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May 28, 2010
Last weekend our romantic life completely stalled. The karmic forces in the universe decided we should be alone on this planet. Cue the tiny violins. Seriously—we had to deal with a crush we’ve developed on a close friend (and by “deal” we mean “face the fact that He’s Just Not That Into Us”), and we had to dig up the number of an acquaintance to give to another close guy friend who wants to ask her out. Clearly, we are now functioning as nothing but A Conduit for Other People to Find Romance. Are you single? Lonely? Bored? Shoot us an email—we likely know someone who will be perfect for you, and once you meet him, we’ll figure out ourselves how great he is, and then slide into a downward spiral of crying-in-the-shower, mint chip-mainlining, dog-hugging, Kleenex-wadding, friend-calling, Lifetime-movie sorry-fest. Sigh. Don’t worry, though—we rebound quickly! In fact, we have our next victim in our sights… |
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Portland Picks: |
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| 1 | Wishes Do Come True All right, Mother Nature, we’ve had enough. From this moment on, you’re officially on notice, Lady. We’re refusing to acknowledge any rain in the forecast. Maybe if we focus our energy on sunshine, we’ll will this cold, dank weather away. So just remember, Portland, when the sun comes a-shining in next weekend, you can thank Portland Picks! Since we can’t spend 24 hours a day willing away bad weather (we’d be exhausted), we should do something that makes us happy in the meantime… like visit Verabel Jewelry store on NE Alberta! All girly and (sun) shiny and new, Verabel is a dainty showroom of beautiful vintage pieces that have been refinished locally. One of our favorite features was the stunning selection of both teeny and regular-sized lockets which were quite unusual… but unusual in that fashionable way we crave. We (not so) subtly mentioned this new neighborhood treasure chest to Husband in hopes that he’ll drop in and get us that gorgeous gold feather necklace that will certainly make us feel better about Mother Nature’s evil spring doings. But until then, we’ll just keep willing… Verabel Jewelry |
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| 2 | Exactly What We’re Looking For We don’t think it will come as any surprise that we love shoes about as much as we love vacation days, mint chocolate-chip ice cream, and retail therapy. In our minds, there are two kinds of shoes: the night-on-the-town, take no prisoners kind (e.g. heels, ladies), and the Saturday afternoon comfy and cute variety. Not to knock our Nikes, but we’ve been searching for a cute pair of Saturday-afternoon kicks that can sustain us during our daytime adventures and still look stylish. We were thrilled to come across Art & Sole, a great little shoe store recently relocated to Alberta from their old home on Interstate Avenue. Art & Sole specializes in footwear for women and men that are durable, comfortable, and cute to boot. From clogs to sandals to some serious butt-kicking men’s boots, Art & Sole has a solid shoe selection and (bonus!) they also specialize in shoe repair. We aren’t letting weekend casual keep us from cute. Thanks to Art & Sole, we can put our best foot forward. Art & Sole |
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| 3 | It’s All About Who You Know We keep joking that Portland is so inbred that there are only two degrees of separation here, not six, like in the rest of the world. Which makes “who you know” terribly important, and thank goodness we know Elizabeth, owner of NW Pilates. She’s been teaching fitness classes since she was 16 years old, and found Pilates after college, totally falling in love with it when she saw—for the first time—her own flat belly. Trained by Pilates of Boulder and Physical Mind—a little classic, a little new-school—she opened her own studio, NW Pilates, in Portland in 2007. Now in a new, more intimate space, NW Pilates provides individual and small-group classes on top-notch Pilates equipment—at affordable rates. The most important benefits are core-strengthening and spinal health—you’ll feel better, stand taller, and even lengthen your neck. (So key to feeling sexy!) And of course, your body will change—and people will notice. (Elizabeth hears tales of grateful husbands and boyfriends all the time!) Lifted booties, thinner thighs, sculpted arms, flatter abs… it’s all possible with training from NW Pilates. NW Pilates |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Fake and Take Every morning we’re out the door with a plastic to-go mug filled with organic Moka Java, but there’s something about getting coffee at a coffee shop that gives us a wee bit of luxury. Meet the cup that fakes it. The eco-friendly washable “paper” cup that is not only great for taking your own Joe for the road, but also for having the barista fill it up at your next stop. Best part? No empty cardboard cups floating around the car! |
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| 2 | Bookworms Unite Remember in middle school when textbooks got covered in brown paper grocery bags and you doodled hearts around the name of your crush on the cover? (Things were so much simpler then!) Book City Jackets has updated the paper-bag book cover—as a new art form. Printed on recycled kraft paper, they fold to fit almost any book, keeping the romance novel you’re secretly reading under wraps. You can even doodle your honey’s name on it with hearts—if you wanna. |
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| 3 | Style Icons We can’t remember the last time we wanted something as badly as we want the pieces from Noir Jewelry. These cheeky, fresh, glamorous designs not only have a unique point of view, but they come correct with a bit of an edge. We love the glittery animal designs like Goldie the Elephant, Fig the Flying Pig and Gilda the Goldfish—we want one for every finger. No wonder style-setters like Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Madonna all wear this line—it rocks everyone’s world. |
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| Local Designer of the Week: | |||
There’s no reason we have to look like Mrs. Roper when we cover up. Alicia Wood’s kimono-inspired designs are so fresh and so chic—we especially love her cardigans, and at just $79 for an original piece, we’re getting one in camel, too! Plus she has swimsuit cover-ups, accessories, and absolutely dreamy handmade kimonos for women and for kids. And did we mention that she just won the Modified Style fashion show? So rad. |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Shop Bubble Boutique at 20–30% Off! You read that right—Bubble Boutique’s anniversary sale means savings of 20–30% off storewide on feminine and fabulous items… saucy party dresses, comfy day dresses, chic Italian denim, European and American separates in luxe fabrics, clutches, and fabulous belts. Jewelry is 20–50% off, and gorgeous Moore & Giles handbags are 15% off this weekend only! What: Anniversary sale at Bubble Boutique |
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| 2 | Break Out of Your Morning Routine Morning routines have become… routine. Maybe an encounter with a giant fridge would change that. Hoping to give people a better morning, Seattle’s Best Coffee built a fridge, filled it with new Iced Lattes, and placed it on city streets to give away Free Coffee! (Find Iced Lattes at local grocery stores, too—stock your own fridge!) What: Free samples of Seattle’s Best Coffee Iced Lattes |
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| 3 | Mini Boot Camps starting at $99! Exercise should be fun—and work with your schedule. Hooray for Fierce Fitness—join a mini Boot Camp and work out 3 or 5 days a week: M–F 6:30 am, M–F 9:30 am, M–TH 6 pm, Sat 11 am. Two-week sessions (5 days/week = $199; 3 days = $99). This is exciting, energizing, body-shaping kickboxing! What: Mini Boot Camps at Fierce Fitness |
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Next week we’re doing something a little different—we’re sending you a Father’s Day Gift Guide, courtesy of PPFM! It will be in your inbox on Friday, and since it’s written by our all-male Portland Picks for Men staff, we’re expecting serious insights into What Guys Want for Father’s Day… so get ready! |
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