We're Deep in the Thick of Things Now

I've always wanted to carry an Advent Calendar at Passionflower but I've never found one I liked until I found this beautiful calendar letterpressed by Oblation Papers in Portland Oregon.....

Technically, of course, Advent starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas so even this calendar isn't quite right....

 But I like the slow build up....I like the daily ritual of lighting a candle or opening a window in the calendar.....

My favorite window (whoops I peeked) from December 18.....

Moroccan belt

                                                     

                                            

                 We're chock full of beautiful belts and buckles at Passionflower......                                                                                                                                       

A Winter Visitor

Perhaps my favorite Poppy & Moe T shirt ever....their new four color design on a long sleeve shirt...And because it's so fun to unveil new designs, we're having a party First Friday, Dec 2nd.  See all their new goodies, find something fun,  meet Sabrina (the Poppy of Poppy & Moe) and generally help us celebrate the coming warmth of the Holiday Season.

  And just a little note, we usually have our big holiday party this evening but because there is a (yes this is true) a championship football game involving the Oregon Ducks, the general feeling amongst my fellow merchants was that we ought to postpone the party for a week ....which we at Passionflower thought was just dandy because now we get to have two holiday parties!

So if you can't make it on the 2nd, come revel with us on the 9th.  Open to 7 both evenings.

Johnny Was

                                                    

                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Have I told you what we've been doing upstairs in our attic space a the store?  I don't believe I have because, well, it's kind of a soft, a very soft opening of our new clothing section Passion Fashion.  Because, well because,  I'm still figuring out exactly what we're doing up there.  But one thing I know, is that we're devoting it to clothes you can't find in Eugene, to lines we really think are extra ordinary.  And one of those is Johnny Was - the label alone gives you a clue of what's to come.  Romantic, bohemian clothes with fine details.  Pieces that stand alone or layer up...Pieces that make getting dressed fun....Come have some fun with us.

                                               Upstairs at Passion Fashion.  

                                                                                                            

                                                                                    

The Thanksgiving Menu

I was inspired by the Patricia Curtan book and so I made this fun little guest book for Thanksgiving - everyone signed in, and we made a big long list of every kind of food on the table, and there were a couple of pages where we wrote down what we were thankful for and there was some room to write down other thoughts  too.   So now we'll have a lovely record of this year's Thanksgiving and I hope to do it every year because it's so easy to forget all the details  that make a day special....

P.S.We have a Thanksgiving tradition of having a new food we've never eaten before.  This year the food was fingerlimes and they are delicious....click here to find out more about them.

Happy Thanksgiving

From my house to yours!!!

Festivites & Shopping Make the World Go Round

 It's Party Time Chez Passionflower.......

 Won't you put on your party hat and join us for some Holiday Cheer?

 This holiday you have not one, but two occassions to do a little after hours shopping with a most festive air.

First Friday Artwalk in Eugene Oregon this December 2nd , we'll be open 4-7......Meet jewelry designer Katy Kippen and Sabrina Ridge from Poppy & Moe.....and if you can't join us then you'll have a chance to raise a glass with us during our Broadway Pearl Holiday Open House on Friday December 9th......

Should be a lot of fun.  Bring your friends and family!

Mixing It All Up in Flower Land

We're trying, we're really trying to take better photos but we have a long way to go.....

Nonetheless I love these small pieces mixing fresh and dried flowers that Erin has been doing....

An After Dinner Apertif Chez Passionflower

Another way to linger over a great meal, because it's not just all about the food is it?  It's about leisure and conviviality and conversation....I've always been fond of a bit of port after a good meal.  And it always taste better in cut glass.

A Bowl for Everything and Everything in It's Place

Might I suggest a small bowl full of fennel seed as an after dinner digestive for your Thanksgiving guests?

Food Happiness Continued

How fun would it be to eat pumpkin pie off these plates?  They come in four fun botanical designs.

The Fruits of Our Labor

 Fresh apples, dried plums, and good, good cheeses seems to be what's sustaining me lately.....and somehow they all taste so much better served on wood platters and bowls.

Best way we know to make food taste good (besides salt) is make it look beautiful.  We're here to help.

A Great Hostess Gift

                                            

                    

  Thanksgiving is coming up pretty soon here and so I'm going to devote the blog to all things in the store that make me food happy.  Who wouldn't love getting  this newly published book featuring the letterpress work of artist Patricia Curtan? Curtan has had a longstanding collaboration with the famous Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse and in my mind has been an integral part of defining their aesthetic.  Mouthwatering locally sourced menus and beautiful art will have you clamoring to make your own Thanksgiving Menus. And I might do just that!.  Click here should you like to know more about Patricia Curtan's work.

 

 

                                    

  

Another Great New Pillow at Passionflower

This one is for the imaginary cabin in the woods - plus there's deer and rabbits and racoons....

 Our very favorite cowgirl/potter (gardener extraordinaire)  Mary Briggs brought her very special brand of ceramics to Passionflower last week.

 Most of this work was fresh out of the kiln like this ewe and ram bookend.  Well this is just the ram side of the bookend, you'll have to come in to see the ewe.

 Monsieur le Pig.....this piece is amazing...Mary is moving into sculpture in a big way.

 And yet , what is this? Something super painterly....she's making big slabs and using them as canvas.  But Mary told me the thick, slab, cracking earth three dimensional quality of the work is important to her.

 Oh and some trees......these two platters sold quickly....

I helped Mary set up her work last week and want to tell you that having a show like this is  really one of the true pleasures of my job....being able to look at each piece with the artist , to see their work grow over time and  to hear stories from people who have been collecting Mary's work for years and to feel that, in some small way, we at Passionflower are helping spread the love of the handmade. 

For you

 

  I have been super busy lately working on display at the store. My reward for all this hard work is that I get to take photos after I'm done - kind of like my reward for cleaning my house is I get to put flowers everywhere.  So here, for your viewing pleasure, a photo taken after a long day of display at Passionflower.www.passionflowerdesign.com

Enjoy.

Things to Do in All My Free Time

Some friends and I put together a food swap....kind of like a cookie swap except with food we put up. The rather messy homegrown invitiation is above.

I made little cards for everyone to write down what they brought. 

I brought dried italian plums, fresh frozen cider, and some peach chutney and I went home with fantastic goodies including corned beef, thyme rub, dried brandywine tomatoes, pickled beets, salsa verde and some local honey.

 

Join Me on A Mexican Art Making Adventure

I am so pleased and excited to let you know about this trip I'm putting together with Jill Cardinal....You may remember Jill is a mixed media collage artist who has been offering classes at Oregon Art Supply......A few months ago Jill came to me and proposed that we offer a journal making  trip to Mexico and after much dreaming and visioning,  I am happy to tell you , our plan is finally hatching.  Now we just need fellow adventurers like you to join us.  The thought of making art for eight days in Mexico with a group of like minded folks sounds a little bit like heaven to me.  If it does to you, click here to find out more details.....And any help you might give us in spreading the word would be greatly appreciated.  P.S.  Not only will we make great art, eat fantastic food , and see amazing sites , I also promise to share with you two of my favorite shopping places in Oaxaca!!

Kind of Nutty

Passionflower's homage to the acorn.....o ye from which the mighty oaks grow....

 

German made (that's code for well made), naturally tanned leather, these small carrying bags can be clipped to a bag, to a belt or to whatever strikes your fancy....they come in two sizes and lots of great colors.

Completely random, but the guy who played the Wiz in Wicked came in and bought a bunch of them.

There is something a little munchkin land about them.

Fabbie New Pillows

 Quite possibly, one of my favorite new things in the store.  Beautiful in a child's room....or would that be scary in a child's room? I'm not sure.

The Edible Schoolyard

We thought this being November and all, harvest time, food time, thanks giving time, it would be a great time to bring in this beyond lovely and very soft to the touch flour sack tea towel designed as a fundraiser for the Edible Schoolyard Project.  Half of the proceeds from the towel support chef Alice Water's program to include gardening and food preparation as part of our school curriculum.  Click here to find out more about Edible Schoolyard.

The Beauty of Trees

Right now the store is full of lots of great art for the walls... one of my favorite are these tree images printed from original work by Kolene Spicher. There's something primitive about them but they're elegant at the same time.  And I love the bird's eye maple frames.....They're relatively small so a single would be perfect in a tiny space or they would make a great grouping.  She has painted images of six different trees.