Feasting on style

rooftopMy kid wanted a dollhouse. She may as well have asked for a pink sparkly dress to compete in a Honey Boo Boo beauty pageant. A dollhouse? I was of the generation that equated domesticity with lobotomy. I wanted more for my daughter.

Open House

As part of Design Week Portland, Portland area designers will be opening their studios to the public. View designers’ work not normally featured in the store while hearing their back stories. 

Like a plastic bag

PD 6455 MAINI miss plastic bags. They’re banned in Portland. I miss the way they got caught in little whirlwinds on dirty city streets to drift upward from the gutter, spiraling toward a cloudless blue sky with a great soundtrack and . . . oh, wait; that was a scene from American Beauty.

Frightful design

2617082 1Around this time of year, body parts start showing up in my neighborhood. It’s a nice neighborhood. The bloodied hands clawing their way up from shallow graves are top quality. The disembodied heads smiling from porch swings never bore strangers with talk of their obvious extreme separation issues. Once, a single severed ear appeared on the front lawn of a homeowner with minimalist tastes and a thing for David Lynch.

What is salvage?

thumbnailI have a friend who can fix just about anything. His wife once famously said, “He is especially good at changing filters.” I laughed for two days. I suspect he’s good for more than that, but changing filters is a really big deal.

Rubber soul

tiresI have used old tires in a couple places around my house. First of all, my roof tiles are from old tires. That’s cool. And then I have my old tire bumper. As in “rubber baby buggy bumper.” I like that my tire use is so diverse. 

Build it Green Tour

builditgreenYou will not want to miss the 11th annual Build It Green! Home Tour and info fair. Tour 20 green remodels and new homes around Portland and get ideas for your own home.

Mariel Hemingway in Portland

Mariel 4 077Mariel Hemingway and green building go together like . . . OK, maybe the connection isn’t immediately obvious.  But to the actress, a longtime proponent of yoga, natural foods and holistic living, it feels to be a natural extension.

Introducing HalfOffOregon.com

MEDIAmerica, publisher of Oregon Business and Oregon Home magazines, announces a new retail website: HalfOffOregon.com. The website offers lodging, dining, recreation and many other items at half off their regular cost.