Random & Saturday

I love it when there are Saturday where we don't have any plans and don't know what to do. So we decided to drive around Portland to random places.  On this particular summer Saturday, we ended up in the Williams area in North Portland.  We took our time and hung out at Ristretto Roasters in the Lincoln building.  Keila randomly wanted to be a turtle.

Next to Ristretto Roasters is a home goods/floral store called Ink&Peat which is another store that I always end up going to because they have so many cool items that I want to buy. Not the floral stuff though, more like their display tables, letters, signs, etc...

 Cool light fixture at Ink&Peat

Mississippi Field Guide

Here are some of my favorite stores that I usually always check out when I'm in the Mississippi Avenue area. I really like unique decor pieces for my house so I usually like to go to many home/decor stores. This store with the live birds above is called Flutter, they are a specialty home goods carrying very random pieces like books, posters, cards, letter blocks, carpet, mirrors, frames, etc.. you get the point.  I like them because they don't carry normal stuff, they have unique items you can't find anywhere else in Portland. The wombat card and the chandelier are also from Flutter.

Manifesto is another cool store that I usually go to, they are one of many collection of worthy independent  shoe store to visit in Portland if you don't like big retail chains. They carry women's and men's shoes, hats, bags, and accessories.  I always want to buy boots when I come here.

Last but not least is Porch Light, a very cool home goods/furnishing/vintage store. They are currently my all time favorite store of any kind to go to in Portland. If you are into cool home pieces or thinking about giving more character to your home, Porch Light is the best place to find items to do so. Some of their items that I always like to look at are old bicycles, window frames and shutters, vintage books, old boxes, ball jars (the blue ones), chairs, crates, tables.  I would live in their store if  possible. That's how much I like the store.

Many cool items like vintage maps.

They also have vintage cameras, you have to be quick though because they sell very well.

Mississippi Flea

Here we are at the first ever Mississippi flea market. I had this picture in my head that the flea market would be awesome because Mississippi is such an awesome area, but in reality it wasn't like what I imagined.  My first impression was, did everyone just came from Urban Outfitters?  Seriously, all the people in this flea were all hipsters.  Anyways, these are my thoughts on the market, first it took only about 5 minutes to go through all the vendors, second, the reason we stayed about 20 minutes in the market was because we were waiting for tacos. At least they were good. I'm not here to bash on the market and it wasn't a total failure either. I will give props though to whoever started this because I see the potential for this flea to grow and really be a stable event in years to come.  There were some items that were pretty cool like the typewriter below.

The tacos were pretty good. Very fresh.

Nice.

Most of the items are good alternative and more affordable pieces compared to Urban Outfitters.

Chambray Studios

Hi everyone it's official, my site is up and it's called Chambray Studios. I had an opportunity to start my photography business and I'm taking advantage of it and pushing to make this work. Many people have mentioned to me that I should take my talent to the next level and that just pushes me to start Chambray Studios. I focus on specialty photography and my try to incorporate a cinematic look in my work.  Check it out and thanks for the support.

Nob Hill Ops 2

Nob Hill, Uptown, Alphabet District, 23rd street, NW Portland, whatever you want to call it, this area always have something interesting that I end up taking pictures of.  If you're ever wondering what to do in Portland, this area is a good starting point.  

All these small branches make an unusual star pattern.

I love this chalkboard from Urban Outfitters.  I always try to go here whenever I'm in the area and always wanting to buy something.

My favorite socks.



Awesome multi-color wooden bench at Urban Outfitters.

Bear & Hat sticker.

Nice bicycle.

Let's ride. For life!!

Bridges Over Portland

Portland is called the "City of Bridges" not for fun.  There are 10 bridges in the immediate Portland area that go over the Willamette River.  I have a couple favorite bridges and these are some of them.  The one above is the Fremont bridge and the reason why I love this bridge is because it's one of the tallest bridges and you can see all of Portland and downtown area every time you drive across.  Amazing views.  

You also get another amazing view of Portland from the Marquam bridge which is the other tall bridge other than the Fremont.  There's something about high places that really attract me to it.  The ones below are also the Marquam bridge.

Moop Messenger Bag

For my birthday, Nana got me this awesome messenger bag and it was perfect because I've been looking for a messenger bag for a while but haven't found one that I really like.  She got this bag from etsy and the brand is Moop.  They have awesome handmade bags for women also.  Check them out!!!  This bag is great also because it's a waxed canvas material which means it's very durable and waterproof.  This is great since rain is a big part of Portland.  The bottom line is I love this bag, I'm a big person and this bag is big and has lots of compartments which make me happy.