buttons & pears: October 2008

Autumn's Splendor

>> Friday, October 31, 2008

I'm back from my trip to Arizona. I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the desert and I’m looking forward to visiting Arizona again. I will be sharing some of my photographs with you in the coming weeks.

While I was away, my husband snapped some photos of the fall colors here in the Willamette Valley. It is amazing how quickly the color changed in the short time I was gone. Here are a couple of his photographs….

My uncle, who is also a photographer, took some beautiful photographs of the fall color in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here’s a peak at one of his new photos. You can see more of his photographs from the UP here. For more information, check out Blogging About Photography.

Arizona

>> Friday, October 17, 2008

I will be away for a while. I’m travelling to Arizona, so I’ll try to post pictures when I can. Here's one of my photos from the Oregon coast. Have a great weekend!

Popina Swimwear

>> Wednesday, October 15, 2008

One of the great things about living in Portland is all of the lovely shops. I’m still somewhat new to Portland but it seems that every time I go into a new neighborhood (new to me) I find wonderful shops. Just two weeks ago I was searching for a new bathing suit for an overnight trip to the Bonneville Resort. I really wanted to swim in the pool. As many of you know, most of the large retailers do not sell suits in the store this time of year. So I ordered a suit online, I should have known better. Needless to say it didn’t fit and I had to take it back. By this time I was desperate for a suit and I did an online search for swim shops in the area. Only one came up in the search, Popina Swimwear.

I stopped by the store the very next day and was greeted by Pamela Levenson, the owner and designer of Popina Swimwear. Pamela helped me pick out a lot of great suits to try on. I was able to mix and match my suit. I purchased a swim top by Swim Systems and matched it to Retro Boy Shorts designed by Pamela. I walked out of the store with a great suit that I actually felt very comfortable and confident in!

If you’re ever in the area stop by Popina. You’ll find everything you need including flip flops, sunglasses and bathing suit cover-ups. I found some very cute bags that were hard to resist. You can find more information at Popina Swimwear.

Bottom Line: Cute suits and great customer service!

Second Sister

>> Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I discovered Second Sister when April left a comment on my very first blog entry. The first thing that caught my attention when I went to April’s Etsy shop was her great photos. She found really creative uses for yarn and knitting needles. Her photos really enticed me to click on her listings. I found that her jewelry is beautiful and unique. I'm really loving the Sweater Weather earrings. (Hint to my husband) You can find out more about April’s jewelry in her Etsy shop Second Sister and be sure to check out her blog.

2009 Calendar

>> Monday, October 13, 2008

The 2009 calendar is here! The calendar features my new TTV photographs. Hang it on the wall, refrigerator or magnet board. Coming soon to my Etsy shop.

Aedriel Originals

>> Friday, October 10, 2008

I was recently checking out Etsy when I spotted this very cute plate on the front page. I immediately wanted to see more.

What I discovered was Aedriel Originals. Aedriel creates individually hand painted ceramics with a New Mexico flair. The line of ceramics includes dessert plates, bowls and dinnerware that are designed to mix and match. Aedriel’s designs are fun and playful, but still very elegant. I just love the polka dots! You can view more of Aedriel’s collection at her Etsy shop. And to find out more about Aedriel, check out her blog.