***abbytryagain***

yeah, I own a lot of cameras...

( a beautiful old brownie camera from mom)

...but that doesn't mean I don't feel like a complete doofus when I walk into a camera store.
Yup, you guessed it-I walked into a camera store and felt like a moron today.
That's okay though, I think it is my lack of knowledge that keeps me experimenting....I mean how can I limit myself when I don't know what the limits are?

     I lost the lens cap to my "film" camera. Yup, I call it my "film" camera. I guess I should call it my "Yashica Tl Electro with the broken battery and lens that doesn't quite fit". The sales person was not amused by the fact that I had no clue what lens was on it and he mumbled something about the thread while I slinked away. I'm dumb, I guess.

    Oh well.

Her recent attempts with peel apart film made me dig up my old Polaroid Land Camera today.  After some fiddling around I decided to actually read up a bit and found out why mine wasn't working right-bad batteries again! And I cleaned it out....and messed around with it. It's not perfect, but I will be taking it on vacation with me next week.  Actually, I should take this one-because I've never used it and it is supposed to be rad.

    Here' s what I did today:

I like the sky one. This one could benefit from a steady hand:

Not perfect, but I am excited about the possibilities.....
any tips to offer?
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P.S.
I've been trying to reply to comments-some times I don't have time-but each and every one is special to me-thanks for reading!

sunday, sunday

I made a new shelf today from an old board and some nails. I quite like it.

I also went to the park with my sister and my nephew.

It was quite a beautiful day, a bit muggy but hey-that's Portland!

The dog had fun, I think.

The flowers are amazing right now, and Nathan has great taste in shoes.

Unlike his Aunt Abby who wears second hand orthopedic shoes.

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Happy Sunday!

beautiful decay

An old abandoned bakery....downtown....

What was once a gorgeous home, now sits in ruin among big buildings....all fenced in...

but the roses are still blooming....

window shopping

Frances May has the loveliest of things. It makes me want to wear high heels and skirts all of the time.

Hermitage is full of gorgeous things, delicate pottery, bright papers, hand made brushes and all sorts of pretty little things. I need to return here.

And then there's Canoe. I am in love with virtually everything here. If I ever opened a shop, it would be based on their standards. Well designed, well made items-brilliant!

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BTW-typepad erased three of my posts! Just about had it with them-anyone out there use wordpress? Any opinions about it? Thanks!

farmer's market

Typepad...hmm...this "new way to compose" my blog posts is the most irritating piece of software I've ever worked with. So here's the deal guys, I am postponing my "Celebrate Design Posts" until next week or so when I can better figure out this typepad mess. FYI-I've been trying to write this post for 30 minutes and I keep having issues-so here are photos!

You should've smelled these 20+ buckets of lavender-amazing!

These were the best bagels I've had in a while; perfectly chewy, just the right size and yummy smothered with pesto. Next time I'll get some to freeze.

I did pick up a bunch of snap peas. I made a chopped salad last night with them and it was divine. Funny how when you get older you love things like peas...

This cauliflower was beautiful. Equally as stunning was this:

Broccoli Romanesco-any ideas on how to prepare these?

I did pick up some golden tomatoes.

Anything made with beeswax makes me swoon. I don't know how I resisted, next time I will probably give in.

Yup, I fell for this!

Should've picked up some of these poppy pods...

and peacock feathers!
I ended up at the Ace hotel where we were greeted with a broken photobooth!
Next time, next time.

Happy Monday!

Cargo, revisited

I've written about this store before.

I don't think I have more to add now, except a new round of photos.

Instead, I'm gonna write a "Five Senses Friday" from this past week

 

Touch:

-cold glass doorknobs at cargo

-dried wheat from the farmer's market

-super soft baby skin

Hear:

-james playing guitar

-old fleetwood mac records

-the crushing sounds of the recycling trucks

-Billy Bragg and Wilco cd played on repeat at work

See:

-gorgeous, incredible produce at the market

-the most beautiful blue sky

-yellow grass on many a lawn

-bright purple hydrangeas

-Two blog ladies (!) Chelsea and Cori

Taste:

-clam chowder from my new favorite restaurant, Fishwife

-pork taco from Auntentica

-spinach and artichoke spread on walnut bread

-home made tomato sauce

Smell:

-baby yellow tomatoes roasting in the oven

-beeswax at the farmer's market

-bundles of lavender my boss brought to work from her home garden

-Clean Well soap in ginger bergamot

Happy Weekend!

Wanna join in?

Next week, I am going to host "Beautiful Design Week".

I'll be posting about some of my favorite designers; from clothing designers to furniture designers to textile designers...well, you get it.
I encourage any and all of you to play along! Let me know if you do and I will link up to you.

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And now, more Kenny & Zukes.
I really love this place. We went there with my Dad, hope he liked it.

I had the dog with caramelized onions. It was good-but almost too rich for me!

What yummy things have you tried lately?

Sauvie's Island

I am a lucky girl.
Portland is rad.
Dad was in town the other day and my sweet sister was nice enough to take a car load of us to Sauvie Island.
And people, it is berry season-which to me-is one of the prettiest seasons there is.

Um, yeah. Pretty much speechless.

Then they have stuff like this just lying around and I freak out and take photos of it all and the employees look at me like I am nuts. But since I am used to it-I press on.

I don't know what it is about honey that makes me so happy-but there's something.

And then there were the cherry trees. The luscious, gorgeous trees; weighed down with beautiful cherries were so amazing....

As if the fruit itself wasn't enough, super cute red wagons are all around-and customers are encouraged to grab one and go pick some berries. Be still my America-loving heart!

I really need to spend time exploring here...

I thought this was a pretty tent.

Lindee bought some super ripe raspberries for sharing.

Yeah, it is nice there.
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Anyone ever make blueberry jam?

wondering around nob hill

Wow. So, I guess there are officially 95 neighborhoods in Portland.
This past week, I've spent a few days wandering around Nob Hill.
I must admit, I tend to stick around my 'hood for the most part-but sometimes a girl needs new photo ops...
and Nob Hill provides some....

There are some beautiful apartment buildings. I love this color combo.

Saw these cute flowers and enjoyed some excellent coffee at Coffeehouse Northwest. I wish I would've taken more photos there. They have gorgeous wood floors, giant jars of home made granola and cute lamps on the tables. The service was excellent-I'd say the best I've had at a Portland Coffee shop.

 

These were some killer shoes displayed in a sweet leather shop...can't remember the name...

This basement shop specialized in mid-century pieces. I feel in love with a daybed there, and I am kicking myself for not writing down the name of the designer. The sales man was very sweet and showed my friend and I how several sleepers sofas functioned. Very smart designs...will be back here someday.

Blue + red = one of my favorites color combos....

A requisite stop at City Market renewed my interest in alliums and canned fish. This is one of my favorite markets in town. It is just so darn pretty.

Finally, I made a very quick stop at Hermitage.

This store is every bit as lovely as I had imagined and I will be returning. The owner carries beautiful pieces; many of them by those of you out there in blog land. Maybe someday i can create a piece she will want to carry.....

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What lovely things have you done lately?

and

anyone have a good chile relleno recipe?

smiles and cupcakes

A little visual feast for you.

A recent visit to Saint Cupcake. I like their Belmont location best.  I think the fact that it is housed inside of this shop helps tremendously.

I hope you all had a good fourth. Mine was fun. Today it's shooting photos with a friend and tomorrow some family is in town. Should be nice.
Thanks for all the kind comments lately! I love them all. If you have specific questions-please email me at abbytrysagain@ yahoo.com.
Thanks!
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This video made me cry the other day.
I am that cheesey. Are you, too?