And More!

72 Floaties Not Included

Damn it all. I’ve driven into a river. I’m trapped and sinking inside my vehicle. Hello, soggy death. But wait! I’m carrying my cell phone-sized, Wilsonville-made Houdini Automotive Escape Tool ($24.95-$39.95. Houdinitool.com)! I illuminate the scene with a powerful LED, sever my seat belt with the blade, and shatter the window with the glass-breaker in a thrilling Bond-esque escape! In seconds I’ll be on land, beckoning help with the safety whistle—if only I knew how to swim. (DR)

73 Wool Under Our Eyes

I’m feeling warmer just looking at the seasonally red combo of a perching-bird hat and leaf-adorned arm warmers—one-of-a-kind, recycled wool garments delivered courtesy of Woolie Originals. Most endearing, though, are the original “Woolie” creatures ($15-$38. SpielWerk, 7956 SE 13th Ave., 736-3000), which come with individual tags listing interests and personality traits. Peanut—a well-rounded, orange kinda fella with large ears, or possibly horns—loves to play both football and foosball. (DR)

74 I Want to Believe

Ever since the ’60s, some of America’s finest illustrators have worked designing posters for rock concerts. They produce stunning works of art that appear briefly on the streets before vanishing—the best kind of ephemeral beauty. But if you want to collect them, you have to spend a lot of time on the streets with a staple-remover. The Art of Musical Maintenance 2008 ($35. The Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark St., thegoodfoot.com/amm2008) saves you the trouble by printing posters from 26 of the artists featured in the annual art show in gorgeous, glossy color. Among the 104 posters are works by Portlanders Guy Burwell, Dan Stiles, Gary Houston, Jason Brown, Justin Hampton, Lee Zeman and Mike King. Check out this year’s show in person at the Goodfoot through Jan. 26. (BW)

75 If Wishes Were Papers

Roll the paper, light it, and soar up to the stars. Sounds like a familiar routine, but in this case it’s all about writing down a wish on Flying Wish Paper ($15. Flora, 1130 SW Alder St., 336-1668), rolling it into a tube atop the Wish Platform, setting the thing ablaze, and then witnessing the magic of the wish lifting off the platform at the last moment. More religiously inclined fire-starters can choose to heighten the spiritual experience with the alternate Flying Prayer variety. (DR)

76 The Etsy Made Flesh

The downside of this whole crafting explosion is that people who love the shopping experience are stuck browsing Etsy.com, deprived of the joys of handling the merchandise—until now. Nonprofit boutique Trillium Artisans (9119 SE Foster Road, 775-7993. 10 am-6 pm Tuesday-Friday) carries repurposed and recycled jewelry, clothing, home decor and more from 40 crafters, most of them from the Portland area. Among them are such luminaries of Portland’s craft culture as Lacey Bronson, Julia Garretson, Emily Baker, Cristina Aucone and Amanda Siska (and some men, too). That which was online has found a brick-and-mortar home. It’s like the ’90s in reverse. (BW)

77 Triumph, Page One

Barack Obama’s first, unwitting act as president-elect was to single-handedly save the newspaper industry. Papers reporting his victory sold out in mere minutes, and The New York Times eventually printed an additional 225,000 copies to fill demand—copies that are now going for $25 apiece on eBay. Don’t want to shell out for the keepsake? The Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism school and resource center in St. Petersburg, Fla., has compiled more than 75 post-election front pages in President Obama Election 2008 ($15. Right here at the WW Store or at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651), including the one this paper ran Nov. 5. Flip through and feel the giddy elation all over again. (BW)

78 Worthy of Notes

Kelly Coller and Tony Secolo, the husband-and-wife team behind Office, the arty stationery boutique on Northeast Alberta Street, are talented designers in their own right. Frustrated with carrying around separate notebooks for ruled, grid and plain paper, they combined all three in the Office GPR96 Utility Notebook ($15. Office, 2204 NE Alberta St., officepdx.com), a Pressboard-covered green book with 32 perforated pages of each variety, a 2009 calendar and an industrial-strength rubber-band closure. (BW)

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