Oregon Landscapes 2011 Calendar by Sialicious
Make your own full color calendars online at zazzle

If you are a fan of Oregon and the beauty its waterscapes can provide, our Oregon Landscape calendar for 2011 is your best bet!  Want something more out of the norm but just as pretty?  Try our calendar featuring the Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon.  

Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon 2011 Calendar by Sialicious
make a calendar with zazzle

Finally for those lovers of the pristine loveliness of black and white photography we have two calendars that just might fit the bill!

Black & White Photography 2011 Calendar by Sialicious
See other calendars 2011 designs.

Black & White Photography – 2011 Calendar by Sialicious
Browse other 2011 Calendars

Buy one, buy them all!  They can make great office gifts.   If you don’t find one you like that we’ve designed there’s thousands of calendars to be found all across the Zazzle marketplace.

Get yours soon!

Classic Red Rose Save the Date Wedding Postcard by Sialicious
Design Full color post cards at zazzle

Every gal and guy that I’ve ever met who were in the sometimes nerve-wracking process of planning their own wedding has told me three things:  They want their wedding to be memorable, unique.. and they want it to be affordable.  Between invitations, cakes, dresses and tuxedos, music and receptions and everything else in-between the dollar signs can get bigger and bigger.   Well I have an option for you that you may not have considered when thinking about your invitations or save the date announcements.   If you are looking for unique, fun and thrifty I would suggest taking a quick look at what Zazzle has available.   Zazzle is a company that allows you to create unique and custom items for any and all occasions.  This means that a diverse selection of contributors have provided designs that you may not find in your typical store or wedding boutique.  This gives the prospective bride and groom even more flexibility on both price and choosing a design that they aren’t likely to see repeated again and again.

Of course, I’m not in the wedding business but I am a contributor to Zazzle, so I’m not just pointing out the great opportunities that Zazzle offers without a reason.   In fact, one of my best designs is for a wedding save the date postcard that also has matching invitations, RSVP cards (no envelopes) and remembrance gift magnets.  However, I also recognize that everyone has different tastes and I am sure that there are thousands of beautiful designs available throughout the Zazzle community and there is that perfect one for the style and theme of wedding you are hoping to create.   If all else fails, you could design your own announcements and invitations; making your wedding that much more personalized and unique.

I have included a few designs that I think are simply gorgeous and reflect the diverse options a couple has at their fingertips when they choose Zazzle for their wedding stationery needs.

Save the Date postcards by PMCustomWeddings
make postcard designs on zazzle.com

5X7 Pick YOUR OWN Color Baroque Save the Date 2 by TheWeddingShoppe
custom printed invitations made on zazzle.com

Two Hearts Wedding Save the Date Invitations by daphne1024
Browse more Two hearts Invitations

*edited 12/20 to fix links.

I’ve found that Zazzle is a fantastic way to either find gifts for those you care about that aren’t the same ol’ shlock you’ll find in the malls or to make something completely unique using your own creativity. Either way, its an opportunity to show that you’ve given a little extra thought in your gift buying process and you might be surprised at the quality, variety and quantity of spectacular designs available – not just for the iPad/iPhone/Mugs for sale today but on all that Zazzle has to offer.

For a look at all the options available on the Zazzle site, head here and take a peek! Team Coco Gift Options



A bit of history is in order – the Columbia River Highway was the brainchild of Sam Hill (no.. not that Sam Hill!) and Samuel Lancaster – both of whom were visionaries in their time and made quite an impact on Oregon.   Sam Hill was known for his vocal support of “good roads” and after enjoying the roads of the Rhine River Valley in Europe, he began working to get a highway installed along the Columbia River Gorge.   Working with legislators and businessmen in Oregon the idea was adopted and work on the highway was started in 1913 and completed in 1922.   Once finished, this became an important link between Portland and cities/towns further east.  However, as the population grew and more and more tourist used the highway as a means to get from one place to another, it became evident that the highway would no longer be suitable for people to stop in the middle of the road to look at the large number of waterfalls that dotted the landscape.

Soon there was work being proposed and then finished to create a river level highway which is now I-84 and much of the Columbia River Hwy was left to languish, many areas becoming unusuable and dangerous.   One particular section, the Mosier Twin Tunnels, was filled with rubble and abandoned – likely due to disrepair and its location in a rockfall zone.    In time however, public opinion began to grow an idea to renovate much of the old highway back to its pre-1920 design and that has resulted in what we see today.  A long winding road flanked on one side by rugged natural rock and the opposite cliff side protected by gorgeously designed stone fence structures, including some small pullouts and wonderful old stone bridges.   Many areas that were lost to time were replaced and what was damaged was renewed, all using countless old photographs and schematics to ensure that the original feel and look to the masonry was kept intact.  This includes the previously mentioned Mosier Twin Tunnels, which in July of 2000 was reopened to bike and foot traffic.    More historical and current information about the highway can be found at the National Parks website, where I learned the info I’ve included.

The highway is easily one of my favorite “close to town” getaways and is generally accessible in any season – though winter can be tricky – and each season has its own delightful quirks. 

I recommend visiting whenever you can, but I like the spring and summer best.   Spring has the surrounding forests in full bloom so you are surrounded by greenery and the waterfalls are enjoying their highest and most powerful waters.   Summer has the gorgeous hot days that are tempered nicely by the leafy overhang of the many trees and while water levels are lower as the summer wears on, the falls are still dressed to impress – the crowds can be a bit daunting for the most popular sites like Multnomah Falls in the summer, but there are trade offs to be made with everything.

If I don’t take the Historic Columbia River Highway (henceforth abbreviated as HCRH) directly from Troutdale then I’ll typically take I-84 to the Corbett Exit, winding my way uphill and meet the HCRH there.   From that starting point its just a few minutes drive to my first stop – the Portland Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint.  Here you can see the Columbia Gorge laid out before you to the east and get a lovely, if distant, view of Crown Point and the Vista House.

The next stop is the Vista House, a lovely structure found at Crown Point and only accessible from the HCRH (linked item for sale is not my art).   Construction of the Vista House at Crown Point began in Dec. 29 of 1916 and was dedicated May 5, 1918.  After falling into some disrepair, the Vista House was renovated (2001-2006) and rededicated on its anniversary, May 5, 2006.   I do not recall if before the renovation began the Vista House was closed to the public - prior to the renovation I never saw the building open in my many visits to the site, but perhaps that was my bad luck.  During the 5 year renovation the building was closed.   Now, it is an absolute dream of a building, with its green and gold glazed tile roof and sandstone walls.  Inside there is beautiful Alaskan Tokeen Marble and Kasota Limestone, even the windows which are steel framed with opalescent art glass promote the jewel-like image the Vista House has attained.   The building is available for viewing all year round from the outside, however the inside is only open to the public on weekends, as weather permits, from 10am – 4pm.  The gift shop is closed for the winter and reopens in spring.  More complete information can be located at the Friends of Vista House (FOVH) website where I found much of the detailed renovation info.

Once you’ve taken in the extraordinary views both inside the Vista House and of the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge from the outside, its time to head down along the highway towards the first of many waterfalls.    There are quite a few to be seen, most can be viewed very easily from the highway itself – however, the majority of them have parking areas that can accommodate a number of visitors – though a few, such as Shepperd’s Dell have just a small pullout along the side of the road.   Though a small waterfall, I do recommend taking time to visit Shepperd’s Dell, more to marvel at the gorgeous stone bridge than the natural sights so keep an eye out for its little sign.    With so many waterfall options, it would take forever to go through them all and I don’t have nearly enough photographic examples to support such an endeavor.  With that said, I will touch on a select few.   

The first on the list is Bridal Veil Falls.   Now I like this stop on the trail the best for three reasons.  First, the parking lot is off the main highway and is larger than most (though not as large as Multnomah Falls), second there are actually two view areas – one is a short loop along the cliffside that overlooks the Columbia River and has a few picnic benches and informational doohickeys, the other is a short hike downhill to some wooden steps and matching wooden bridge which is where the image associated with this section was taken and on the other side and back up a short stair area is a view of the actual full Bridal Veil Falls.   The third reason, and possibly most important – this stop has a BATHROOM.  I have no idea when the bathrooms are open or closed but this particular falls has a special place in my heart for always being open when I really have need of its facilities.

Next up is  Wahkeena Falls, which means ‘most beautiful’ and was so named by a Yakima Indian tribe.   It is a 242′ falls that at the lower end cascades over mossy jumbled rocks.   The short hike to the lower end of the falls from the parking lot is VERY easy and an equally short hike leads to the bridge that crosses Wahkeena Creek not far away – it is very wet here so watch your cameras especially in the spring when the flow is at its highest.   Following the very streep portion of the upper trail will lead you to both Necktie Falls and Fairy Falls.   The hike to me is fairly strenous but I’m more of a casual hiker, that said, the view of Fairy Falls was worth my one and only hike to it.  It is on my list to visit again and try to get some good images though it is tucked away in the forest.

Now for the big daddy of the Columbia River Gorge waterfalls, the most well-known of the bunch is Multnomah Falls, a two tiered waterfall that is said to draws over 2 million visitors a year.  It is about 620 feet and the tallest waterfall in Oregon and has been noted to be the second tallest in the United States.   On a nice day the place is incredibly packed, luckily there is quite a bit of parking all around the area – it is also one of the few waterfalls that are directly accessible from the freeway (I-84) and is easily done so from either direction.   I’m not one for crowds so I like to go when its raining or really early in the morning so I can have the area all to myself (and all the other photographers).   There are two well designated areas to view the falls from.  One is the area adjacent to the road, this is a lovely area of stone with stairs and a large viewing platform of sorts.   The Multnomah Falls Lodge is also accessed here – I have only been there once and it was for a very delicious Sunday brunch.   Kind of spendy though.   The falls of course, never fails to impress or please.  

If you tire of viewing the falls from below, you can get a more immediate view by taking the paved path (a bit steep in places) up to the Benson Footbridge that  is part of nearly ever iconic image of the falls.   From here you get a more up close and personal view of the first tier.   Plus all the kids love to turn around and wave at the people far below.   From what I understand, this area also links into a number of different hikes that are available by continuing on the trail including an area at the top of the falls which has a view of ”Little Multnomah” a smaller cascade above the upper tier that isn’t visible from below.  I think the trail turns from paved to plain dirt as you head further up, I don’t know for a fact though because I have never done any of those trails.  Yes, I am a wimp.

Finally, one of the more powerful waterfalls on the trail, is the inspiring Horestail Falls.   The sheer magnitude of water that hurtles down into its small pool always impresses me.   It is a very accessible waterfall as well, as its practically right on the road.   There is a small area for parking across the highway and one or two picnic benches near the falls.   This particular falls gets its name for the shape of the water as it comes down, similar to how a horse’s tail looks.   It also has an upper falls that is accessible by a trail and is called Ponytail Falls or Upper Horsetail Falls.   This is a fantastic falls in all seasons – I haven’t noticed much change in the power of the water as we head into summer so there must be a great  water source.   If I-84 is passable during the winter when we have the frigid winds, Horsetail is a great winter falls to visit as you can access it more readily from what I consider the far end of the HCRH, near I believe the Ainsworth Exit.   This means if the HCRH has slick/icy roads, you won’t have to deal with them nearly as long and I think without much in the way of hills or grades making it much safer to see an icy waterfall.

Well if you made it through this entire post – thank you for reading!  There are so many places to see along the HCRH and I want to photograph them all, perhaps I’ll make it a project for this summer and I can share my results with youl.   In the meantime I’ll probably be posting more on the Columbia Gorge, however this will be at river level from a couple of my favorite places with access to the riverbanks.    I’ll try to keep it shorter next time too!

Just add the promo code:  BIZCARDS5010 at checkout and enjoy the savings!

Our stationery gallery is chock full of business card designs that are sure to appeal to a wide range of tastes and offer the impact you are looking to promote.   Still, if what we have doesn’t suit, please check out the other offerings on Zazzle, they are numerous and there’s bound to be something that will fit you and your needs perfectly!

I have lived in a couple other states and visited many more and while they had their positives and things I learned to like, none of them could touch my heart and soul like my home town of Portland and the wider Oregon state.

I like the small city/small town feel of Portland, even if some people are trying (and to some extent succeeding)  to turn it into a bohemian/hipster place.  Nearly everywhere you look you can see the “Keep Portland Weird” mantra on passing cars.  While I think this is a fun idea, its been touted so much and people seem to try so hard to prove just how ‘out of the box’ or ‘alternative’ they are, that every last one of them becomes in their way, normal – just another person trying to be or act weird.   By striving for that weird ideal they have relegated themselves to the background because here you are absolutely unique – just like everyone else.

No, what keeps me in Portland and adoring Oregon is more about the environment around us, than the people living here – though I have found most of them to be much more polite than in other cities.  I do admit a bias having been born here though.   I do not dispute that other states can boast a diverse and lovely landscape, but for some reason, Oregon’s variety of destinations – each one different than the next – seems much more accessible, much more availabe, just.. much more in every sense.

This plays well with my love of photography.  I am not great at portraiture, but give me a landscape and I am happy spending hours trying to capture what I see and how I feel viewing it.  Oregon truly is a nature photographer’s dream, its gorgeous beaches, sandy dunes, ancient forests, mountains and high deserts, farmlands and scrub lands, rivers, lakes, ponds and streams all are just a short drive away.   You can see Portland the biggest city in Oregon or a tiny town with just a few hundred residents with a little planning and spirit of adventure.

Oregon and its landscapes play a large part in what I offer the world on Zazzle as well.  I love to see people from different countries intrigued enough by my photography of this great state, willing to purchase a magnet or postcard featuring one of my favorite places.  Maybe it will prompt them to come vacation one day and see it in person!

Speaking of Zazzle and favorite places, how better to show some of the areas I like the most, than through some of the postcards I have created over the years.  So as you read, keep an eye out for clickable links which will send you off to a related postcard on Zazzle where you can see what draws me out with my camera on a regular basis.  I will be making a number of postings showing off some of the areas of Oregon I’ve visited and that I like the most.

First and foremost, my favorite place in Oregon is the Oregon coast.   It has a raw and rugged beauty but is wonderfully accessible due to laws put in place that make all of Oregon’s beaches considered a public right of way.   This means that even if you own beachfront property, you can’t horde the actual beach for yourself – greedy!   Unlike some states, our beaches are there for all of the public to enjoy and that’s the way we like it.   The views and nature of the Oregon coast changes as you travel from Astoria south to the Gold Beach and California border area.  My favorite area is Lincoln City and the nearby town of Newport.   In fact, when we visit we like to check out the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.  I’m a big fan of the tidal pool critters and the seals.

Another area on the northern part of the Oregon Coast is Ecola State Park – its supposedly a great place to see the whales when they migrate, but I’m beginning to think that’s all a big hoax because I haven’t seen a single one in all the time I’ve gone there.   I must be super unlucky I guess!   There is a great rock formation that can be seen from Ecola State Park, it is pretty well known due to its prominence in a fantastc 80′s movie called Goonies.   This is Haystack Rock and it always makes me smile when I see it and Astoria when watching the movie.   The Oregon coast is littered with fun named rock formations and another favorite of mine is called Seal Rock.   I believe it is named that way because it looks like a seal’s head poking out of the water.  I think one of the smaller rocks on the left also looks a it like a seal jumping out of the ocean, but that could just be my fanciful imagination.

My final Oregon Coast location featuring a rock formation is in Bandon Oregon, somewhere I visited for the first time a year or two ago.   It was a nice small beach town and we had a great time visiting all the local landmarks.   My favorite landmark of the area was Face Rock.   It has a nice story about a Native American princess which added to its mystique an interest.  I had think I spent hours taking pictures of this particular rock!

One place I’ve visited but haven’t spent time photographing are the dunes in Florence.  I believe it is has an official national designation as well, but I need to get out there and see what there is to see.   That said, recently we took a bit of a side trip and found Sand Lake, Oregon which has some dunes to enjoy and while we didn’t hang around that portion of the recreation area ( I felt a bit intimidated by all the dunebuggies and whatnot since I had no idea what the protocol was for the place) we did check out the picnic area near the lake/inlet which had a lovely and very photogenic tree.   I had a great time taking pictures there.

Well that’s the first part of my postings about Oregon.  Stay tuned for more info about other areas of our state complete with photographic examples!

Time to go check out the new Alice in Wonderland movie – thanks for reading and I welcome any comments or questions!

With the end of the 2009 year came our first full year of Zazzle-ing and it was time to take stock of how we did.  Just to recap, our main gallery is the Sialicious gallery, this has an eclectic collection of items ranging from t-shirts to mousepads.   Not too long after we branched out into a stationery specific gallery called SialiciousStationary, this one providing items ranging from business cards to invitations and postcards.  Finally, we have our baby related gallery which has a few designs centering around the arrival of new babies called BundlesOfJoy.  This gallery has been sadly neglected as the other two tend to take up most of our time.  

Back to the economics of things!  Considering what we AREN’T required to worry about regarding the selling experience: shipping, customer service, physical creation of the products, storage, etc - I think we did fairly well for our first year.   Granted, it wasn’t enough to live off of, but it did help pay a few bills.  

     I’m never quite sure if its considered in poor taste to speak of the earnings in specifics, but how is a person looking in to know if its worth getting into without delving into this area?  So if you’re offended by money and its discussion – look away!  

I don’t consider the amount of work we did advertising – the few blog posts over last year and random postings on our Facebook page - to be of great impact so I always consider our sales to be achieved by random happenstance – someone was surfing the web and found our items.   To that end, and not knowing how many of our items may be out there being referred to by other people and their blogs/Squidoo lenses, we made just under $1500.00 for the year with little to no advertising work.

As I said, this isn’t a huge amount and certainly not one I can quit my job over, but all in all, based on the amount of work that was put in I think its fantastic.   And before you web surfing IRS agents get your knickers all twisty – I have declared all of my income and already paid my taxes, thank you very much!

It is my hope that this year (I know we’re already 3 months in) will be even more successful and I will be presented with even more opportunities to go out into Oregon’s gorgeous environs to take pictures and transform them into items people might want to purchase.  I continue to dabble in digital art on the most basic of levels and quite enjoy integrating my more successful attempts into wares as well.  This means I will actually have to be diligent about posting on my blog and FB page in an effort to reach more potential customers, and if it inspires others to give Zazzle a try too – more the better!

So here’s to a late start on a great new year – you’ll be seeing more from me in the days and months to come (I hope)!