Cori Kindred's Journal

just to find this perfect place

cori kindred — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:58:11 -0800

i put up another mixed media piece for my nature walk series. this one was made with gorgeous pinecones and seed pods that i found at one of my favorite places in portland: the hoyt arboretum. i especially love how every time we visit it looks different. last time we went the cherry trees were just starting to bloom. i can't wait to go see the magnolia trees blossoming next!

i just started a new part time job today! i'm interested to see how it'll affect my other jobs (this one and this one). i'm hoping to find a good balance, because if i can't be creative i'll eventually go insane, heh. also i'm pretty excited to a) get out of the house on a regular basis (and not just to go to the post office or to estate sales) and b) wear some cute maggie-gyllenhaal-in-the-movie-secretary type outfits ;)

speaking of, gotta get some orders sent out. hope you're having a great week!

all the colours are changing in my eyes

cori kindred — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:04:26 -0800

just wanted to share a few pictures from a crazy, fun hike we took on the coast recently. neahkahnie mountain is reportedly where europeans first set foot in oregon in 1577. there's also a legend of hidden treasure buried somewhere on it.

all i know is that it's *very* steep, and the north side is very windy (seriously, i haven't felt windchill like that since i lived in iowa!). when you get to the very top (1000 feet up) there's the most amazing view of tillamook bay. and thankfully we chose the perfect, most beautiful day to go - even if it did snow on the way back down :)

always slipping from my hands

cori kindred — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:18:13 -0800

just thinking out loud...

in glitter :)

little drops of rain

cori kindred — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:53:52 -0800

the problem with my ridiculous devotion to blues and greens is that when i go thrifting or to estate sales that's all i seem to buy. which means that's what ends up in my vintage shop! especially with this last update, which includes the cutest vintage radio *ever*.

i also just had my 100th sale on mushroom & moss (!!!), and i wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my little shop in the last few months (purchases, blog posts, even just telling me it looks cute :) as well as my handmade & prints shop. if it weren't for you i'd probably be working a frustrating retail job blogging about how much it sucked ;) so to say thanks, i wanted to give a little secret discount for my blog readers only: 25% off your total purchase at both shops! just enter 25thankyou in the "message to seller" at checkout and i'll refund the 25% (discount not applicable towards shipping, good until march 16th). because seriously, there's no greater compliment then when someone wants something i've found or made or a photo i've taken in their home. it's an honor that i don't take lightly! so thank you!!

(that bottom shot is of a gorgeous plant i brought home with me from an estate sale recently ~ potted plants are my new favorite estate sale purchase - they seem to survive a lot better when they're already settled. it's blooming like crazy so i had to take a picture!)

everything echoes a new song

cori kindred — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:49:44 -0800

held my third monthly crafty night last night, and i wanted to share what we made: the cutest little spring wreaths! i was inspired by this one, this design*sponge tutorial and this adorable wreath by tiny happy. ok originally i was wanted to attempt these *amazing* wreaths (by the inspirational katie runnels) but i thought it might be a bit much to make in a few hours.

stephanie suggested we use ivy vines which unfortunately are rampant in portland but make great wreaths (and baskets!). everyone brought something to share (gorgeous blossoming apple and cherry boughs, pine cones, little mushrooms and birds, moss, flowers, ribbon, etc) and they all turned out so cute! (and yes, i know that top wreath is extremely cheesy. i'm ok with that).

a quick tutorial if you want to try it yourself: wrap the vine around itself twisting it around the original circle to hold itself down (you can use wire or floral tape to hold down the end if if wants to stick out) then use wire to attach pretty random greenery, etc. seriously so easy and addictive! you can see bree's freaking adorable tiny wreath here.

k, it's my honey's birthday today so we're off to celebrate. hope you're having a great week!

left my shadow waiting down the road for me a while

cori kindred — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:13:45 -0800

i've started a new series of mixed media art pieces inspired by nature walks (and the amazing pine cones, lichen-covered sticks and pretty rocks i find along the way), and i was all set to show you this piece that i just put up in my shop (that i secretly hoped wouldn't sell, because i love it so much) when - it sold!!!

thankfully we take a *lot* of hikes around here, and i actually have a few more finished pieces i'll be adding this coming week. i can't wait to share, i love them all!

i also added more milkglass bowls here and here and i have pretty much every letter available for custom bowls - just contact me! and that pretty vintage mirror, as well as some other fun stuff up at mushroom & moss vintage.

thanks for the spring flowers love from the last post, it's been such an amazingly gorgeous week but i see the rain coming up next week, so for now i'm off to soak up that sunshine like a sponge. have a wonderful weekend!

my bright and brilliant spy

cori kindred — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:44:25 -0800

i haven't blogged in a bit because i kept wanting to write about more fun estate sale finds *or* gorgeous portland (again), and i don't want you guys to get sick of it! but today i can't stop myself, because... spring is definitely here!!!

i went for a walk specifically to take pictures of the flowers i've spotted popping up around our neighborhood, and i couldn't believe how many i found! cherry blossoms, crocus (purple and yellow), the sweetest tiny wild iris, rhododendron... anyone know what the tiny white ones or the pretty green ones are?

after 30 years of loooong, cold midwest winters, i don't know if i'll ever get used to spring in february. which i think is a good thing.

i made some pretty artwork today that i'm excited to share soon. hope you're having a wonderful week!

ps - did a little mushroom & moss vintage shop update over the weekend, including the most amazing fuzzy bird greeting cards!

the sound of the unlocking and the lift away

cori kindred — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:49:44 -0800

wanted to share the goodies i found estate sale-ing / thrifting this weekend. since it's pretty much my job now, friday and saturday mornings are set aside for estate sales and i go thrifting... any time i need an excuse to get out of the house!

top pic: vintage toiletry bag, a pretty little potted plant, a stack of mismatched doilies (including a few pretty plastic ones), vintage perpetual calender, colander (*love* those cut out shapes) and the cutest little bird salt and pepper shakers.

4th pic: gold-embroidered blue and green towel to add to my collection, a fancy aqua dish towel, "i love you this much" pad of paper, vintage rack-o (my favorite game!), the fanciest deviled egg plate ever, plastic doily-shaped coasters, and a pretty little toothpick holder / mirror.

whew! a lot of this stuff will end up in mushroom & moss vintage this coming week. and then it's time to do it all over again. yay for weekly treasure hunts!

feathers falling from drapes fold her into pieces tied up and lace

cori kindred — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:10:47 -0800

hopefully i'm not starting to sound like a broken record, but i *love* living in portland, especially in the winter. i know, people moan and groan about the rain and the cold (after 30 sub-zero midwestern winters, 45 degrees feels pretty nice to me) and the lack of sun but i think winter is one of the most beautiful seasons of the northwest: inch thick layers of moss dripping off trees and carpeting the forest, ferns shooting out of the ground like fireworks... ok i actually love all the seasons here but since it's winter now that's the one i'm currently in love with.

(photos taken last weekend at the hoyt arboretum)

ps - caught a few of the rare but gorgeous winter sunsets here

in the firelight your eyes are stars of summer

cori kindred — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:03:07 -0800

just did a *big* mushroom & moss vintage shop update, including the cutest tea kettle *ever* (seriously), a box of pretty vintage pastels, and an amazing french arabic vocabulary book from 1849 (!).

and guess what?! mushroom & moss is nominated for a poppytalk poppies award in the vintage shop category! quite an honor :)

thanks to everyone who purchased one of my 12 things i love about you mini books. i sold them all! hoping to get some time soon to make a few more before valentine's day is here.

for now it's time for a break from the computer ~ plus there's scalloped potatoes and "ham" in the crock pot calling my name. have a wonderful week!