Must-have Treasures

Now that school has ceased for the summer, what's a student to do when the pressure is off? Well, wherever it is, it needs to involve a camera, for sure! Yesterday we made our way down to the incredible Portland Saturday Market. What an awesome thing this is. We found some irresistible treasures that had to come home with us...and I want to share them and the artisans that create them. Don't you need some of these things? (I have included the websites/business information, just in case you do.)

Below you can see an example of the wonderfully whimsical artwork of Karla Dornacher. It reminds me of Mary Engelbreit but lighter and more inspirational. She had a terrific piece of artwork that featured Psalm 1 and the Tree of Life that I was immediately drawn to. However, this one seemed to fit my needs better...

I came home with a really sweet banner set of her encouragements - forgive freely, give thanks, dream big, trust G-d, and shine brightly. They are bright and happy. I love it!

But this item was, hands down, my favorite of the day. Made from 99% recycled materials, this messenger bag gets its texture from used burlap coffee bags - that's right - coffee! How cool is that?? So, it has the burlap on the front and handle (built up with webbing - that's the 1% not recycled), and recycled leather jacket on the backside. Inside they used men's shirts for the lining and pockets...so clever! I figured a religion student needed one that had a mission featured on the front, and I am currently having a love affair with the color orange, so this was my pick. But, there were many others to choose from; in fact, Lisa got one that is made of recycled upholstery fabric. These bags also sport a special pocket lined with recycled blanket for an iPad or Kindle - perfect! I can't love this enough! The artisans, a husband and wife team, gave me a handful of cards with my receipt saying that I will be asked about this bag...I am sure of it!

This next treasure is so fun. It is a hanging vase with thick copper wire fashioned around it - can't wait to see it filled with the peonies that just exploded in our backyard! I really enjoy stuff like this...

I have been itchin' to get some of this type of earrings - no backing, just push them through the ear - so simple and light! They are sterling and look so very cool on. The very cheery and fun artisan of these beauties shared some laughs with us as she convinced me to try them on. So glad I did - fun!

Do you like burled wood as much as I do? The beautiful small mantle clock below is made out of Birdseye Maple, which is beautiful, but what really sold it was...can you guess? Gotta have the Hebrew numbers - yes, please! They had so many beautiful things, all of which were polished with super-fine steel wool and wax polish - no poly here. Sometimes, you just cannot bypass these kinds of treasures.

We also snagged these treasures - a pendant made from recycled chandelier crystals and a dictionary from the early 20th century, some incredible lavender body moisturizer that melts as you hold it in your hand, and an uber-cool cutting board made from beautifully crafted woods. I'm gonna use it for serving sliced cheese and other nibbles (and it was only $10 in their sale pile!). I love supporting these local artists and their endeavors. Partly because I am so extremely sick of seeing the same old crap in the mall, but also because I want to enjoy these types of unique pieces in my life. Unique art pieces have so much character and contain the love and care put into their creation. You can't say that about your MK purse or the pair of earrings that everyone else is wearing from the department store. Character - that is what makes these pieces treasures.

I picked the pendant that featured dandelion wishes - love!
Unfortunately, I didn't get the artist's business cards for these treasures - boo.

I hope you feel motivated to check out these artisans noted above, as well as this one below. I didn't buy anything from her, but she had some of the best-made duct tape wallets I have ever seen. I had never seen this ingenious flask idea, but who can't love it? I will be indulging from her website, most definitely.

Street fairs and farmer's markets are one of my most favorite things. Diverse food, smells, music, people, vendor/artists, and preferably sunshine - what's not to love? I also love the market in Ballard on the weekends, and in Tacoma on Thursdays. You have to get to this Portland Saturday Market, if at all possible. It is located pretty close to the Voodoo Donut shop. You will have to wait in line for that, though...just sayin'.