hawthorne girl hits williamsburg

last month when i was in nyc for work, i had just enough time to hop on over to brooklyn and check out williamsburg in hopes of finding jason schwartzman filming bored to death (not really, well yeah, maybe). my bff and i hopped on the subway and and got off at the bedford stop. we didn't have a lot of time and it was pretty cold out but we did manage to find two great spots before heading to downtown brooklyn to visit with my friend gale.


our first stop was the bedford cheese shop. the windows full of cheese drew us in, i had no control over the matter! this was a quaint little neighborhood cheese shop full of cheese, salami and best of all, chocolate. how cute is this little corner shop? we need one of these in portland.


the goods laid out before us.


here i am in my infamous pendleton coat purchasing some mast brothers chocolate. if you have never heard of this chocolate, find some...soon. it is to die for. i'm trying to get some ordered for my shop but i fear i will be my own best customer.

bedford cheese shop is at 229 bedford ave. brooklyn, ny 11211 718.599.7588

as my friend and i were growing thirsty, i asked the gentleman at the cheese shop where a good place to grab a glass of wine would be and he directed us kitty corner to juliette bistrot. i feel as if he truly knew us by sending us here!


juliette is a beautiful restaurant that channels paris in brooklyn.


i loved the little bar area the best (sorry for the blurry pic). i must say, after two glasses of wine here, it was hard to leave.


in the center of the restaurant was a little atrium that reminded me of bronte's rooftop garden in green card. i wanted to get a better photo of it but they were having a staff meeting and i didn't want to interrupt.


here is my bff kjirsten enjoying a rest and a glass of wine after i drug her shopping all over soho. it was a much needed break!

juliette is at 135 n. 5th st. brooklyn, ny 11211 718.388.9222

I have read on their website that they have a fabulous roof-top bar as well so if you find yourself in brooklyn during the warmer months, this would be a perfect place to waste away the afternoon.

historic portland

back when i had free time to do things like volunteer, i worked with an organization called the bosco-milligan foundation. this foundation is focussed on preserving historic portland artifacts big and small- from the building all the way down to a door knob. bosco and milligan were two gentlemen who's passion was to go around portland collecting old bits of buildings that otherwise were headed to the landfill. they amassed quite a collection of architectural salvage before they both passed away quite prematurely.

for a while the historic preservation league of portland was responsible for their collection but it required more attention than they could give and thus the bosco-milligan foundation was formed and has been run ever since by a close friend of benny and jerry's, cathy gailbraith.

the photo above is a buidling that the two owned and ran their stained glass business out of. for many years it sat untouched lacking the funds it needed to be renovated. if you have been in portland for a while, you will know this building over on se grand ave. well, a few years back, the renovations were completed and the building was reopened as the architectural heritage center and the home base of the bosco-milligan foundation. this building works as a resource center and library for all things old portland.

i mention this now because the archtectural heritage center has some really cool programs on a regular basis and this spring they are hosting walking tours of portland. the tours begin in april and run through the summer. there are some really great neighborhoods on their list of tours-belmont, hollywood, yamhill, vista and reedwood. i can't wait for the reedwood tour, i've always wanted to check out the reed college campus and this tour focusses on the mid-century houses on and near the campus.

many of the tours require pre-registration since there are only so many spaces available. so go to the ahc site for more information and to register for the tours.

when i was in interior design school many years ago, i went on several walking tours of portland and let me tell you, there are some amazing gems in our community often designed by very well-known architects.

so what better way to spend the warm months here than getting out and getting to know the historic neighborhoods of portland!

lucie and the girl

when i first started iheartportland, i would occasionally torment my readers with cute pics of my little baby girl lucie. well, i decided that i did not want this to become a dog blog so i created lucie's own page, lucie sees. however, yesterday, i took this picture of her that i just had to share with you.

the timing is actually perfect because between my portland blog, my fashion blog, and my work blog, i have been having a hard time keeping up with little lu's blog.

and hence, a few weeks ago, i came to the decision to throw cute photos of lu into my portland blog again and retire lucie sees as it just isn't getting as much attention as it deserves.

i apologize to those of you who are not dog people (do you really live in portland?) but alas, it is my blog and lucie is a part of my portland life. so i ask that you tolerate my completely self-indulgent photos of my baby once in a while. and i ask you, how can you not love this face?

murder in portland part 2

i know i have mentioned the author cara black on i heart portland before. she writes a series of murder mysteries based in paris starring the stylish and smart yet not so great decision maker french detective aimee leduc. aimee inevitably finds herself in some sort of bad predicament in paris usually due to the fact the a criminal has pulled on her heartstrings yet again. oh aimee, when will you ever learn?

sometimes the stories are a little far-fetched for me and end like the da vinci code (completely unrealistic), but there is something so endearing to me about cara's novels. most likely the fact that they take place in and around paris, of which cara knows very well due to the help of great friends and the paris prefecture as well. it really is like taking a little vacation through the quartiers of paris.


cara will be in portland again on the 26th of march speaking at the alliance francaise. if you have not been to an event at the alliance and you are even remotely a francophile like i am, you should check it out. it is in a beautiful old victorian house in goose hollow that the alliance runs its programs out of, and there is no better place in portland for cara to transport you to paris than here. hop on the alliance website to register for the event because it is a very intimate space.

cara will be in town reading from the 11th installment of the aimee leduc series, murder in passy.

antler art

speaking of antlers. i was perusing besotted and came across these beautiful images by the artist anne siems.





aren't they beautiful and ethereal? the would fit perfectly in little bird!

le petit oiseau

last night i was finally able to dine at little bird, gabriel rucker's newest restaurant here in portland.

it's really close to my work but i hadn't been able to try it yet, mainly because they reccommend getting reservations. my freind and i were planning on getting together for dinner so i thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check the place out.

let me tell you, it was soooo good, i really should have gone there sooner!

first off, the interiors are so cute with the perfect mix of woodsy portland meets french bistro. i especially loved the robin's egg blue walls and sparkly candle light reflected in the huge mirrors that frame the main wall of the restaurant.


my friend and i dined in the upstairs dining room which was great because we had a full view of the dining room downstairs. upstairs, i loved the addition of the antlers to the mix. i know the whole antler thing is working it's way out of fashion but it's such a portland thing, i totally love it. i even have a little roe deer mount in my office at work. even if i'm not the least bit outdoorsy, i can still appreciate the decor, right?

anyway, back to our great meal. we started with duck liver mousse, then had moules frites, and their cod beurre blanc for dinner. it all was delish. a fabulous glass of white cote du rhone accompanied our meals nicely. however, i think the best part was the basil leaf creme brulee and one of the best cups of coffee i have ever had. i'm not a huge dessert person but i rarely pass up creme brulee and this was definitely one of the best i have ever had. in fact, i think i need to get back for some as soon as possible. i also can't forget to mention the great service. our server leiv was fantastic.

so if you are even remotely a francophile like i am, check out little bird. c'est tres, tres bien!

portland at the grammys

congratulations to portlander esperanza spaulding with her best new artist win at last nights grammy awards. this beautiful and talented girl is really incredible and i hope (or should i say espero, j'espere, etc) that we see a lot more of her in the future.

i tell you, i would kill for her hair (coming from the girl with the straightest hair ever!).

congrats esperanza!

hawthorne girl takes new york

it's only fitting that this be the follow up to my last post, written over a month ago. january was a crazy whirlwind of work on the road and i can't be happier to be back in portland.

i received a call from my boss on saturday night while waiting for my flight to leave newark that my coworker and i were in the sunday style section of the new york times. yes, it appears as though our crazy pendleton meets opening ceremony coats caught the eye of bill cunningham while we were walking the shops along madison avenue. i must say we were quite the spectacle in a sea of black with our bright colors...and it looked like it paid off!

when all is said and done, it was the best trip to new york ever and this was just the icing on the cake. i met so many incredible people and drew so much inspiration i was excited to bring the experiences back home and implement them into my life and work.

i apologize for my slacking on posts and hopefully will get the blog back up and running. thanks for hanging in there!

boots glorious boots!

hello my portland peeps, how is everything so far this new year? we wrapped up the holiday season (literally) in the store and are ready to move on. it's crazy but next week i'm heading to atlanta market to shop for ornaments for next holiday season. let me tell you, it's hard to look for ornaments in january!

and while atlanta does not seem like it would get very cold, last year i absolutely froze my arse off so this year i'm planning my wardrobe accordingly. not to mention that i'm heading to new york at the end of the month and we all know what new york is like in january. warm togs are definitely in order.


so i decided i wanted to use my holiday money from lorenzo on a new pair of boots. i'm heading over to johnny sole right now to get these beauties, the frye melissa riding boot. i love frye boots because they are stylish, last forever and i can stand in them all day.


i also just purchased this crazy pendleton meets opening ceremony coat at a sample sale. i think it will keep me plenty warm layed over some key pieces. that and i'll definitely stand out in a snow drift!


i'm not really a hat person but i figure that if i'm going to wear something that i don't normally wear, then i can be a little outlandish. so i'm going on the hunt (ha ha) for a furry hat like this. (image from garance dore)


and then i'll need a chunky scarf like this to tie everything together...oh i'm so clever. and then i think i just may be ready for my east coast travel. (image from the sweet 7)

let me know if you have any suggestions where i can find great accessories like these in portland.

and i hope you all have a fabulous weekend. tgif!

happy new year!

happy new year all of my portland people! what are your plans for tomorrow evening?

i think i am going to ring in the new year at a friend's house with lorenzo and our pooches but if i were going to go out, i'd definitely be going to see sallie ford and the sound outside (above). i just love her sound and personality.

she's playing a show at the doug fir if you still don't have anything planned. i'm sure it will be a lot of fun.

alas, when you work in retail, by the time new year rolls around, it's time for a little breaky poo.

any resolutions for the new year? one of mine is to spend a little more time and effort on my blogs. i'm so lucky to have my devoted readers and i admit, i've slacked off this latter part of the year. so that will be my goal...and to get a new camera with my tax return which will help said goal.

so thank you, thank you for staying tuned and i hope you all have a wonderful and safe new year. no drinking and driving, just have a sleepover where ever you find yourselves, k!

xoxo hawthorne girl, lorenzo, lulu and roy

image courtesy of willy week

sigh...

look who stopped in to shop in my store today. yes, sam elliott! oh he's just so cute, and that voice is to die for.

little bird is here!

i'm so excited that gabriel rucker's latest endeavor, little bird has opened right down the street from my work.

some coworkers and i popped in for luch last week but they were all booked up so i'm hoping to get there next week to give it a try.

we did scan the menu and everything sounds so good including a daily foie gras special. i love me some foie!

and the interiors are so frenchy and pretty. the walls are painted in robin's egg blue, there are big chalkboard menus and beautiful sparkly mirrors. i'll try to post some pictures when i finally am able to give it a try.

i hope you all hare having a great holiday season and i'll try to get some more posts and pics up soon.

happy holidays!

hello my loyal portland readers! i'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to get back with the program here. so many things going on in life and i just haven't made my little blogs much of a priority, especially lu's.

so what exactly has been going on? well, let's see. i started doing bikram yoga which was a much needed addition to my life, however, takes up quite a bit of time. i've been keeping the shop running and we have been doing very well this year with lots of fun and exciting new collaborations, my family is happy and healthy and everyone is doing great, i had another birthday last week and spent it with friends at toro bravo, pix and then mother's, lucie got a good bill of health (her eyes have not gotten any worse), roy hurt his leg and was laid up for a while but is doing much better now. and oh yeah, my camera is dead and therefore, the lack of pictures (i'm pretty much just using my iphone).

so today, i was missing all of my blogs and hopped on to see how they are holding up in this dry spell. i felt so bad to see that you, my friends, are still hanging in there and still check in on a regular basis. so, thank you so much, i really do love my portland blog. i mean, how easy is it to gather inspiration in this amazing city? and yet, i have not been doing my part. so i hope to get back to it and share with all of my friends just what i am doing around our fair city these days.


and speaking of beautiful portland, have you heard our very own lovely band pink martini's holiday album "joy to the world"?

my bff down in new mexico sent it to me for my birthday and it made me sooo happy. i put it right on and it put me in such a festive mood. i've been playing it in the store every day now.



the one thing i love about the album is that it is not your same old same old holiday album. it's totally been pink martini'd. with traditional and non traditional songs, songs i've never heard of and of course songs in exotic foreign languages. this is a definite must add to your holiday collection. i'm sure you can find it at music millenium.

i hope to be back with you much sooner but in the meantime, have a great holiday shopping season--shop, eat, drink and be merry all over portland!

before she was famous...

before she was a famous winner of project runway, gretchen jones was slinging duds for the company i work for.


work it girl!


love her or hate her, this local girl's got talent. congrats gretchen!

she and him

last friday at the schnitz, she and him played a fabulous show. i really hope you all were able to go. it was one of my all time favorite concerts. zooey was amazing, i'm in love with m.ward's voice and their two sister/back-up singers were the cutest thing ever.

the best part was zooey's 90 something grandparents from lake oswego were there. they came in right as my friend and i were entering the auditorium. how sweet is that to go see your granddaughter who happens to be zooey deschanel play a show at the amazing arlene schnitzer theater? it was pretty priceless.

if you ever get the chance to see them, you must!

nell's diner

last weekend was a quintessential portland weekend which means one thing--breakfast.

when the weather here gets yucky, do what portlander's do and head inside for some great coffee and good food. one of my favorite places when i'm craving weekend breakfast is cafe nell.

cafe nell is a little over a year old and resides in the space that formerly housed cafe des amis. i loved cafe des amis as well but the new owners of the space have really done an amazing transformation. what was once tiny and closed in, seems bright and open and spacious thanks to creative interior design and the big wall of mirrors. it may be dark and gloomy outside but certainly not inside this beautiful restaurant.


i like to sit in the bar so i can look out the window into the neighborhood. i also got a good look at the fabulous bloody marys they were making behind the bar.


nothing gets better than a cup of coffee while watching the rain outside.

for breakfast, i ordered the huevos rancheros. i generally do not order huevos in restaurants because being from new mexico, i'm usually disappointed with the huevos up here. well, the waiter assured me they were delicious so i went ahead and tried them because new mexican comfort food was really sounding good to me. and guess what, i was pleasantly surprised! they were really good with the chunky ranchero sauce and just the right amount of kick. the eggs were cooked perfectly and it really hit the spot.


i'm not sure if i'm ready for this everyday but sometimes it's nice to just sit and watch the rain. and cafe nell is a great spot to do this in.

it is located at nw 20th and kearney 503.295.6487

they also have a small parking lot in back which is great when visiting the nw neighborhood.

portland as brooklyn?

sometimes during down time, i like to pop on over to the selby and voyeurize (is that a word?) the homes of fabulous creative people.

today i discovered a post on the photoshoot of the cole haan fall catalog shot in both brooklyn and portland.

i have often thought to myself that there is this strong tie between brooklyn and portland and it was so strange to see it out there in the universe. i mean, i've always felt this, so clearly others must have as well.

what do you think? are portland and brooklyn just their own unique places that happen to have a similar vibe or is portland to seattle as brooklyn is to manhattan? i like to think we are our own unique places with just a great collective of similar minded open and creative people. i think there was a brief time that portland was the younger sibling to seattle but i really think we've gone out on our own and created our own feel. and i love seattle but i'm still happy that i chose to come to portland instead. besides, we need a good road trip city!

anyway, check out the cole haan shoot. it's really beautiful and fun to see portland shots side by side with brooklyn. see if you can tell which is which!

any day now...

i am anxiously awaiting the opening of the h&m store in pioneer place. i'm not sure of the exact date but it is slated to open fall 2010! 700 sw 5th ave 503.228.5800

oh my god, i die!

photo of my girl lou at the champs elysees h&m opening, courtesy of rdujour.

it's baack!

so last week i was walking through chinatown and saw this in it's former home (now ping restauraunt)which was once the hung far low restaurant, an old town/chinatown must see. it was removed several years ago when hung far low moved out to 82nd street. it turns out people make a special trip to chinatown to see the sign and there have been many disappointed tourists upon finding out it was no longer here. therefore, the owners of ping began a movement to bring it back.


this morning i was driving into work and snapped this shot. what's the deal? no fanfare? no glory? it just reappears like it was never gone.

although it has been painstakingly restored and looks even better than ever.

oh hung far low, how we have missed you!

go here to read the most recent oregonian article.

portland visitor

sorry i'm still a little behind on my posts here lately. i promise i'll get more coming here soon.

i was on the internet last week looking for pictures of my store and came across this great post about portland. i thought if i'm not posting right now, i might as well share this terrific post on portland though a londoners eyes. check out her blog as well, i really like it.

and yes, there was a photo of my store in the post...and it looked really messy. hmph!

the blog is called this is naive.

p.s. i had to post my old header 'cause i really miss my sweet old volvo named blanca! (but not that bad)