Apologies!

My apologies for going so long without posting! It's been a busy time for Plover...lots of travel (including a stop in Philly and a visit to the Anthropologie offices! Which, for the record, could not be cooler). Now that I'm back home, finally going through my mail, I have to post about the new Urban Outfitters catalog. Grunge is back, I realize, but I'd forgotten how tied to the Pacific Northwest the Grunge aesthetic is/was. People here never stopped wearing Dr. Martens, or plaid, or windbreakers, so it's nice to see that now Portlanders have found themselves back in style, again. Witness: my two favorite pages from the new UO Fall catalog. (For the record—I've never seen a North Face jacket paired with a bustier in PDX, but I'm down!)

Such an awesome look

Making me seriously considering finally buying a pair of Doc Martens....

Must-Read: Triclosan

The only hand sanitizer you should be using

Sprout is one of our fabulous retail stores in San Francisco, and their blog post this week is an important one, all about the chemical Triclosan and why you should beware. Found in everything from dish soap to hand soap to hand sanitizers to cutting boards (!), Triclosan is just about everywhere, touting "antibacterial" powers. Like BPA, it's a controversial substance that has an overwhelming presence in the U.S. market, but is being slowly banned in the EU. (Countries like Norway, Great Britain and Denmark have taken steps in the past 10 years to remove Triclosan from their communities. Isn't is amazing how far the U.S. is always behind...?)

Read Sprout's full article and interview with CleanWell founder and chief scientist Dr. Larry Weiss here.  Not to sound like an ad, but just remember: CleanWell, made from natural thyme oil, is truly the only hand sanitizer anyone should be using.

Sustainable Rock

Pickathon's official dishware, by Bamboo Studio

The fact that Pickathon exists and is so successful is one of the many reasons Portland is such an amazing place to live... What is Pickathon, you ask? It's an "indie roots" outdoor music festival that just went down this past weekend on Pendarvis Farm, about 20 minutes from downtown Portland. If it's not the most eco-friendly festival happening, it's up there. This year it became the first large outdoor music festival to eliminate single-use dishes and utensils. Bamboo Studio provided the official, stylish Pickathon dishware, which I am proud to be able to say I used! (Would have been prouder if I'd remembered to pack my own dishes, but alas...)

In the end, however, it's all about the music. And there was tons of amazing music at Pickathon, including my favorites, Fruit Bats. (You MUST see their new music video below!! You will laugh hard, I promise.) Eric's wife Annie Beedy took the best photos, as usual. Click the link for a real feel...

To Do: Unexpected Color Combinations

Plover Organic on the cover!

I was at the grocery store this morning when I spotted Plover Organic on the cover of Better Homes and Garden's Do It Yourself Fall 2011 edition. But what really blew me away was how the stylist had mixed patterns to amazing effect. (Even I have never considered mixing Pink Roses, Red Roses, Red Dots and Teal Squares!) It looks so gorgeous. I also LOVE the Thomas Paul blue zigzag pillow and Hable Construction's yellow throw pillow mixed in there. Genius!

A closer look inside...

And again...love the Herringbone fabric on the dog's pillow, from Joel Dewberry

Organic Conscious Mom

Thanks to Michelle Savin for yesterday's Tumbr post! If you have a few minutes, check out her recent Nate Berkus show appearance. Her recipe for a eco home cleaner is alone worth the watch...

Pantone Postcards!

Like many people, I am mildly obsessed with Pantone. So when I saw these Pantone color postcards for sale at Urban Outfitters (via the awesome Portland Monthly At Home blog), I had to buy them immediately. Whether I'll use them as actual postcards or just for color inspiration remains to be seen.

Wild Goose Farm: Gourmet Sustainability

Eating at the table set in the barn, where all the cooking was also done

Yesterday was one of the more special dining experiences I've had in a long time, in Portland or elsewhere. (I apologize in advance that I didn't take better photos...too busy having fun!) To celebrate the upcoming wedding of our dear friends Annie & Eric, we all splurged on a dinner party at Wild Goose Farm out on Sauvie Island. Run by the lovely and talented interior designer Jessica Helgerson, and her equally talented husband, the architect Yianni Doulis, the farm sits on 5 acres and is just a 30-minute drive from the city. All the food served is grown on-site or sourced nearby—including meat and cheese. It's rustic and delicious, but of course the real star is the setting. How many times in your life will you have a gourmet meal on a farm? With baby turkeys? I can't recommend it highly enough. And I cannot wait to have my husband build a wood-burning oven in the backyard!

The scene of our pre-cheese course stroll

Yianni shows the kids the wood-burning oven. (Yes, Emm is wearing a tie!)