If your resolution has to do with losing weight, you may be holding off on buying any more clothes till you reach your goal. Very admirable, but also difficult. Sometimes a new little something stylish to wear gives you the extra boost to keep on trying. Do you know what always fits, no matter what your current weight? A hat! Hats, like shoes are one of those wonderful fashion staples that you can wear for years, regardless of your changing waistline. They also are handy for keeping your head warm!

Lucky for you, this Thrifty Thursday is all about hats! That’s right this Thursday January 19th all our awesome men’s & women’s hats will be 25% off!!

This is just a sampling of our large selection of stylish hats for men & women, you are sure to find one that fits you just right. This Thursday you can find that “just right” hat for 25% off! This is a one day sale, so don’t miss it!

See you this Thursday January 19th for this Hat-tastic Thrifty Thursday!

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When it comes to writing about Chanukah, it is difficult to delve with authenticity, and to give a tradition it’s due justice, (especially one that is centuries old) without missing key historical events, but if you were born and raised in the Jewish faith then the history of Chanukah is a part of your personal history, but for those of us/you not familiar with the holiday, we at Presents of Mind will do our best to give you the basics.

The Miracle:

During the second century of BCE there was a revolt against Antiochus IV who had oppressed the Jewish people and desecrated the Temple. The revolution was successful, and the Jewish people were able to reclaim the Temple. During the time of the rededication there was not enough oil (kosher oil) to light the menorah which was to be lit every night. They only had enough oil for one day, but miraculously the oil burned for eight days just long enough for them to create new purified oil for the Temple. Chanukah or Hanukkah  or The Festival of Lights was created to commemorate and to celebrate this miracle of light.

Chanukah takes place on the 25th of the ninth month of the Jewish calendar known as Kislev. This month falls around the same months on the Gregorian calendar as November and December. This year Chanukah begins on December 2oth 2011. Chanukah is one of the best known Jewish holidays because of its proximity to Christmas, although it is not the most religious nor the most important of the Jewish holidays.

How it is celebrated:

The menorah is one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith. It is the seven branched candelabrum that is lit in the Temple, but what many of us who are not Jewish don’t know is that the candelabrum that is used during Chanukah, the one we all so affectionately call the menorah is actually called the Hanukia. The Hanukia is based off the design of the menorah, but where the menorah has seven branches the Hanukia has nine branches.  There is one candle to represent each of the eight days/ nights that the miracle oil burned in the Temple. The ninth branch which is often placed in the center, and is higher than the other eight is called the shamash. The shamash is meant to light the other eight candles. On the first night a single candle is placed on the far right, and the shamash is lit then three blessings (berakot) are recited, then the candle is lit with the shamash after the blessings are said. The shamash is then returned to the ninth branch, and the candles are left to burn. Each night another candle is added to the Hanukia, and the blessings and lightings are repeated. The candles are always lit from right to left to pay honor to the newest thing first.

A few other traditions:

Fried food is eaten during the holiday in honor of the oil. This is often seen in Latkes also known as potato cakes.

Gelt is small amounts of money, which we now see as chocolate coins. The history of this tradition is that every Jewish person no matter how poor was too celebrate Chanukah, and the poor were to go door to door to gather money in order to afford the Hanukia and the candles. Gelt was to be given to the poor so that everyone could commemorate the miracle equally.

Dreidel is a game that is played. The dreidel is a square top that has four Hebrew letters on each side, Nun, Gimmel, Heh, and Shin. Some sources say that the letters mean: “A great miracle happened here”, but other sources say the letters mean, “nothing”, “all”, “half”, and “put”; which are the rules of the game. It is a gambling game that children play by putting coins or whatever they are betting in the center and then they spin the top. If you get all (gimmel) then you get all the bet, if you get nothing (nun) you win nothing and so on.

Part of our window dressing drawn by Sara Nokes

That is our very simple introduction to Chanukah. If you are in need of a Hanukia, candles or anything fun that you would like in celebration stop by and see what we are carrying. We do sell out, and the holiday is fast approaching.  If you would like to know more about this holiday there are many resources on the web where you can learn more, and in greater detail the history of this tradition, and its significance to the Jewish faith.

Don’t forget this year, 2011, the commemorating of oil, the light, and the miracle begins December 2oth.

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It’s the 2nd annual Hawthorne Holiday Stroll! What is the Hawthorne Holiday Stroll you ask? Well, we’ll tell you!

On Saturday December 10th from 12-7pm (We will be open 10-9pm) Hawthorne will come alive with family activities, sales, live music, free movies etc… Many of your favorite stores will be running promotions, giving out treats and staying open late for the event. The participating businesses (like us) will be donating a percentage of their sales from the evening to Fish Emergency Services and raffling off a wreath stocked with free products, gift certificates, etc… We and many others will have sales running during the event too! All you have to do is come shop at one of the participating stores and get a raffle ticket for their wreath, then they pull a name and one lucky shopper gets a beautiful wreath and all the prizes with it! The wreaths will be displayed so you know who is participating & what their wreath has to offer. Our wreath came out wonderful & has goodies & a gift certificate for a total value of $300!!

Come shop with us December 10th for a chance to win our beautiful wreath worth $300, get 20% off all your purchases & help a great cause!! We’ll be taking your raffle tickets (free with purchase), and running our 20% off sale all the way till 9pm!!

For more info on The Hawthorne Holiday Stroll go to: The Think Hawthorne website

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Fernworks necklaces are like little pieces of artwork hanging from your neck. They make a wonderful gift for the holidays, and anytime. You’ll find that Fernworks jewelry has many tried and true fans, and often times they know exactly what piece they want.

Bird and Vines

 Created and designed by Faryn Davis, each hand made individual piece captures a natural beauty in a resin casting, preserving and freezing the small often-unnoticed bits of the world around us.

Red fiber

Faryn Davis’s necklaces are either found objects painstakingly layered like these red strands of dyed fiber encased in resin or designs hand drawn in acrylic and ink on resin, layer-over-layer, as seen with the bird and vines three piece pendant. Each one is then hand cut, and polished then strung on smooth, nylon-coated, flexible steel wire with a pure silver lobster claw clasp.

Since each piece is handmade no two will be exactly a like. The design may be similar but each one will have a subtle uniqueness that will make it all your own.

The pieces are inspired by the world around us, and you cannot help, but to get a sense of wistful youthful peace when looking at her work; a painted red kite flying over the silhouette of a wire fence with wisps of real grass or a hand painted dandelion with bits of its white umbrella seeds floating to grant a wish.

Kite

Faryn Davis is not only a jewelry maker, but a fine artist as well, and you can find her art pieces in the G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle, Washington. As much as we would love to carry some of her art pieces we are honored, and delighted to carry these tiny works of art.

Ladybug

A Fernworks design is a piece of jewelry and art to treasure for a lifetime.

That is why we are excited to offer Fernworks on sale for our Thrifty Thursday. Come into the store or purchase one on-line.

*Not all the designs pictured are in the store all at one time, but we often do get similar designs. Come in to see what we have!

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Since this Thursday is Thanksgiving we’ve decided to move our Thrifty Thursday to Wednesday so you can still get a great deal on winter outerwear.

This is your final chance to come in and get any winter outerwear for 25% off. That means, scarves, hats, gloves, coats, sweaters, anything that keeps you bundled and warm for the winter.

But wait! There’s more!

This Friday is Black Friday and we are open till 8 p.m.

As you know this is a big day for the large box stores with their brand names, but we’d like to introduce you to a knew way to experience Black Friday. Presents of Mind is joining several other small stores and local businesses to participate in Little Boxes PDX a city wide shopping event.

Come in to participating stores  and ask for a raffle ticket for your chance to win some awesome prizes! You are allowed one raffle each store, but you can enter as many times as you like. It’s a great way to see all of the incredible locally owned businesses that we have in Portland.

When you come into Presents of Mind be sure to show us any one of your receipts from one of the participating little boxes shops and we will give you 10% off of your Presents of Mind purchase.

It’s a great kick off weekend for some christmas shopping:

Wednesday is Thrifty, come in and get 25% off any winter outerwear.

Thursday is Thanksgiving…mmmm pumpkin pie.

Friday is Black Friday local style, be sure to stop by participating little boxes stores for a chance to win prizes, get 10% off purchases (with show of receipts from a participating store), and see what’s happening in your town.

See- Wednesday through Friday nothing but fun. We would say you can get all of your shopping for Christmas done before December 1st,but we wont because we don’t want you to miss out on Crafty Wonderland, this Dec 10th and Dec 11th. Check future blog posts for upcoming information on this event. Portland local is pretty darn spectacular and you are going to find a unique and special gift guaranteed.

See you Wednesday, November 23rd for our 25% off winter outerwear! And check back to our blog to find out what is next up for our Thrifty Thursdays when you can find deals of 25% off selected items.

This Friday November 25th we are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for Black Friday.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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We have totes, handbags, and Chico backpacks, and other styles of bags that make getting around with your stuff more convenient. And, of course, you will look stylish and cute!

If you come in Thursday September 29th, you will find all of our bags (except baby bags) on sale for a 25% off.

Be sure to check out our website, especially if you can’t come in person, and see what bags we have available for you online for 25% off the retail price.

Our Crystalyn Kae bags will also be on sale for 25% off for one day only. If you haven’t checked out these awesome purses you should follow this link and read all about them.

You can never have too many bags, and by purchasing shopping bags you are helping to sustain the planet by lowering the use of paper and plastic bags. There-by preserving our trees and keeping the landfills empty of plastic bags.

Thrifty Thursday is an every Thursday event, created for you to help you manage your budget while still being able to pick up a little something for yourself or a gift for a friend or loved one.

Presents of Mind is open mon-thurs: 10:00-7:00 & Fri-Sat: 10:00-8:00

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We are happy to get the opportunity to offer you the latest from this amazing baby bag company. Each season offers a great selection of sophisticated and intriguing designs.

There is plenty of pocket space and a detachable changing pad. The exterior of the bags are Chenille, Brocade, felt, glazed and Italian Cut Velvet.

If you are curious about cleaning, Petunia recommends dry cleaning on a short cycle for the chenille and brocade bags like the Amaryllis Roll and the Earl Grey. The glazed and organic bags can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth. The scout bags are to be hand washed and lay flat to dry. The lining is to be spot cleaned with a damp cloth.

The detachable changing pad can also be hand washed and lay out flat to dry.

We started carrying the Sashay Satchels last season and we think the newest designs are lovely like the the Indelible Iris, and chic as in the Positively Plaid.

We have many new and different styles on the floor along with the previous spring season.

Come into Presents of Mind and see what you like, also if you purchase your Petunia Pickle Bottom bag online we will cover the cost of shipping just use the PPB code*.

And remember: Just because the fall bags are here it doesn’t mean the suns not still shining and the air is not still warm. Don’t forget to get out and enjoy the day.

If you would like to read more posts about Petunia Pickle Bottom check out the links here and here.

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Shop on line at our website for 25% off any Sock it To Me Socks or come into our store and ask any staff member where our Sock It To Me socks are on the floor.

Sock It To Me socks are fun and funky. You are making a serious statement. Are you into the classy? How about Toulouse’s Le Chat Noir? Funky? How about some strips of any color. Fashion forward? Um, bicycles, for sure.

This is a Thrifty Thursday Special so it is only available for today Thursday September 15, 2011.

Decorate those calves and show off those sexy knees!

Presents of Mind is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday’s, but you can order up till midnight on our website and still receive the 25% off.

Be sure to check out our next Thrifty Thursday Special.

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This interview has been updated with new questions and answers, but is based off an original interview with Jen done in 2010 when she was a part of the Jewelry making duo Affixments.

When did Presents of Mind start carrying your prints?

I wanna say the store started taking my prints about a year ago, maybe around this time. Seasons (owner of Presents of Mind) and I had made a pact to get together and do an original piece once a week. That lead to coming up with quite a few pieces by the end of summer. Basically, I printed up the pieces and then presented them to the store for sale.

Is that where the whale in the nest came from?

Yes and no. A friend of mine Amelia who used to work at POM is a musician, and she had mentioned once that she wanted to do an album cover that featured the art of a whale in a bird’s nest. Even though the album never came to be I never stopped thinking about the image. The piece is called “Protection”. I guess it  speaks to the desire to try to fix our environment, and what an enormous task that is. And just the thought of being able to nestle something as large as a whale in a bird’s nest reflects the hope for that or the wish for that fix.

Protection

We just started carrying some new bezeled necklaces with your imagery. Can you tell us a little about that evolution of print to jewelry?

Richard Fox, who also works at POM and has some of his jewelry in the store, approached me with the idea of taking my original fine art pieces and then putting them into pendant form. It was fun to see these pieces tiny and in full detail. It was also fun to not be the person making the jewelry.

Why’s that?

Because I was a resin caster before, and me and my business partner put lots of imagery into casting and it took years off my life. I’m not kidding.

Can You talk a little about working with resin? About the difficulties and what is fun?

Resin is very temperature sensitive. We learned that the hard way. The cool part is that you can cast in any shape, can use any kind of imagery, from fine art to photography, to found images to natural organic objects. Skies the limit. It takes about two to three days to cast a piece from beginning to end. We’ve had to learn about organics. It’s been like a science project to learn about organics. It’s sticky, it’s messy, it’s hardcore.

You recently started doing murals- what got you started onto that type of work?

I was doing a mural for Seasons’ and Richie’s (her husband) new bar the Gemini Lounge. My buddy Mark L’Allier who is a mutual friend of ours recommended me to a bike repair cart owner, Lee Hanson who has opened a cart up on 82nd avenue in Cartlandia. I’ve always painted big but now I am able to paint really big and I’m having a blast.

So is this where your whale and the bike image came from? 

That was more fantastical whimsical. I don’t even know the word. Lee Hanson wanted me to do a faux bike repair store front and I was immediately uninspired because I enjoy doing naturalistic and even surrealistic subject matter. The faux front was too architectural and exact. I wanted to create something more imaginative and capture the spirit of Portland.

How is a whale Portland?

I don’t think it is so much “Portland”. I think that this image asks you why? And it is so big and adorable and unusual but there is still that connecting feel of Portland with Mt. Hood, and the cityscape, and the bike, and it is so surprising, and I think that is very much Portland. We’re hoping it causes a bit of a ruckus- and it already has.

What do you think about the buying local and the crafty movement?

I think it is fascinating that when you purchase locally that you are putting eighty percent directly back into your community. It really keeps the art growing. I love the fact that Portland is the design directive of the country. Many city standards across the country come out of here. It is fascinating to be a part of a place that may be setting trends across the nation, maybe the world. I know that is a bold statement, but when we go to trade shows a large percentage of the booths are from Portland.

What’s the percentage?

I would be afraid to quote that, but it is huge. Sometimes we go to check out a vendor booth and we are surprised to find they are from Portland. Portland is such a supportive community. Everything is a reaction to every one’s reactions to other’s work.

You went to Magic as a buyer, how was that experience?

Magic, yes. It was my fourth time to Magic. When I go, it makes me come home feeling innovative, and gutsy as a designer. It is an insiders look into what people are into.

Do you have a hard time balancing between your art work and working at the store?

Sometimes. I think Presents of Mind feeds my social side, and I love it, and it has been fun to watch my work go out the door, but ultimately I would one day like to be a full time artist. The balance is there, Presents of Mind accommodates me, and is very supportive, and I also have my finger on the pulse of what people are in the mood for. I work three days a week at Presents of Mind, and four days are studio time, which is very providential.

Who is your favorite artist, your inspiration?

Debra Beers, who is a local art instructor, I believe she is at Lewis and Clark, she does fantastic, authentic and amazing charcoals. And, Dustin Yellin a resin artist out of New York. Right now they are my inspiration.

You have two grown children, well adults now, and they have both become pretty adventurous.

Oh yes, my daughter is a fantastic artist and bartender in Oakland, CA, and my son works as a ranch hand in Victor, Idaho and as ski patrol in Big Sky, Montana, so he skies for work and he skies for fun, he is also a very talented woodworker. When I had my kids I packed them around with me everywhere. I raised them outside. I wasn’t standing still and ultimately they are very travel savvy and independent. No sterilizing bottles in this house.

Tell us a about little Jen.

I was a scrubby little outdoor kid that picked up everything, sticks, stones and oddities. I was drawing before I could walk. It took everything to get me indoors. I haven’t changed much since I was a child, I still talk a lot and I don’t pay much attention and I am shy (she laughs) it’s a great place to hide art.

What is in store for the future for Ms. Jen Smith?

(She giggles) Ultimately, I want to paint and draw full time. Paint, do my murals and basically build a house in the woods where a moving truck comes in every day to pick up all the painting to take to the gallery in the city and they give me a paycheck and I drink a glass of wine. Yeah! I’m not kidding.

What is your philosophy on life?

Live and play extremely hard and basically always, always have something you are passionate about everyday. Pay attention, being grateful and have gratitude.

Jen Smith grew up in Wyoming. Raised in the badlands, and mountain meadows of the Rockies, she was inspired by the drama of the landscape and its inhabitants.

She received her Associates of Arts from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming and her Bachelor of Fine Art in Drawing and Painting from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

She now lives in Portland, Oregon.

We only offer Protection on our website, but if you see something you like don’t hesitate to call and we can send it to you.

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From 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hawthorne will be hosting a party for thousands of Portlanders, and out-of-towners.

There will be two stages with music for grown-ups of all ages. There will be puppets and magic shows for the kids, not to mention, the Bagdad theatre is showing Labyrinth for free and so much more!

 Presents of Mind, along with all the many great stores on Hawthorne, will be out enjoying the sunshine and offering fantastic sale items at great prices just for you.

Like:

Tee shirts for men and women

Books and Stationery

cool bags, wallets, and more.

We also will have many of our awesome dresses on sale this Sunday too so you wont want to miss that!

 On 34th ave the showcase stage will be set up, and from 11:00 to 4:00 you can check out live music ranging from Blues, Rock, Latin groove, Zydeco, and more.

If you are you are looking for something different, you can stroll up to 41st Ave to the Acoustic stage to watch singer songwriters, gospel, and folk music performers play their heart and souls out.

35th Ave is the Kids Area where the kids can enjoy the Tears of Joy puppet shows, face painting, music, and bubbles galore.

So, in between your face painted, song filled, food consumption wanderings, stop by our sidewalk right in front of Presents of Mind between 35th and 36th Ave, and peruse our sales table, and clothing rack. We know you will find something special or quirky for yourself or a loved one.

If you arrive between 11:00 and 3:00, you can find items on sale for 40% off, and if you decide to hit us up between 3:00 and 6:00 you can find something for 70% off.

So come by, say, perhaps after watching David Bowie dance around in his grey tights while singing songs with puppet goblins, and get something just for you.

Presents of Mind will be open during our regular hours 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. so be sure to step inside and see what we have going on inside.

For more details on scheduled events check out the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association’s website here: HBBA- Hawthorne Street Fair.

Sounds like a great time you said? It will be and we’ll see you there.

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