P.Y.T, T.L.E, X.Y.Z.

Things that TLE can stand for:

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Target Location Error
Total Lunar Eclipse
Transient Luminous Event
Temporary Lodging Expense

But what does TLE stand for today?
Tender. Loving. Empire.

As in, totally great hub of sweet music and Portland lovin' craftiness. As in, record label meets gift shop in an explosion of DIY at 412 SW 10th Ave.

Admittedly, this is one of those times when I've been glad not to have seen the shopfront before I brought my cards by. There's something about sharing rackspace with Ryan Berkley and Nikki McClure that makes me want to give up, go home, and start burning all my paper products. But I'm sure that would cause one of Berkley's suited bunnies to give me a stern glance, and one of Ms.Mclure's sturdy workers would be disappointed in such waste, and so I don't. Instead, I dropped off a small cavalcade of elephants, owls, and cupcakes, and you can now check them out at Tender Loving Empire along with all those other great folks. The shop is right off of Burnside, so it's a welcome addition to the traditional Powells/Reading Frenzy/etcetera trip.

Sandwiches, Frock, and Other Wonderfulness

The great thing about Portland is that even when it's raining, you can still have a terrific time. We were wandering around on Alberta today and finally got to enjoy the deliciousness of The Grilled Cheese Grill.

Then, after our cheesily wonderful meal, I finally got to pop into Frock on Alberta! The card-buyer at Powell's Books for Home & Garden has suggested several times that I check them out, and now I understand why.

Not only is their space pretty adorable, but I felt like they've got a good collection on their hands, and a lot of the pieces were things I haven't seen around yet. I toted along a handful of designs, and the owner was not only super friendly and gracious, but she's also going to give my cards a shot! So if you're in the Alberta neighborhood and get a hankering for some lovely accessories and maybe a Dot card, well, you know where to go.