going to portland, oregon

portland ticket we designed

portland ticket we designed

My cousin is very special to me. She’s an older cousin – a retired school teacher – who helped raise me. She also watches Em a few days a week which allows me to work on this business. I am very, very grateful.

My cousin loves traveling. She’s been to every state in the US expect one – Oregon. Kacey and I really wanted to do something special for her. So when Christmas came around, we gifted her a trip to Portland, Oregon so she could accomplish her 50 state quest. I designed + printed these tickets to gift her, and she was delighted and so surprised when she opened them up!

Sweet readers this is where I would love your help. Please share your Portland, Oregon recommendations! Places to stay. Things to see. Places to eat. We’ll be joining her on her journey, and we’d love to hear all of your suggestions!

smocked auctions

smocked auctions

I love dressing Em in smocked dresses and I’m always hunting for pretty ones that don’t cost a pretty penny. These are two that I recently bought for Em at Smocked Auctions. I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure what to expect quality wise but I just received the strawberry dress and I am so pleased! The dress material is nice and so is the smocking. It’s absolutely adorable. I’m so excited about them and can’t wait for the weather to warm up so Em can wear them!

glass jar pendants

Flipping through the latest West Elm magazine, these pendant lights caught my eye. Love the shapes!

office supply fave // embroidery scissors

embroidery scissors

Another favorite unconventional office supply? Embroidery scissors. I got this particular pair at the premiere of Handmade Nation a couple of years ago. I use them all the time. They are nice + sharp and perfect for cutting washi tape, ribbon + twine.

cake inspiration

birthday cake inspiration

I’ve also been gathering cake inspiration for Em’s party. I love these three. They have such interesting textures.

credits - one / two / three

sale // $50 off

house sketch sale // $50 off

We’re having a sale on our popular custom sketch moving announcements! For a limited time, take $50 off your order. Please contact us for pricing + details. Enjoy!

sweet treat bags

Although it may seem early, plans for Em’s birthday party in April are already underway. [I can't believe she's almost 2!] I’ve been checking out different places for ideas and supplies and came across these cute treat bags from Shop Sweet Lulu. They have a ton of different + colorful options!

wine country // day three

After checking out of the Gaige House, we toured downtown Sonoma and found a little Parisian cafe to stop in for brunch. Then, we drove to the Napa River Inn which was the hotel we booked for the second part of our trip.

wine country

After checking in, we headed to the Oxbow Public Market. It’s an indoor market with multiple vendors selling all sorts of goodies. It’s mostly food items. We picked up tea + chocolate.

wine country

Then, we went to Del Dotto for a candlelight cave tour. During our wine country trip, we toured several wineries. Del Dotto was by far our favorite. Hands down.

wine country

Their tour was really hands on and they shared lots of knowledge about the wine making process. They explained how little subtle differences can greatly affect the taste of the wine. For instance, they let us taste the same wine that was aging in two different barrels made out of wood harvested from two different areas of the world. The two wine samples tasted completely different because of the differences in the wood.

wine country

Their cave is one of the oldest in the area. And, along the tour, if you don’t like the wine sample, they encourage you to splash it along the walls of the cave.

wine country

After the tour + tasting, we walked around downtown Napa. Then we walked over to Morimoto for dinner. The courses were so creative + yummy!

wine country

Read more from our wine country trip – day one / day two, part one / day two, part two