Cool Stuff: Noun: A Person's Place for Things

Sweet (mostly) vintage goodies from Noun: A Person's Place for Things, which recently opened an online outpost of its wonderful Portland, Oregon brick-and-mortar boutique. Clockwise from top left: Vintage Anatomy Charts, $25; Porcelain Pear Vases, $14 each; Vintage Green Wooden Boat, $17; Precise Tabletop Adding Machine, $28; Cherry Blossom Cups and Saucers, $12 a pair; Vintage Black Desktop Fan, $61

Check out all of Noun's charming wares right here.

The Artful Home: New Walnut Panels from JefDesigns

Arresting new handpainted walnut panels from JefDesigns (aka Portland, Oregon artist and designer Joe Futschik). Above: Bubble 1, $650

Anemone 1, $700

Seaweed 2, $700

Seaweed 1, $550

Anemone 2, $700

Coral 1, $550

Coral 2, $700

Legna Wall Graphic 1.3, $200

Note: Save 15 percent and get free shipping through the end of April when you enter 15% Off in the message box during checkout.

See all of Futschik's new painted panels right here -- and check out more of his work here.

The Artful Home: Anthony Georgis Photography

Absolutely arresting images from photographer Anthony Georgis, who's currently showing at Portland, Oregon's Life + Limb. Above: Untitled 05

Untitled 11

Untitled 01

Untitled 04

Untitled 08

Each 8-by-8-inch, maple-mounted print is $100 through the Life + Limb e-shop.

See more of Georgis's work right here. And if you're in the Portland area, be sure to check out Life + Limb's beautiful home and garden wares in person.

The Artful Home: Plywerk Art at Olio United

Portland's eco-chic boutique, Olio United, just added pieces the the website from its great new art show, Plywerk. The collection consists of affordable, ready-to-hang work from artists Betsy Walton, Yellena James, Kim Oanh Nguyen, and Joanna Bean. The pieces were created by mounting images from each artist to half-inch, FSC-certified Plywerk panels and sealing them with a protective laminate finish.

A few of my faves:

Set Free by Betsy Walton, $70

Rainbow Quilt Mountain by Betsy Walton, $70

Burst by Yellena James, $65

Vintage Ballet Dress by Kim Oanh Nguyen, $45

Geometrics 6 by Joanna Bean, $65

See all of the Plywerk art at Olio right here -- and peruse the shop's other great art selections here.

The Artful Home: Mark Warren Jacques at Life + Limb

Portland's wonderful Life + Limb has a new show featuring work from Oregon artist Mark Warren Jacques. If you can't make it to see these stunning pieces in person (they'll be up through the end of the month), check 'em out in the Life + Limb webstore, where they're available for purchase. 

I am a Leaf in the Wind acrylic and ink on panel, $150

Perfect Little World acrylic and ink on paper, $600

Plants Are Beautiful People screenprint edition of five, $75 unframed, $100 framed (This one is going on my holiday wish list right now.)

Mister Lonely Tree acrylic and ink on paper, $300 framed

See more of Jacques's artwork right here.

Shameless Plug: Portland's West End in Via Magazine

I just realized -- doh! -- that my write-up on Portland's burgeoning "West End" area is in the current issue of Via magazine.

Check it out on the Via website. Or click the image above to read it here.

Cool Stuff: Repeat Pattern Products at Olio United

For its just-opened Repeat show, Portland's Olio United asked ten artists to create limited-edition products featuring "functional patterns." Each item is a piece of art in its own right, but can also "be used for something crafty, clever, and beautiful."

For those of us who aren't lucky enough live in Portland, Olio has made the products available on the store's website. Take a look:

Julia Rothman's Fabric Packs, $18 each

Joanna Bean's Teardrop Postcards, $5 for eight

Palindrome Press's Facets Print Poster, $45, and Facets Letterpress Card, $5

Pattern People's Under the Leaves Poster, $30

Katie Kulper's Handprinted Handkerchiefs, $10 each

Ashley Sheping's Blue Safari Card Set, $20

Katie Kirk's Packing Tape, $12 per roll

Robin Schmitt's Gocco Printed Fabric Panels, $20 each

See all of the exclusive Repeat products right here -- and if you're in Portland, be sure to swing by Olio United to check out the show in person.

Etsy Find of the Day: Brenda Rose

One of the biggest disappointments during our trip to Portland this summer was that when we showed up, the shop Noun: A Person's Place for Things, which I'd heard great things about and was excited to check out, was closed.

So there I was, stuck with my nose pressed against the glass the afternoon before we headed out of town, admiring all of the lovely things behind the locked doors. Some of them were petite pieces of art hung on the wall, which I immediately recognized as the work of local artist Brenda Rose. I really like Rose's mixed-media (and often multi-dimensional) creations, which are simple and sweet without being twee.

Oh, well -- until our next trip to Portland, there's always Etsy, right? Some of Rose's artwork currently for sale there: Girl Feeding Ducks, above, $185

Trees and Bird in Frame, $75

Woman With Hens, $125

Girl and Birds, $90

Lovely Weed in Frame, $45

Dandy, $70

Cyclist, $35

Check out all of Rose's Etsy offerings right here.

Cool Stuff: Artist Series Shoes at Olio United

To help celebrate its first anniversary, Portland eco-boutique Olio United recently asked nine great local artists to customize pairs of TOMS Shoes.

The participating artists -- Amy Ruppel, Jill Bliss, Trish Grantham, Yellena James (those are her contributions, above), Ryan Rubnis, Katie Kulper, Aaron James, Erik Railton, and Max Erdenberger -- have each hand-painted several pairs of TOMS. The resulting wearable pieces of art will be auctioned off at Olio's anniversary party on Friday, August 29, from 7 to 10 p.m. The proceeds are earmarked for Transitions Cambodia, a not-for-profit that helps sex trafficking survivors from the Asian nation.

Click here for more information on the event -- and here to see the shoes for sale in Olio's webshop.

Retail Therapy: Life + Limb

On my last visit to Portland, an in-the-know local urged me to check out a relatively new shop called Life + Limb on East Burnside. I popped in just before closing one day, and although my time there was short, it was love at first sight. In fact, I bought more irresistibly affordable goodies during my 10-minute shopping spree at Life + Limb than I did at all of my other PDX shopping stops combined.

Opened in November by graphic designer and photographer Molly Quan, Life + Limb is a full-service urban plant shop as well as a modern homegoods boutique. "I wanted to have a store that featured less-common plants, so I decided to focus on succulents. I also wanted to incorporate my love of modern design and my art background, so I carry home accessories and have monthly art shows, too," Quan explains.

One especially nice touch: Pick a plant (or three) and a vessel to put it in, and Quan will pot it up for you right there in the shop -- perfect for those last-minute hostess or housewarming gifts or if you're the type to let your nursery purchases languish for weeks before you get around to putting them in some soil.

Among the non-plant items Quan stocks are hand-picked vintage modern home accents (she has some awesome retro bullet planters, for instance), as well as a carefully curated selection of ceramics, tableware, textiles, and accessories from the likes of Perch!, Paige Russell, j.mendicino, Suck UK, Jonathan Adler, Sagaform, Loyal Loot, Modern-Twist, and Normann Copenhagen, among others.

The tree mural is by painter Erik Railton. On the "gallery wall" is artwork from Joan McGuire; a new show with pieces from popular Oregon artist Yellena James will take its place come August, with an opening reception August 1 as part of Portland's Central Eastside Arts District's First Friday festivities. Also starting in August, original work by the shop's featured artists will be available online, with full online shopping coming later this fall.

Until then, be sure to drop by Life + Limb the next time you're in Portland -- and leave some extra room in the suitcase to cart home all your new scores. The store is located at 1716 E. Burnside St., and is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 to 5 Saturdays, and 12 to 5 Sundays.

Wanderlust: The Requisite Vacation Snaps

We're back home and a bit comatose from the 650-mile drive back from Portland yesterday. I've been spending the morning going through our vacation snaps, and thought I'd share a few. (I didn't take a ton of PDX shopping pix this time around because, well, I've done plenty of that before. Plus, something about dragging along two bickering, sulky kids made me a little shy about introducing myself to shop owners and asking permission to take photos -- go figure.)

Far Northern California's Mount Shasta, as seen from a moving car.

We stopped over at the Rail Road Park Resort outside the quaint mountain town of Dunsmuir, California, where a group of real train cabooses have been turned into a motel. Our room had the most uncomfortable beds we've ever slept on, but the setting was gorgeous and the kids seemed to enjoy the novelty of it.

Laurel begged us to take her camping on our next trip. This girl loves the great outdoors. (Honestly, I don't know how she wound up in our family of avowed non-campers ... )

Soon after hitting Portland, we went for dinner at Cava. Art from hometown boy Evan B. Harris adorns one wall, and I'm pretty sure the handpainted details on another wall are by local artist Amy Ruppel, who owns Cava along with her husband, Randy Montgomery. (It's an absolutely lovely restaurant, but the location -- a few doors down from a strip karaoke joint and an auto body shop in a relatively desolate part of town -- is a bit random.)

Locals cool off in the fountain at Jamison Square in the Pearl District.

Don't even think about trying to hop this fence at Pistils Nursery.

Cool metal shingles at the offices of Our United Villages on North Portland's Mississippi Avenue.

Thrifting at House of Vintage on Hawthorne.

Clowning around at the Ace Hotel.

Art by Ryan Bubnis and Ryan Jacob Smith at Fifty24PDX.

Hokey as it was, the pirate-themed 3D mini-golf at Glowing Greens was a huge hit with a certain 13-year-old I know. (Thanks to Jewelie at the lovely Flora for the tip!)

Simple Scandinavian goodness at Clinton Street's Broder. (If you go, you must try the Danish pancakes!)

Somehow, this Bettie Ford seems like a lot more fun than the other one ...

Our house-swap partners have a beautiful collection of vintage Bauer and other pottery. (By the way, the house swap worked out great. The worst part was simply trying to get our own home spic and span before we left. But we were overdue for a deep cleaning, anyway.)

Austin checks out the action at Burnside Skate Park, the setting for Gus Van Sant's recent film, Paranoid Park.

The Hollywood Farmer's Market, where we picked up delectable artisan cheeses, bread, juicy cherries, and fresh pasta and pesto sauce for dinner one night.

The movie theater at the Kennedy School. (The couches here looked way more luxe than the IKEA specials at my beloved Parkway in Oakland ... Plus, microbrew!)

Hot dog.

Go, Beavers!

Oaks Park was a fun respite for the kids from all of the tedious shopping, museums, art galleries, and cafe-sitting we forced upon them. (Repeat after me: "Yes, I am the boss of you ... Why do I get to decide what we're doing today? Because I am The Decider ... " Uh-huh -- just go ahead and renew your birth-control prescription right now.)

Alas, time to go home. Nick took to Portland almost as quickly as I had on my first visit there, and even the kids seemed to think it was OK. It'll be interesting to see if they continue to howl in protest every time I joke about moving north ...

Anyway, bye for now, Portland. I like you -- I really, really like you.

(P.S. Thanks so much for your patience with my light posting during our trip. I'll be back on a normal posting schedule next week. Have a lovely weekend!)