Yay! Street fair season is upon us! And as in other years, MOSS is starting the season with St. John’s Bizarre. This is such a fun event in a decidedly Portland neighborhood (one of the prettiest in my opinion), the St. John’s neighborhood. There will be 20 bands playing, a bier garten, 75 juried artisans and of course, the parade! Aaaand the best thing is, all this under the sun and in the fresh air! I’m excited for that more than anything else. So get out on Saturday. Come and see me!

Here are some excerpts….

Thanks for looking! Now I’m off to enjoy the fall sunshine

xoxo,

Diana

10 years ago, I was an immigrant to this country. I can’t tell you how hard it was to fit in. I was scared of everything, even the microwave. There were so many things I didn’t understand like why nobody honked their horns in traffic and why strangers smiled at each other so much. Even now, I feel like I haven’t caught up. I still draw a blank face when I hear phrases like “dig yourself out of a hole” or “it’s not over till the fat lady sings”. I still spell check and lookup words in the dictionary when I email and pick my words carefully when I speak. I don’t think I’ll ever completely blend in and if anything, accepting that helps me cope.

So when Akiko sent me an invitation to participate in a fundraising craft fair to fund a fledgling non-profit called Seeds of Opportunity, how could I say no. Seeds of Opportunity aims to help immigrants gain financial footing by encouraging them to use trades and skills learned from their native countries to create art in an interactive space. Such an awesome idea because we all benefit. To raise funds, Seeds of Opportunity will be hosting an auction and mini craft fair at SLATE in NW Portland. While MOSS will not be vending, I am donating this lovely floral hand embroidered necklace to the auction. A lot of traditional Filipino Tagalog gowns feature delicate embroidery and beading, most are still hand done today. This is me sharing something I’ve learned from my homeland, to you.

Please support this amazing cause. We all have a lot to learn from each other