It seems like every time I pick up a magazine, there is an article about Portland (Oregon, of course!). This is really a great city to visit and we feel lucky that it is just 110 miles up the road. It is a very picturesque city with the Willamette River and its many bridges running right up through the middle of it.

Here are some of my favorite spots in Portland:

Real Mother Goose
This is SUCH an amazing place. They carry thousands of gorgeous pieces – all made by American artisans. They have been carrying our products for over 25 years.

Powell’s Books
If you are a book lover, this is the kind of place where you could hang out all day. It’s just the best!

Boulangerie St. Honore
I feel like I have been transported across the Atlanta to France when I step into this bakery.
This place is absolutely phenomenal. I can be a bit of a snob about good French pastries. These are the real deal! They are worth a detour!

Mother’s
This place is eye candy and the food is so yummy! I can’t believe it took so long for me to discover it.

Three years ago, Nancy (Operations Manager and seamstress extraordinaire – see the costume below!) stopped here on the way home from the Midwifery Clinic with Oliver – newborn babe! You heard me right…new-born Oliver came here before he reached his own house.

He was only a few hours old.

For the next two year and a half years of his life he came to work with Mommy and Daddy. We had a small “Babyland” where Oliver and a couple of other employees’ little kids could run around.

However, it became more and more costly and time-consuming to keep things ship shape for the little guys. Babyland is still there for visiting, but no longer for everyday use.

We miss Oliver and the others but we do wish him a very Happy 3rd Birthday! We feel so lucky that we were able to enjoy him five days a week for his first two years. We love you Oliver!

Oliver is Three!

Last year I was visiting family in Jacksonville, FL but I was able to sneak away to St. Augustine early one morning. I was dieing to see Spice and Tea’s flagship store .

Penny and Steve, the owners, were very welcoming and it was such a treat to be shown around! First of all, it is a beautiful little store. Secondly, they have fabulous spices, herbs, teas, rubs, salts, and sugars…and more and more! I wanted to bring some goodies home to Oregon but it was very difficult to narrow down my choices.

Although most of their locations are in Florida, they do have a few scattered elsewhere. They are definitely worth a visit – and a return visit and a return visit.

Fortunately, their newest location is right up the road from us – in Portland!

Click the image to visit their website!

I hope that you were the recipient  – or the giver – of our Heart Measuring Spoons or Cups today! If not…we do, of course, sell them all year round.  They will still be available for your birthday, Mother’s Day, your anniversary, Christmas….or for any other special occasion.

Heart Measuring Cups

Heart Measuring Spoons

Way back in the 70’s I headed to Virginia to check out William and Mary and the University of Virginia. I fell in love with UVA the minute I stepped onto its gorgeous campus. I loved what Thomas Jefferson had created.

How proud I am that we are now designing and producing products for the gift shop (and the online catalogue) at The Jefferson Monticello!

"Coffee...the favorite drink of the civilized world"

The coffee canister features this fun quote by Thomas Jefferson: Coffee…the favorite drink of the civilized world. and the utensil crock features this quote: We never repent at having eaten too little.

If you can’t visit Monticello, you should at least check out their fabulous website.

Jefferson's Monticello

Have you noticed that Birds are truly in every store these days?

Last week they were on the cover of both the Pottery Barn and Land of Nod Catalogues, which showed up in my mail box.

We are making great progress on our Bird Spoons and Cups and fully expect to have them ready to ship by the end of the month. Soon afterwards, we will have a matching Spoon Rest and Canister Sets! Here is a sneak preview:

Whenever I am out shopping and I fall in love with something, I turn it over to see where it was made. I’m trying extra hard to focus on buying products that are made in America.

In fact, when my little 18 year old BMW wears out, I’m thinking of buying a Ford! And I am going to get a bumper sticker that says – Buy American!

Speaking of American products, everything we sell is MADE IN AMERICA. That’s right – everything!

We are proud as punch. If you own some of our products, thank you for supporting American workers.

The other day, Derrik (our fabulous packer and shipper) came to me and pointed out that the Saints are going to the Super Bowl this year. He thought we should call up every store in Louisiana and tell them that we have the most beautiful Fleur de Lys products around!

I thought that was pretty cool of Derrik to point that out. I’m not too educated about Pro Football so the news of the Saints had kind of passed me by. But now that I know what a big deal it is…

Hey, all you Saints Fans! How about skipping all those tacky plastic logo products out there? and go for some gorgeous quality-made Fleur de Lys products that will last and last and last. You could be the envy of all who come over on Super Bowl Sunday.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Chocolates will barely last through the day (or night) and flowers will most likely fade after a few days – or a week, if you are lucky.

Pewter hearts, however, will last a lifetime. Here is our list of favorite Hearts (all made with love – of course!):

We hope that you are surrounded by love – not just on Valentine’s Day – but every day!

Our fabulous potter, Carl, joined us last year after many, many years as an independent artisan. He and his wife, Eden, had owned Eden’s Pottery Garden and made a living selling their gorgeous pottery line at arts and crafts fairs. After awhile, it gets hard to spend so much time on the road.

Eden realized that she could combine her years of sales and marketing experience with her outgoing personality and make the shift from pottery to houses. Now, I realize, if you don’t live in the Eugene area, you might not need this little tip.

However, if you are anywhere within shouting distance, this is the Real Estate tip that could make your day!

Eden Warne can sell your house! She is awesome! Last year was a terrible year for many, many people in the Real Estate Industry. However, people were still buying and selling houses. A lot of those houses were being sold by Eden! She was so busy that, by December, she had to stop taking new listings.

Ok, that’s my real estate plug for today!

Eden Warne - realtor at John L. Scott, Eugene. Oregon