UPDATE: Local.35’s Justin Machus just called to say the party is being pushed back to Friday, 2/8. The remodel is still happening this coming week, and the store will re-open on Friday, February 1st.

DON’T WORRY, it’s not like this.

No, Local.35’s closing is temporary—they’re doing a bit of remodeling, taking out the dropped ceiling in the front of the store to make it 15’ high throughout, and the shop will be closed from Monday 1/28-Friday 2/1 Thursday 1/31. To show off the new head room, they’ll reopen the night of on the 1st with an art opening regular store hours and local Alex Steckly’s large in-store exhibit, “Uneducated.” The opening party to celebrate the renovation and art show will be on Friday 2/8, from 7-10 pm. If the drinks and DJs aren’t enough to keep you busy, you’ll also find 10% off anything in the store during the event.

Just watched Coal Miner’s Daughter last night for the first time—the 1980 music biopic about Loretta Lynn. I can never watch films like this (or almost any film, really) without paying attention to the styling and wardrobe. In this case that meant watching Sissy Spacek’s (as Lynn) hair get bigger and more awesome as the film went on, and her style go from naive country bumpkin to… stage outfits that were a crazy, frothy cross between wedding dresses and the special curtains grandma busted out for Easter Sunday—but always grounded with a belted waist. Part of me kind of digs it. (Also, Tommy Lee Jones was a total hunk.)

It’s just around the corner, folks. And if you’ve got any plans to get hitched in the near future, there are a couple events coming up you may want to scout:

First, tonight is The Art of Weddings bridal show, from 6-8 pm at the Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell). It’s $10 at the door, but if you reserve on the web site (like, now) it’s only $8/person. Browse vendors providing everything from DJ service (DJ Teenage, believe it or not) to dresses (Duchess!) to flowers and cake.

Got plans tonight? Mark your calendar instead for A Novel Romance, the Sequel, a reprise of last year’s bridal event as brought to you by The English Dept. (Wed, Feb 13, 7 pm ay Maison, 1611 NW Northrup) This year, in addition to showing lines carried in the store’s bridal department (Vera Wang Maids, Jenny Yoo, Thread, Simple Silhouettes, and more), co-owner Elizabeth Dye’s bridal work will be joined by other local notables—as promised—including Holly Stalder and Adam Arnold.

I’m sorry, but in my opinion The Dark Crystal beats Ratatouille on any given day. That’s why I’m excited to see what’s in store tommorrow night at Rererato.

Here are the event details:

The show is open to the public. It’s at an art space, Rererato, the doors open at 7:00 with vintage cartoons, and the show starts promptly at 7:55. There is a
$4 suggested donation at the door and will be running about an hour and a half.
Rererato is located at 5135 NE 42nd Ave., 97218. Ice Cream Truck Face will be
performing and premiering, “Ice Cream Truck Face” the Cartoon. The Mudeye
Puppet Company is doing a new show with live musical accompaniment and
Gregular is doing a shadow puppet show of his own creation to one of
ICTF’s songs and there might even be some popcorn. All ages are welcome.

This ain’t no Punch and Judy “the poor man’s Peewee’s Playhouse” states the Oregonian’s Stephen Beavan. This puppet performance is more of a live music video than a classic puppet show. Ice Cream Truck Face is puppets, homemade cartoons, and a touch of lounge singing. This show is for those seeking outside the box musical entertainment.

Check out the first cartoon by Ice Cream Truck Face. I’m sure the new one will be equally as great!

After an inspirational trip to Mt. Hood last weekend, I felt that I was in need of some deer merch. Here are some of the great (handmade) pieces I found on-line:

Clockwise from top:
1. Altered Fawn Necklace by Anomaly Jewelry.
2. Iron-on Deer by Enna.
3. All White Reclining Deerman by Megan Bogonovich.
4. Little Deer Pocket Mirror from Button Arcade.

(Mt. Hood photo courtesy of Mike Estes)

A sampling of things that have been pulled from the glorious clutter that is Flutter (3948 N Mississippi) and put up in the brand new online store:

This only makes exploring the physical store more appealing to me, but it’s still a pleasant mid-afternoon interlude.

I’m not sure that I need to know the top five design trends of 2008 as revealed by the four panelists participating in tomorrow’s panel discussion at OFFICE tomorrow night, as it says on the invite, but I’m sure it’s going to be a stimulating and lively discussion. Michael DiTullo of Core 77 and Converse, Rebecca Huston of Twenty Four Seven, Lisa Radon of UltraPDX, and David Hawkins of Umpqua Bank are serving on the panel of this free event. Tomorrow, 6-8 pm, RSVP: info@officepdx.com.
(In other OFFICE news, their quarterly vintage sale is coming up on Feb 1-3, so save up for some swank mid-century office supplies.)

Despite the questionable name, I’m quite excited about the opening of a new yarn store on SE Division (right by my house!!). At Yarnia you can design a custom blend of yarn—pick the fiber (mohair and wool), color (blue), thickness (two-ply), and amount (two pounds—yep, you pay by the mothereffin’ pound). Then proprietress Lindsey Ross busts out her steam-punk yarn machine, winds your fancy cone of yarn, and you walk out happier than stuffing your face with Turkish Delight.

Inspired by a DIY yarn shop in Montreal, Ross recounts the experience that was the inspiration for her store.

As you can probably guess, this place blew my mind. Cottons, acrylics, wools, boucle… even silk and mohair and metallics—boxes of these fibers lined the walls, filled with innumerable colors wound in uneven amounts on cones… These single filaments, I realized, piled nearly to the ceiling in boxes of like colors, were single-ply strands of yarn, waiting to be wound into what we everyday hand-knitters recognize as worsted weight commercial yarn.

Yarnia
4183 SE Division
488-0022
Grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 2

Yarnia’s Aslan. (Illustration by Brandon Reese)

Just a couple of kitty faces to brighten up your Wednesday afternoon.

Sorry this blog isn’t about design or fashion, but I had to share the treasure I found at The Bins last night.
I’ll update this post when I actually watch the tape, but for now the cover is priceless. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

On Sunday, Feb 3, from noon-4 pm, a collection of businesses (mostly from the NE Alberta beat) are coming together for Bargain Hunting 101 a huge clearance sale at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd)… get it?

Participating: Collage, Gypsy Chic, Sofia, Olio United, Stylin’ Echo, Sofada, Frock, Foundation Garments, Ella’s Boutique, Garnish, The Monkey & the Rat, Knot Ugly Designs, Pin-Me Apparel, Mink Boutique, Mabel & Zora, Digs, Poppy & Ivy, and Origin.

Save time, transportation, and money when you hit this thing—it’s January, it’s a buyer’s market.

(Thinking ahead for summer with Leanimal, on sale now at Foundation Garments.)

Olio United (1028 SE Water) is the latest local boutique to offer online purchases. I feel like a broken record saying I don’t like online shopping, and that there’s almost no point in doing it when the boutique is in your town, but actually, I’ve found that I use them all the time. Not to buy, but just to scope the merch: Does Souchi still have that funnel neck cardi? Why yes they do, and it’s on sale. Does Phlox still have that cozy looking jacket? Why yes, but it looks like they’re out of my size. However, that shipment of Linda Loudermilk is in. That kind of thing. So, Olio joins the fold, and now I can determine in advance if I should stop by and attempt to alleviate my mid-winter depression with a li’l something:

On a related note, Olio’s winter items are on sale, at up to 75%, through the end of the month.