Love: Asos Fashion Online

I may have just discovered the online version of Nordstrom Rack - Asos.  Ton's of designer fashion decently priced (including a large sale and outlet section), and finally a store where I feel I actually have a decent selection to choose from.  Will definitely be looking into this place once its time to update the Spring wardrobe.

Pictured above - a couple of my favorite things from this site: Headband; Necklace; Dress

More Portland Love

Yesterday, riding back from snowshoeing on the mountain, exhausted (in a good way) from our adventure, I sat back in my seat and let the satisfaction sink in.  Bob Marley was on the radio, rain was pouring outside, and I was wearing my earflap hat and was just so proud to be an Oregonian, where we take things one step at a time and enjoy the simple things in life.

Portland Map Pendant

2011 Calendar of Vintage Signs in Portland

Bacon Jerky

Bacon Jerky is delicious and everyone should try it sometime in their life. I had the delight this past weekend while at the Holiday Bazaar at the Expo. Bacon Forever was the vendor. Absolute delight - and worthy of a gift for bacon lovers. I also loved their bacon gear for babies.

And if you're coming to the Christmas Sweater party... just a hint, a little bacon jerky may be included in the winning prize for the most audacious sweater.

Good Deals on Toys

Right now I'm running a toy drive for Beaverton's low-income and homeless youth, so I'm constantly on the lookout for good deals on toys to maximize our cash donations. I thought I'd share my findings with you.

Top 3 Deals This Week

1. Old Navy $10 for kids & toddlers packable jackets

2. Target $10 for family games like Apples to Apples, Glee, Life, Scrabble & more

3. Toys R Us 60% off PixOs and ChixOs activity sets

***Bonus: $2.99 for 100 piece creatology art set at Michaels!

If you don't have any kids on your list, consider grabbing something for a local toy drive or clothing drive. This year the need is immense and your donation will be greatly appreciated.

To find a toy drive near you:

City of Beaverton

Portland Metro Area

*Deals listed are valid until 12/11/10

Perfect Pair of Trousers

They say a diamond is a girls best friend, but I would argue that for the working girl, a pair of flattering and comfortable trousers are far more valuable.

Seriously, how difficult does it have to be to find the perfect pair of work pants? They are always either too long, too short, too loose or too tight. Men have the blessing of finding their perfect fit by combining two sizes - us ladies only one. Tailoring dress pants is fine, but there is something extremely satisfying when trying on a pair of pants and when looking in the mirror seeing exactly what you want to see, no alterations needed. Its magical and I would argue that it increases motivation and consequently productivity.

Have you found your perfect dress pant?

I found mine, and now I understand why, some people have multiples of the same item. I may have to get these pants in different colors because heaven knows how hard it is to find something that fits right.

And thank you to the wonderfully kind and patient woman at Ann Taylor Loft who helped me find this treasure.

Ann Taylor Loft - Marisa Modern Trouser Leg w/ Stretch 2P

Birthday Week Off to a Great Start

Today I celebrated the beginning of my birthday week with some much needed shopping. Technically, the day was supposed to be filled with task oriented type of shopping - you know, the basic mundane things of life like toothpaste and soap, but it quickly turned into something much more colorful.

As I was on my way to run these errands, I noticed Tigard high school was having a craft fair. I decided to stop by and see what all the excitement was about. It was a fundraiser for the school band and the cafeteria was filled with all kinds of vendors selling handcrafted items. There were even several jewelry vendors that caught my attention - which is pretty special because I am hard to please when it comes to the over-saturated market of handmade jewelry.

Then I got a call from a friend to go to the Holiday Bazaar at the Expo Center. First time at this expo and it proved to be useful. Met some awesome people doing great creative work, collected a couple business cards, ate some bacon jerky, and walked away with a super adorable purse.

Driving home I was tempted to stop by the mall and boy am I glad I did. Cozy sweaters at the Gap 50% off - yes please! I even bought a paper cutter for my paper crafts. This is what I call a holistic shopping spree.

Now I'm home with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, enjoying our pretty little Christmas tree all lit up and the soothing scent of pumpkin spice. Oh yes - happy birthday to me from me. Just the way I like it.

Love: Wooden Christmas Trees

When you're living in a small space, innovative, small but adorable ideas for decorating are always welcome. That's why I love this tiny wooden Christmas tree from Red Zebra Designs that is perfect to put on an entry table. Light some pine scented candles and you've got yourself a Christmas tree without the mess.

I also like this one from PossibiliTree:

SCRAP's Holiday Bazaar

SCRAP is amazing. They have been the source of a lot of my joy, including where I bought a variety of random supplies for scrapbooking and the ultimate place for finding craft supplies for the many groups I have led with students. Students have loved field trips here where they learned all about the joys of recycling and re-purposing everyday objects into works of art. This is a wonderful non-profit in Portland and I am excited to visit their Holiday Bazaar! They always have really cool stuff, and this bazaar is more than shopping. It's going to be a party.

What: SCRAP’s Holiday Bazaar 2010 – Craft vendors, live music, food carts, raffle and gift wrapping by SCRAP!

Who: Local vendors selling reused/recycled gifts made from at least 75% reclaimed materials
When: Saturday, November 20 and Sunday, November 21, 10am-6pm
Where: SCRAP, 2915 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR

Bird-ilicious

I never knew I enjoyed watching and listening to birds until we moved to Avalon Park this August. Since our move, I have seen more varieties of birds daily than I have in my life combined. Previously, I never understood bird-watching as a hobby, and when I heard Radiolab's story of Michigan's attempt to save the Kirkland warbler, especially at the cost of a human's life, I rolled my eyes.

Yet, every morning when I walk to my car and see a rich blue Stellar's Jay or an American Goldfinch, I praise God for creating these beautiful little creatures that are so delicate. For a second I can even imagine myself getting up early to go watch them in their natural habitat, stirring around and doing their thing. Lately though, they have been making fewer appearances.

They will be missed this winter. But until then, they can fit into the little things of life:

Bird Perched on a Branch Necklace

Retro Birdie Slim Wallet

Clipboard

Flock of Birds Scarf

With all the amazingly adorable bird-stuff out there, it is clear I am not the only one who enjoys birds.

Love: European Food Store

Through a random series of events, I stumbled upon a shopping area in Tigard that I have blindly driven by many times, and found none other than Anna’s European Foods! This was a most excellent discovery because, thus far, since we’ve lived in Tigard, I had not seen any European food stores. I knew there were a handful in Beaverton, but none that were as conveniently located as they were in Portland, on every major street.

Now my need for pelmeni, vareniki, and Russian meats will be fulfilled. I was starting to get worried, and even cranky at the thought of not having Russian food so conveniently close by. Now I can enjoy all of my favorites at a moments notice, plus they serve hot food too, for those lazy kind of days.

Mmm.. I think you can figure out what I am going to have for lunch today.

Of course, I will be eating these pelmeni with sour cream and while eating, listening to this song: Na Zdarovya!

Brilliant: Urban Outfitters Apartment

I was browsing through Urban Outfitters the other day and came across some things that made me chuckle thinking "who thought of that?! its brilliant!" Of course when you come across such things, its impossible to keep them to yourself - so here you go!



Raining Cats & Dogs Shower Curtain - Who would have thought?!


Yes, I may be slightly biased because of my Russian heritage, but this Matryoshka Bath Mat would be unique touch to a bathroom.


This Owl Letter Holder makes even the dullest of mail look like it has its proper stylish place. Such a needed creation!

Of course looking at all of these awesome home stuff makes me wish I had more rooms to decorate or more friends getting their own place and having house warming parties. Good thing the holiday's are just around the corner. . .

Black Friday Shopping Mania

I will admit it. As much of a shopper as I was and am, I have never gone shopping on Black Friday. Working in retail for two years, I have worked the maniac hours and seen people crowd the stores as if it was the only day to shop. When I wasn't working, I intended to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to hit the proclaiming sales of the year and score some serious bargains. But I could never get myself to wake up that early after an amazing, exhausting Thanksgiving feast and celebration.

So this year, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Woodburn Company Stores started their Black Friday madness on Thanksgiving night!! No need to go to sleep and wake-up early to go shopping (I love shopping, but not more than sleep). So at around 9:30pm, David my boyfriend, David my brother, and I jumped into the car and drove off to Woodburn.

As we approached the exit, we realized we were stuck being several miles of traffic. It was literally going stop and go, the parking lot was full, and people were abandoning their cars to jump the fence. It was insane!

Finally, after an hour of waiting in traffic (2 miles) and finding a parking spot we began our adventure.

We shopped, literally until we dropped. Scoring sweet deals on athletic gear from Adidas and Nike, to the rare 50% off everything at Banana Republic. By 3am, we started getting a little delirious and everything seemed to look good. The crowds withered by then and we realized we should probably head back to Portland.

On the way, we figured we might as well stop by Fry's. Fry's, supposedly had amazing sales. I have never gone to an electronic store this early in the morning and never did I expect to wait in line for at least an hour to buy my products. I nearly croaked.

So it was pretty much an experience to remember. Several of the "morals" or thoughts I take away from all of this is simply... Elena, you are not as crazy as a shopper as you once were. I could handle probably 2 hours of the madness, but an all-nighter of shopping?! What once was my fantasy has now become a nightmare. Lines, stampedes of people, and way too much things to choose from, things I may not even need, is not worth the sacrifice of precious sleep. A few extra dollars of saving...well...I love bargains...but it just may not be worth it.

I don't regret this experience. In fact, I think its really given me a greater insight into humanity. The mania that surrounds black friday is insane. It is addicting and draws you in. But in the end, leaves you no better off than before (I got merely 2 Christmas gifts off my list in over 6 hours of shopping).

Will I do this next year? Haha.. We'll see. I can't quite say no, but I don't want to think about it now. But then again, I suppose that is the mysterious power of Black Friday...