:discomedusa:

portland natural history museum

a natural history museum in portland,OR ?! yes, please!  

the proposed museum will combine science and art to create exhibits about environmental preservation and ecology, focusing on oregon's dramatic biological and geological diversity.

the oregon natural history coalition is working on making their grand vision a reality....they will need a lot of help! if you are as excited as i am about this project, check out the onhc website& join the coalition!

tonight is their first fundraiser: 

 Cafe Reese, 1037 NW 23rd Ave. on Monday, October 27th from 6-9pm.

• Silent auction
• 50/50 Raffle
• Free appetizers
• 20% of beer and wine proceeds will support our mission to create a Natural History Museum in Portland. 

  

amy tavern

tonight i'm looking forward to attending amy tavern's trunk show at seaplane!

i had the pleasure of working as amy's studio assistant for a number of months when she lived in portland-  she is every bit as delightful as her lovely jewelry!  

amy's signature styles incorporate steel, gold, and silver into simple, yet artful & high wearable designs, as well as dramatic one-of-a-kind studio jewelry pieces like the jellyfish necklace (right).

she uses eco-friendly 'harmony metals' from hoover and strong.  

amy's west coast trunk show tour schedule:

(also check out her website- it's very easy on the eyes!)

seaplane pop up shop
friday, oct. 24 from 7-10pm
919 nw 23rd. st. ground level
portland, or

velouria
saturday, oct. 25 from 2-6pm
2205 nw market st.
seattle, wa

rare device
saturday, nov. 1 from 12-4pm
1845 market st.
san francisco, ca

carol young|undesigned
saturday, nov. 8 from 12-6
los angeles, ca

beth cyr

happy birthday to myself and my fellow libra and etsymetalsmith beth cyr (bcryjewelry)!    

beth has been very supportive of my work, and is a constant an inspiration to me in the ways of etsy success and pursuing a healthier lifestyle (yoga, etc).

beth specializes in fusing argentium silver into detailed organic shapes.  she has also been busy making some kick-ass wedding rings!

you can follow beth's adventures in jewelry making on her blog, as well as her etsy shop.

beth, thanks for being so fabulous!

xoxo

zerkahloostrah

 how thrilling- i emailled peter a link to something i like and it came in the mail a week later!

and i do love them! these toebiter tabi slippers from zerkahloostrah are made from recycled sweaters and have great detail.

(they also fit perfectly within my rainboots & it's getting to be that time of year...)

daphne also specializes in handmade bags...and shoes!  shoe  samples and custom orders are available in her etsy shop.

thanks, daphne!

organic produce guide

i feel so outraged and helpless against the latest chronicle of american economic and political SNAFUs....
i will surely be voting next month, but who knows what good that will actually do :(
money talks, of this we can be sure....
i strongly believe in voting with my dollar whenever possible.

one way (possibly the only way, considering that almost every dollar of mine goes towards food!) that i exercise this ideal is by purchasing organic foods, locally grown when available.  this serves the dual purpose of showing my support for organic farming, and making healthier choices for myself and my family.

sadly, i am not independently wealthy (but rather an artist and a mom) and i am hard-pressed to afford  to buy any food, let alone any fancy expensive food....but the health angle is very important!

happily, i've found this handy  chart distributed by the EWG (environmental working group.) 
it ranks the top 45 fruits and vegetables in terms of pesticide contamination (even after washing & peeling).  now i can easily prioritize the organic items on my shopping list!

also, check out stonyfield farms' (yummy yogurt!) website, where they will donate $1 to the EWG for every click.  they also have coupons.

The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	96
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	83
7	Cherries	75
8	Lettuce	69
9	Grapes - Imported	68
10	Pears	65
11	Spinach	60
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	55
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	46
19	Oranges	46
20	Grapes-Domestic	46
21	Cauliflower	39
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Lemon	31
26	Honeydew Melon	31
27	Grapefruit	31
28	Winter Squash	31
29	Tomatoes	30
30	Sweet Potatoes	30
31	Watermelon	25
32	Blueberries	24
33	Papaya	21
34	Eggplant	19
35	Broccoli	18
36	Cabbage	17
37	Bananas	16
38	Kiwi	14
39	Asparagus	11
40	Sweet Peas-Frozen	11
41	Mango	9
42	Pineapples	7
43	Sweet Corn-Frozen	2
44	Avocado	1
45 (best)	Onions	1 (lowest pesticide load)

(top left- Oregon Tilth certification seal, which adds an increased level of respectability to organic growers:
'Oregon Tilth is a nonprofit research and education membership organization dedicated to biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. Oregon Tilth offers educational events throughout the state of Oregon, and provides organic certification services to organic growers, processors, and handlers internationally.)