Marie Anoinette meets the Mad Hatter in Astoria, Oregon

I had a call from my friend, Barb, to go see this wonderful new 'cupcake place' in Astoria, but was told in no uncertain terms "DO NOT Blog about it until I've had a chance to write about it!"...OK, this is from a blogger who hasn't put up a post in two years! (Uh Oh, I'll hear about this!)  Of course, I knew I had to check out this 'magical' place ASAP!

What was formerly a bank, then a Spa, is now Marie Antoinette's Cupcake Parlor.http://www.marieantoinettescupcakes.com/  It's housed in a truly magnificent building, and upon entering you really feel like you are coming into someplace special!

This is definitely a whimsical place to come with your girlfriends, mother, sisters, daughters...you get
the idea. However, I brought my unwitting  husband, and he was more that pleased to find a WWII Museum housed in the cupcake parlour...how clever!

 While Dear Husband was occupied, I was free to feast my eyes on the amazing decor!

I felt like I was transported to Versailles or New York, certainly this was too sophisticated for Oregon!  Then again, Astoria is full of surprises, and this once sleepy Coastal Town, has become a destination for it's renovated hotels, fun shops, great restaurants, and many attractions!

So much Eye Candy...the owner has an amazing eye for details!

I ambled my way back to the Cupcakes and they looked amazing!  I was on my way to a Brewery for lunch, but knew I had to come back afterwards to enjoy a treat!

This is the namesake, Marie Antoinette Cupcake, with a lemon cake and a melt in your mouth meringue. Perhaps, this lovely confection was what Marie had in mind when she implored her subjects to 'Eat Cake!'  Who could blame her for her Faux Pas?

The cupcake above was a date concoction.  Of course, Espresso's, and Tea are also available, and I  understand in the Fall there will be a room upstairs to host groups, with champagne as well.  I would imagine this place would be perfect for bridal teas, etc.

Such attention to detail.

Dolls, figurine's and art were everywhere!

This is the lovely bar where the coffee and Espressos are served

A likeness of a dress of the times

more loveliness

I loved these little vignettes that were everywhere

depicting scenes of the 18th century

A set of these lovely animal lamps flanked the bar

One could easily imagine sipping tea in the Pump Room at Bath, a character in a Jane Austin novel, with a French twist!

I loved the cozy conversations nooks!

A likeness of Marie herself!

Art and creativity everywhere

More vignettes...could it be a 19th century actress? 

Eye Candy continues...I couldn't resist taking photos of the bathroom, such a beautiful daybed!

and the sink and mirror

These lamps reminded me of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.

A view of the Grand Space

This cupcake was yummy, so delicate with a 'Kicked Up' Meringue frosting!

This magical place is definitely worth a visit! Plan to stay awhile, and bring your camera.

Saturday Mornings

What do you remember about Saturday Mornings when you were a kid?  Chances are they involved milk and cereal.  When our daughter, Katie and some of her friends decided to organize a Fundraiser for Portland Outdoor School, they chose the theme of milk and Saturday Mornings.  

Of course, milk goes with cereal, so many of the art pieces up for purchase were cereal box related.

Last Supper with dogs?

They held their event on the first Friday of August to coincide with Portland East Side's Artwalk.

I loved some of the props which were made for the event, including theses giant Fruit Loops on a Milk Splatter.

Our Son Bryan, came over from La Grande to support his sister at her event.

They had a great crowd with about 400 people attending.  I was surprised, people were notified mainly by world of mouth, and Social Media!  There's a huge crowd at Art Events around the Portland area, and it seems like a great way to meet people, support the arts, and support good causes at the same time. 

I loved some of the Decos, like this Cereal Bowl on the wall.

More Cereal Box Art...

They had a cool place for the event at the UnionPine on SE Pine.

People stood around little tables with cereal, donuts, munching and talking

More props...

It was great to have a favorite Portland Food Cart, Koi Fusion http://koifusionpdx.com/  provide food during the event.  Their Kimchi Quesadillas were amazing!

I can't wait to see what cause Katie and her friends, support next year.

Paws for a Cause

Last Saturday morning we headed down to the South Water Front, at the base of the OHSU Tram for a dog walk Paws for a Cause.  It's  the second annual dog walk event supporting Parkinson's research.

It was a beautiful day, and before the event started we had fun wandering around checking out the sponsors like these cute dogie Tu Tu's. 

Lulu and Molly loved checking out all the dogs everywhere.

Former Trail Blazer basketball star, Brian Grant hosts a big annual Parkinson's weekend every year at the same time, which included a gala, and golf tournament.  He also had a large group of walkers participating.

Our buddies, Mark and Barb joined us with their dog Murphy, who also happens to be Lulu and Molly's brother. Barb brought along the forth of July dog costumes which were perfect for this Olympic year! 

Our dogs found a little Hula Buddy.

Everyone was excited to start on the 4k walk that looped around by the Willamette River

Pretty cute!

We found this shoe along the way...I'm sure it would have a story to tell.

It was a hot day, so the dogs appreciated all the water stops.

At the end of the walk, there were celebration tables with biscuits and water.  It reminded me of runners with their energy bars and Gatorade.

A refreshing dip in the fountain never hurt!

Duck Pond Cellars was one of the sponsors, and offered Pinot Gris by the glass for the walkers to purchase.

This was a well organized event, and had cute contests following the walk.  Above, there was a dog-owner look alike contest. We convinced Mark to enter with our trio and received an Honorable mention.  They also had a Dogie Costume Contest.

We thought this little dog with a horseback rider was a riot.  He had a little hat to go with his costume that was hilarious.

Another contest was the small and large dog 'Pie Eating Contest.'  We fed our dogs beforehand, so they turned their noses up at the offering, which was rice, veggies, and chicken.. 

It was a doggone good time and the pups were tired.  We all headed over to the Lucky Lab Pub on Hawthorne for lunch, vowing to come back next year.