Making the shopping rounds - attn: fellow Oregonians!

At the risk of being shunned - I don't do Black Friday.

*awaits the hail of thrown objects, gasps and exclamations*

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Okay. Got that over with. :)

If you've read my blog for very long you know I make most everything I give. What I don't make, I buy from other artists via etsy or I buy semi-locally. I don't really live near to anywhere so what seems close by to me will not seem that way to others. :)

Let's take a tour of some of my favorites! I hit all these places on Monday and had fun snapping photos to share with you. If you live in the Portland-Metro or state capital area of Oregon you should give these places a try.

First stop: The Apple Butter Barn (6002 S. Hwy. 211 Woodburn, OR 97071). It is run by the sweetest woman you'd ever hope to meet. She paints and you'll find plenty of her work in her shop.

The red wood and black letter sign is small and easy to miss and the actual "barn" shop is in back of the house, harder to spot from the road, so keep your eyes peeled!



The inside is bigger than you'd expect with a couple of rooms off the main. The place is heated by a wood stove which she had gotten up and lit at 5 am the morning I was there.

Her Christmas goods weren't on display the day I stopped but she was getting ready to get them out. They should be out for anyone who stops by now.

See the little silver bowls at the top of this shelf? Do they look familiar? Like...this?

I loved this basket of vintage linens - it was next to a rack of handmade flannel lap quilts all priced around $10-$20. What a deal!

From there the direction was Salem-bound. Spencer's Alley (found at 2673 S. Commercial St. Salem) is an old mall-type building that has been transformed into a multi-vendor spectacular. Space is rented to what I imagine are hundreds of vendors and each nook and cranny will have whatever that vendor decided to fill their space with. Home decor, handmade goods, imported fun stuff, etc, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

There's a table with coffee waiting just outside the inside entrance. What a welcome!

This is on the door on the way out - too true!

On the way back home, decided to make a stop at Bauman Farm which has been a favorite stop every fall since college but I hadn't been there when their Christmas goodies were out.

Bauman's is a Century Farm which has been in operation since the late 1800's and has been built up to quite an impressive place to visit. See some animals, taste some of the wonderful things from the bakery, pick up some produce, pick up some local made wines or even sauces made at the Mt. Angel Abbey (my favorite is the Heavenly Honey Monastery Mustard which you can also buy online here).

Sorry that's the only photo. Forgot to take any inside shots! I was distracted by the hot cider, my peppermint mocha and the smell of fresh-baked donuts. You understand. :)

Bauman's can be found at 12989 Howell Prairie Rd. NE Gervais, OR 97026.