clothes carts

Food Carts are very popular in Portland.

you see them pretty much everywhere you go, and they are cheaper than dining in, yet still so delicious!

you can find a wide range of food, like Mexican, Thai, Korean, crapes,,, you name it!

my husband and I really want to make a ritual of going to one food cart a week,

and check all of them out.(we haven't made a point yet : I)

yesterday, I was reading The Oregonian, a local news paper,

and found an interesting article.

it was about this double-decker vintage dress shop, called Lodekka.

Erin Sutherland, the owner, got laid off from her job,

 and she decided to pursuit her all time dream, owning a vintage clothes store.

she researched for affordable retail space for rent,

but even tiny space wasn't below $1200/month.

so she decided to go with the cart idea

"if you can sell food from a cart, why not put a dress shop in something that moves?"

so here it is!

a vintage dress shop on a double-decker!!

read more of Erin's story on Lodekka, please visit here,

and her blog and Facebook page.

surprisingly enough, Lodekka isn't only one vintage clothes store on wheels in Portland!

I remembered reading a blog post over at Modish.

Wonderlust!

it might seem smaller compared to Lodekka, but they travel well!

they drive over to street/craft fairs!

pretty awesome, uhn?!

I wonder what kind of new type of carts start appearing in Portland in the near future...

..................................................

Lodekka pics are from here and here.

Wonderlust pics are from here

..................................................

happy Friday!
and have a lovely weekend :)
xo

this season's first knitting project

do you remember this post where I wrote about Happy Knit's anniversary party?

I started working on the slippers on that weekend, and it didn't take me too long to finish knitting all the parts.

 upon assembly, I came across the designer's blog for Bickford seam video tutorials.

then I did some research on 'felting' because I've never done it before, but it didn't look that hard.  however, our washing machine is an old front-loader, and it seemed having a hard time felting.  in addition to it is a front-loader having some trouble felting, compare with the top-loader, maybe the hottest set water wasn't hot enough?  hm :I                           well, that's done anyway and took them a few days to dry(I'm sure it would have been quicker outside!)

 made couple fabric covered buttons, and sewed all the parts together.                 taddaaaa :) 

actually they are technically NOT DONE yet,,,

the pattern called to put something, like puffy paint, on the bottom sole to give them more friction.

yet my housemate gave me a better piece of advised to sew leather on the sole to make them more durable and warmer.

I think it's a great idea and I'd love to try that.

that will be my first project with leather as well.

a simple, no stress project for a first timer!

I will tell you all about it once I get them done :)

stay tuned!

little Miss's second halloween

Halloween is here!

every store front and many houses are decorated with scary things and spider webs.

wow, it's that time of the year again!!

this year, I couldn't get much creative on little Miss's costume...

I was debating between a little lamb or Little My.

I grew up in Japan, and there was a kids TV series called, The Moomins.

I remember watching it as a kid.

it is a comic/illustrated story from Sweden/Finland,

and it's about these hippo-like trolls, called Moomins.   

 

(pic)

Little My is one of the characters in the Moomins.

(pic)

she has a bad temper, but is determined and quite loyal.

I thought it would be cute if my little one and myself got dress up as her together,

but wondered if anyone over here knew who she was...

so, this year I whipped up a little lamb costume!

the patterns were based on a bonnet and playsuit in this book I got from Powell's Books(a must-go-store when you come to PDX!)

I even made her a pair of leggings as well!

(sorry, no photo of them :I)

she looks cute in it and I even manage to get some picture with our goats!

but I still can let the Little My idea...

hmmm,,, maybe next year!

Japan trip(coming up) & Sale announcement

at last the completion of my US immigration is in sight( well, we hope!).

I received a letter for an interview, as well as travel document from USCIS two weeks ago.

we had been looking into getting a flight tickets to Japan.

this wold be the last chance for my little doll to fly cheaper and go see mama side family and friends.

I had a hectic time finding a good deal both cost-wise and time-wise,,,

I guess traveling is no longer so affordable especially when you have a kid(s).

anyhow we got a ticket, and little miss and I would be in Japan from November 18th to December 10th!

three weeks is not really enough, but better than nothing.

so excited!

because I won't be around much for the pre-holiday season,

I decided to have a little early pre-holiday sale over at my little Etsy shop.

[SALE] 20% off on all the items listed in my shop.

[time] today Oct 22nd(Fri) - November 7th(Sun)

[deal] please mention about the sale in your comment to the seller when you proceed to purchase.

you will get the 20% refunded via Paypal after purchase.

hope you enjoy the opportunity!

happy weekend :)

xo

 

finally captured the Melon Hat

I made my little daughter this hat a few weeks back,

but she had been rejecting to wear it :(

however, today something was different or has shifted.

'honey, do you want to wear the hat? it's kinda chilly outside.'

and she willingly took my offer :)

so, here they are!  the very precious shots of the hat(and the little one!).

the pattern is from the book, called Carefree Clothes for Girls,

and I had been eying on it ever since I borrowed it from my friend.

the outer fabric is wool blend and the inner one is flannel, which will keep her head nice and toasty in the winter.

they were both from my scrap pile, as well as the chin strap.

and a little ebony button to give it a finished touch.

 it is a nice n' easy quick project and great way to use up some scrap fabric! 

I was obsessed enough to even make myself one after grading the pattern to fit my head.

I can't decide if it looks too silly on me though. hm....

anyhow this made my day today,

and I am glad that I can share that here with you :) 

zucchini salsa!

fall is here.

we are harvesting last bit of the garden vegetables.

we also got LOADS of giant zucchinis from our housmates' friend who manages a community garden.

we made zucchini bread four times,

also made some zucchini patties a few times.

but we never seem to be able to consume enough of them...

we still have LOTS!

 I mean, LOTS!!

so, I decided to do something different with them.

looked up recipes for zucchini salsa.

found this one, which has great reviews.

so, gave it a shot.

I eliminated the sugar and cornstarch that the original recipe called for,

and cut back the vinegar by half and used apple cider vinegar.
oh, and you know my secret?
I used vita-mix to chop up all the vegetables!
it would have taken me hours to hand-chop them otherwise...

 indeed it was very tasty!

I canned most of the first batch,

and made the second batch and canned some more a few days after since we still had a lot of zucchinis.

we have a year or more supply of zucchini salsa :)!

Happy Knits Anniversary Party/Sale

my knitter friend told me about the anniversary sale/party at Happy Knits.

I started knitting last winter and still a beginner.

 I am still not a serious knitter like some people who knits all year around,

but, usually my knitting urge starts nudging me when the cool autumn breeze begins.

I am looking for warm comfort.

it was kinda funny that she told me about the store when I asked her about a good place to get yarn in Portland.

the store was one of the first shops we went to when we moved to Portland five months ago.

so, first only I was going to go there and meet up with her and her friends,

but my hubby and little miss decided to come as well.

they wouldn't let down an offer on FREE food and drink.

and good social occasion, of course!

I never really went in to the back so I never noticed,

but the store was really nice and open.

and they even have a play room for kids!(so mama friendly!)

as usual, I forgot to bring my camera, hence no picture... :(

anyhow, we had wonderful time there.

what's even better,

both my hubby and I won two ruffle tickets!

 yipppeeeeee :)

I LOVE those slippers, and I am going to start with them! 

can't wait to have my own pair :)

it was a perfect thing to do on a rainy day.

we had fabulous time, thank you Happy Knits :) :) :)

best wishes on many more happy years/yarns to come!

meet my new mug

a couple days ago, I received a small parcel at my door.

yes, yes, this was what I had been waiting for for almost a month!

camera lens!

but it is not just an ordinary camera lens!!

it actually isn't a lens at all!

it is a coffee mug made to look like a lens!!

I found it on Photojojo, and instantly fell in love with it.

it arrived just on time for pumpkin spiced latte season.

I can't wait to take you everywhere I go!

happy Friday,

have a lovely weekend :)!

P.S.  pshyyyyyy!  if you also fell in love with it, you can get your own here :)