Vagabonds
Okay, we’re of the tribe Gemini and are blessed with multiple personalities. You’ll generally find us terribly glam but on occasion, a glimmer of our inner-rebel-hippy from our college years will sneak out and pay a visit. Perhaps it’s leftover from our San Francisco daze, post-college, when we enjoyed a Grateful Dead concert or two (shhh!) We clamor for that eclectic mix, the intriguing conflict—understated gypsy girl accessory to go with our Seven Jeans, our fave Michael Stars t-shirt, and our, ahem, Prada boots (hence the contrast). It’s all about balance, in fashion and in life.

Playing right into our Gemini sense of what is very right in the world, we love the new fall girly finery, VegaBags by the very talented Bev Aliff.

VegaBags! In the long tradition of vagabonds, carpet baggers, nomads, wanderers, gypsies, hobos, travelers, and saddhus, who’ve rolled up their belongings in a carpet, fashioned a handle out of a branch, bones, a broom stick, or a hotel curtain rod (!) – and were on their way – VagaBags are an updated version of this utilitarian, yet beautiful way to get your stuff from one adventure to the next. Made by Bev Aliff of plush, and durable carpets from Turkey and Pakistan in wonderful fall colors. All unique and hand crafted, they can be used as travel bags, book bags, diaper bags, bike bags, yoga bags, purses – or invent your own use!

Look for this cool label from Portland’s own online boutique: www.circleclothingandbedding.com

A Pregnant Pause

There’s nothing more beautiful than a pregnant mother. Nothing more artful than capturing that special moment with baby safe in womb, mother and child as one. Something that we can preserve, look back, and remember not how ill and bitchy we were, but for a moment anyway, in the photographers special lighting, glowing instead of green. It’s a priceless, timeless moment that needs to be eternalized, framed, and remembered always.

But it must be done with taste, and only by the best. The best maternity photographer “out there” in our opinion is Laurie L. Photography. Her photographs are moving, emotional, utterly gorgeous. Capture this moment for always with Laurie L Photography.

Mary Roberts Interiors retail store and showroom on State Street in Lake Oswego always carries a great selection of hundred-year old vases, pots, planters in that familiar blue and white Asian design. If you are looking for an interesting and valuable collection to start, start collecting these gorgeous pots.

Mary Roberts Interiors
(503) 635-8188
200 N State St
Lake Oswego, OR

Gap Cami’s
Check out the Gap’s collection of flirty cami’s.

Wear a silk cami with jeans and you’re set for a night out.

Wear under a blazer and you’re ready for work. Layer one or two and you’re very cool.

We especially love this brown floral. Cami’s are THE item of the season.

For your Honkin Hunger

Okay, normally we at Portland Picks would not consider eateries with names that include words like "huge" or "honkin'" to be our style (we’re much too demure), but sometimes one needs to make an exception.

If you find yourself near Pioneer Square at lunch with a big appetite, it might be time for that exception. Near the corner of Sixth and Yamhill in Pioneer Square sits a small cart that appears much too tiny to produce the "Huge Honkin' Burritos" for which it is named after.

Burritos are the only thing on the menu and they don't come with any meat but you will hardly miss it thanks to how fresh all the other fillings are. Burritos come in three sizes - small, medium and honkin'. Unless you are really (really!) hungry, we suggest you get the small.

Oh, and you might want to eat it with a fork or you will end up a huge honkin' mess.

Stumble Tumble

Seeking refuge from a particularly nasty downpour yesterday, we at Portland Picks stumbled into Tumbleweed, the rustically romantic little shop on NE Alberta. The cozy space and warm greetings sent those autumn chills away and we got down to business - shopping.

Tumbleweed is owned by Kara Lawson and many of her original designs grace the racks. Her label, Kara Line, is most popular for feminine yet casual dresses that are made by hand and would go perfectly with a pair of worn-in cowboy boots.

The rest of the clothing in the boutique is equally feminine and come from a mix of independent designers, many of them local. Our favorites were the vintage slips, hand-dyed in soft shades of every color. These would be perfect underneath one of the Kara-Line dresses, which tend to be a bit sheer. While Tumbleweed specializes in items for getting dressed, they offer both Treat and Tonic bath products, two local producers, to make getting undressed special too.

Try the Purple Vanilla Trouble Melts....they are yummy.

Tumbleweed
184 NE Alberta
Portland
503.335.3100
www.kara-line.com

“Yes, Grasshopper!”

Next door is Grasshopper, Kara Lawson's latest venture. Grasshopper, just a week old, carries toys, clothing and books for children ages brand new to just starting school. Just like at Tumbleweed, you will find Kara's own creations, Wild Carrots, alongside those of other designers.

We nearly cooed over the tiny felt booties by Little Deer Shoes and the adorable dresses lining the racks. The toys and books tend to gravitate towards the classics. These appeal to us, one of the benefits of having kids is the chance to read and play all our old favorites again.

Grasshopper
1808 NE Alberta
Portland
503.335.3131

Everything Old Is New Again

Estate Jewelry – For a wonderful selection of estate jewelry, rings, antique brooches, as well as a gorgeous, timeless selection of watches and platinum, visit Margulis in downtown Portland. These pieces are unique and will get you noticed. A beautiful space and spectacular service, Margulis will be your new best friend.

Just tear here and tuck into his briefcase as a little reminder of his love for you (‘cause sometimes he forgets. When he’s really feeling that love, he’ll need to know where to go...but aha, you’ll have gotten their first with your wish list so he’ll be sure to be led down the right road).

Bigger is Better: Stila lip glaze

This is our version of the Lip Smacker. Stila’s ever-popular lip glaze is back in action at twice its original size, with larger pens that guarantee to keep your lips glossier longer.

This ultra-high shine gloss gives lips a pinch of color with a delicious scent. Whatever sweet flavor you are in the mood for, it is sure to be found in this collection of classic shades.

Available at Nordstrom.com

Rock On! Restoration Hardware: everything you need for your Garage Band.

You must at some point in your life be in a Garage Band and to get things under way (test if it’s truly your “gig”) check out Restoration Hardware’s musical instruments. They have everything.

Whether you see yourself as the badass drum girl, the electric guitar chick, or the tambourine mama, this is the place to get your dreams started. Now you’ll only need those Madonna headsets to get on with your Groove thang. (And maybe some cool rockin’ clothes!) Course, you probably know by now, all you really need to do is Lip Sync.

Music has many muses, and some of them like to rawk. For the aspiring rhythm king, inspiration comes in the form of this sparkling silver kit that combines affordability and ease of assembly with durability and full, rich sound. Sense of rhythm and slick stick-tossing moves are up to you.

Get in touch with your inner rock star. Legendary musicians have played Fender guitars for half a century, and now you can, too. Created in the image of the world's most revered axes, the Starcaster by Fender has all the flash for a lot less cash.

Strap it on and plug it into the Starcaster Amplifier.

Coats, coats, coats!
By now you’ve got at least a handful since this season is made for outerwear so bright and classic you can’t have just one. There’s a new twist on an old standard, and we’re covering up with style.

Even the classic Peacoat is a staple on those chilly soccer Saturdays. We love this pink peacoat from Jcrew. This updated style has a shorter silhouette with princess seams for a feminine shape.

How cute are you in this jacket? $178 Jcrew.

Last minute costume ideas (you’re on your own to implement)

Whether you’re invited to a costume party, or you’re dressing up simply to answer the door and scare the daylights out of the chickadees, grownups dressing up for Halloween is the hottest trend. It’s all part of our joie de vivre pursuit, so whether you like it or not, get creative and get dressed up! If you’re a bit stumped, here are some examples that might get that left brain moving:

• Chia Pet: Wrap yourself in duct tape so the sticky part is facing out, then roll around on the lawn.
• Spartan Cheerleaders from Saturday Night Live: Wear red and black Spartan cheerleader outfits and carry pom-poms.
• Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake (enough said)
• Sick and Tired: Wear pajamas and bathrobes (or just bathrobes over your clothes). Sick has dark circles painted under the eyes and red around nose and carries a box of tissues. Tired has dark circles, No Doz in the pocket, and carries a pillow.
• Martha Stewart: Wear a flannel shirt in pastel colors over a t-shirt, with loose khaki pants and comfortable flat shoes. Stuff gardening gloves in your pocket and wear an apron. Carry a fancy lined basket with fresh muffins and cookies inside. Handcuffs optional.
• Dust Bunny: Wear a dirty old white bunny costume and carry a feather duster, or "dust buster" vacuum.
• Not a Happy Camper: Wear a camp t-shirt and cargo shorts. Tear holes and burn the edges of the clothes, then attach leaves and sticks, burnt and melted marshmallows and fake bugs to the clothes. Tease your hair; add melted marshmallows and fake welts and insect bites to exposed skin. For more effect, attach a rubber snake to your ankle as if being bit!
• Chick Magnet: Attach Barbie dolls all over yourself.

For more clever and unique ideas, visit: http:/www.costumeideazone.com

You know what's really scary? Another ho hum Halloween!

No siree, not on our watch, we have a better idea. Why not plan a girl's night in?

Here's what you do, grab your favorite girlfriends, mix up some Jack O'Tinis, slip into a cozy fuzzy bathrobe, put your hair in curlers and slap on a therapeutic mask. Not only will you have an instant costume, you might even scare the living daylights out of the little ghouls that come a’knockin'!

Speaking of which, did you know that fun size candy bars are calorie free....it's true, would we fib? Now that you and the girls are all settled, turn out the lights and turn on a scary movie.

Maybe you are a slasher-horror-young Johnny Depp a la Nightmare on Elm Street kind of gal. Perhaps you prefer the subtle and intellectual thrills that are only found in Hitchcock films like The Birds, Psycho, or Rear Window.

Either way, don't spill your Jack O'Tini! Happy Halloween from Portland Picks....boo!

This is an I Tunes Mix we recently concocted and love. Perfect, for example, if we were teaching a spinning class, or we just wanted a different mix for our ipod that makes us happy, touches us, and then makes us weep uncontrollably.

Go ahead. Try it out.

• Leaving New York: REM (just because we left New York....and it’s new from REM)
• If I Ain’t Got You: Alicia Keys
• You and I Both: Jason Mraz (especially great from his Tonight, Not Again Live album)
• Clarity: John Mayer (“By the time I recognize this moment, this moment will be gone...” Especially great from his As/Is: Cleveland Live Album)
• Give A Little Bit (remake): Goo Goo Dolls
• Will I Ever Make It Home: Ingram Hill (depressing if you’ve ever left ‘home’)
• Flake: Jack Johnson
• Clocks: Coldplay
• Crazy: Seal (“in a world full of people, there’s only one person to find, am I crazy?)
• She: Elvis Costello (so romantic, for Elvis Costello fans, from the movie, Notting Hill.)
• Come Away With Me: Norah Jones
• You’ve Got a Way: Shania Twain (sweet end to your mix.)

Note Bene. NB | Review

Check out this amazing service, sort of like Zagat's on steroids (Zagat’s is one of the top restaurant review guides). NB|Review takes reviewing to the max.

It not only reviews the best restaurant in a top city...but the best table in the best restaurant in the top city.

Not the best hotel...but the best hotel room in the best hotel, in the greatest places in the world!

Emily Post’s Etiquette

Sometime we develop a case of the stupids. We’re successful, make television appearances, often speak in public, yet on occasion we’ll have a case of Foot in Mouth Disease. Really, we know the difference between chicken and tuna, honest. But we can be shy, particularly when we first enter a social situation, forgetting your best friends name during an introduction, sputtering inane nonsense to fill silence, when a silent moment is okay. But, hey, it’s hard to always be perfect.

How can we be confident that we do all the right things at the right moment? And what about simply being polite at all times; to make a good impression, one that lasts. To do your part to make a rough world a little more civilized it’s important to know these little things. Enter Emily Post’s Etiquette, 16th edition.

Every bookshelf should have a copy of Emily Post’s Book of Etiquette and it should be a keepsake that can be passed down. This bible is more than just a collector’s item. Most of the rules still stand today.

For example: Always introduce yourself first, offering your hand, even if you may have met briefly in the past. Many people are bad at names, and even though you’re unforgettable, at this moment your name may have slipped away. This is charming and makes everyone feel at ease.

Publisher’s Review: The world of today is both vastly different and astonishingly the same as the world Emily Post herself knew. Seventy-five years after Emily Post wrote her groundbreaking book, Peggy Post, her great-grand-daughter-in-law, has thoroughly revised and updated Emily Post's Etiquette to take us into the next century.

The hallmarks that define Emily Post's Etiquette as an indispensable resource remain: the correct table-setting for an intimate dinner party of eight, the proper response to a formal third-person invitation, and of course, all the details of planning a wedding. But in a world where our neighbors and coworkers are as likely to come from the other side of the globe as the other side of town, changes both subtle and radical are necessary in our manners.

Emily Post's Etiquette, is not just for your grandmother’s generation. It's for all of us.

Don’t Forget to Vote

Looking for a cool way to remind your friends and family to vote?? Send a groovy ecard from www.hipstercards.com. A reflection that looks as good on you because they are so darn cool. And, after all, you’re doing your part to get out the vote.

Make sure you send before Nov. 2!

Of course you are probably thinking well of course MY friends will vote but the beauty of these email cards is that they will get passed from friend to friend and hopefully reach that undecided or lazy potential voter in say, Florida or Ohio.

The group this supports is 1000Flowers, a bay area nonpartisan organization focused on getting women registered to vote and then off to the polls.

Portland, OR (October 25, 2005) – Playing off the growing trend for women’s “shopping parties,” Seattle-based entrepreneur Melody Biringer is bringing her CRAVE party circuit to Portland on December 1 for Holiday Shopping Party at the Montgomery Park. That night from 5-10 p.m., shoppers can shop for unique gifts while being entertained with fashion shows, belly dancers and live makeovers.

“The CRAVE parties are the ultimate retail therapy,” says Biringer. “A CRAVE is a time for women to be pampered, spend time with their girlfriends, have a few cocktails and shop for quality goods. It gives women permission to relax, escape and be with their friends.”

Although previous CRAVE Parties have been exclusively for women, Biringer says the Holiday Shopping Party welcomes men as well: “With so many products and gifts in one spot, it makes getting the perfect present very simple.”

Biringer created the first CRAVE Party for Seattle in 2001 and has since put on sell-out events for Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, Scottsdale and other cities across the country. “It’s been a huge success because the women have a great time,” she says. “All I hear is lots of laughter and giggles. Needless to say, we’re having a blast.”

The Dec. 1 Holiday Shopping Party will be held from 5-10 at Montgomery Park, 2701 NW Vaughn Street in Portland. Many of Portland’s trendiest shops and designers are participating, offering handbags, jewelry, clothing, gourmet food, shoes, paper goods, skin and body care items, and gifts for children and pets. Ala carte spa services include massages, foot treatments, facials and waxing. Attendees will also receive the “Legendary Crave goody bag” with gifts ranging from beauty products to exclusive offers from participating vendors.

Crave party shoppers who bring a piece of office-appropriate jewelry to donate to Dress for Success Oregon will be entered into a drawing for door prizes from local designers and stores.

Tickets are $25 per person and are available at www.craveparty.com and at all participating vendors or call 206-282-0173.

For more information on Crave Parties, please visit www.craveparty.com

HOLIDAY GIVING BEGINS AT CAROLEE

The American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter invites you to shop for the hottest looks in jewelry, watches, handbags and hair accessories while supporting your local Red Cross.

• Saturday, November 6, 2004
• 1pm – 5 pm
• Washington Square
• RSVP at 503.684.8089

15% of sales will be donated to the Oregon Trail Chapter.

Enjoy refreshments and enter to win a $100 CAROLEE gift certificate.

Bridge Port Brewing
presents An Evening with Ebenezer

A benefit for the American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at 6:30pm (Doors open at 6:00pm with the Dickens Carolers)

Bridge Port Brew Pub’s Heritage Room 1313 NW Marshall Street

An exclusive event featuring a three-course holiday dinner paired with BridgePort’s handcrafted Northwest ales, accompanied by an authentic reading by Master Ebenezer Scrooge of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic “A Christmas Carol”

Tickets are $60 per person (50% is tax-deductible). 21 and over, please.

Seating is limited; call (503) 528-5634 for reservations.