Handmade Artist Cards at Passionfloewr

 

The uber talented Becky Tonkin, oh she of the black hair and the blue eyes, whom you might remember as our beloved store manager for many years before she moved to Astoria, has graciously agreed to put together a little body of ephemera in honor of Valentine's Day!

 Can hardly wait to see it all.  IN the meantime, here's a sneak peek. We'll also be selling artist's cards by Rogene Manas, Bev Soasey, & Judith Sparks.  These are all super talented women working right here in Eugene and I could not be more happy to be selling their work.

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.

A New Year and A New Sign

It's a New Year and we got a new sign!  Such a hopeful time.......My Passionflower gratitude list :

1) My  customers - seriously, there's nothing like the real look you in the eye, have a real conversation, help you find something wonderful, brick and mortar retail experience. I love my customers and have been blessed to have so many amazing ones over the years! You are literally what feeds me, on so many levels.

2)  My employees - with whom it

 would not happen.....they are really what keeps this whole merry go round spinning. In my grumpy moments, I feel like they have added years to my life, but the truth is, I think they've kept me young at heart and have taught me so much. 

3) My vendors, many of whom I have done business with for years and years.  I don't know how you do it, continuously reinventing yourself, finding new product, and yet staying true to your beautiful selves. I salute your creativity, vision, and hardwork. 

4) My bookkeeper who cares and feeds for the beast, keeps me legal, and gives it her all.  

5) My neighbors - many of you for decades now and some of you brand new, without you there would be no community. I love being part of our downtown and love all of you for sharing the vision.

6)  Well I know this was going to be my top 5 but with gratitude, once you start, it just seems to come spilling out....basically grateful for any and everyone who has ever walked through the door (except possibly you shoplifters) - you are too many to count, everyone who has contributed in some little way to the store...it means so much  -  - we're not feeding the hungry or saving the world, but we are engaged in the day to day act of commerce creating community and ties that bind and each and every one of you is part of that fabric. 

Thank You!

The Color Purple

 

We're doing a reset at the store.  The Christmas is all tucked away and we're cleaning and tidying and organizing.  I'm going through zillions of catalogs looking for something that catches my eye. And lo and behold this color purple in the Spicher catalog started talking to me.

And so a wall, just a little wall, was painted purple at Passionflower.

Happy designer emoticon here with a special thank you to the guy at Miller Paint who did the paint match for me.

Setting Your Holiday Table

We can make your holiday table look like this!  Just like this.  A little shot from a display we did for an event for the symphony a couple of years back. Come in and we'll help you put it all together. Because we love a great tablescape~!

How to Spice Up Your Pumpkin Pie this Thanksgiving

We've started carrying more cookbooks and we've been dabbling in more food this year at Passionflower. I went to the Fancy Food Show and heard artisan foodmaker Robert Lambert dishing food and recipes with the folks from Oakville Grocery in Napa.  Tried his stuff and have been hooked ever since.  It's all small batch and seasonal.

  And just in case you're thinking Hot Ginger Caramel Sauce is just for ice cream, here's a link to his recipe for pumpkin pie using his wonderful caramel sauce.

Because it seemed like with that big holiday dedicated to food and eating, you might be looking for something to spice up your pumpkin pie recipes.  

Happy cooking and have fun putting your Thanksgiving menu together.

Click here to buy the caramel sauce online.

What's Coming Up

Reproduction of vintage piece from Oakland ephemera collector Kim Smith.  Just one of the very many lovely pieces of wall art I found for you at New York Now show.  Looking forward to switching things out for fall at the store.  Starting to feel the change of seasons.

Beautiful Botanical Bedding

Tucked away in a corner of the Las Vegas Furniture Show, I spied this beautiful botanical bedding by Spanish manufacturer Angelica Barcelon and had to have it.This one is an agave print which seems just right as I'm heading down to Oaxaca in September.  We  have leaves and roses and passionflowers too. Big bedding happiness chez Passionflower.

What's on Your Summer Table

Kale chips, mango salsa, prosciutto and melon, edamame humus, need I say more.  Cookbooks have been such a fun addition to the store and this Forest Feast is one of my favorites.

Passionflower Turns Twenty

It was twenty years ago today.....well I'm not sure if it was exactly today....but it was close to this time that Passionflower had our official opening party.  The very first ever Passionflower party. I remember because it was near Easter.  And I rented a big Easter Bunny outfit and talked a friend into wearing it. (I like a little drama at a party!)  And, for years afterwards, a young child named Marlow, son of some art professors, would come in the store and ask his Mom where the bunny was.  And my mentor, Elaine Falbo, my inspiration, my beautiful, hippie friend who channels Tasha Tudor, brought me glorious branches of white native dogwood.  And I saw the dogwood blooming the other day so I knew it was about now.  It was the little store down at the train station.  And there was a double rainbow during the party which we all went outside to ooh and aah over.  I have a picture of that somewhere. That was when you had to go get film developed.  And my Dad and my stepmother came out and took us all out to dinner in the little tiny dining room at the old Jo Federico's.  Twenty years is a long time.  So many people have passed through the door as friends and customers and employees and people we do business with, or some fluid combination of all of that. So many. And so many things have passed over our sales counter and, I hope, made your life more beautiful and contemplative and fascinating.   I just love being a shopkeeper and I have all kinds of mystical notions of what that means, which I will spare you from today, but suffice it to say, thank you each and every one of you for being a part of the whole Passionflower party.  Happy Birthday to us, All of Us!

A Wintry Tale

Snow boots, circa 1970's......it's been massively cold around here....like the coldest it's been in 40 years....and joy of joys, it came with six inches of snow on the ground.....and while this is a little bit of a nightmare for me, retail wise, I love the snow and the clear skies.  A lot.

 

This is what it looked like last Friday the day of our holiday shindig, which needless to say, we have rescheduled.  The wine is still good, the musician was able to fit us in and our magnaminous mayor, the Honorable Kitty Piercy has time in her schedule this coming Friday to pour as well.

What can we say?  The party must go on.  And we've been managing to get to the store and keep it staffed.

And all our neighbors have been open too! 

There's been a fun, neighborly spirit through all this, but now we're on Day 5 and I have to come back to the real world from this winter wonderland.