A Horse, Of Course?

My First Grade son wrote a poem for Mother's Day which he read aloud in class.  It began poignantly, "My mom is like a horse..."  It was a lovely Haiku, but I had to wonder...how exactly was I like a horse?  What was my most horse-like feature?  Was I big and husky like a horse? Do I need a good waxing?  Is it my smile? Why couldn't I be like a duckling or a swan like the other mums? I guess it could be worse: "My mom is like a pig...."

Well this was not so good for my self-esteem and got me poking and prodding and holding up my brows in the mirror.  Maybe my horsey face needed a little something...a lift perhaps.  But that would hurt.

Then, as if by fate, I was introduced to Facial Energy Rejuvenation, the latest in natural, individualized non-surgical facelifts. The process uses the principles of acupuncture, microcurrents and colored light to diminish visible signs of aging. It is also good for scars and shrinking enlarged pores.  It not only rejuvenates the face but it revitalizes the whole body.  In fact, afterward my whole horse-like body felt amazing.  And my face practically felt like that of a swan.

Facial Energy Rejuvenation
811 NW 19th Street,Ste. 301
Portland
971-409-8833
www.rejuvenateu.net

Oh Go Ahead…Splurge!

Sometimes when we want something badly enough, we hear the little guy in red tights on our shoulder, egging us on.  “Splurge,” he says.  “Go on, you deserve it.  Don’t deny yourself that precious little something". And he’s right – because it feels good to treat yourself, doesn’t it?  And it feels even better when it takes you a half-hour to decide what you really, truly want.  
 
Once we discovered Splurge, there was a retinue of red-tighted dudes parked on our shoulders, on our head, poking out of our handbag...as Aunt Matilda would say, “Oy vey, did we have fun.”  Open just a month, Splurge is owned by the small coterie of local artists who sell their work there.  And it’s not some hippie cooperative with patchouli candles and homemade socks for sale – no need to panic – this is beautiful, unique and smart work that ranges from fused-glass jewelry (we splurged here for Mother’s Day) to vibrant pop art (we couldn’t resist the “monkey” collection) to quirky handbags and handmade furniture.
 
We especially loved the collection of silver jewelry made from casts of found objects in nature – sticks and leaves are transformed into elegant, statement-making necklaces and earrings.  Oh, and the wallets made from old classroom maps!  Ooooh, and the latch-hook handbags!  Too much fun, for sure.  So pop in, and tell them Portland Picks sent you!
 
Splurge: Jewelry – Art
1323 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97212
503.288.7770
www.splurgejewelryart.com

Pole-lates – Rock Your World
 
Okay, okay, we’ve all heard about the crazy popularity of strip aerobics or “pole-dancing workouts” and the celebrities who love them, blah blah blah. Come on, though, these are people who already have personal trainers and personal chefs and perfect bodies and they’re probably exhibitionists anyway and that’s why they got into show business and though you may be intrigued a bit by stripping and burning calories there’s no way you’re getting into a bra and a g-string in front of a roomful of judgmental strangers and sweating to Guns n Roses songs, right?
 
Right.
 
But still, the pole-dancing part could be fun.
 
This is what inspired local fitness expert Wendi Arant to create her own version of the workout, based on Pilates, dance and strength training – and that naughty stripper pole – and make it more fun, less edgy, and definitely more accessible to the average girl. In fact, many of you probably recognize Wendi’s name from fitness clubs around town, so you know she wouldn’t steer you wrong! Her Pole-lates classes are a great way to let loose, burn some calories, and learn some new moves – and you can be as strait-laced (or as sexy) as you wanna be.
 
Wendi’s 90-minute workouts combine stretching and strength exercises with some saucy movement, isolation work (work that core!), wall work, and hip-hop style dance moves. Then you spend a half-hour doing basic spins and floor moves, and just having a blast as you lose your inhibitions and have fun with an energetic group of women. And when you’ve gotten home and (hopefully) showered, you can show your new moves to your old man, and rock HIS world!
 
Pole-lates
at YaYa Fitness for Women
14807 SE Oregon Trail Drive
Clackamas, OR  97015
971.645.6389
www.pole-lates.com

Pizza A-GoGo

We’ve been searching this town for a good pie – we found one that makes greasy New York-style slices – great for a hangover – not that we get a lot of those – but not so great when a giant triangle of oil sounds like a bad idea.  We tried hippie Vegan pizza – and we have to say we prefer the grease!  But we were having a tough time finding that ethereal mix of a huge pie, good sauce and good ingredients, until we discovered Pizza a-go-go.
 
This little shop is a hidden gem, tucked into a quiet Northeast neighborhood, just off the Fremont Bridge.  We love that they always have piping-hot slices ready to go (Vegetarian and pepperoni!) and that the little space is just neighborhoody enough to hit on a quiet Tuesday night and feel right at home, while still being hip enough to be a pre-night-on-the-town destination.  Plus, they deliver!
 
We love the Funky Chicken – with a ricotta-and-herb base, mozzarella, roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts and splashes of basil pesto, we guarantee your taste buds will swoon.  Or you can choose your own base (fresh sweet tomato sauce, chipotle tomato sauce, ricotta-herb, or Vegan basil pesto), and top it with 100% whole-milk mozzarella, feta cheese, ricotta or goat cheese, and one (or more) of 22 different top-quality toppings.
 
Burn some extra calories at the gym, because if you’re going to dive into a top-notch pizza, Pizza a-go-go is the place to do it.  
 
Pizza a-go-go
3420 N. Williams St.
Portland, OR 97227
503.335.0300
www.pizza-agogo.com

Redecorate without Redecorating!
 
Sometimes we look around the house and it all seems so familiar, so boring, so…usual.  Then someone comes over and notices a table or a painting and we see things through new eyes, and we like what we see again, for a bit…and we start to get ideas.  But then we think, “Why bother moving anything?  We don’t have time to mess around.”  
  
Has this happened to you?  Are you bored with looking at the same old stuff, day after day?  Don’t change your things, just change the way you look at them.   The Interior Redesign services from 3rd Sister Design can update the style and décor of your home by utilizing your current furnishings and accessories in a fresh new way.   So in just one day your space will be revitalized and you’ll get a designer look for a fraction of the cost!  
  
Whether you need a new look in one room or an entire home makeover, 3rd Sister Design can completely change your space.   And they’ve partnered with Organizers Northwest to make the reorganizing of certain rooms – or even your entire home – more streamlined and efficient.  
  
Clear your home office of clutter and mysterious piles of paper.  Streamline your closets so everything is in view and accessible.  Set up your kitchen cabinets for efficiency and ease while you’re cooking, re-do the pantry, the linen closet, the garage!  Enjoy the benefits of being organized: getting more work done and having more free time.  Imagine – having your space redecorated and repurposed!  Call 3rd Sister Design and Organizers Northwest, and tell them Portland Picks sent you!
  
3rd Sister Design
7327 SW Barnes Road, #416
Portland, OR 97225
503.922.2254
info@3rdsisterdesign.com
www.3rdsisterdesign.com

Organizers Northwest
Missy Gerber
503.939.8800
www.organizersnw.com
info@organizersnw.com

Here’s My Card

You have a business card and a calling card,  so why not have a baby business card?  Your baby is all business after all, and when she does her calling and has her playdates, she ought to do it right – professionally – with a card of her own.  Plus this makes it so easy for your baby to show up in everyone’s wallet.  It isn’t just a baby announcement – they can keep your baby’s picture and ooh and ahh at her as she deserves at all times.  For your baby business card or priceless baby announcement, check out ghilotti ink.  Ghilotti ink makes custom, clever baby business cards, but also couture invitations and announcements that are over the top amazing.

And this creative artist, formally of San Francisco and Amsterdam, makes house calls!  Another reason to never leave your home.  ghilotti ink is all about  couture & cool cards, and very much about personalized service and making sure that the "couture" process yields an excited and completely satisfied client.

In Amsterdam, all she did was make house calls and her clients loved it! It’s what sets ghilotti ink apart from the rest.  And she does that here, in Portland, for the ladies, gents, and mamas or papas that need her to pop in.   She’ll even ride her bike over, Amsterdam-style.

We LOVE the hullabaloo cards and might have to have a Girls’ Night Out so we can use those.  Check out ghilotti ink and be unique!

www.ghilottiink.com

A Reason to Smile

Have you ever used a photographer who made everyone so uncomfortable that when the pictures came back, everyone in them looked like they were about to cry? We have, and unfortunately there are albums full of proof.
 
We recently discovered this great photographer named Katie Jervis and had her photograph a special event for us. She was a dream! From the initial phone call to looking at the proofs, Katie made the entire process seamless from beginning to end. She exudes the utmost in professionalism with excellent communication and attention to detail. Plus she’s a real sweetheart, someone we could just have coffee with and chit chat.
 
But the real proof is in the pudding right? Well, our photos came out incredible. If we could, we’d make Katie our own personal photographer. We’d have a photo shoot every week. Or maybe we’d give her our itinerary for the day and let her stalk us like our very own paparazzi. She’d get some “candid” shots of us stepping out of the drycleaners or picking out some apples. We’d just smile in our huge oversize sunglasses, shake our heads and say, “That Katie, she is everywhere!”
 
Check out her amazing work at katiejervis.com. And when you call her, tell her Portland Picks sent you.
 
Katie Jervis Photography
www.katiejervis.com
503.453.7786  

Origin-al, Like You

Between work, volunteering, social and kids activities, you need to stop the insanity, even for just a moment.  If the start of spring has you seeking a moment of calm in the middle of the day, let Origins Natural Resources come to the rescue. With multi-sensory products and feel good experiences, this wellness-based beauty brand, part of the new Bridgeport Village, offers complimentary mini-facials, massages and special treats all through the month of May.  
 
Origins Natural Resources, the beauty and wellness company known for its collection of botanically based personal care products that “treat” the body and mind, unveils its new 935-square-foot store at Bridgeport Village.
 
To celebrate the grand opening of its newest store, Origins invites customers to relax and rejuvenate with complimentary treatments and awe-inspiring shopping to spoil yourself. Enjoy a soothing cup of afternoon tea or stop in for some post-Mother’s Day pampering.
 
Origins
Bridgeport Village
Space B-107
7279 SW Bridgeport Road
Tigard, OR 97224

There are times when we all could use the calming power of music to transport us out of our hectic lives.  Portland resident Michael Hoppe’s latest album, “Requiem,” just released on the label Hearts of Space, does just that.  The hauntingly restorative music is the perfect balm to quiet the din of everyday babble.

Michael Hoppé has a wide-ranging background in both popular and classical music, styles reflected by his impressive catalog of recordings and compositions.  His music has been heard on numerous television programs, such as “The Sopranos” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”  The Grammy-nominated composer left the world of the music business 20 years ago to follow his dream. The result is a collection of 16 albums he describes as “music for the heart, from the heart.”
 
Michael and his muse Monica escaped from 20 years of living in Los Angeles to Portland (Eastmoreland) last December, just in time for the winter rains.  Being an Englishman, the weather here suits him just fine and is perfect for meditative walks when most of the music comes to him.  “Living in Portland is like living in a national park,” says Hoppé.   “We didn’t know Portland at all but it was time for a new adventure.  The universe must have been watching over us as we hit the bulls-eye without even knowing where the target was!  This must be the greenest city on the planet with the friendliest people, excellent food & wine, and interesting neighborhoods with a sense of community.  

It’s our idea of heaven.  What more could a human being wish for?”

Stick ‘Em Up

We love cute undies...even if we’re pretty much the only one who sees them.  And these come in bright colors with guns on the front and “stick ‘em up” on the booty.  And boy shorts are so sexy and flattering.  Forget stamps and coins and start collecting funky underwear, even if you won’t necessarily be sharing it as gratuitously as you would those other collections.  Or maybe you will.

www.urbanoutfitters.com

Shop Art

While we were on the pop-art kick we discovered DC-Gallery.com – an online gallery that specializes in Pop Art!  It is so cool, and so edgy.  

There are established artists as well as up-and-coming names, and their work is for sale through the website, so it’s like having a super-hip friend who can point you to the coolest paintings…without leaving your home!  And aside from original work, there are affordable limited editions, prints, posters, and even books, so this is gift-central if you know someone with a sense of humor and design.

Check it out!  And if you do purchase, tell them Portland Picks sent you!   

www.dc-gallery.com

No Sugar Added

One of our fave local websites is Blackwagon.com.  They are based here but internationally renowned!  And no wonder, they always have edgy, cool and unique items for baby that are found nowhere else.

 If you want your babe to be ultra-cool, check out Blackwagon.com.  We especially love the tees: Lock Up Your Daughters, and Back from London, No Added Sugars, or how about, “He’s a knockout!  Give Notice!  Now, carry on!”  

They have wonderful edgy boy (and girl) duds not to be missed.

www.blackwagon.com

Get Sticky

We have so many pictures and want to view them all at one time all the time, so what is one to do?  Sticky Prints, natch! 

Sticky Prints is the brainchild of Cynthia Smith, a certified work-at-home mom and businesswoman. In the past, lack of space and an attractive way to display photos often caused Smith to have to take old ones down to make room for new ones.  Out of a space-saving dilemma Sticky Prints was born.

The magnetic-backed frames hold a 4x6 photo perfectly, leaving just enough room to show the trendy design border. This is a clean and fashionable way to display your child’s artwork on the refrigerator, or a filing cabinet at work!  Priceless.

www.StickyPrints.com

Good Scents

Only the best for you, My Pretty, but that bar keeps getting raised, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve raised it once again.  Because we’ve discovered – so lucky – Oculatum Candles from Illuminata Apothecary.  These are so beautiful, so magnificent.  When you need to illuminate your lives (hello? always) and relax (again, always) only the best for you, and these are indeed now the best, at the top of our list.  

The Candles of The Oculatum are available in three collections: The Hours, The Vestments and The Vessels, each containing three individual candles. In each collection one candle is floral-based, one fruited and one is based of exotica.

The collections are named for the canonical times of the day, the robes of service and the accoutrements of veneration, all of great regard in the Medieval period.

/www.oculatum.com

It seems everyone we know, well after kids, has never looked better in their lives.  

Maybe it's simply those we hang with, but in many cases some moms look hotter afterward than they did pre-pregnancy.  They didn't succumb to frump and Happy Meals, and they worked their behinds off exercising, making time for themselves, looking their best, and dare we say, even sexy, while being ever-excellent moms.

If you are a Hot Mom or want to be, check out the Hot Moms Club.  The Hot Moms Club, and you, are redefining motherhood...as it should be.

www.hmcmagazine.com

The Oddest of Odd Couples

• What: Integrity Productions presents "The Odd Couple (Female Version)" by Neil Simon
• When: June 1 - July 2, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 4 p.m.
• Where: Theater/Theatre! 3430 SE Belmont

Integrity Productions presents Neil Simon's own rewrite of his beloved 1965 comedy "The Odd Couple." In this 1985 adaptation, Unger and Madison are at it again! Florence Unger and Olive Madison, that is - with all the sidesplitting
drama of the original.

Join Integrity Productions Opening Night, June 1, for a special event. Your ticket price includes the show, drinks, dessert and silent auction to benefit Integrity Productions. See the show, have a glass of wine and a bite of dessert, and bid on gift baskets filled with a variety of items from Portland and
beyond. And then mix and mingle with cast members after the show!

Tickets are only $15 for this Special Event!

Tickets: 503 286 3456
Online tickets: www.integrityproductions.org

Adicolor Launch

We've got to hand it to adidas for continuing to give us some of the world's top designers at prices we can actually afford. First Yohji Yamamoto, then Stella McCartney, now Emilio Pucci. Pucci has collaborated with adidas to bring prints from their Spring 2006 collection to a classic adidas sneaker and track top. This Saturday, adidas will debut the new Pucci series as part of the limited-edition adicolor collection.

Also included in this series is a something special for all you comic book fans - a special shoe and jacket by Dark Horse Comics. An exceptional, one-off design that incorporates a whole host of Dark Horse cult heroes and favorites from Hellboy to Sin City, Akira to Conan and many more has been applied to the shoe and Track Top.

Dark Horse founder, Mike Richardson will be on hand. Additionally, Dark Horse Comics will be donating all profits of the shoe and jacket sales to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community.

• When: Sat, May 20; doors open from 10am-7pm
• Where: adidas Originals Store, 1039 NW Couch St., 503.223.3109 www.adidas.com/adicolor