by Kate on March 31, 2011
I’d like to give a shout-out to Hotel Monaco for making our stay in Portland so enjoyable. They’re part of the Kimpton hotel group which has a reputation for excellent service (we weren’t disappointed!). The Monaco is very dog-friendly. At the entrance to the hotel they have a welcome sign listing the names of the dogs staying there. The hotel supplies in-room dog beds and there are food and water bowls by the front desk. It was better than the zoo as far as Stella was concerned. The concierge’s dog Timmy is the hotel mascot and, if I may say, quite the handsome gentleman.
We didn’t have a furry friend with us so they brought a goldfish to our room to keep us company. I’m not kidding.
Happy Hour was always packed with guests enjoying complimentary wine and beer, a fortune teller and live piano music. They had easels and canvases set up and Stella went for it.
In the end, they really won us over with the kid-sized animal print robes.
Any time we had contact with a hotel employee they asked how they could make our stay better. In retrospect I should have asked for a jar of Nutella, a spoon and the first season of Golden Girls.
by Kate on March 31, 2011
There is no shortage of great resources for makers in Portland. SewPo, another Mississippi Avenue nugget, is a cheerful sewing studio filled with enticing fabrics & notions. I happened to cruise by on a day that Kate the owner was working the cutting table. She was very welcoming and we had a great convo about their class offerings and what motivated her to open SewPo. I would love to take classes at the studio – yet another reason I need a vacation home in Portland. So if you live in Portland or are just visiting go check out SewPo’s classes, browse through the bolts, or just drop in for a nice chat with Kate.
Yeah I bought even MORE fabric AND some of that jumbo purple ric-rac. You can never have enough ric-rac. I think I have a problem. So what? 
by Kate on March 29, 2011
by Kate on March 29, 2011
by Kate on March 27, 2011
by Kate on March 27, 2011
Day 2 started off right with a decadent breakfast at La Petite Provence on Alberta. We met up with family we hadn’t seen in a few years which was really sweet. Mr. PeepThread had the amazing french toast with three-berry sauce and I had risotto cakes & eggs (yum!). After breakfast, Stella got her very own meringue frog from the bakery. Petite Provence gets a thumbs-up!
She promptly bit his head off
We made our way down Alberta to Bolt Neighborhood Fabric Boutique, the thief of my heart and my money. Their mission: “Bolt was created out of the desire to see fabric of bright colors, bold prints, contemporary designs, and a younger style of patterns all in one place”. I’d say they accomplished this quite charmingly! And don’t be fooled by the modest size of their space – Bolt carries a delicious selection of fabrics from Westminster/Rowan, Alexander Henry, Kokka, Free Spirit, Robert Kaufman and more. If you need/want/are addicted to beautiful modern fabrics then come to Bolt in Portland. Immediately.
I loved them for having a kids reading table.
Want to see what I got? You know you do.
Oh yes I DID get more Tammis Keefe fabric, y’all. I always make good on my threats.
by Kate on March 27, 2011
by Kate on March 24, 2011
More accessories for our upcoming trip! I followed this tutorial from Skip to My Lou to make my luggage tags. I cut up a plastic package from a set of kids markers instead of buying vinyl to make these. I’m a scrappy lady.
(Fabrics: Amy Butler’s Love Sunspots and Alexander Henry’s Farmdale Crosshatch)
by Kate on March 24, 2011
I whipped up a couple of carry-on totes following the 20-minute Tote tutorial over at Purl Bee. I used some of my stash fabric from IKEA to make these. One of the totes is for Stella’s in-flight snacks, toys, dynamite, tweezers, etc.
Some of the goodies going in Stella’s bag:
Ready for take-off!
by Kate on March 22, 2011
