Canterbury Renaissance Faire

We went to the Canterbury Renaissance Faire on July 21, 2012. It is held in Silverton, Oregon on July 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, 2012. This was their 4th annual faire. Silverton is by Salem, Oregon and about 2 hours from where I live in Rainier, Oregon. It is only an hour from Portland, Oregon. The Canterbury Renaissance Faire is wonderful because it is nestled in shady trees so it doesn't get too hot while your looking at other peoples' wares. We spent our day from 2pm til 5pm there.

I was wearing my pair of Elf Ear Wraps, my braided hair wreath and a semi renaissance looking shirt. I was looking for a cape or cloak, but never really ran across any while I was there this year. I was also looking for a lace up corset bustier. None really caught my fancy.

While we were there my youngest daughter, Zari, picked up a wooden sword. She looked so darling in her butterfly dress holding a sword we had to buy it for her. She is apparently growing into her name (Zari meaning princess goddess and her middle name Katana meaning slender or samurai sword). See the bottom left picture of her...that is her fighting face, LOL!

In Faerie Glen a juggler taught the boys some new tricks and my oldest son posed with his bow and some very odd arrows ;) Fairy Princess Lolly also read a story to my girls.

We went around the corner and who do I happen to see? Foxgloves PDX! I knew I was missing an element to my costume. I should have been wearing my Maroon Gold Knit Foxgloves. Ami posed with us and Teela tried on some maroon velvet/silver butterfly ones that I had fallen in love with on her website and out of generosity she just gave them to us! I love the picture my husband took of Teela getting the gloves on. Teela adored them and later wanted to pose with part of my son, Jaedan's knight costume that he brought.

We bought the boys an exquisite custom hand-beaded dragon from Secret Dragon Collectibles. My boys selected the only one left with glow-in-the-dark beads. The one they picked had blue iris, bright green and glow-in-the-dark beads. They told my boys that the dragons wings could be changed for different colors so they chose blue, apple green and red ones to go with the colors of the beads. They also got to pick out a treasure that the dragon would hold. They picked out a large red plastic gem stone and the lady sewed it in the dragon's claws. She then attached a thread from the top so we could hang him. Each dragon comes with a name card with information and insurance in case something needed fixing. They make them very customized so each is very unique and made just for the individual. She also makes beaded mermaids, fairies, pixies, butterflies and dragonflies. All were very beautiful!

Then we went to see the joust, but because it was not very shaded by trees it was very hot there and the horses were kicking up dust so I got a few pictures and then we decided it was time to head home to rescue our dog from being home alone. We had a great time while we were at the Canterbury Renaissance Faire and will definitely be back next year.

Foxgloves PDX Fingerless Gloves Review and Rafflecopter Giveaway

foxgloves |ˈfäksˌgləv|
noun
 (1) fabulous fingerless gloves created in Portland, Oregon. (2) tall leafy Eurasian biennial with spectacular clusters of tubular pink-purple flowers.

Portland, Oregon is like a second home to me. I live in Rainier, Oregon but I love Portland because of the people and atmosphere. Portland is a huge mecca for the artistic. They have a lot of great museums, galleries, a zoo, live concerts, arboretum and botanic gardens, theaters, cinemas, shops, etc. that I love to visit. The people of Portland have their own flavor of style. I love a lot of it, especially the clothing and accessories. One of my favorites I have just found is Foxgloves PDX Fingerless Gloves!

Foxgloves are fun and fashionable fingerless gloves, handmade in Portland, Oregon in the Pacific Northwest. They are available in a variety of colors and patterns, and fashioned from comfortable stretch fabrics (like dancewear, activewear, mesh, knit and jersey). They come in different cuts: elbow length and shorties (wristlets). They are available in adult and child sizes. They are also available in two styles: Thumb style, across the top of the hand, with an opening for the thumb or Finger-style, a v-cut over the back of the hand, with an opening for the middle finger.

Foxgloves PDX have awesome customer service! When I asked if I could review some Foxgloves in their Maroon Gold Knit because I didn't think that I would like the Black & White Striped ones, they were awesome and cut some of their long gloves they hadn't yet sold down to a shortie style and made me up some special in their new latest version of the gloves, which includes a reinforced thumb opening rather than just a cut slit for the thumb (which is the way they used to make all their gloves). They even sent me a pair of their new line of Black & White Stripes also in the shortie style and with reinforced thumb so that I may see the difference in how the stitching lays on the fabric.

I actually came to fall in love with both pairs of gloves and loved how both looked on me. The Maroon Gold Knit ones have this gorgeous raised burgundy maroon flower pattern with gold threading throughout. They are made of such a lovely lacy stretch fabric. Great on days when I want to add some flair to an outfit. The Black & White Stripes are classic. They remind me of zebra stripes or what a sailor would wear :) These are most definitely going in my Spring Gift Guide and the Rose lace ones are going on my Birthday wishlist (My Birthday is May 10th, hint hint!).

BUY IT:
Shortie (wristlet) gloves are $14, Standard length (elbow length) gloves are $15.

You can get FREE shipping if you enter the giveaway below. Just mention that you read about Foxgloves on Eccentric Eclectic Woman blog in their 'Add Special Instructions to the Seller' section whenever you order from the Foxgloves website, and they'll refund your shipping fee.

WIN IT:
I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Foxgloves PDX for sending me product for free to review and one to give away for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.