Portland, OR

Again, another rather misleading title, but then again I never said I didn’t take liberties with this site. It’s not like Portland has a monopoly on DIY stuff or that no one else in the country is into DIY, but bear with me as I try to give you a cross-section of Portland, Oregon here, people.

So, I was reading an article in the NY Times about the recycled materials market taking a nosedive in terms of prices and buyers, and I happened upon a link to another article about how the “crafts” industry is showing signs of being an anomaly in today’s bleak economy/holiday retail season. And wouldn’t you know it, Portland’s own Scrap was mentioned in the article.

First a little something about DIY, for newbies. It’s Do-It-Yourself, obviously, and that kind of mentality is alive and well in Portland, Oregon. From creating your own fashions to building your own bike, if you talk to ten people in Portland, I’ll bet that at least six of them are DIY’ers in some sense. Personally, I am into DIY skincare right now. I grow things in my garden and stick them in a food processor and then slather them on my face…

Anyhoo, arts and crafts are becoming popular in the midst of our economic downturn and depressed consumer spending. As someone who teaches after-school classes in which I build science-y projects with little kids, I can attest to the fact that I have just as much fun making stuff as the kids do. As an extra bonus of being a “crafty” chick, my house is full of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks which my cats love to bat around. I think it is great that people are more interested in making their own xmas and holiday gifts, regardless of why.

And if money is an issue, kids love making stuff, so why not put them to work in your very own cottage industry/sweatshop in your kitchen or family room.

Ok, ok, I kid. Child labor is not funny. But seriously, whether you have children or not, making your own stuff is a wonderful outlet for all that creativity inside of you that you may not realize is there.

Here are some PDX resources to find you inner Martha Stewart…

Destination DIY

DIY Lounge

DIY Alert

Craftzine

Portland, Oregon, DIY, crafts, children, child labor, arts, holiday, gifts

Never have I lived in a city where thrift store/secondhand store/used goods store shopping is so big. In most cities, if I am in a Goodwill, I have my run of the store. But here in Portland, these stores are crowded. And it’s not just the crappy economy…

I mean, vintage, sure, that’s always hot in certain sub-populations all over the place, and sure, you will see a large percentage of those populations (hipsters, goths, etc.) at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. But in P-town, you will see all ilks of society, picking through the books, or browsing the kitchen stuff, looking for treasure.

That said, I checked out the newest Goodwill store in the Woodstock Neighborhood. It’s just south of the intersection of SE Woodstock and SE 52nd Avenue. It’s that awful yellowy-beige, manilla-folder color, and it’s shaped like a big box, but the facade has some windows and the blue tile design that Goodwill stores always have. You certainly don’t shop at Goodwill for the architectural charm.

Anyhoo, I had to find a laptop bag, and rather than plunking down a lot of money for a new, dandy laptop bag, I thought that it would be a good excuse to stop by the new Goodwill. I really didn’t expect to find anything, but as soon as I walked in the door, I had this competitive urge to find a proper bag.

To the left was the big wall of purses. I headed there as a starting point. Ah ha, I saw that past the purses there were shelves for backpacks, duffels, briefcases. But wait, a woman was in front of the area. My arrival made her aware of her position, and she slid closer to the purses. But then, out of nowhere, this old skinny Alan Alda-type guy is right next to me. Hi, personal space, please. He starts grabbing for bags, like right in front of me. Hold on there, buddy, I was here first.

He didn’t care. So, I didn’t care. I paid him no attention as I reached out for the prospects on the shelf. Of course, thinking laptop bag, I am looking at the black bags with straps. No padding though. And Alda starts looking at briefcases, so I could relax. We are going after different things.

I found a crazy blue bag, that was brand-new. The little bag for your power cord inside the bag was still wrapped in plastic. Score. But then, a little kid has trapped me against the shelves, with this old guy to the left of me, and the kid’s mom, complete with stroller, to my right.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I am not a good shopper. I get freaked out when I feel boxed in by people. I started coughing, the old guy backed away, and I ducked out of the trap. Ahh.

It was such a harrowing experience that I didn’t look for anything else. And then, of course, when I was waiting in line to pay, the person in front of me was the old guy. How did he get there so fast? And he had a store credit voucher (the place has only been open 4 days, mind you — perhaps it’s from another store, or he just shows up everyday to invade other shoppers’ personal spaces and then sprints to the check-out to further drive that same shopper absolutely crazy!!), and some manager had to be called to help the cashier check him out. Three and half minutes later, and I’m free with a laptop case and a package of Sweettarts for $3.68. Not bad.

Upon rereading those last few paragraphs, it may not have sounded like such a pleasant shopping experience, but I guess for me the ends justifies the means.

Goodwill, Woodstock, Salvation Army, Portland, thrift, secondhand, used, shopping, vintage, clothing, books, treasure, economy

A friend of mine and I were talking the other night, and she asked me about recycling plastic bags. We started talking recycling and all that greenness that comes with it, and I noted that I felt that Portland was a bubble when it came to people being green or environmentally-conscious and responsible.

I get lots of email updates from the gazillion environmental action groups of which I am a member or subscriber of newsletters and action updates. And I am also on the mailing lists of many a governmental agency, including my love-hate relationship, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today, the EPA sent out an press release regarding shopping for new cars. There are two reasons I am bringing this up: Portland is way ahead of the curve (we think) and the advice to shop for a car is timely and mixed.

We all like to think that Portland, Oregon is, like, the “greenest city” in America, and you know, it most probably is. But I still see huge trucks and SUVs on our roads, so it’s not like everyone is a member of the Church of Hybrid. But as a girl who moves around more than the average re-locator (what can I say, I get bored easily), and having lived or spent considerable time in rather diverse areas of this great nation of ours, I can safely say that Portland is by far the most environmentally-aware and -conscious city I know of. Does that mean that everyone recycles and has switched to CFL’s? No, of course not, some people don’t bother and then some people may disagree with some actions (CFL’s have mercury in them, as an example), but if you drive around on a neighborhood’s trash pick-up day, you may be amazed how many big blue recycling bins are right alongside glass bins and the green compost bins. In my neighborhood (Reed), I rarely even see the straight-up trash bins some weeks. My neighbor and I were complaining about the only bi-weekly compost curbside pick-up. Heck, most cities don’t offer curbside yard/kitchen waste pickup at all.

And secondly, the EPA’s press release…

Celebrating the Environment: Trading up your Sleigh this Holiday Season?

‘Tis the season for giving, and if you’re in the process of shopping for a car or light truck this year, EPA can help. Environmentally friendly vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, and there are some simple ways to find the best one for your family. There are also easy ways to improve your fuel economy, regardless of what model sleigh you drive.

* When shopping for a car, go to EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide to look for vehicles that earned EPA’s SmartWay designation, meaning that they are among the cleanest, most fuel-efficient available; and
* As you do your holiday shopping, be sure to maximize your vehicle’s fuel efficiency by combining trips, driving gently, and keeping your car well-maintained.

For sh*ts and giggles, I checked out the EPA’s green vehicle guide, and out of the cars with average MPG’s above the current (and finally raised) CAFE standards –which is 27.5 mpg by the way– nearly all of them are Japanese or German. There are 17 vehicles listed that have an average city mpg of 28 or more, 13 of those vehicles are not American. When we look at the 15 vehicles that are just shy of CAFE, at 27 mpg, the America cars make a better showing at 8 out of 15. When I looked at the list from the lowest mpg, starting at the bottom I had to scroll more than 2/5 of the way up the screen before I hit a Japanese make. The only exception was Mercedes, and the rest where almost GM models. And of nearly all the models listed, they are all designated to burn gasoline/ethanol blends, and ethanol is bringing about it’s own “blend” of problems.

And the Big Three are asking for a bailout? I wonder why. And the EPA is not helping at this point, telling car shoppers to choose models with good gas mileage, which probably means you will not be purchasing a GM or a Ford.

*disclaimer: As a Michigan native, a bailout is probably necessary, as everyone and their brother in Michigan depends on the auto industry, be it directly or indirectly. And I have a brother that works for a company that writes the diagnostic manuals for vehicle, so I also know how much paid time off the Union dictates for its employees and in turn, if the auto workers are off, so is everyone else.

Portland, Oregon, green, environment, environmentally, conscious, aware, responsible, government agency, EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, cars, automobile, autos, makes, models, Japanese, German, hybrid, ethanol, gasoline, American, GM, Ford, recycling, waste, trash, CFL, mercury, compost, green vehicle guide, CAFE, Mercedes, Big Three, bailout, Michigan, union

I am going to go out on a limb and say that, by Governor Sarah Palin’s definition, Portland is considered to be part of that non-”real America.”

Firstly, WTF? How does this woman get to go around and say things like that? On federal funds, no less. And don’t get me started on Michelle Bachmann.

Seriously? How did this woman rise such a high level of politics in this country? I would drum her out of office so fast for being so stupid. Ignore the bigot in her, she is just dumb. See, gentlemen, this is what you get when you vote with your willy.

Anyhoo, I really don’t ever, ever see Palin campaigning in Portland. Even if Oregon were a bit more of a swing state (it is a swing state, but if you trust the daily polling, you might chalk it up to the Democrats), would the McCain campaign visit Oregon? If so, which cities? Would he come to Portland?

I have referred before to Portland’s Republican-given nickname of Little Beirut. I first heard of the nickname’s origins in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (a travel book of sorts). I cannot remember the exact story but it had something to do with George H.W. Bush’s reception in the city back in the early 1990’s. Protesters showed up after eating mashed potatoes dyed red, white, and blue with food coloring (I believe the blue-colored potatoes came up green unbeknowst to the planners — always pays to test things out first) and manually regurgitated those potatoes all over the sidewalks around wherever Bush the Elder was. That is paraphrased, of course, so I may have missed something. But if you haven’t read the source book, you might want to. It’s quite enjoyable, and you definitely learn some things about the city you don’t find in other guide books. And all of that framed with Palahniuk’s wit and sense of the odd.

This is what gets me about Palin and her ilk. They seem to espouse these ideals of less regulation and less government interference in people’s lives, and yet they support the government stepping in on the very personal in those same people’s lives — taking away certain rights, like the freedom of reproduction and marriage and religion and education. I just read over the Oregon elections booklet that details the candidates for the upcoming election, and my new favorite presidential candidate is Chuck Baldwin. If you have not read it, I urge you to, it’s hilarious. Same with Michael Marsh, a Constitution party candidate for State Treasurer. Who said elections are dull? These guys are crazy.

From Marsh’s blurb:

Leaders of the Democrat and Republican parties with their Ivy League educations are either incredibly stupid or are deliberately destroying us. It is time to return to Constitutional Government and become once again a land of opportunity for Americans. We have entered, voluntarily, into a slave relationship, with our government masters.

Come on, Marsh, I’d say that if you are a legitimate candidate for a State office, that is a good example of American having opportunity for all.

By the way, he goes on to talk about the microchip that is going to be installed in everyone and used by the banks and the Democrats and Republicans to suspend identifications and ATM withdrawals.

Disclaimer: I have a long history of voting for third parties (voted for Nader twice — always in a state that the Democrats had in the bag, so I am not responsible for George W.), so my little poking of fun at the Constitution Party is not an example of third-party-bashing.

Sarah Palin, Portland, Oregon, Little Beirut, Michelle Bachmann, Chuck Palahniuk, George H.W. Bush, George Bush, McCain, Constitution Party, Democrat, Republican, Nader

So, if you must know, I am down with all kinds of non-profits and NGO’s, so I tend to get maybe thirty to fifty emails a day from such groups. I ran across this one today, and thought I’d share…

A very good organization, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice wants to stage a small protest against the Disney Corporation’s refusal to “go green” and switch over to non-toxic cleaning products for the all Disney theme parks, hotels and restaurants. It seems the Chairman of the Disney Board will be in Portland to accept some award and the CHEJ wants to distribute some flyers and perhaps have some people outside the award ceremony at the Oregon Convention Center. To that, I say huzzah, as I think it is sometimes necessary to urge larger companies to remember their responsibility to the public to use safe products as well as sell safe products.

To be fair to Disney, I think it may be safe to say that most American household have a toxic cleaning product around, maybe under the sink, but that is not excuse as there is truly little to no need to have toxic cleaning products when there are so many better alternatives. But if you must know, bleach is considered a toxic cleaning product — it is listed as a pesticide by the EPA for heaven’s sake.

However, especially as Disney not only caters to children, but also that Disney has a worldwide reputation, it is a bit remiss for Disney not to take the lead (well, if this were tens years ago) and show the world that you can own just about everything but still worry about the kiddies and the ol’ employees. You can still push your evil consumerist agenda, but with some environmental friendliness.

Ah, no matter. I think it is a good idea to protest. Will it do any good? Only if something really bad happens so that it can make the news. But hey, if we don’t say anything at all, then we are also to blame. Good luck, CHEJ. I cannot make it, but then I highly doubt that standing outside in late October Portland handing out flyers to disinterested passers-by will be a “fun and exciting event” as the email promises.

To find out how you can help…click here.

Center for Health Environment Justice, CHEJ, Disney, toxic, cleaning products, theme parks, parks, resorts, Portland, protest

As I sit here watching a Project Runway marathon on Bravo today, I thought it would be an appropriate time to give a shout out to Leanne Marshall, a finalist on the show.

And yes, despite the fact that I have already seen every episode this season, I am happily re-watching every one of those same episodes. For some reason, I find Project Runway immensely re-watchable. Same with Top Chef, which is starting its new season November 12. Mark your calendars.

Anyway, back to Leanne. I didn’t really see her going all that far at the beginning of the season. But unlike so many of the contestants (read Daniel and Keith — was anyone else totally peeved when Keith came back for the Zodiac challenge? Come on, we finally get rid of him and he is back like, what the next challenge!!), Leanne took the judges comments to heart. Not so much to change her own aesthetic, I would think, but rather to win the damn game, am I right? That’s what it is all about. The judges are your clients, so make them happy and they will reward you for it, with cold, hard, less and less valuable cash. Ah, I kid. Not really, the dollar has been tanking for a while, and with the current crisis I don’t see it coming back anytime soon, but another day, another post.

Leanne Marshall’s designs since the third episode have pretty much rocked. I especially liked the third episode’s black skirt (at left), as well as the dress she made out of Saturn parts (below). She deservedly won that challenge. I did like the Diane Von Furstenberg purple dress she made, but I liked Korto’s dress a little better, but just a little better. There were some designs that missed the mark along the way, but even when I was really scared for her, say in the college grad make-over challenge, she smartly listened to Tim Gunn’s advice, and edited/re-designed wisely.

But beyond my little ol’ opinions, I think it is wonderful that we have a Portland designer represented on the fifth season of PR. It seems that the most interesting designers have been coming from cities outside the fashion meccas of NYC and LA. It’s not like Portland is BFE Ohio whence Jay McCarroll comes from, but when people think of Portland, I am sure fashion is not one of the first things that comes to mind.

Congratulations, Leanne! I really look forward to seeing your whole collection in the season finale next week, and I hope you win. I really, really hope that you at least beat out Kenley, because I cannot stand her. How annoying that you and Korto had to finish up the season with her. I seriously think that PR focuses too much on creating a villain, instead of just letting the designs speak for themselves.

Possible spoiler alert: Leanne is not taking any new orders as listed on Etsy, due to large volume. Could this be because of a PR win or simply due to the added publicity? Also, her website is rather outdated, with nary a mention of Project Runway. I did email her, and she oh so sweetly responded, telling me that her website is simply out of date, and she has a new person taking it over for her. I didn’t press the issue, and I really, really hope that she is hiding the win. (I have not searched for any spoilers elsewhere, so someone out there may know who the winner is, but I don’t want to know. I prefer conjecture and patience. I accidentally stumbled upon the Top Chef winner two seasons ago and it totally sucked watching the finale, knowing that Ilan Douchebag Hall won.)

Portland, Project Runway, Leanne Marshall, Leanne, Top Chef, Bravo, design, fashion, reality show, Daniel, Keith, Korto, Kenley, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jay McCarroll