Our March Newsletter

I was going to make this newsletter ode to all things blue (keeping with my color themes) but decided to switch it up a bit.  In January I got new floors in my living and dining room which meant I had to take EVERYTHING out!!!!  This was no small feat. But I actually loved the process of reviewing what I had and what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to let go of.  Now everything feels fresh and clean and new.  Just like spring! Which brings me to this months newsletter - spring cleaning.
It's the whole renewal of life in the springtime thing and it is REAL!

We have lots of products in store to make cleaning a beautiful part of your day (seriously).
One of the things I am most excited about are these totally green Nellie's cleaning products we brought in from a great woman owned business in Canada. We have laundry products including stain remover, dryer balls, and soap and an all in one soap plus tile cleaner. Still haven't had a chance to try them out but the reviews have been good so far.

And here is one of my all time fave cleaning products. I use it on my cutting boards, wooden spoons, and salad bowls.  Christopher Pourny is a high end furniture restorer in NYC who, over years, developed his own formulas for taking care of wood products..  I try to make his tonic a monthly ritual in my kitchen.  It's totally non toxic and your spoons will thank you.

And here's  an oldie but a goodie when it comes to the cleaning section of your home. This fir grapefruit scent is IMO the way you want things to smell when you're cleaning. I just can't get enough of it. In addition to the room spray they have hand soap, room spray, and surface cleaner.  Once you're hooked, there's no going back.

And finally spring cleaning can also be a little bit about throwing off the winter sluggishness and breaking down all those fatty foods we've been eating all winter.  For me it's green nettles! This fun, new book breaks nutrition down for health and beauty. It's pretty inspiring and highly recommended.

And if picking nettles isn't your thing, might we suggest these awesome fire ciders from Mind your Manna in Portland? They pack a real bite and are perfect for a spring cleanse. Happy Spring and Happy Cleaning.

January Musings

Welcome to the brand new Passionflower monthly newsletter in which I wax poetic about things that move me and share ideas for things to move you.  It's a kind of what to do in the garden this month newsletter.  Hope you enjoy!  I love January. The excesses of the holiday season are behind us and it's a time of renewal with bare branches, buds, and hints of spring everywhere. January means:

Getting Organized - Get yourself a datebook, an agenda book, download a new app, or buy yourself a big wall calendar, whatever helps you best keep track of things. Janaury is also a great time to contemplate and write down your goals  Or make a goals collage. Or get a beautiful piece of artwork you can look at every day to help you remember them. Plus snow days are perfect for cleaning out that closet or junk drawer.  Click here for one person's experience following Marie Kondo's decluttering program.

Getting Cozy - A warm robe, a cup of tea, toasty socks, and some good books or magazines make for perfect January activities. Also get yourself a new cookbook and try out some fun new recipes.  One of my  2017 goals is to spend Sundays cooking and planning food for the rest of the week. Click here for some fun recipes from our partner in all things salt Jacobsen's up in Portland.
 

Getting Outside - Just dress warm and do it! My current obsession that gets me outside is birdwatching but simply walking is wonderful. Pick yourself up a little this and that on your walks and soon you'll have a beautiful nature table.  Or pick yourself some branches and bring them inside to force.  Click here for a handy little chart on forcing blooms in the winter.  

Going Shopping - This January is particularly hard for many with the political scene being so chaotic.  Might we suggest a little retail therapy?  Not joking. If any a situation calls for it, this one does. No pink pussy hats at Passionflower but we have a great selection of pink socks from Lisa B. to match those hats.  Put on those pink socks and take the bull by the horns! Click here to shop at your favorite online store! :)  Happy January!

The Joy of Jewelry

A shout out to the uber talented Athena Delene who has been taking some awesome photos for us.
We love the one below so much we're using it for our Susan Goodwin Trunk Show image!
And Athena's going to be a the show taking pics for us of everybody in their  bejeweled fabulousness

So yes Susan Goodwin Trunk Show - Friday May 6th (right before Mother's Day) starting at 3 pm!
Plus it's First Friday and there's several great art shows on our block.

Spring Cleaning Part 3

I love my wooden kitchen goods, a big wooden salad bowl, some great wooden spoons , and of course the cutting board which serves as cheese platter, breakfast plate, and good old utilitarian chopping block. Which is why I was totally psyched to find these wooden care products from Christopher Pourny.  First question to them was, "Do you use petroleum products in your wood finishing products?"  And they had the right answer, "Absolutely not, we've been in the furniture refinishing business for 25 years and have developed these non toxic care products based on traditional old time formulas!"  Sign me up.  But the proof is in the pudding and I couldn't be happier with how the cutting board tonic is performing.  A little bit goes a long way and now oiling my wooden utensils is just one more pleasure of being in the kitchen.

 

Stephanie Pearl, she of Marche/Provisions fame, once shared with me the formula for seasoning a new wooden bowl or implement and so I'll share it with you.  She suggests you oil your new piece once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month for a year.  After that, I typically oil as needed. Pick yourself up a bottle of this oil next time you're in and guaranteed your wooden spoons will thank you.

Spring Cleaning - Part 2

             

                                        

So excited about these handmade brooms we just brought into the store.  Made locally using old time tools and techniques, each handle comes from brush cutting up near Brownsville.  And they're just right for our spring cleaning display where we've amassed all kinds of goods to make the whole cleaning experience a little more magical.

These brooms will last a super long time.  So sweep out the old and make room for the new.

Love them as a housewarming or a wedding gift.

Spring Cleaning Part 1

  

I am really committing to serious spring cleaning this year.  Spiffing up my bedding, cleaning my windows, polishing all my wooden utensils, my goal: no nook and cranny goes unturned.And of course, I need a little reward for all this organizing.  Usually that takes the form of gorgeous flowers everywhere but I just might put this great doormat from Sugarboo designs on the list too. What a great way to say yes to spring cleaning. 

Terrarium Love for Valentine's Day

A whole lot of fun terrariums being made at the store these days.

Enjoy!

First Friday Event at Passionflower

 It's my store and if I want to spend ridiculous amounts of time working on an event because I'm pretty excited about it, well that's my perogative right?  Which is all a long winded way of saying that I hope you will find it in your heart to come visit us before Valentine's Day and find yourself a lovely handmade artist's card.  We have, once again, invited the talented folks from the Eugene Calligraphy Guild to come down and hand address your cards with your choice of red or pink ink. Plus Kristen Walker from Twin Ravens Press will be here letterpressing Valentine's tags like the one shown above(except with red ink).  Edie Robers from the Guild calligraphed the text and Kristen set it and printed them.  I just think it's a lovely collaboration.  They'll both be here on First Friday in February from 5 to 7:30! Please join us.

 

Lindsay rocking some jewelry in a quieter moment

Having a Pendleton Moment

Enjoy.....

Something warm and cozy on these cold winter mornings.

Shopgirls styling the Pendleton!

Holiday Open House at Passionflower

It was sometime during my blogging hiatus that I went to Sitka Center and took a woodtype letterpress class and fell in love, I mean, IN LOVE with letterpress. Which is how, when I came home and was on a quest to find all the letterpresses in Eugene, I met the talented Kristen Walker from Twin Ravens Press. Kristen is, at this time, the only commercial letterpress in Eugene.  She does invitations and lots of custom work plus she has a card line.   We dreamed up this holiday gift tag together and she brought her tiniest press down to our Holiday Open House and printed tags for everyone.  Twin Ravens, thank you so very, very much for bringing it!

Thanksgiving Happiness

Just loved seeing this photo of Lindsay in front of the store from uber talented local photographer Athena Delene cross our feed. Screams Autumn at Passionflower....well also a little bit "The hills are alive with the sound of music" .  Just call it our Tyrolian Thanksgiving fantasy.  As you can tell, the store is totally geared up for all things Thanksgiving.  So come and visit.

Ponchos R Us

\Oh lambchops, what has happened?  Last post I was waxing poetic about summertime and here it is the middle of November.  Well what happened is my laptop went through some kind of nutburgers phase and then I went to Mexico for a month  (more on that later), worked on a website overhaul (during which I told myself no more social media until that was done)  and now we're going deep into the holidays.  Clothing has been coming in fast and furious.  And we are all about the poncho this year.

Huge stock, lots of neutrals, and some in big fuzzy plaid colors. Loving this reversible one from Pendleton Woolen Mills.

Shop it here~!

From Sidewalk to Catwalk -Downtown Eugene Fashion Show

So many beautiful summer clothes in the shop right now like this beautiful Bryn Walker, hand dyed, hand sewn in Northern Ca, top and pants.  And guess what?  We're going to be strutting our stuff and show off a little of the Passionflower vibe at a Fashion Show happening next Thursday at the Hult Center.  Several other local boutiques as well as indie designers will be presenting. We have been begging the powers that be to do a show featuring local boutiques so come out and show us the love now that it's finally happening.  Starts at 6:30. Can't wait!  (And PS if you've always wanted to be in a fashion show, this could be your moment....we're still looking for a couple of more models so let us know if you'd like to peruse our racks and find something fabulous to walk down the runway )

Jewelry Love

A little look back through the Passionflower archives....two years ago.....

So many beautiful things have passed through the shop over the years.

Feeling nostalgic and sentimental.

More Mind Blowing Loveliness from the Talented Susan Goodwin

 Just some super beautiful images that crossed our email this morning as we're getting ready for our May Day Trunk Show with Susan.

Can not wait to see what she's got up her sleeve!

Hippity Hop

And just one more bit of bunny love from the ever talented local artist Katie Swenson. We have a nice selection of her work in stock right now.

The Japanes Approach to Rain and a Few Other Things too

 

This little tome has been selling like crazy at the store.  And there's no doubt about it, the Japanese just have the most charmingly cuckoo relationship to objects. Or at least that's how they write about it.  Case in point, and just in time for the rainy season, these lovely umbrellas from our Japanese friends in Seattle.

Here's what they have to say about umbrellas:

Every year when the rainy season comes around, we are saddened by the onset of the gray skies, soggy wet outdoors jackets and dull umbrellas. Why not use something on a wet day that will cheer you up, bring fun and excitement to every rainy season.

Umbrellas can change your mood, likewise a good choice in an umbrella can lead you to an exciting new day.

 

A cheerful, lovely umbrella on a gray rainy day can have a contagious effect on those around you. Wouldn't it be nice to have everyone around you enjoying the rain as much as you? You'll soon be looking forward to the next day of rain.

Not only will umbrellas keep away the rain, they are also mood altering substances. Good to know. So bring on the rain and come visit and find the perfect little something to enhance your next rainy day outfit.

What to Drink

Ooooh, brand new batch of elderflower bubbly just in....just in time for Easter Brunch....

And click here for a yummy little elderflower champagne cocktail recipe.

Hippity Hop, Easter Is on It's Way

Having the best time going through old photos.(looking for the perfect, elusive, Easter Bonnet Contest photo)...I think this was Lindsey and Tara one day dressing up the bunny in all kinds of jewelry.  Yes, you think we're a retail store, but there's an element of kindergarten fantasy too!

Click here to shop some of our Easter offerings online