Portland Picks:
1 Just Like Heaven
One word for Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces—utopia. We met our masseuse, Brenda, downstairs in the gift shop (next to the gallery) and she led us upstairs to a very serene, warm, welcoming spa space. We felt relaxed before we even received the treatment. Brenda made us feel like an old friend, as if we’d just popped in for a cup of tea.
We treated ourselves to the 90-minute Intuitive Massage & Energy Infusion. Ninety fabulous minutes of lying there in pure rapture as Brenda guided us to a place of serene tranquility. Each massage is unique, depending on what state you’re in, so it’s not a cookie-cutter rubdown. Brenda applied hot stones, essential oils, and even used a tuning fork at the end to deepen our state of relaxation and soothe our overtaxed nervous systems. This should be mandatory for all of us.
She described Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces as a “collective of people who do healing work.” Try a session of Gemstone Healing, Reiki, Sound Therapy, Aromatherapy, or a Soul-Card Reading. They have specialists in all of them! (Our ideal day would be to come in and have a treatment from everyone on staff, pure research and pure heaven.)
Release all that negative energy and find your center. You deserve to unwind and feel divine. You owe this to yourself. And tell them Portland Picks sent you – you’ll get 10% off your first massage!
Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces
2426 NE Broadway
503.528.1430
livingsacred.com
2 You Are Such a Baddoll
There are few things cuter on this planet than baby-size shoes. We want to bronze all of the baby shoes - not just the customary one! And though Baddoll Shoes is really a place for grownups, the itty-bitty Converse and Chuck Taylors (in crayon colors, no less) completely captured our hearts.
We also loved the funky selection of Faryl Robin and Fornarina shoes – we have a super-duper big soft-spot in our hearts for Fornarinas – along with brands like Puma and Diesel, for women and men. From what they tell us, the sportier shoes are flying out of the store, as are the Reef flip flops – after all, it is summer. Oh, and they have Puma flip flops for just $15! Inexpensive enough to buy a couple pairs and keep them in the car for impromptu afternoons at the beach!
Baddoll Shoes
808 NW 23rd
503.525.2202
baddoll.com
3 We’ll be in the Powder Room
Want to have fun shopping for sparkly glam hippie clothes that won’t break your budget?
The Powder Room is “that place.” We loved their mad selection of platform sandals and inexpensive bags and baubles. Big gaudy rings on the cheap? We love it! Camis in every color, with or without beading? We love it! It’s like your hippest hippie girlfriend crashed into a glam-rock video. Totally awesome! (And from what we hear, the biggest seller is the Paradigm dress with delish candy stripes, a halter neck and a leather tie…for only $44.95.)
Don’t tell everyone about it; just go get one for yourself! Watch as others glance at you in envy and then do the kind thing—send them to the Powder Room!
The Powder Room
814 NW 23rd
503.248.9160
4 Get Tangled
Because we are, let’s just say, frenetic, the act of sitting down and actually relaxing or even watching TV is a challenge. We never thought of ourselves as the scrapbooking, berry picking, jam making, knitting type, though we’ve always admired those that could do such things.
Knitting in particular has taken on a very cool, glamorous, Zen-like reputation. With all the gorgeous accessories and luxurious yarns to choose from, it’s become so fashionable. And it isn’t just Grandma who’s doing it. All the models, celebs, and even college students are curling up and creating. It’s a whole new fantabulous trend. And we think it’s about time to try our hand at knitting. (Who’d a thought?) Just a quick private class and poof, we’re making a scarf ! (Cross your fingers for us.) We’ve always held romantic visions of ourselves knitting feverishly next to the big fireplace up at Timberline. The trick is that knitting is a communal habit. It is about making time with a beloved pal to sit and knit.
And our new hangout, Tangle Knitting, also has group classes and events. Our favorite: Stitch and Bitch. And if that’s not enough to get you knitting, check out their amazing knitting handbags (they look like carpet bags...gorgeous!) We’re sold.
Tangle Knitting
440 1st Street
Lake Oswego
503-636-knit
5 Ellaina Comes to Town
We know what you’re thinking; you love the idea of local designers, but you’re not sure you have the cash or the panache to actually buy those often edgy, expensive styles. Well then, check out Sue Bradbury’s soft, comfy, classic-with-a-twist designs at Ellaina.com.
It’s hard to believe that this San Diego transplant has only been living in Portland for a month. From all corners, we are receiving rave reviews about her stuff, and we’re not surprised. Lightweight soft mint-green shrugs, clingy tees with leaf appliqués and lace cutouts, plush pink curve-hugging cords and flowy floral skirts are just some of the feminine pieces that will surely become our wardrobe essentials for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Oh and lest we forget one of our favorite parts, all of the items are priced within our budget ($60 cords, $25 tanks), so now we really can stock our closet with unique, handmade local designs!
Eventually, Sue plans to open a brick-and-mortar Ellaina boutique just like the one she had in San Diego, but until then, you can pick up her designs at Say Say Boutique and Fix Gallery, as well as online at Ellaina.com.
Although we loved playing dress-up in person, it’s also worth it to check out the website for “pair with” ideas as well as purses, belts and jewelry and Sue’s own personal online journal detailing her inspirations and observations of her new home, “the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.” Well thank you, Sue, we love you, too! When newcomers can’t resist Portland, we can’t resist them!
Sue Bradbury available at: www.Ellaina.com
* Say Say Boutique
1010 SW Morrison
* Fix Gallery
811 East Burnside
ellaina.com
6 Quilted Memories
We tried to clean our closet this week. We planned to stick with the if-you-haven’t-worn-it-in-a-year-then-toss-it rule, but we didn’t accomplish much. Our old prom dress, skinny jeans, the ex-boyfriend’s college t-shirt and countless other nostalgic wardrobe pieces are still lingering. We don’t know about you, but we’d have lots more room in our closet for cute NEW clothes if we got rid of these blasts from the past, but we can’t bear to part with them.
Cue Lori Mason to the rescue. The former Nike textile designer turned to quilting 6 years ago with Lori Mason Design, and now she creates personal commemorative quilts out of your precious fabrics. Wedding and baby quilts are quite popular to mark those life-changing occasions, but we also like the idea of creating our own personal security blanket out of the garments that have made us happy through the years. We’ll curl up with the soft satin of that first fancy dress, run our fingers over the worn letters on his shirt we used to sleep in, revel in the memories of how hot those jeans made our butt look back in our heyday, and smile.
Lori also creates ready-made quilts with a modern edge, using wool suiting materials or linen. Her designs are clean and simple, making us think more of West Elm than Amish country. Prices range from $400 for a throw to $5000 for an intricate king-sized spread. Prices for commemorative quilts vary depending on size, pattern (Lori uses only her own original patterns) and number of fabrics used. You are investing in an heirloom. These will be the things the kids argue over.
lorimasondesign.com
7 You are One Hot Mama
When I was nursing the twins, I was afraid to leave the house. I was constantly starved, binging on Raisin Bran at 2 a.m. and listening to the neighbors partying next door. My surreal life consisted of alternating between nursing and pumping (sometimes on high speed to just be done with it, which of course wreaked havoc later). But I couldn’t leave my house because my poor starving twins never stopped nursing. And my bra, yuck! Though I must say I had quite a rack (for a fleeting moment anyway). At that time, sexy was not something I was feeling.
Many companies have claimed to have a "sexy" nursing bra, but their idea of sexy is offering one in black. Ho-hum. Now there’s a new local company that really is making the first-ever, sexy and functional nursing bra! De Ma Vie was started by two nursing mothers who thought, "Why must nursing bras be so unflattering?" We’re trussed up like Vikings when our bras are getting the most frequent viewing by the husbands! . One of the women, Heather Chamberlain, is the creative designer behind the De Ma Vie line and the model on the website. The De Ma Vie line was created in a Portland-area suburb where Heather currently lives with her two children.
Times have changed. And see, it isn’t an oxymoron....you can be a sexy mom, especially in De Ma Vie.
De Ma Vie
503-533-1751
demavie.com
8 Gelato comes to Old Town
We have dreams of being a flapper in the Roaring 20s. We can picture our hair in a bob while sporting a drop-waist dress and hanging out in the speakeasy with our bootlegger boyfriend. That’s why we love Chumley’s in New York, an old speakeasy in Greenwich Village, complete with a steel peep-slot in the nondescript wood door.
Back home in Portland, we’re always on the lookout for places with the same secret, underground cool, which is why we love love love the new Old Town Gelato. An offshoot of Old Town Pizza on NW Davis between 2nd & 3rd, Old Town Gelato is tucked into a tiny space next to the restaurant, which is only about as big as the gelato freezer itself. When the door is closed, you wouldn’t even know it was there; but when they’re open (11am-8 pm Mon-Thurs, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat) you’ll know where to look.
You’ll be drawn to their welcoming bistro tables lining the sidewalk. In addition to the yummy gelato and sorbet (we gobbled up the fresh, tart, green apple sorbet, while our girlfriend indulged in creamy hazelnut gelato), you can also enjoy take-out sandwiches, Italian sodas and coffee – no password required.
Old Town Pizza
NW Davis between 2nd & 3rd
In an effort to keep this post from being completely self-promotional, I suggest you check out the rest of today's edition (#80) for more cool ideas and goodies, one of which is those Sigerson Morrison rubber flats I wrote about awhile back (I just can't help writing about myself in some way, I guess!).
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