We are so lucky to live in a city so inundated with farmers markets. All things seasonal, local, and sustainable. Can it get better than this?

In honor of the NW bounty, we wanted to share a few inspired pics from a wedding we did this past weekend and we hope that you are inspired to take a moment to visit your local market, stock up, and enjoy!

Good morning!  Today Kim was featured on Fox 12′s Good Day Oregon showing the world {well, Portland metro area} how to set an adorable 4th of July table.  In case you missed it, here are some detail shots from her very own table tips on how to DIY!

These adorable paper circles were inspired by “blue ribbons” at the County Fair… and they were so easy to make!  We used various red, white, and blue printed paper and folded each into paper fans.  Then we used double sided tape {you could use a hot glue gun – or staples!} to connect the two, making one large circle.  Then we added the hanging ribbon detail to complete the blue ribbon look.  We used these to decorate the backs of the dining chairs and also hung a few from the ceiling in various heights.

Pin wheels!  Again, super easy to make and perfectly suited for a 4th of July celebration.  We used paper in the 4th of July color palette and hot glued rhinestone centers.  Then simply glue on a stick of some sort and pop it into a mason jar or vintage Coke bottle!  {Our pin wheels don’t spin but yours could!  Click here for an instructional video}

Lastly, for our place settings, we snatched up a handful of vintage tea towels to be folded as a napkin at each setting.  Then we potted individual blueberry plants in mason jars {tied with a white pom-pom ribbon} that guests can take home to remember your fabulous 4th of July dinner!

Naturally, we also decorated the table in red and white flowers from the garden, made ribbon runners, and set out a few bowls of bright red cherries to complete the look.

Now bring on the FRIED CHICKEN!!

It’s hard to believe that the 4th of July is only a few days away.  Finally, summer!

This year, we’re celebrating big and here’s a sneak peek of what Kim has planned this year.  Stay tuned… we ‘ll  be featuring a tutorial each day on creating the elements seen here on Kim’s own 4th of July table.    And, as if that wasn’t cool enough, you can watch Kim do a live demo this Wednesday, on Fox 12′s Good Day.  Big week for us here in the store and out in TV land – enjoy!

Check out our most recent project for a partnership with Ecofabulous and the ebay Green Team! The Green Team has a super cool blog and we are proud that Kim has been featured as an expert. {for the original post click here}

By Zem Joaquin, Founder and CEO, Ecofabulous

I’m a huge fan of both creative reuse and surrounding yourself with plants and foliage indoors. Not only does it increase the indoor air quality but I believe that bringing a bit of nature indoors is good for our emotional well-being too. At the ecofabulous office we’ve all got little succulents on the desks!

When I asked one of our newest contributors at ecofabulous, Kim Foren of Geranium Lake Flowers & Events in Portland, Oregon, for some tips and tricks on easy plant ideas for the office to share with Green Team readers, I was blown away by what she came up with. These ideas are incredibly easy to recreate and add a bit of charm to any space. And now – here’s Kim…

“Succulents are easy plants that require little upkeep, making for great house plants and gifts! The first step (and I believe the most fun) is choosing the containers. Rather than go with conventional pots, kick it up a notch and upcycle unique vintage bowls, creamers, or vases – the options are really endless.”

Shown here are a collection of sugar bowls and cream pitchers that are vintage Belleek china pieces that were filled with simple succulent plants.

Erica Ann Photography

Try using vintage coffee cans, fruit crates, vintage ball jars or as shown here a 1971 Ritz Cracker container filled with vegetable starts that make a perfect gift for your gardener friends. Instead of using a glass vase for flowers on your dinner table, vintage white milk depression glass cups work even better! Anything old and vintage brings charm to a table setting and looks wonderful on porch steps.

Erica Ann Photography

Once you have your containers, planting and caring for your plants couldn’t be easier – no green thumb required. Here are my tips for success:

- When filling your vintage upcycled containers, find smaller scale plants in 2″ or 4″ pots – you can even use small tray packs.

- Carefully remove the plant from its container (a spoon is useful here) and place them in your great “find.”

- Depending on the size of your container you might be need to add a little potting soil to fill in the gap. For succulents, stick to a desert mix potting soil.

- If your container is large enough, put a thin layer of pebbles at the bottom of the container to help drainage.

- When using succulents (echeveria) cuttings, fill containers with potting soil up to the top then place cut succulent in soil (They root easily – it only takes about 3 weeks).

- Water succulents infrequently, approximately once or twice a month.
Be careful not to over water the plants since the water can’t escape from the container.
Succulents can live in these containers for quite awhile, but do require full access to the bright sun

See more ideas from Kim in her column, “Wild, Styled West” on ecofabulous.com.

Today’s segment on KPTV {with the adorable Kimberly Maus} featured the following DIY crafts:

DIY Shirt Cards - click here for detailed instructions

Upcycled Aprons {double bonus: you get to clean out Dad’s old T shirt drawer!}

This super cute apron is an easy way to create a personalized gift for Dad.

1. Find an old apron {a few stains are ok!} and raid Dad’s closet for favorite T’s that deserve retiring.  T’s with holes and misc stains are perfect since we are only using the printed parts.

2. Grab your scissors and begin to cut out the parts of the shirts that you want to use on the apron. Hint: be sure to cut close to, but not ON, the lettering {we’ll tell you why later}.

3. Place the cut T shirt bits creatively across the apron {this is a great time to cover an old stain if you need to!}.

4. Use a simple sewing machine to stitch the perimeter of each bit.  {Don’t try to run your needle over anything that has been printed on because it seems to bunch up to fabric and caused us some headaches!  This is why you want to leave a little cotton perimeter when you’re cutting out your bits}

5. Pat yourself on the back!  You’re done – and Dad will be thrilled that his T’s will live on for another few decades!

BBQ Worthy Oven Mits

Oven mitts tell Dad that you a) love him and don’t want him to burn himself over the grill and 2) that you’re ready for BBQ!  Here’s a quick how-to:

1. Purchase oven-mitt quality fabric {JoAnns or Fabric Depot are great!} and a complimentary, pattern or color that fits your Dad to a T.

2. For a pattern, you can either use an oven mitt from home or “guestimate” like we did by tracing and exaggerated  version of your own hand.  Then use your pattern to cut 2 sides out of your heat resistant fabric.

3. Use the same pattern but exaggerate a bit more to cut 1 side of the mitt from the patterned fabric {pay attention to which side this fabric will go on because this will determine the hand that fits the mitt}

4.  Sew 1 heat resistant piece and the patterned piece together.

5.  Now we’re ready to sew the remaining pieces together.  {Hint: at this point you should have 1 side that is backed with patterned fabric and one that is bare}.  Sew them inside out.

6.  Finish your exposed pieces {where your hand enters the glove} and…  you’re done!  Now, get BBQ’ing!

PS. If our instructions are too difficult, click here for another version of the same project.

Beer Coozies

Super cute, and waaaaay easy…

1. Grab some felt and extra accessories {buttons, letters, ribbon, etc} at your favorite craft/fabric store.

2. Cut the felt into aprox 3 inch strips, enough to wrap around a beer or soda bottle.

3. Now decorate!  Use your imagination… Dad’s favorite sports team, hobby, colors, etc. provide a ton of inspiration to make these coozies personal.  We used our hot glue gun to attach each element and then also to seam the backside.

4. Done!

Easy Snack Bags

Snacks are always appreciated by Dad and this craft doesn’t even require instructions!  We filled an antique Ritz Cracker tin with goodies like Tillamook cheese, CornNuts, summer sausage, etc.  We created cute little tags like “Daddy O Snacks” to personalize it even more.

So, you’re contemplating the best time to drop by for our open house?  Well, we’ve gone a little wild with the schedule of festivities so here’s a little rundown of what’s happening & when… All you have to do is see what looks the most interesting to you, call 10 of your closest friends, and come on in!

Geranium Lake Flowers from Galaxy Sailor on Vimeo.

Join us to celebrate and “warm” our new, 5000 sqft flower shop/event space! We can’t wait to share some bubbly with you and toast to bigger and better things to come.

June 17, 2011
12p-8p

One of the coolest new things that we’re doing here in our fabulous new space is… hosting DIY classes! We are so excited to host our first one at the end of this month {How to create a living succulent wreath} and we look forward to all of the cool things we’ll be making this summer. Join us!

Our first one is…

Tuesday, May 31st

Join us for a fun evening learning how to make your own “Living Succulent Wreath”! These gorgeous wreaths are the “IT” decor of the season. Refreshments provided.

When: 7-9pm
Instruction & Refreshments: complimentary
Instructors; Owner Kim Foren
Supplies: available for purchase at class {$45-75 depending on scale and plant selection}
Limit 24 wreath makers

Call 503.228.1920 to sign up – space is limited…

In case you missed it yesterday, here’s Kim on KPTV!

Untitled from Natalie Thorn on Vimeo.