more of the ring

One ring to rule them all, yes?

mm, mmm, Tacos

Caroline's friends stayed with us for a few days last week and on top of their incredible respect of our space and time, created a full-on, from-scratch, oh-so-colorful summer dinner. The salsas are made from fresh squeezed lime, grilled peaches, roasted tomatoes and peppers. The meat was hand rubbed with a mixture of coriander and spices. There were two pairings, one vegetarian and one meat-based. Look at these colors...

The chefs, Jess & Jalal

The two of them just graduated from the Public Health program at Tufts and are moving from Boston to San Francisco (by train!). They planned it well and stopped in various places along the way, including Portland. And we ate tacos.


Thanks, Jess & Jalal!

bridesmaid season

my girl adriel is from the wild wild mid-west. She rocks the high-waisted jeans and spurred belt buckle and all and all, works it. Thinking about her today as she prepares for her interview at OHSU, and wanted to share some pictures of a Montana wedding she recently made an appearance in. These pictures are stunning...




I do realize that the side-point of this post is that if I ever get married, it's damn sure going to be in cowboy boots.

tasi designs

I got a new part-time job! As an apprentice. With two sisters, Silvijia and Taya. Tasi Designs. Their line is locally made here in Portland and to be quite honest, I've been stalking them at craft fairs for a few years now. Really beautiful pieces. Quite honestly I almost died when a friend of a friend mentioned that they were hiring... and then, it happened! It's happening!

Lots of deep, rich, oxidized and patina silver

I love their strong use of long chain. Sometimes the metal speaks for itself.


I do lots and lots of hammering

Check out the necklace featured in Twilight!

hot off the press

First successful attempt at creating a bezel! Jasper Agate wrapped in sterling silver wire and a handmade and individually hammered ring. Better pictures to come. And, almost fell off my bike on the way home from work 'cause I couldn't stop staring.

raise your glass!

The beautiful Sarah Kate and Adam got engaged this weekend. The engagement story unfolds the way you imagine it would in a storybook (with an unexpected Hanson twist and more originality than any story book marriage I've read). But it was perfect. Everything aligned. And every detail thought through. The way that she looks at him is what gets me.

"Life is self-transformation, and human relationships, which are an extract of life, are the most changeable of all, they rise and fall from minute to minute, and lovers are those for whom no moment is like any another. People between whom nothing habitual ever takes place, nothing that has already existed, but just what is new, unexpected, unprecedented. There are such connections, which must be a very great, an almost unbearable happiness, but they can occur only between very rich beings, between those who have become, each for his own sake, rich, calm, and concentrated; only if two worlds are wide and deep and individual can they be combined...."

-Rainer Maria Rilke

Thanksgiving, 2008

sticks & stones

This local group of artisans, woodworkers & designers is blowing my mind (thanks for the tip, h). One thing I will say is that they go as far as to create wooden bowties: check out the madness at Sticks and Stones. Beyond that, I will allow their words to speak for themselves:

Our pieces are wood based and speak to the relationship between natural and man-made materials. Wood, fine metals, gemstones, leather and resin are all materials that you will see recur in our designs. To ensure comfort, durability and the finest aesthetic, all of our pieces are sanded by hand bringing the wood to its smoothest state. Each piece is then cured for three weeks in an oil blend that soaks into the wood and hardens, forming a shell. This protects your piece from the elements, and helps to maintain its original luster.

Clean lines, splashes of color and simple shapes remain timeless. We design for the connoisseur of unique combination and impeccable craftsmanship.

They conclude their 'About Us' section with the salutation: To those who find comfort in simplicity.

Awww, heck yeah! Can't wait to buy my first piece.

train to seattle

Ride taken Wednesday, 6/23