We make Portland awesome: Bo Betsy

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Cathie Jo of Bo Betsy

Who are you?
I am a person who likes things one at a time. I'm not a multitasker... don't juggle well. But alas! Life isn't really like that. It's messy and all at once. So, in the mayhem that is just an ordinary day in a happy life - I've found that the one. stitch. at. a. time. of hand embroidery brings me back to right. Each slow, purposeful stitch brings about stillness and order -- how nice!
 

What do you make?
I make freeform hand embroidered hoop art. I used to do a lot of hankies and patterned work - oh, and custom portraits - but I am so hooked on working freeform right now that i don't want to look back!

Besides making things, what do you do?
I'm a mom, so much of my days are spent with these great kids and what they've got going on.

What inspires you?
Most of all, I'd have to say color combinations. Aren't there just the most amazing colors? There are snapshots in my head of movie scenes and magazine pages and old fabrics and children's books -- combinations of colors together that make me want to climb in and live there. And come to think of it -- I patterned the wall colors in our country bungalow after the odd color combination I loved in a children's book. I do live there! Those same colors I use a lot in my embroidery, too...

Where can your work be found?
My hoops are always a' plenty in my Etsy shop (www.bobetsy.etsy.com)... And in the last few months, I've branched out a bit to some shops. Most recently, Cakespy Shop in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle is loaded up with some sweetly embroidered hoops. Also, The Marketplace at Rain Dance Ranch (here in Newberg wine country) has a fun selection of Bo Betsy hoop art.

What do you love about Portland?
While I lived in Portland for several years between college and getting married, I now live in the outskirts of beautiful nearby Newberg - overlooking gorgeous vineyards. I still love Portland for all it's color and life - and once a year my dear Portland-dwelling friend keeps me updated on all the hip areas of town for our birthday celebration. I love that - it's so fun to see how the city continues to change and become more...

As a family, it's an ultimately great day when we get to spend a Sunday afternoon roller skating to the classic organ music at Oak's Park. (My special joy is watching the fantastic aging roller boogy-ers... I dream of learning to skate easily and beautifully, in the style of the older men I see gliding around the rink.) Top the day off with some myzithra and spumoni at the Old Spaghetti Factory - and we're happy! Long live the Oak's Park Roller Rink!

We make Portland awesome: Fleur + Dot

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Fleur + Dot

Who are you?
I'm Brianne, owner/designer for PetalPetal and Fleur + Dot, two lines of handmade children's apparel.

What do you make?
Fleur + Dot is a line of vintage inspired apparel for the modern child in bright and bold cotton prints. PetalPetal is a line of mix and match tops and skirts in customizable fabrics for the modern birthday or flower girl.

 

Besides making things, what do you do?
I eat and listen to music and read. I should do more yoga and spend more time learning French, but while trying to get a fairly new business off the ground it can be hard to focus on anything else!

What inspires you?
I'm really inspired by art forms that I have no ability to participate in, such as architecture, painting and drawing, music, cinema and storytelling. When I'm in front of a beautiful or interesting building, I can picture the girl who should live/work in the building and what she would wear. When reading a brilliant novel, I picture the characters' closets. Sometimes those designs make it into my collections. I also find myself most inspired when I step away from my studio and just get out in the city or out into nature and give my brain a chance to stop drafting patterns in my head or wondering if I should use a large or small scale print for a new design.

Where can your work be found?
PetalPetal is available only at our online shop as we work with our clients to create one of a kind pieces, but Fleur + Dot is available in a number of fun locations, including Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and hopefully Australia and France very soon! But if you are in the Portland area, I would recommend browsing the Fleur + Dot online shop.

Fleur + Dot Shop: www.shopfleuranddot.com
PetalPetal Shop: www.PetalPetal.com
 

What do you love about Portland?
The music and the food! I especially love the brunch culture of Portland. Sunny Sundays usually mean brunch with friends and then strolling and browsing shops. And we are so lucky to live in one of the best cities for live music! There are so many other things I love about Portland, such as all the breweries, the great bike culture, the backyard chicken trend (I have 7 and they make me laugh every day). Portland is a beautiful city with so much personality that there really isn't much to complain about (I'm feeling especially loving towards the city as we've had such a dry and sunny winter so if the rain picks up soon, I may be found complaining about that).

Fleur + Dot Web: www.fleuranddot.com
PetalPetal Web: www.PetalPetal.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetalPetal
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/petalpetaldsgns
Blog: www.petalhandmadelove.blogspot.com/

We make Portland awesome: NeekaKnits

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: NeekaKnits

Who are you?
My name is Adrienne and I live in Southeast Portland with my husband and our dog, Annie. I moved here 10 years ago on a whim, looking for something different after college. A born and raised New Yorker who always hated the city, I love the creative, quiet, laid-back attitude here. Hmmm, what else do you need to know about me? I'm kind of a combination of a grandma and a toddler - I like to knit, worry, feed people and complain about my joints, but I'm also petite, hyperactive, constantly singing silly songs, spilling things on myself and obsessed with candy.
 

What do you make?
I knit stuff. A lot of stuff. I pretty much started knitting about 7 years ago and haven't stopped since. I'm also a dabbler in all things crafty - painting, drawing, sewing, playing with clay, taking pictures, coming up with new recipes. My brain is constantly bossing my hands around.

Besides making things, what do you do?
I spend a ridiculous part of every day fawning over my dog. Seriously, it's a little off the hook how much attention she gets.
 

What inspires you?
All the creative people in Portland! I'm always in awe of all the amazing art, illustration, and all-around style exuding from my fellow Portlanders. I get a lot of the ideas for my knits from my stylish friends, as well as my own need to feel cozy in the rainy winters.

Where can your work be found?
You can find my knits and patterns on my Etsy shop, www.neekaknits.etsy.com. My knits are also available in a bunch of lovely Portland stores like Crafty Wonderland, Tender Loving Empire, Little Things, Etcetera and Knack. I'm also particularly in love with custom orders and working with people to design their perfect knit!

What do you love about Portland?
I love the cloudy weather, the craftsmen houses, the cute dogs, the amazing food, and the veggie gardens in people's front lawns. I love the fact that it's city-ish and country-ish at the same time, and I love that people here take comfort and coziness, in their many forms, very seriously.

Crafty Wonderland Spring Sale 2012

Exciting news! House of Moss will be at the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale, May 12th!

We make Portland awesome: Little Canoe

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Little Canoe

 

Who are you?
My name is Brooke Weeber, I'm the brains behind Little Canoe.
 

What do you make?
I make prints, greeting cards, and other various products showcasing my original designs and illustrations.

 

Besides making things, what do you do?
I've been a professional baker for about 13 years.  I used to make specialty cakes before I grew tired and quit the service industry to work on illustration full time.  But I still love getting messy in the kitchen and relishing in the smells of cakes and cookies baking in the oven.  Beyond that, I love being outdoors and taking full advantage of what Oregon has to offer.  I commute everywhere by bike (which can be a little rough in the Winter), I enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking and swimming in the crystal clear rivers during the Summer.  
 

What inspires you?
I'm incredibly inspired by where I live.  I feature a lot of nature-based themes in my work and I gather many ideas from my surroundings.  I'm always searching for a spark when I'm out biking around town or adventuring the the Oregon countryside.  I'm also constantly inspired by other artists, whether I found them locally or online.  I love seeing what illustrators and designers are creating right now, and I'm very thankful for the internet for helping me do that.

Where can your work be found?
You can find my work in various locations around Portland including, but not limited to: Mag-Big, Tender Loving Empire, Powell's, Presence of Mind, ZimZim, Reading Frenzy, Redux and Etcetera.  You can also locate it online at www.thelittlecanoe.etsy.com and www.society6.com/bweeber
 

What do you love about Portland?

I love SO MANY things about Portland.  I love that you can drive an hour and find yourself at either the ocean or the mountains.  I love the quality of the food and drink scene here.  I like that everything's still quite affordable and within reach in Portland.  But most of all, I really appreciate the fantastic art community here.  There are such a plethora of talented, driven and motivated creators and I feel lucky to call many of them friends.  It's a very supportive and inspiring atmosphere. I couldn't have made it this far without them and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

We make Portland awesome: KittyBBLove

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Kitty Baby Love

Who are you?

Kitty Baby Love is a collaboration between Sara & Ben- me being Sara & Ben being our "production manager."
We are both stay at home parents and artists.

What do you make?
We make almost anything you can imagine. For our shop we developed our own natural crayon recipe & create our 'Kitty Egg' crayons & candles. We also have a coloring book & Kitty Egg bowling set. More items will hopefully come soon!
On the side, Ben regularly does custom furniture, graphic design, music recording/editing, though his real passion is in painting.
On the side i've been getting back into textile creations- toys & clothes, and sometimes dabble in miscellaneous crafty adventures- like knitting, refurbishing 2nd hand furniture, or most recently, baking cake pops!

Besides making things, what do you do?
We spend most of our time making things or being parents to our almost 3 year old toddler, Mikah. He's the center of our universe.
If we have an hour or 2 to spare, I enjoy sneaking off to a dance or yoga class, and Ben likes to have jam sessions or being able to study the Bhagavad Gita.

What inspires you?
Definitely Mikah and our kitties. Aesthetically, we are both into well made vintage equipment and furniture. A level of quality that can withstand the test of time inspires our approach to creating. We love the look of natural materials- from aged brass to wood & textiles.
Other than that, Ben's favorite artists include Francis Bacon (art) & Lee "Scratch" Perry from the 70s (music).
My favorite artists include Kiki Smith (art), Eiko Ishioka (RIP, fashion), & Bjork (music).

Where can your work be found?

Kitty Baby Love can be found in a few boutiques worldwide, but most easily in our online etsy shop. We have a few boutiques in Canada that regularly wholesale with us as much as our US vendors do- and have even done distribution in places as far off as Singapore!
We'll both be working on our personal art this year and hope to have that shown around soon too!

What do you love about Portland?
What do you love about Portland? (places, things to do, general character of the place, etc…)
We are all Portland transplants and love it here. The city is clean, the people are cool & friendly, and there are trees everywhere. We love having no sales tax & how easy it is to find other young & alternative parents.
We also love that most places we visit for business are locally owned. We look forward to being able to collaborate more with local artisans as we settle in.