Rachel Carlson

Friday Feature: Nathan Reimer of The Make House

 

 

Happy Friday.

Excited to introduce you to my next feature, the last Friday of the month, Nathan of The Make House. I took a Screen Printng class from Nathan back in December. It was always a media I was fascinated by and really wanted to learn. Little did I know that it would be an amazing, thorough instruction thanks to Nathan. I look forward to taking the advanced class soon.

I asked Nathan the questions below and through them found out a little more about my myself, my own craft and what I want to offer in the months to come. Whether it be to friends, community or myself. Huge thanks Nathan for your wisdom, patience, talents and contribution to community.

1.  Who are you, what do you do, what is your passion?

My name is Nathan Reimer.  I'm a screen printer and graphic designer as well as the founder of The Make House, a visual media and art space in NE Portland. www.themakehouse.com  My focus these days is on providing services (design and screen printing) to clients while facilitating space and resources for other artists and creators.

2. What inspired you to open your business, offer a service or teach a skill?

I've felt passionate about creative space for years. I thrive in a flurry of activity and ideas so the more I have going on around me the happier and more productive I am.  The Make House is my way of offering that to myself and other like minded people.  It's a space for ideas and skills to be shared and explored.  It's a place for me to work but also a way for me to be pushed up against the work of others.  I get to keep growing this way.

The Make House is also open to the public so it's a way for anyone to explore crafts and processes that they might not come into contact with otherwise.  We have a retail gallery space at The Make House but there's a 6 color printing press in the next room where we're printing posters and t-shirts while you're browsing through finished projects.  I really want to draw lines between products and processes so that we can understand where things are coming from and who's making them.

We also offer screen printing classes and will be offering more classes in the not too distant future.  Sharing the craft that I love with others is a gift for so many reasons and in so many ways.  It keeps me inspired to see this thing reflected as new again by other people around me.

Our next screen printing class is Feb 8th and there's more information about it on our site right here.

3.  What do you look forward to in 2012?

2012 is going to be about going deeper in for me.  Personally and professionally.  The Make House is almost a year old and it feels like it's just starting to take form.  I'm excited about all that this place has to offer to myself and the other artists involved.  We're all working together and digging deeper to improve our own work, the space that we share and the skills and products that we are offering our community.

We're getting a couple of Letter Presses in February that I'm particularly looking forward to learning about.  We'll be sharing these machines and offering classes sometime in the spring.

4.  IF you could go back and do ONE thing over again, what would it be and why?

James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem said, " I wouldn't change one stupid decision for another five years to live."  I'm just going to quote him on that.

5.  What advice do you offer to other people that want to follow their dream, passion or other?

If you are fortunate enough to even know what your dreams are you've come a long way further then most people ever get.  Honor that and live a little - or a lot.

 

 

 

nathan on the right.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again Nathan for sharing your talents with us. Best wishes for a successful 2012.

And while I'm not sure how I arrived at today. I'm glad I did. This entire week has been a blur since the news on Monday. I found myself walking like a zombie from time to time. A slower pace is good most times. And I will simply work to keep pressing on.

P.S. I'm boarding a plane to California tomorrow, CHA starts on Sunday...whew.

Happy weekend,

Rachel

Rest in peace.

 

 

LoMein Carlson

2000 - 1/23/2012

She was our sweet chocolate baby girl.

She will be missed.

Operation Comfort Doll

 

hope you had a lovely weekend.

mine was really good besides a slight surprise of a PAUSE on sunday. not a good one to say the very least, and bad timing on the heels of CHA as i prepare to board a plane in a few days for anaheim. we will just leave it at that.

on saturday night though i did the above at sew po with kate the owner (friday feature from last week) and a sweet girl named andrea. we had so much fun that we lost track of time as i did not return until 1 in the mooring. i'm SEW lucky that i'm making new crafty friends. we are looking forward to our next craft night.

 

 

we all brought scraps to share to make these dolls. the dolls are even stuffed with scraps. we were becoming attached to the dolls and even wanted to name them. but as we all know, once you name something it is very hard to give it away.

if you are a crafter or a sewist, consider adding this project to your list in 2012. gather some friends and make some dolls for a good cause. the premise of the project is pretty great:

"The Comfort Doll Project is a group of artists who create and donate their beautiful dolls to be delivered specifically to women in domestic abuse shelters."

best wishes for a lovely week ahead.

Friday Feature: Kate Matlock of Sew Po

 

I am SEW excited to introduce you to Kate Matlock of Sew Po. I have been researching the PDX neighborhoods in hopes to find the best one for me to simply put roots down when the time comes. I ventured into Sew Po, Kate's lovely fabric store, in the Mississippi Arts District (very cool and up and coming arts neighborhood) the demographic is all across the board in this neighborhood, down-to-earth, relaxed and simply calming. I even worked in a wi-fi cafe to get the full vibe of it and it reminded me of Austin, Texas...a city I'm very fond of still. I was very lucky to meet Kate. Tomorrow night we will be sewing dolls for Operation Comfort Doll, a project that donates these dolls to women in domestic abuse shelters.

 

I asked Kate the following questions and to share 3 of her favorite photos with us:

1.  Who are you, what do you do, what is your passion?

I am Kate Matlock, owner of SewPo, a fabric shop in the Mississippi Arts district.  I love fabric. Sometimes I make quilts with it, but that's just an excuse to acquire more fabric. Before I had the shop, I would just collect beautiful cotton prints. They were too pretty to cut up, so I would fold them up and take them out every once in awhile so I could "ooh" and 'ahh" over them. I also blog about my fabric obsession over at FabriKate by SewPo.

2. What inspired you to open your business, offer a service or teach a skill?

My husband is a big fan of comic books and his favorite comic shop is Bridge City Comics on Mississippi. I would tag along when Matt went to the comic shop, but usually after a few minutes of chatting about comics with Matt and whoever was working the counter, I'd be in over my head. During one of these visits, I was daydreaming about how great it would be if there was a fabric shop or yarn store for me to wander around in. I couldn't get the idea out of my head and with a ton of help from my family, I was lucky enough to make my daydream a reality.

3. What do you look forward to in 2012?

SewPo will celebrate it's 2nd anniversary in March 2012. We are still building connections, but after two years we have also met so many fabulous, talented people. I love finding out what projects my customers are working on--they are a huge source of inspiration! It is such an amazing feeling when someone comes in with their first completed quilt, or a story of a successful project they recently finished. For 2012, I really look forward to making sewing accessible, interesting and fun for even more people.

4. IF you could go back and do ONE thing over again, what would it be and why?

This is a tough question for me. Of course I have made mistakes in my life, but I feel that those mistakes helped shape me into me. Not that my life is perfect, but I am beyond fortunate to live in a city I love, to own a business I am passionate about, and to have a healthy family. 

   On the other hand, I am a Gemini and can always see two sides of everything. So if I really had to go back and do one thing over, I probably would have waited a year to start college. At 18, I was beyond eager to get out of my small hometown. College seemed like the easiest, most appropriate, way of accomplishing this. But really, I went to an expensive, private school and I wasted my time there. Granted, it was soooo much fun, but I could have followed Phish around the country for the year and learned the same things, without taking out a loan. Then I probably would've gotten over my hippie phase that much faster, too. :)

5. What advice do you offer to other people that want to follow their dream, passion or other?

The hardest part about following your dream is actually putting yourself out there. The fear of failure can be crippling, but never trying is a guarantee of failure. Some people may be more comfortable starting small (say an Etsy shop instead of a brick-and-mortar location), some people like to start off big. Either way, you need to define your goals, harness your fears and just jump right in. 

  

SewPo will be at the Mississippi Street Fair in July; we also participate in the annual Boise-Eliot Ice Cream social (usually in August). Look for us in the March issue of "Sunset" magazine. FabriKate is currently featuring a beginner-friendly quilt-along, with other tutorials planned for later in the year. Of course, our shop is open year round, with a changing menu of sewing classes (visit SewPo.com for details).

a sewing machine cover.

 

yummy pillow.

a peek inside Sew Po.

Thank you very much Kate for sharing with us and best wishes in 2012.

Happy Friday, happy weekend.

nine months.

 

 

the time it takes to conceive, nurture and give birth to a child. i could easily elaborate on what else could happen in nine months but i won't. there are reasons that i tend to pull away. that i become more silent. yet on top of all of them, i still cannot believe that my brother has been gone for NINE months. and because i can't believe that he took his own life, i still have yet to mourn the loss. someone told me once: it doesn't get easy, it gets different.

as i continue to encourage all to take the time to slow down and listen, call a sibling today, call a loved, wrap someone up in an embrace of friendship, love or comfort. just do it.

that is all.

snow spitting

YEP. you had to SEE it to believe it. in fact, we've had two days of 'snow spitting' in portland, oregon. as that is what i'm calling it this year. it started, lasted for TWO whole minutes, stopped again, repeat. you DO know that i just moved here from colorado. where it SNOWS. where blizzards are normal.

we were even upgraded to 3 days of 'snow spitting'.

i was a bit worried too. i had been told by a few people that i should STAY IN when it snows. now don't get me wrong, i'm listening to advice very closely when shared but it tickles me to know that someone who lived in snow-filled country is being told to STAY PUT when it snows. WELL, there 'are' reasons why. the city shuts down if there were to be say a BLIZZARD. no joke. the city here is not prepared for such things, no equipments, ingredients, good for the environment, etc. i'm all for protecting the enviroment and there are ways to do it safely. i'd much rather avoid 300+ accidents in say an hour (that's an austin, texas thing during an ice storm) vs no protection at all. so be it. i'll get over it. i'll stay in when told yet i'm still tickled over it. NOW, if i can just find someone brave enough to go snowshoeing with me.

is it snowing where you're at?

HUGE thanks to all of those that checked in on me when i was sick. i'm feeling some better. i was telling a friend how i thought it was nerves and the anticipation of going to L.A. in a few days. if you will recall, i became deathly ill one Winter CHA...it took me OFF the trade show floor for one ENTIRE day. the nora virus, what a joy that was....NOT. i'm taking all precautions to stay away from potential illness this year.

hope you enjoyed my last friday feature, stay tuned this week for my next one, SEW excited to share with you.

cheers to a great week ahead!

SHARON ROWLAND - my first Friday Feature in Portland, Oregon.

 

 

*HUGE thanks to my sweet peep Wendy Hammer for my badge**

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

I am THRILLED to start a new release of Friday Features in Portland, Oregon. If you are a long-time reader of my blog you will know that I also did this in Colorado. It simply is a way for me to give back to the community that I am learning to live in and to bring forth and feature locals to help bring awareness to buy local/support local. HOWEVER, we all know that this premise works in ANY city, state or country.

 

 

SHARON ROWLAND of Alice's Secret Door

What a sweet, loving and kind person Sharon is. She just is. I sincerely wish that all of you could meet her in person. She's real, honest and genuine. AND she gives great hugs. We all know I'm a hugger after all.

I asked Sharon the following questions and to share 3 of her favorite photos with us, here we go:

 

1. Please share who you are, what do you do and what is your passion:

I am Sharon Rowland of Aliceʼs Secret Door, I am a jewelry designer and collage card artist. My passion is creating whether it be collage, jewelry or growing food.

2. What inspired you to open a business, offer a service or teach a skill?

I have always made art so turning it into something profitable seemed like the obvious next step to me. I also was trying to create ways to generate money while raising a little one. I have always been very inspired by my Grandmother, May Alice, who was always painting, sewing, cooking or crafting with us grandkids. She could make something out of nothing. Being a product of the Great Depression she saved odds and ends to create new. I never became the painter she was but definitely learned from her.

3. What do you look forward to in 2012?

I look forward to making more connections in the arts and craft world in 2012. I feel like I have met so many wonderful people through my crafting. I hope to continue to grow my fan base and have more time to create.

4. IF you could go back and do ONE thing over again, what would it be and why?

I think if I could go back and do one thing differently it would have been to start my business before my son was born. I think it has been slow going for me trying to fit in a little time here and a little time there between taking care of my son.

5. What advice do you offer to other people that want to follow their dream, passion or other?

Follow your passion and the rest will fall into place. Life is way too short to be stuck behind a desk in a job you donʼt enjoy. Sometimes you have to take the plunge and make mistakes but along the way you learn from those mistakes and grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharon will be in these local to Portland shows and locations in 2012:

St Johns Bizarre, Buckman Show, Llewellyn. I also sell around Portland at Local Goods, Patti Smith West, Theaʼs Interiors, and Salty Teacup.

HUGE thanks again Sharon for sharing with us. Best wishes for much success to you in the coming year, I will be cheering you on. So proud of you!

Happy weekend,

Rachel

DRAINED.

as in LITERALLY drained. icky belly problems. sometimes normal. sometimes not. bare with me while i get back on track here. BLECH. i tried breafast today after 3 days of not eating....oops, too soon to eat again. YES, i'm fully aware that i need to eat but when your belly says no, it means no. forging on.

stay tuned for friday features to begin this week, so excited to share with you.

onward!

good coffee with a homeless person.

last week i went to redeem my coava coffee roasters gift certificate that i received from portlandneighborhood.com for my featured photo. i wasn't just going to 'get coffee', i was there to have a 'coffee experience' and boy was it ever an experience to remember. i know and appreciate that coffee is a big deal in portland, moreso than beer and tea. OR they could all very easily be on equal playing 'grounds' (pun intentional if you wish).

 

 

coava shares it's space with a bamboo design company, bamboo revolution. sustainibility at the highest level. WOW. the space alone is enough to make you want to go there every single day. it's wide open space, clean line design made me feel right at home. they did all the work for coava like those panels on the wall that are back-lit. the coffee bar and some tables. AND the bathroom, simply beautiful. i always wanted bamboo flooring, if ever i owned a home. my first memory of bamboo was a fishing pole homemade from a bamboo stick, this is what i learned to fish on. in 'south texas' of course.

 

please watch the video above as it shows how bamboo revolution transported and successfully harvested MOSO bamboo from Louisiana. it fills my heart full to know that portland is huge on sustainability and being responsible to the enrironment is so important here. long live bamboo.

portlandneigborhood.com was very generous with their gift certificate so i was able to treat myself to two bags of coffee and sat to enjoy a lovely cup of coffee made through a KONE and purchased one for a homeless person that entered the space shortly after. YES, i make friends at coffee shops too.

NOW before you go and judge me on buying a cup of coffee for a homeless person, well don't. OR simply keep it to yourself if it's not nice.

to judge: verb: form an opinion or conclusion about.

i'm stating this because i have been judged before. and sometimes not always in the best of context. and yes, it's perfectly fine to have your own opinion about things. so do i.

i had been warned about homeless people in portland. i see them everywhere. people down on their luck. no home. no one to turn to. nothing. yes, we are all aware that some of them choose to live this way, so be it. it's not up to me to judge them for the choices that they make OR to condemn them otherwise. UGH, i digress.

the gentleman had walked in with a group of people. very nicely dressed, was wearing a lanyard as if he had just come from a meeting, carrying a bag of newspapers, books and notes. he asked me what i was drinking and simply asked if i would buy him a cup of coffee. being that i was on my coffee induced gift certificate high, i said sure and so it went. i was in a public place, it was the middle of the day, there was no harm that could come of it and the place was filled with enough people to feel safe. plus i had already opened up good dialogue with the two baristas that had served me my coffee and were feeding me information on the local things in portland, what to see, what to do, etc.

and boy was that ever a GOOD cup of coffee with a stranger. he had to be in his mid to late 60's, harmless, clean, well-dressed, very intelligent. he told me about his time in colorado working for the governor doing land management in the early days, this was long before i told him i had just moved from colorado. he did studies on homeless people and was writing articles about them when he fell down on his luck and became homeless himself. he told me that he lived in a nice shelter and he was not the kind of homeless person to live on the streets, clearly it showed. he didn't rush to finish his cup of coffee, neither did i and we finished our conversation, he thanked me for extending a favor to him and not being afraid to talk to him and that others could learn lessons by the kindess that i extended him, etc. and then he went on this way. i stayed behind to finish my 2nd smaller cup of coffee that the barista extended to me for free...lucky me. as if i needed more coffee for the day.

what did i learn from this? maybe it's not that i learned something yet that i will continue to always be kind to strangers. now don't get me wrong, in a dark alley things would be a lot different and i am more mindful of when to be aware of danger, etc. there was no danger in the above. i could have very easily been that gentleman, down on his luck, jobless, homeless and still very well could be. i don't have a 'home', a place to call my own. i'm not homeless as i'm currently house sitting someone else's home (now extended till end of march), i don't have a job, i freelance. nothing is certian. for anyone. yet what is certain is that i can choose to extend kindess to strangers. with care and with safety.

what i'm trying to say is that i will be taking more risks this year. i may not have chosen a word to live by for the year OR one project that is going to keep me on track but to only live each day to the very fullest and with continued compassion for others as i work to make sure that i am working to make a contribution to community and to self. life is way too short under the circumstances i have lived in and continue to live through. i don't want to be an excuse. i want to be the solution.

thanks for your time on my ranting. onward!

cheers to a great week ahead,

rachel

 

shootsac hipslip.

i should PREFACE this post by saying that i do not work for shootsac and that this post is only my opinion on this yummy new tote of mine. HUGE THANKS to my sweet MIL Joan that made it possible for me to actually 'buy' myself a christmas present. MUCH appreciated, i love it!!

the interchangeable cover alone was enough to make me weak in the knees. i love good design BUT i drool over great aesthetics too. the cover also doubles as a screen cleaner. every inch of this bag is genuinely utilitarian. so when i purchase something of this nature, you better believe i'm going to do the research and make sure i'm getting a good product.

as a photographer, i had been a huge follower of shootsac for a few years now. never could justify  purchasing one because i don't own a lot of lenses for my camera so it didn't seem wise to purchase something that i couldn't use. the ABOVE gem is the shootsac "HIPSLIP", which was designed for your LAPTOP.

 

HipSlip Demo from Paul Edward on Vimeo.

 

 

please watch the video above on the HipSlip by Shootsac. 'granted' the video is boasting the ever so LOVELY 'MacBook Air', which i have coveted since it's inception, not EVER going to be able to afford that piece of hardware. that's okay though, i'm perfectly happy with my 13" 'refurbished' MacBook.

i have laptop bags that i found for really cheap at Goodwill but nothing could prepare me for the quality, design, construction of the HipSlip by Shootsac.....WOW. seriously, it's beyond amazing.

 

 

and even my eco lips lip balm carbiner fits perfectly. i carry my burt's bees lip balm everywhere after all. i like that you can take off the strap and slip into other items of luggage, carry-on, etc in case you don't want to carry the slip on your shoulder. it's slim design is very handy for on the go though.

here it is with the laptop inside and still it has not even bulged in size.

here's a better reference when the bag is closed with laptop inside.

 

and photos of the hidden cord pocket with and without the cord inside.

and finally, the view of the bag with laptop, cord and cover. nice, neat and ready to go.

and here was the BEST part i have to say. the lovely gift from my MIL came just at the right time as shootsac had extended their holiday sale until the end of december. buy the hipslip and get the cover for free. lucky me.

the hipslip alone retails for $79.

it currently has a price of $59 - not sure for how long though.

the cover alone retails for $49.

during the holiday sale: i purchased them BOTH for $59....sweet deal i have to say!

HUGE thanks again to my dearest MIL for this special treat.

cheers to a great week ahead!