Gifts You Can Feel Good About Giving!

This time of year I always feel… guilty

…joyful yes but also guilty.

For me it is hard to walk the line between being a good steward of the earth and giving gifts that my loved ones will enjoy. I hardly every buy new things for myself and I actually am so overwhelmed by the consumerism that I get the spins when I go into a Target or a WalMart; maybe that is why I live in Corvallis. Needless to say this presents a challenge when Christmas shopping. Most years I have enjoyed making Christmas gifts for everyone on my list or finding one of a kind vintage items for example antique barware for people on my list but this year that just didn’t happen.

So I began to panic and ask “what do other anti-consumer people do for the holidays?”

It was then I remembered a fair trade store I went to in Corvallis awhile ago.

They had some great stuff!

I like to give ornaments to the people in my life i dont know much about but appreciate so this angels (above) are great they are made by AIDS orphans to support their orphanage.

For the entertainer they have recycled Venetian glass (above) which YES you can eat off of and block printed tablecloths (below)!

For kids they have several educational gifts like a Morse Code kits (to the right) and some other fun stuff. For little kids they also have some great eco-friendly toys like this tea set (to the left) that is all recycled plastic and was named the number one toy in America by Parenting Magazine!

For the guys they have some awesome shirts printed with clay inks with cool images (see close up of bicycle image below)!

They also have a large variety of bracelets which makes stocking suffers easier for me with girls and really well made recycled silk scarfs and purses!

So now there is no guilt and everyone has fun presents to receive on Christmas morning!

All of these gift ideas and many more are from
Many Hands Trading on Monroe Av. in downtown Corvallis! For hours and more information call them at 541-738-0808

Corvallis has its own currency?

Check out this great program Corvallis has called the hours exchange which uses a local currency to encourage a working form of the buy local movement. Click Here for more information and YES some establishments in Corvallis accept the currency - most importantly Oregon Trail Brewery and Corvallis Brewing Supply both do :) High quality beer and cheese here we come!

Sightseeing is Free and Relaxing...

There are some beautiful sights to see in Corvallis...

Take a day get some coffee from one of our local coffee shops and enjoy the sights and sounds of Corvallis...

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy morning is to grab a cup of coffee and walk along the riverfront in Corvallis. It is so relaxing and the birds are singing.

Then I take a walk through downtown and enjoy some of the architecture. I love old architecture and have read about some of these buildings online. There is also a walking tour of historic downtown.

A Chic and Unique Place to Go Out III

101 Eat and Drink Happy Hour!

Located on Corvallis’ historic riverfront 101 is a unique bar with a great happy hour! From 4:30-6:30 daily beers are $2.50, cocktails are $2 off and the best of all Calapooia beers are $2! And you can eat too! Because their small plates are all less then $12; many of them are $8 or below!

Enjoy!

Craving The Coast

About this time of the year when the storms will be rolling in soon I start to crave the coast. Growing up just down the road in Salem I was never far from Oregon’s beautiful coastline and when I spend too much time away from the coast it gets bad…

One of the great things about Corvallis is the proximity to the coast. Newport is just and hour away. I stay in Lincoln City which is still under two hours.

I think I will get to the coast next month sometime and then I will get to visit my favorite spots like Mo’s, Rogue and Mossy Creek Pottery. I am also going to try to get to the Hatfield Marine Center because I have been wanting to do that for years!

I cant wait to hear the waves and feel the wind...

Time to Cozy Up!

Earlier this week the weather was feeling a bit chilly and I noticed the leaves were turning. I had tried to avoid the recognition that fall was coming of a few weeks now. But this was the turning point – I needed to embrace it or become totally delusional. Fall is beautiful in Corvallis and it looks as though it will again this year so I opted to embrace the season.

So I curled up on my sofa with a cup of tea and began to sew. One of the great things about Corvallis is that there are so many crafty stores to choose from. Quiltwork Patches on 3^rd street has some really unique fabric and Creative Craft and Frame also has a fabric section. Thrifting fabric is also good especially at the OSU Folk Thrift Store downtown! Above is the quilt block pattern for what I am making!

It took a few hours to cut out all of my pieces but I was very happy when they were laid out all ready to sew!

I just finished the block last night and I will show you a photo soon. It was a great lazy afternoon curled up with my cat and my cup of jo! I’m sure it will be even better when it snows!

Upcoming Fun Stuff I am Looking Forward To...

Yachats Village Mushroom Festival! Oct 17th - 19th in Yachats, Oregon!

Viva Hispania with the Corvallis - OSU Symphony Orchestra!

Fresh Hop Beer "Tastivals" Oct 25th in Eugene at Ninkasi Brewing.

Eugene Mushroom Festival Oct 26th!

Lincoln City Chowder Cookoff Nov 8th!

Brewery Night!

Last Thursday was brewery night at Suds & Suds a great bar off of Kings Blvd. The brewery was Bridgeport and they had a keg of some great beer and drawings for prizes. The game was also on so there were alot of people there - alot of fun!
The next brewery night will be on Oct. 16th! for Double Mountain which I don't know anything about so that should be interesting - I think they are a very young brewery!

A Chic and Unique Place to Go Out II

If you’re looking for a one of a kind restaurant experience, stop by the beautiful riverfront strip. Cloud 9 Restaurant offers the best in local, organic and sustainable ingredients combined to create a fabulous menu featuring dishes such as bourbon prawn pasta and Oregon berry salad. Cloud 9 offers an “off the beaten path” wine selection and a unique experience in an authentically homegrown Corvallis establishment. Attached to Cloud 9 is the newly opened Downward Dog. Technically a bar this chic establishment is laid back yet special at the same time I could see this being a really great place for a Birthday Party! Downward Dog serves comfort food with a twist like gourmet three cheese Mac and cheese and portabella quesadillas!

Visit dinecloud9.com or drinkthedog.com for more information!

P.S the Lotus Blossom drink is amazing spendy but amazing at 6.75, it is a good thing Cloud runs such great late night specials!

Septembeer Fest

The Septembeer Fest was on Saturaday! Apparently it was great! 50+ breweries! Yummm. I just went to the after party at Block 15 Brewery which was awesome they have such yummy food. But the most important party was the music! I love Celtic/Irish(ish) music! I love it!

Beautiful Bicycles

Incase you didn't know Corvallis is one the the top ten most bike friendly cities in the nation and we have alot of bike shops! Downtown alone there is Bike N' Hike, Corvallis Cyclery, Cyclotopia, Northwest Mulitsports and Peak Sports!
Today Peak Sports is having their used bike sale (which I think is just last years models, not actually used bike but I'm not sure). The sale will go from Friday Sept. 26th through Sunday Sept. 28th, Enjoy!
Its too bad for me that they do not have the bike that I have my heart set on... The Amsterdam by Electra. It has little pink tulips all over the yellow bike with a natural leather seat.
Someday, my love... when I have a garage to keep you in out of the Oregon rain.

Image thanks to rei.com

Want a Chic and Unique Place to Go Out?

Magenta could be the answer. I had never been to Magenta when I went a month ago. I knew their atmosphere was beautiful but I was not prepared for how excellent the food would be. I had the "boneless pork loin seared in Oregon fruit & Riesling wine sauce served with caramelized onion wild rice polenta" and I could not stop eating it! Kimber (the chef and owner) was very nice and I think it is really nifty that every dish has a vegetarian option. The atmosphere was chic and lunch was $10. Magenta is great at doing what it does, flavorful culture-infused food. I am really excited to go back sometime for dinner and it will defiantly be a lunch stop when my Mom and I shop downtown! Next stop: SouthEast. a branch of Magenta that also looks very chic.

Decorating with Antique Books

I love decorating with old books.  Right now I am really into the heavily embossed covers of late 1800's books.  I want to get a ledge shelf to display my collection and let them become an art piece in their own way.  I have been collecting heavily embossed books for years; I don't seek them out, they find me.  I was selling some books the other day at Browsers Books to get a guidebook for hiking and one such book found me.  The vintage children's books are located right next to the door and I could not resist a look (see right) and what I found was beautiful!  After I have it up and displayed I will show you but for now here is a photo of a book still available there with some nice embossing.

The book I choose was fifteen dollars but because I took in three old books to trade it only ended up costing me 50 cents what a deal!

Vintage Corvallis

This week I decided to see what Corvallis had to offer in the way of vintage clothing.  I felt like a new dress so I set out to see what vintage dresses there were to be found.

  I found a great collection of vintage dresses at The Cats Meow thrift shop, t

he blue dress on the left is from there and is seven dollars! There was also a green dress with sleeves very similar to this and a white eyelet summer dress, very cute an

d all vintage!  The floral dress is vintage inspired and is 

at The Annex a brand new rerun shop on Jefferson!  This cutie is fifteen dollars!  If only I had a place to wear it the bodice is just beautiful!  I also found some great finds at the OSU Folk thrift store and Camellia both located on Second Street, I found this all in less then an hour (on my lunch break)!  It was a great little excursion but I decided that I need to look for more casual items next time because these beauties would just sit in my closet and they are too cute to do that!

Welcome!

Welcome to Cheep and Chic in Corvallis. I hope that you will enjoy this blog which is my attempt at sharing chic ideas for the home, mini vacations, good meals and great fashion on a shoestring.
Enjoy!