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By candace kramer, November 18, 2011 3:32 pm

I am so excited to introduce you to Michele Reeves, I just met her myself this week at the Waluga Masonic Lodge in Lake Oswego. The meeting that Michele was presenting was “Fundamentals of Thriving Downtowns”. You all know how I thrive to promote urban downtown living and that I am very active in being a stakeholder for a vibrant downtown for Lake Oswego, marketing two condo projects, Stafford Commons and 555 2nd st Condos for the last five years.

Foothills Park

Michele is an urban strategist with extensive background in commercial real estate, development consulting, project management, and retail leasing. She founded Civilis Consultants to help cities improve their downtowns by teaching the building blocks found in successful commercial districts. Working together with stakeholders, she takes those essential elements and uses them to help communities construct detailed and achievable plans for revival.

Who would not love this savvy consultant and her fast paced informative presentation- she is known nation wide!

Lakeview Village

The next series of workshops will included the following-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Analysis and Recommendations Presentation- short term goals and concrete steps

Field Trip of “Do’s and Don’ts” in the City

Marketing and PR workshop “every downtown should have a clear idea of the experience it wants to provide”

Be sure to connect with Michele at www.civilisconsultants.com and www.cityoflakeoswego.com for more information.

See you downtown at the Saturday market for all the Turkey fixins! Cheers ck

George Rogers Park

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By candace kramer, October 25, 2011 8:29 pm

Hello friends! You know I’m a total sucker for re-used, re-cycled and re-purposed when it comes to building so when I found this fabulous bar in Portland it was love at first sip! Meet one of the newest, hippest and greenest bars in Pdx – KASK!

This intimate cocktail lounge serves up delicious concoctions on their rough-hewn walnut bar that is supported by a rock-filled gabion wall. I saw this kind of construction when I was in Austria -  it was everywhere! They would make benches and fences out of it!

Can’t go wrong with good ole’ rock!

The eco-friendly cork floors keep the green vibe and instead of wasting paper, ever-changing black boards inform patrons of what’s on the menu. Love that!

Kask is owned by the restaurateurs from neighboring, Gruner – another fine establishment with a focus on the warm, rich flavors of “Middle Europe”. Go check out both destinations for amazing food, drink and a peek at some creative green building materials!

Hope your week is going well!

 All images via here.

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By candace kramer, August 24, 2011 10:20 pm

Just recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Leah Hersey of Jersey Girl Weaving. She’s a client of mine and when she told me about her home studio, I wanted to know more! Over tea and snacks, she told me the story of how her newly built studio was born.

Leah has always had a passion for textiles and inevitably fell in love with the art of weaving. Not quite as portable as knitting or as compact as cross-stitch, Leah soon realized that she would need space – a lot of space – to fully devote her self to this craft. After all, a real loom takes up a whole lotta floor. Enter the idea of constructing an out building and making it her full time studio!

Aptly named Jersey Girl Weaving – a throwback to her time living on the east coast – this new building has provided the space, natural light and artistic solitude that Leah was seeking.

I couldn’t resist capturing all the beautiful details of Leah’s space…

I just love all the colors and textures! The groupings of sheep create a sense of whimsy and honor Leah’s love of wool.

I know that having this new space makes Leah’s art a central focus in her life and brings her much joy.

By thinking creatively, she maximized her property and utilized her space with care and purpose.

Do you ever dream of having your own home office or studio? Where could you create this space?

Thanks to Leah for inspiring us!

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By candace kramer, June 16, 2011 12:03 pm

Just wanted to pop in and do a quick post about what’s been going on at Windermere this week – It’s Community Service week where the whole team over here does our bit to help out!

This year, I’m heading up the program and I’m so happy to be helping out a wonderful local organization – Community Warehouse. This volunteer based organization helps low-income family turn their houses into homes by providing home goods such as dishes, glasses, pots and pans, sheet, blankets, towels etc. Here’s a list of exactly what is needed and what they do not accept.

Locals have been going through their households, cleaning out what they don’t need and dropping off goods at the Lake Oswego Windermere office. It’s been fantastic seeing the residents really pitch in and donate some great items! We only have one more day – so go thru your stuff and see what you can part with. It’s a win win. You get a more organized house and the great feeling of helping those in need!

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By candace kramer, May 17, 2011 3:23 pm

As many of you know Aging in Place is a big focus of my work (see definition below) and having this knowledge truly helps my clients make their lifestyle one that will last!

Aging in place refers to living where you have lived for years, typically not in a health care environment, using products, services, and conveniences which allow you to remain home as circumstances change.

This Saturday, the local remodeling firm, Neil Kelly will be hosting a wonderful event:

The “Home for a Lifetime” Fair…

Click below to download the flyer for more info:

Home for a Lifetime Poster

Should be a fantastic, informative and inspiring day!

For more information about Aging in Place go here.