road trip suggestions - Bend OR and area

I'm so excited! Next week we'll be hitting the road for a little road trip. We will check out the Painted Hills, visit ghost towns, do some hiking and spend almost a week camping our way throughout Central and North Eastern Oregon. Then we will meet up with some friends and visit my most favorite of all cities, Portland! While I think we have Portland covered (although suggestions are always welcome), I'm definitely looking for things to do and see while around the areas we'll be visiting. Where's the best place in Bend to eat breakfast? Great thrift shops? Best beer? Best town in the Cascades?

get ready, get set, plant!

While the flowers and blossoms have been out since early March, Vancouver still doesn't feel quite like spring just yet. I'm so eager to start on my balcony garden but have no idea how to begin again since all my old plants are dead. The picture above was last year around this time when things were hopeful rather than dismal. Thankfully, I've come across a couple of blogs to get me started.


The first is my number one gal pal, Kyla who has a great new blog called Make! Do! Manifesto. Her latest project is about reusing and gussying up some old cardboard canisters for planting. I love the idea of re-using rather than tossing old containers for plants...and making them cute to boot!


Blogger Beth also tackles some old tomato cans, paints them a pretty turquoise and sets them on her window sill. Pretty!

Now all I need is the weather to cooperate with me and I can finally get started on my own balcony garden.

speechless

I'm sick with the flu and since it's not been getting any better, along with the fact that for 2 days I have no voice at all and feel like my throat is on fire, I'm heading to the doctor this afternoon for a looksie. Lucky, I found the amazing site, Retro Renovation, for great eye candy (hello pink kitchens!!) to keep me occupied and speechless.

i heart crafts bazaar

On Sunday I will be participating in my very first craft fair! Lucky me, it will be held just a few blocks from my house so lugging things over to set up won't be too much of a hassle.

In Vancouver? Why don't you stop by and say hi! It will take place at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Strathcona at 805 East Pender Street from 11am - 6pm. I'll be the one selling cards and looking terrified. To tempt you further, I will have cupcakes for sale too!

just lovely

Work is killing me. Yesterday I actually thought I was at a real job. I had meetings, phone calls, and lots of emails to answer and general busy-ness! I was even showered and dressed by 8am. Truly a work-o-holic day for me.


But the real reason for this post is to show you my 2 lovely additions to our living room. I had purchased the conifers poster in January from lovelydesign (we've actually had a bit of back and forth for a little while and it turns out we not only share some of the same friends, but we were both named "Canada's Top Young Creatives" by the CBC eons ago). Because I'm a bit of a doorknob sometimes, I didn't even open my package. Instead I waited until I made a trip to Ikea on Wednesday where I purchased 2 frames. One for the pinecone poster and the other for the leaves poster that I had purchased Monday. Turns out, Sharilyn had included the leaves poster as a gift way back in Januray! So I emailed her to thank her, apologize for not emailing her sooner and she even canceled my sale from Monday. She is that awesome. So I encourage you to purchase both posters because they are stunning, hand-pulled silkscreens and look really, really lovely.

lovely leaves

Last night after bowling I clicked onto my feed reader and discovered that Sharilyn had put out a brand new print. I expected Cornelius to talk me out of ordering it, but he goaded me onwards, so soon enough I imagine, I will have this lovely new leaves poster right beside my pinecone poster. One day soon I'll head to Ikea and get frames for them both!