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January 22nd, 2010
It’s all about “Project Runway,” right? Is P-Town tearing it up, or what? We thought that the Portland lurv couldn’t get any steamier after Leanne Marshall took home the win, but now we have Seth Aron Henderson and Janeane Ceccanti to represent. It’s all about Bridgetown, baby! We’re rooting for these two designers like they’re in the NBA. (And if P.R. made jerseys, we’d wear ’em.) There are viewing parties all over town to cheer them on, articles about them are clogging up the blogosphere, and water-cooler conversations are so much more interesting when they’re about Tim Gunn’s take on garment construction rather than what Susie did at the holiday party. (Hello! Barfing up soy nog in the copy room is such old news!) If you haven’t been watching, you might want to jump on the bandwagon. Henderson and Ceccanti aren’t exactly athletes, but when else are we ladies inspired to exhibit such fanaticism for our team? And seriously. Jerseys. Let’s do this. |
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Portland Picks: |
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| 1 | Thump, Thump We recently went out to dinner with Hubby and found ourselves next to this couple, very obviously on their first date… maybe even a blind first date. Though we thanked Cupid that we weren’t on a blind first date, we couldn’t help but reminisce a teeny bit about our former fabulous dating selves. Ohhh, a first date! The anticipation, the giddiness and of course, the hot new outfits! And if, in some bizarre, parallel universe, we were to go out on a blind date today, our choice in dining would be the new and uber-improved Alu. With two adorable floors of French décor, a scrumptious small-plates menu and a wine/beer list that made choosing anything quite difficult, the new Alu couldn’t make our little hearts beat any faster! Our favorite new feature? A daily popcorn selection… it was bacon the night we went! We also sampled the smoked salmon (delish!), gnocchi (divine!) and almond cake (desire!). Needless to say, on your next date night with a new conquest or an old flame, we highly recommend you try Alu! Alu Wine Bar |
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| 2 | Practical Magic We’ve never visited a psychic, never had our palms read (unless an old boyfriend giving us a “reading” over sushi on our first date counts), and never believed all that much in magic—or magick—until recently. We found ourselves in need of some major insight, and then, poof! The opportunity to have a Tarot reading from Miss Christy Noelle at her new spot, Pink Moon Apothecary, appeared out of thin air. Part folk-magic shop, part reading room, Pink Moon was warm and cozy, and Christy’s clairvoyance dashed our fears of it all being “hocus pocus” (we promise that’s our last magic pun). She set us at ease about our future, and gave us real direction—with a few words of caution. Nevertheless, we left feeling elated. Pop into Pink Moon for a quick Tea-Leaf reading, in-depth Rootwork services, or a tool to help set something right—your career, your finances, your love life, you name it. She has a candle, a Mojo bag, a ritual oil, a handcrafted perfume, an herb, and even luscious fizzy bath bombs to help out! Pink Moon Apothecary |
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| 3 | Tasty DIY Who doesn’t have weird food issues? Certainly not us. Take frozen yogurt. We want many flavors to choose from. We want perfect consistency. We want just enough toppings—not too much, not too little. And we don’t want the stink-eye if we ask for more than one sample. It’s why we are singing the praises of Hawthorne’s new Swirl. It takes a yogurt place this awesome to make us want to go during Arctic Blast. Open a month and a half, Swirl is like something that’s stepped out of our dreams: DIY yogurt. Not like, making it out of the cow, but it’s basically a fro yo salad bar. Fill your (biodegradable!) bowl with as many toppings (everything from cheesecake to Cap’n Crunch) and as many yogurt flavors as you like—it’s all 45 cents an ounce. We are seriously in heaven. Swirl is spotless, has super-friendly staff, and 10 different flavors of yogurt at any one time, so there’s seriously something for everyone. Finally, our cry has been heard: Get rid of the yogurt middleman! Swirl |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Be Delicious Bring on the Lace Heart from Moonstruck! Available in their cafes only, starting Jan. 25, these handmade boxes are $20, and can hold about six of their absolutely glorious truffles that you can pick out yourself. Indulge! |
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| 2 | Flip it Good If a picture says a thousand words, what do 60 pictures in 7 seconds say? That’s math we can’t even do. And thankfully, we don’t hafta. Fliptography makes you the star of your own momentary show—you can dance, do cartwheels, or just plain show off as the camera takes a series of 60 pictures. Mere seconds later, they are assembled (in order) into a flipbook that recreates your close-up again and again. How cute is that? |
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| 3 | Wall Art for the Undecided Which is where these wall decals from Dezign with a Z come in. Choose the color of the decal, then use a nifty tool that finds your wall color. You can see exactly how everything will look! If we can’t make up our minds after that… well… |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Have a Drink & Cast Your Vote! 100 years. That’s definitely worth raising a glass! The Junior League of Portland and Alu Wine Bar are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of JLP with an event to choose the 100th-Year Signature Drink. You get to vote! The winning drink will be featured all year at Alu; a portion of proceeds will benefit JLP and its children's programs. What: Junior League of Portland Anniversary Event |
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| 2 | Expect the Unexpected: Beaux-Arts Ball You’ll fall in love with the Portland Art Museum’s Young Patrons Society Beaux-Arts Ball. This year’s theme is “Icon: Come as You Art.” Enjoy interactive art and performance until 2 a.m., plus entertainment by Morningwood and burlesque performer Lily Verlaine! Not to mention the amazing outfits the partygoers will be wearing. Glamour and excitement? We’re in! What: Beaux-Arts Ball |
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| 3 | Lizard Lounge + Nau Warehouse Sale What: Lizard Lounge + Nau Semi-Annual Warehouse Sale |
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| 5 | Get Your Smart Art On! Local artists Kindra Crick, Victoria Frankland, Judith Devine, Chris Haberman, Sam Roloff and Jennifer Mercede’s work is on display at Urban Grind. The theme is “exploring different communities of people” (neighborhoods, families, political groups, etc.) and their viewpoints (taboos, gender issues, sexual orientation, individuals, etc,) and the effect on our evolution. Exhibit runs through Feb. 2. What: Group Exhibit of Portland Artist |
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Sign up the guys you know for www.PortlandPicksforMen.com! Their Valentine’s Day Gift Guide publishes Friday, Feb. 5… just in time for last-minute shopping! |
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