Scrap.

Hey y'all. So last week, I went out with one of my good friends, Maggie, to grab some lunch. She was carrying the cutest little sky blue bag over her dress. It was so tiny and simplistic, I had to ask her where she purchased it. 

"Target," she laughed out. 

Okay, not bad. 

"But the strap is thrifted. I didn't like the one the bag originally came with, so I went to Scrap and bought a whole bunch of these bag straps for like- 50 cents each."

Hold on- I- what? 50... Cents? 50 CENTS??? CAN YOU EVEN BUY A PENCIL FOR 50 FRIKIN CENTS HERE IN PORTLAND??? 

Apparently you can. I couldn't believe it. 50 mf cents. 

I was so frikin excited when she told me about this that I forced her to take me to the store she bought it from before we did anything else. 

The place really is called 'Scrap.' It's a thrift store where people go and donate just about anything you need--aside from clothing. They also provide educational opportunities in the community, offer volunteering positions at their store, and showcase art from local environmental artists in their gallery!

Lots of craft stuff, notebooks, pencils and pens (50 cents for a HANDFUL of pens. How big are your hands?).

They had old vinyls, camera bags, jars, envelopes, paper rolls, zippers, fabrics, cardboard cutouts (hey Harry), Halloween decorations, and ugh. Everything. 

So wait, why are the prices so low for a thrifty craft store? According to Scrap, a majority of the items you'll find have been donated by either individuals, schools, or business companies. Because of these donations, scrap can keep their prices extremely low. They make sure to price their materials at least 60-75% off the actual retail price. 

With donations continuously coming in, Scrap has gathered over 140 tons of "old" material that can still be reused for multiple things, stopping them from being dumped into the wate stream. Convenient for us, great for the environment! 

Baguette bags??????? So weird but I'm so in love?????

So if you're ever looking for something in particular to fix your handbag, go to Scrap. 

Want to design a piece of clothing? Go to Scrap.

Need boxes to send your friends and family gifts? Go to Scrap. 

Need back to school crap? Go. To. Scrap. Seriously, I bought three full notebooks, a handful of pens and pencils, six large manila envelops, a planner, a medium sized box with the Eiffel Tower on it, and a binder. The cost all together? 4 whopping dollars, ladies and gentlemen.

I'll be making quite a few more trips to this nifty store in the future. For more information on Scrap, visit their website at scrappdx.org. 

Coast Recap

Over the past few days, I've spent some time at the coast with my family. 

We headed down to Seaside, which is about an hour away from my home in Portland, Oregon. The house we stayed at was called the "Sandollar Cottage," and for a good reason! 

The cottage was surrounded by several other rental homes and then lead down to a narrow road that connected itself to a long, smooth sidewalk where you could view the other homes and hotels on one side, and the salty beach on the other.

Of course that called for a narcassiric photoshoot that incorporated my brother's skateboard (since I was wearing another baseball cap that day. Look at me go!).

Thanks to my main (and sometimes unwilling) photographer, Elizabeth, for taking these sick shots. 

The next morning my mama and I collected a handful of sand dollars before we headed to a museum to learn more about the history of Seaside.

This was a piano that you could play by pumping the pedals at the bottom. So much harder than it looks, and it's quite the workout!

We came to Seaside at the perfect time! They were having a vintage car show downtown and I wanted all of them.

Flashback Malt Shoppe was so cute. They served so many banana splits, milkshakes, and had just about every soda bottle you could imagine. The perfect end to my trip. 

To the Coast!

Yep, it's September. School's started for a good majority of the world, and parents are rejoicing because they can finally get their houses all to themselves once again.

Fourtantelyyyyy, my school doesn't start until the LAST week of September. So, to celebrate my last month of extra summer fun, my small family and I are taking a trip down to the Oregon Coast for a few days! We do it every year, actually. Usually it ends up in a scene of me running around hunting for sand dollars while my brother draws S.O.S messages in the sand and my mom tries to make shelter out of random sticks and stones on the beach.

For the past few coast trips however, I've always ended up packing for the wrong weather. In my mind, I'm packing for a warm and relaxing yet photogenic trip where I can get some sick photoshoots done on the gray sand. It's the coast! It should be sunny! It WILL be sunny this time. One sweater is all I'll need. 

No. I'm always wrong. Always. 

This time, I'm fully prepared for whatever changing weather the coast has in store for me. 

So what exactly does one pack for on the way to a windy coast? Here's my top ten list of essentials on what to bring: 

             

1) A chunky, over-sized cardigan. 

2) Mom and boyfriend jeans. Still keeps your legs warm, but they're rolled up high enough above your ankles in case you wanna feel the chilly salt water! 

3) A one piece swimsuit. 

Just. In. Case. 

4) A raincoat, because it will rain at some point. 

5) Cozy socks to keep your precious feet warm after walking on the sand

6) A beanie to keep your hair from flying. 

7) A knit jumper to throw on over your outfit in case it gets chilly. 

8) Easy sandals to slip on and off your feet (pair it with socks for extra warmth, if you want). 

9) Sneakers for when you climb up the sharp rocks to get a higher view. 

10) Hiking boots. Y'know, in case you DO go hiking the trails. 

All photos can be found on my  pinterest. 

Now that we have the clothing part covered, let's talk about the essentials. 

1) A Camera! Yes, taking photos with your smartphone is always a great way to share your experience on social media, but if you have a great camera with terrific lens, you may as well bring it along to capture some terrific shots of the breathtaking scenery.

2) Books, books, books. I recommend the classic Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov (unless you feel weird reading about an old man who falls in love with a little girl while you're at the beach. This is my favorite romance novel, but you do- whatever you want).
I also recommend any Stephen King book. All of his books are amazing.

 Don't even fight me on this one. He is the King.

3) Sunglasses, duh?

4) Water. Don't forget to hydrate!

5) Sunscreen. 

Again.

 Just. In. Case.

6) Snacks. Keep it healthy!

7) A good playlist. 

I always pick really soft indie/alternative tunes with a hint of darkness to them when I'm at the coast, so basically Lana Del Rey.
My playlist will be up later with the photo diary of my trip!

8) Last but certainly not least, a guitar. Sitting around a small fire on the sand while strumming and singing to Fleetwood Mac makes the trip complete.

That's pretty much it. I'm wayyyy to excited about my last get together with my family before I separate myself from them to return to college in the fall. I hope school's been going great for everyone else who's already started. Ciao! Xx-Nikka.