for a few more days - but if not, we are Oregonians and I learned years ago, we don't melt!

We have wonderful news - we have just placed our items in a new store - Boticelli's Functional Gifts in Corvallis. We delivered a nice supply of bright and whimsical mirrors and plaque this week. If you are in the Corvallis area - check it out.

We are also working on an order for Made In Oregon stores. We should have items in about 5 of their stores throughout the state by the Holidays.

And we are talking with a few more stores in Washington and Oregon that we will be settling up with and making deliveries of products by mid-November.  Alot of information, I know -

In real life . . .

I feel sad and melancholy as I watch the days rapidly shortening and I know that summer is officially over.

But I do love the golden days of fall - the way the light seems to glow and glisten off the trees, the crisp feel of the air and the cool temperatures at night.

 But I dread the gray of winter.

So instead - I will focus on the warmth and coziness of the long nights spent with friends, family and extended family around the table . . .

 cozying up for a lazy afternoon nap . . .

And remembering - that summer will be back again,

 so in the meantime -

 I will try to do my best to reflect those days by carrying the sunshine with me where ever I go.