So Happy! I can hear music...

Quite literally. I turned on my most favorite radio station here in Portland, KNRK Alternative Portland - 94.7, and they finally made their streaming compatible with MAC's - Hurray! So, for all those Mac users out there you can now stream KNRK and get all the bells and whistles with it. I love that you can see the name of the artist and song while its playing.

So check it out - it really is a great radio station and I guess my griping to them helped (sent them three annoyed, but polite, emails requesting Mac compatiblity).

Thank you KNRK! Now I can listen while I work... back to work.

Last Trip Before Summers End - Part I: The Oregon Coast

Yes, even though I have so much to do, I decided to play "hookie" and take a slam-out trip down to the Redwoods - those beautiful Ancient Giants of Humbolt County California. I visited as many lighthouses and I could along the way - but the really amazing thing about the trip was the weather: Sun! That's right folks, sun on the Oregon Coast; no rain, heavy wind, hoizontal sand, but sunny, warm, above 70 degrees and a breeze that was ever-so-slight.

I wanted to share some images of the Oregon Coast and the Redwoods, for those of you that haven't made it out to the West Coast yet or for those of you that do live near these feats of nature - get out there now while the weather is fantastic...

We first headed down I-5 to Eugene, which took us to Florence, on the coast. Our first stop was the Upquah Lighthouse. This is a beautiful, functioning and well maintained lighthouse on the Southern Coast of Oregon.

We next stumbled upon the Coquille River Beach. This was a find - mostly empty and the beach is absolutely beautiful. It's at the very bottom of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (perhaps the reason it was deserted, and that was great), so there was a spattering of dunes with flat, open beach. I forgot how much I missed the breezy salt air...

Before we headed out to the beach though, we had to visit the Coquille River Lighthouse- 1896: This lighthouse guided boats safely across the shallow beach at the mouth of the Coquille river until 1939, it was then abandoned and replaced by an automatic light. But, in 1963, the Oregon State Parks Division acquired the lighthouse and some surrounding land (from the Army Corp of Engineers), and they restored the lighthouse in 1978! Right now, and I actually didn't know this, there are only 8 remaining lighthouses on the Oregon Coast. The Coquille River lighthouse was the last one built and it is on the National Register of Historic Lighthouses

Visiting the lighthouse here, I was happy to see that it was once again, in the midst of a face-lift. It gave me renewed confidence in our State Parks that this beautiful treasure wasn't left to rot. I captured a great shot of my Honey (Jason) contemplating the lighthouse (and other important matters I'm sure)...

This beach was an ideal spot for taking pictures.











It had flat AND hilly terrain, while the sun was starting to set - it think it was around 6pm.

I love how the light worked with shadows on the driftwood and grassy hills.

Heading further South to Gold Beach and stayed the night, but we woke up early to head even further South to the Avenue of the Giants...

Part II - next Sunday.

Color Block Friday - 2007.09.21

First off - yes, I know, it is supposed to be "First Friday Color Block", but since I had quite a back log of orders, I thought I should take care of my customers before getting back to my blog - and I have missed it. See... look how intently I am typing this blog entry!

Anyway, as you know by now, Color Block Friday features a specific sampling of the TQB Designs color palate. This month I will take a look at what's hot for the coming 2007 - 2008 Fall/Winter season, and give you some food for thought (in the color realm).

This month has "New York Fashion Week", and I am so often inspired by what I see and so look forward to the new styles that surface. I get so much inspiration from the fabrics, shapes, textures, and just the energy that goes into this semi-annual event! So for all those color junkies, like me, check out the designers and see what they are creating... believe me it is quite inspiring! With all the new fashions and colors (according to Pantone as well) how can I keep from creating fantastic new designs and color combinations. You can also view the shows from last February 2007 - these showcase fashions and colors for this coming fall and decide for yourself what you like. At any rate, it's just supposed to be fun!

So, with that said, I want to give you my predictions for the best of the 2007 - 2008 Fall/Winter season as far my colors are concerned. Tangerine was hot this summer and I predict, with the addition of some deep reds, golden browns, caramels, deep pinks and greens that it will continue into fall. Also, combining my browns with champagne, and pearl, with a hit of any of my juicy berry shades, will be hot! I will also combine many of my whites to create a "winter coat" effect - besides, what's more chic than white no matter the season!
Also combining my strongest pink "nude" with black, smoke and pewter will bring in the metallic that continues to be strong. Gold is the color to have in your wardrobe this fall, and I will feature my muted gold "dijon" heavily this fall/winter, since it goes so well with reds and oranges, as on my new "Wishes" necklace.
Additionally, the one piece everyone should have this fall is a "Statement Necklace". Set aside the jewelry you need a magnifying glass to see - this fall and it's all about bold! Check out my Large Horseshoe Necklace (featured here in poppy), as well as my Giant Beaded Rounds! Big is in and tiny... well, save that for those hot summer days of 2008. You can also create that statement by layering necklaces. Mine work so well for that and I had more than one customer this summer purchase many to wear together: one layered the Sphere necklace in chartreuse ( I currently have one in "ocean" in my Etsy store) with the Petal Drop necklace in raspberry and another layered two of my Giant Beaded Rounds: one in wasabi and the other in maraschino - both fantastic looks!

I will create some of my own "Statement Necklaces" with long multi-sized bead lengths from 24" to 36" lengths as well as shorter lengths of 16" - 18" with large beaded rounds, as pictured here . Some of these necklaces will only be shown at the upcoming fairs I am
attending this fall and winter - and they will be quite spectacular! It's been awhile since I've made one of these and I really want to build up that selection for those of you that want one of my bigger and bolder pieces... I will keep you posted as to when and where I will show this year end.

Lastly, here are some of the new colors you will see this fall and into winter. I'm excited to use most of them together - I think they make a strong statement: bark, cinnamon, mushroom, bone, duckling, & cilantro.

My wish for everyone is to branch out with color this fall - try some tangerine and crimson with a splash of sage or muted gold. Layer it up or wear something bold on your neck, or wrist. Circles, Dots, Rounds, Spheres is calling you...

...and color block Friday should be back on track for October!

Weather Wednesday - Yeah... now it's sunny!

Okay... the no.1 complaint I've heard here in Portland this summer is that "WE HAD NO SUMMER!". Now, I know that everyone expects blue skies and 80+ degrees, but with September upon us and summer coming to a close, we can still enjoy the beautiful clear skies and the somewhat warm nights (well... yes... you do need a sweater, who am I kidding).

Our September weather has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I love the 70 - 72 degree days and the crisp evenings. The leaves are starting to change already - check out my dogwood tree... aren't the leaves absolutely gorgeous?! The skies in the fall seem so much bluer and the morning air takes me back to my school days - ah, school days. They seemed so difficult and full of drama: History of China was so alien to me at the time, and I loved my History of Women class (yes, I was a history major), but I had to drop my Anthropology class - the professor and I just couldn't agree...

I am mourning the last of my flowers to bloom this summer... and I will have a few blooming into early fall - but my abundance has gone until Spring when the first snowdrops appear.


Until next month - enjoy the warm weather and flowers while it lasts...

- Pink