LOVELY JOAN

Today I photographed a beautiful, energetic lady, Joan. She was positively radiant in her little Portland flat. I loved her bright blonde hair, pattern on pattern maximalist fashion and decor style and that she's had her turtle, Sheldon, for about 30 years.

Joan's on her way to New York City - she's making a "lateral move to Williamsburg," but I'm glad I caught her before her space transforms into boxes.

SCOTT IN THE KITCHEN

Today I got to shoot Scott for an upcoming kitchen tour on The Kitchn. He donned his bow tie and a pair of pink shoes. We had some laughs regarding our mutual love for jazz dance and cake decorating. He has poured a lot of love into his kitchen, remodeling it himself with precision and care. It's a beautiful space, full of light and good vibes. Scott's also had some rough going of late; his dog passed away amidst some other personal difficulties.  Poor guy.

I kinda love this portrait because although the space is cheerful and Scott looks great, there's a hint of sadness. That's how life is. Good and bad. Bright and melancholy.

HAPPY EASTER FRIENDS

This Easter/Passover weekend was full of little people smiles, sparkly egg dyeing kits courtesy of Grammy Gen Gen, pink camelias bursting from bowls, lounging on our stoop in the sunshine and baskets full of mediocre muffins I made late one evening. The eggs and colorful dye haven't changed much since we were kids -- and you know, that familiarity, it was so comforting. Stop the clock!

It's so so nice to have impromptu gathering of friends and family over some tasty foods and a craft project that makes you feel like a kid again. Stephanie even made an egg with a flower affixed, sorta the Frida Khalo of Easter eggs. The babies ruled the day; Petite L and D are our King and Queen, truly!

PORTLAND IN THE SPRING

Truly, there's no where I'd rather be than a sunny day in Portland down by the river, romping around pink fluffy cherry blossoms with my babe. We picnicked here and couldn't stop dancing, and doing hand stands and powdering our noses with the soft flowers. I got high off the happiness of the blossoms and the blue skies, I swear it! The weather here may be fleeting and impossibly grey, but when it's right, it's so dang right.

This is the type of afternoon that begs for a golden Diana camera and the reason I still love to shoot with this trusty old thing.

SUZANNE OF PINK SLIP JAM

Today I had the pleasure of meeting my jam hero, Ms. Suzanne Fuoco of Pink Slip Jam. She is the jamminest lady in Portland, I swear. Her flavor concoctions are something of a fairy tale -- Suzanne blends roses with rhubarb and strawberries, Meyer lemon with Tahitian vanilla beans and cumquats with peony flowers. She shared a little of her magic with me this afternoon and I'm so looking forward to the in depth tour to run on The Kitchn in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted on that.

Meanwhile feast your eyes on beautiful Suzanne!

BLOOD ORANGE SALAD ON THE KITCHN

A recipe I particularly love went up on The Kitchn a day early. If you need a simple, fast and dazzling side salad to accompany ANY type of meal, I highly recommend trying this bejeweled salad of blood oranges, red onion, sheeps feta, torn mint and a warm cumin vinaigrette.

Read the whole post/recipe here.

OK, SO I SHOT A WEDDING & IT WAS AMAZING!

I had a long and hard fear going about shooting weddings - something as a photographer I swore I'd never do. I mean, talk about pressure, expectations and all that... But when my friend Avery asked me to shoot however I wanted, to document her day without mountains of family portraits and contrived shots; I had to say yes. Avery is a longtime inspiration to me in her art practice (she makes ridiculously beautiful eco wallpaper), cooking philosophies and general upbeat, fabulous girl about town vibe. She's got many adoring fans, number one being her new husband Eric who I found to be equally generous, fun and special while we were chatting at the party.

So I photographed their sweet sweet wedding located in one of Portland's most sassy bars, DigaPony and you know what, it was wonderful.

And that cake, don't even get me started - the best looking cake those two friendly fairies in the basement of a bar ever did decorate.

KITCHEN TOUR FEATURING SWEET BLOGGER & DWARF BUNNY

Wow - this kitchen is a must-see. I love D and all, but this little dwarf bunny, Lil Omar (named after Omar Little from the Wire - YES!), came in as a close lover boy second. He was so cute and well behaved. And Lindsay of the blog, Rosemarried, was just as sweet and inspired a cook as ever. Her darling kitchen and tour I did is on The Kitchn today.

MODERN DOMESTIC: SEWING STUDIO

On Friday I had the pleasure of photographing one of my favorite spots in Portland, Modern Domestic. This charming sewing studio/workshop is run by Michelle and Lupine, two women with determination, creativity and pluck. In this economy, they are growing their space to include a quilting machine and even more classroom space to teach sewing, so the invited me to come back (I photographed here last summer) and do a photo update.

Amazing.

PLOT TO PLATE

When a dear friend of mine asked me to create an image for a pilot program she dreamed up, I had to say yes! Plot to Plate is a project to educate kids about growing their own food, how to eat it and how to store it for colder months, by pickling.

We batted around a few ideas and landed on a nice big spread of organic materials, vegetables, local fruits, gardening and cooking supplies. This image just says "Spring" to me; what do you think? Makes me long for warm days and fresh produce from our garden.

AVERY'S PICKLE WONDERLAND

Today I got to feature one of my favorite ladies, Avery of JuJu Paper fame (and part of the triptych when you land on the home page of my site), and all of her pickling glory. This woman is such a delight, she served me up her plucky vegetables and a tiny glass of cherry soda.

To see the full tour, head over to The Kitchn.

WHAT THE WHAT?

In between a kiddo-themed lifestyle shoot my friend and fellow photo conspirator, Shelby, and I were conducting this morning, she jumped into the frame and things just got weird!

What an amazing shoot (I cannot wait to share the kids partying in grand style) and fun way to spend a Sunday. In between Hostess donut glam shots, dancing to the top 40 hits, tiara making and outfit changes with 4 kids 9 years-old and under (all sassy to the max), Shelby and I giggled like school girls. THIS is the stuff we love. Dancing, dressing up and making a whimsical world to play in. I'm stoked to have a partner in crime. So what if her dolly lost her head and she got tired after head banging and decided to nap on the floor? I don't blame you Sugar, it's nice and cool on the ground.

GOLDEN BUNS // OCEAN CITY

Have you ever had a golden bun while enjoying Dim Sum? They are one of the only vegetarian things on those charming silver carts full of goodies and DAYUM are they divine. Perfectly crusty exterior, akin to a brioche, with a floury/dusty topping (barely sweetened, like the top of a Mexican pan dulce) giving way to a sweetened yolk filling. They are an egg in dessert's disguise.

Fresh out of the oven, they will absolutely blow your mind with indulgence, sweetness and pure carbo fluff. They rock. I'd take a golden bun over a donut any day. Get them while they're hot at . . .

Ocean City
in SE Portland - 82nd and Division

CLARA'S KITCHEN

My darling friend Clara is one of the most talented home cooks I know. The woman loves good food and spends time preparing small meals, mostly breakfasts, in her charming apartment kitchen. She won't hesitate to make banana bread, fresh coffee, an organic vegetable hash, soft boiled eggs and arrange a small cheese plate with homemade preserves. I mean, can you believe that last sentence? I've been known to spend a little to much time here, picking up the crumbs off her plates and following her around trying to absorb some of her wisdom.

One of the great parts of working with Apartment Therapy is the chance to feature friends being awesome. Read the entire tour/post here.

BOKE BOWL: VEGAN RAMEN BONANZA

Dave and I treated ourselves to ginormous bowls of unbelievable ramen today at a new SE noodle joint, BOKE BOWL. I love noodles, but often their broths are heavy on the meat and I end up with a plate of spring rolls and edamame. This afternoon was quite the opposite.

We ordered the fennel, miso broth with noodles and added tofu. Sounded pretty standard. We took our seats at a small table because the big, communal, mess-hall style tables were full up; in fact the place was hoppin at noon. I noticed a chef preparing steam buns and asked him about how they were made and typical fillings and we were promptly served an order of miso/mustard glazed eggplant buns. How generous! Show's what asking a little question can sometimes do for a gal.

After blissing out on our unusual, smokey buns, it was onto our ramen. Two hefty bowls of dark, unctous broth arrived, resplendent with chewy noodles, daikon radish, delicata squash, a variety of wild mushrooms, bean sprouts, broccoli, rice cakes and seared tofu. There were so many treasures in this soup, it was a veritable hunt/battle between my chopsticks, my large ladle for slurping (spoon envy!) and my mouth. After conquering half of my large bowl, I called it quits and noticed all the slurping stains on my shirt. Not the smoothest, sexiest eater, but I am enthusiastic.

Next visit to Portland, this should be on everyone's list! And fellow Portlanders beware, I will meet you here for an impromptu lunch any day of the week. Let's try the vanilla soft serve and house made butterscotch twinkies too!

BOKE BOWL
1028 SE Water Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
503-719-5698

THE DANCE BEGINS

My brother and his fair maiden, Kelly, got married on Monday evening, under balmy winds and a crescent moon.  It was a tremendous occasion, where I was honored to have been asked to be the officiant.  Standing up there, looking at Nick and Kelly holding hands and having the time of their lives, it was a remarkable feeling I'll never forget. 

My Dad and Dave made themselves busy with Diana and Super 8 cameras . . . And here's one of the first, most beautiful, images of the evening.  More to follow - just had to share!