2009 Japanese Garden Calendar

©Portland Japanese Garden / David M. Cobb

If anyone on your gift list enjoys scenic calendars and you'd like to support a good cause, the Portland Japanese Garden is currently selling their 2009 calender as part of their fund-raising efforts. Featuring images of the garden taken throughout the year, the full-color pages measure 12" x 12".

The calendars can be purchased at the garden's gift shop or online along with other unique gifts here: 2009 Japanese Garden Calendar

What is the Portland Japanese Garden?

In 1958, when Portland became a sister city of Sapporo, Japan,
a broad interest in Japanese culture was created.

On June 4, 1962, the City Council created a commission to
establish a Japanese garden on the site of the former
Washington Park Zoo.

In 1963, professor Takuma Tono was commissioned to design
and supervise the developement of the garden. In the summer
of 1967, the Portland Japanese Garden formally opened to the
public.

The 5.5-acre Japanese Garden is composed of five separate
garden styles:
a Strolling Pond Garden
a Tea Garden
a Natural Garden
a Flat Garden
a Sand and Stone Garden

In 1988, His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, Ambassador from
Japan to the United States, proclaimed it to be “the most
beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outsite
of Japan.”

Source: Japanese Garden Society of Oregon

Some of our own images of the garden appear on our website:

Japanese Garden Triptychs
Another Japanese Garden Triptych
Alternate Frame
One More Japanese Garden Triptych
Alternate Frame

Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97205
(503) 223-1321

Black Friday Sale!

For four days only, we're marking down our custom triptych framed prints and offering free shipping in the U.S.A. as well! Normally $40 each, these are on sale now at "2 for $60". Please visit our Etsy listing for this unique gift idea: Custom Triptych Sale

What an Autumn in Oregon!

Okay, so the weather here in Portland has become cold and soupy. But, WOW, did we have some picture-perfect stretches in recent weeks! The fall colors combined with crystal-slear skies and highs in the 60's created scenes like the one above. Now, if only we could figure out a way to make it last. . . Have a feeling we'll be gazing at this photo longfully in the coming few months. . .

Etsy artist of the day:


Today we visit UK jewelry artist Laura, who resides in Loughborough, in the Midlands. Not surprisingly, her Etsy shop is aptly named Lauras Jewellery. Laura describes her shop as "The home of Kitsch and Unique". As you can see from the brooches shown above, it would be worth your time to drop by Laura's shop and look around!

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Sunrise at Portland Japanese Garden © Mesman Images Portland

Deux Chevaux in Provence

We're swamped and can't properly blog today! We'd nonetheless like to brighten your day with this bright red Citroen parked in front of a sunflower field in the Provence region of France. Wish we were there now. . .

New and Improved Clear Bags

Coquille River Lighthouse, Bandon, Oregon - Copyright Mesman Images

If you use resealable "Clear Bags" to package your prints or note cards, at one time or another, you've probably opened one up, then, before resealing it, the adhesive has either touched the print or otherwise given you fits. Now, that problem has been solved!

Clear bags is offering a number of sizes with the adhesive on the sleeve, rather than the flap. This means that you can take out a print or card, then re-use the sleeve, without the adhesive getting anywhere near the printed surface. Clearbags with the adhesive on the sleeve are identified by the letters "PC" following the stock number. So, a sleeve that holds a 5 x7 note card and envelope would be # B75PC. And, remember, Clearbags are always less expensive if you buy them online, directly from the manufacturer, at www.clearbags.com.

One more thing: they are now making environmentally-friendly, biodegradable sleeves as well. Info on this special new product can be found through this link: Earth-friendly Clear Bags

Etsy Artist of the Day:

Today, we'd like to draw your attention to a graphic artist living in the faraway land of Singapore. Her name is Vera, but on Etsy she goes by Lemon Shortbread. Her colorful artwork includes the two ACEO's shown above, both of which are based on fashion from other eras. Please visit Vera's Etsy shop and. . . Thanks for buying hand-made!

Our Products Are in Powell's for Home and Garden

We're proud to announce another relationship with Powell's Books! This time, Powell's Books for Home and Garden, in the heart of the Hawthorne shopping district, is carrying our hand-made magnets and note cards. These products feature various sights from Portland and around the state of Oregon. They are also carrying our "cut-out" night lights featuring the famous "Made in Oregon" neon sign in Portland's Old Town. If you haven't been to Powell's for Home and Garden, you're missing out on a real treat! In addition to their wonderful collection of books, they offer a wide variety of tasteful gifts to suit all tastes. And, they are connected by an interior door to the gourmet food and wine store, Pasta Works. Yum!

Powell's Books for Home and Garden
3747 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214

Etsy Artist of the Day:

Today's featured Etsy artist comes from the great state of Maine. Jessica Moreau-Berry creates little treasures out of "found" and vintage items. You might say that she "revives" junk. And so, her aptly named Etsy shop is Junque Revival. As you can see above, the results of Jessica's hard work are stunning! In addition to her Etsy shop, you can visit Jessica's website and blog.

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Our Journals at Portland Japanese Garden

The gift shop at the Portland Japanese Garden is now carrying our journals and sketch books! The garden is on its Winter time schedule now, so its hours are

• 10am-4pm Tuesday–Sunday
• Noon-4pm Monday

The garden just announced that its next FREE admission day will be Tuesday, November 11th.
On this free admission day, the garden hopes that you'll bring some non-perishable food items to donate to the Oregon Food Bank.

If you're in the Portland area, the Japanese Garden is not to be missed. And, while you're there, please drop by the quaint little gift shop and have a look at our latest work!

Etsy Artist of the Day:

Today we'd like to draw your attention to Treasurefield, an Etsy artist who practices her craft from an undisclosed location between the mountains and the coast in the Carolinas. We love her heart pendants and, well, everything else in her shop, too! Admire her creations in her Etsy shop Treasurefield or her sister shop Yesterdazey.

Our website is back online with a new and improved shopping cart. We'll be adding new images and products each day. Check it out here: Mesman Images

New Pet Photo Night Lights

We're now offering acrylic night-lights featuring images of YOUR pets! We've been selling a variety of night-lights for some time now, and we've often been asked, "Can you make one of my cat or my dog?" We've even had one guy ask us to make one out of the squirrel he always feeds in his front yard. So, by popular demand. . . We'll be happy to make a custom night-light featuring your pet (or anything else you'd like a night-light of, within reason) for $25 each. That's a modest mark-up of a few bucks from our usual night-lights, but that's just to cover the additional prep work. You can order these lights on Etsy, here at out MesmanToo shop. Or, go to our regular shop at www.mesmanimages.com and e-mail us your request so we can place it online as a special order.

Our Journals and Night-lights at Powells

We're proud to announce that our journals and night-lights can now be found at the largest bookstore in America, which happens to be Powell's City of Books, here in Portland. A first-time visit to this book-lover's Mecca on West Burnside can be a little overwhelming at first, but free maps, color-coded rooms, and a friendly staff are there to help.

The majority of our journals can be found in the special journal "corral" in the "Orange" room on the first floor. Our music composition books (lined to compose sheet music) and sketch books (with blank pages) are upstairs in the "Pearl" room.

Etsy Artist of the Day:

Today we'd like to draw your attention to Etsy jewelry artist Jeannie, from Wichita, Kansas. Her lovely work can be viewed and purchased in her Etsy shop called Bead Stylin'. There, you'll find handcrafted earrings, anklets, bracelets, rosaries, and necklaces, like the one shown above, which Jeannie calls "Merlot . . .Brass Leaf Pendant with Crystals".

Thanks for supporting Etsy Artists and buying hand-made!

Our Note Cards are at The Blue Butterfly

The latest retailer to carry our note cards is The Blue Butterfly in Happy Valley, Oregon. Owner Angela Marvin has created this beautiful gift shop in the Happy Valley Town Center in Clackamas County. Her shop has windows in both the front and back of the store, filling the shop with natural light and making it an inviting place to browse. This is a great, up and coming shopping destination just minutes south of Portland and is worth a trip.

The Blue Butterfly
15916 SE Happy Valley Town Center Drive
Happy Valley, OR 97086
(503) 558-1548

Etsy Artist of the Day

Etsy has some wonderful soap makers! One you don't want to miss is PinkParchmentSoaps, whose lovely creations are made from only the finest ingredients. You can purchase luxurious soaps like those shown above ("Cucumber-Melon" & "Key-Lime Pie") at PinkParchmentSoaps' Etsy Shop.

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Last Thursday Without Cars?

Last month, a group of people really shook things up at Last Thursday in the Alberta Arts District, here in Portland. They parked and abandoned cars at each end of the art walk, effectively turning Alberta Street into a pedestrian zone. Then, they handed out the flyer below, which explains that they were simply trying to draw attention to the fact that Alberta should be closed to traffic during Last Thursdays.

This unusual event, at which local artists display and sell their work anywhere that they can find an open piece of sidewalk, has become increasingly popular, but has also experienced some growing pains. Last year, in response to a rowdy party that had absolutely nothing to do with the artists, the police took out their frustrations by disallowing anyone to display their work under canopies. Meaning, now our work has no protection from rain or, at this time of year, the scorching sun.

Well, July 31st is Last Thursday, and it will be interesting to see whether or not Alberta is motorized from 7 to 10 pm!

Etsy Artist of the day:

Today we'd like to introduce you to Etsy artist Vanessa from Austin, Texas. Her "fun and feminine" jewelry, including the two pieces shown above, can be purchased in her Etsy shop called
Designs by Vanessa.

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Festival of the Arts This Weekend

This weekend is the 45th annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts.
Events will be held from Friday at 10:00 am through Sunday at 6:00 pm at the Lakewood Center for the Arts and across the street at George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, Oregon. We will have six pieces on display (and for sale) in the open show, including the triptych of Portland's St Johns Bridge shown above. If you're in the Portland area, you won't want to miss this wonderful event, which is one of the premier annual art festivals in the northwest.

Etsy artist of the day:

Today we'd like to draw your attention to the beautiful work of Marla from Sea Glass Things in Salem, MA. Marla has been collecting, cultivating, and designing sea glass jewelry for over thirteen years. The glass and pottery used in her designs has been naturally tumbled by the surf, smoothing its edges and making it wonderfully semi-opaque.

You can see more of Marla's work and make a purchase by visiting her Etsy shop Sea Glass Things and her website .

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

St Johns Bridge images © Mesman Images

The Rose Festival is Over

Well, we survived another two weekends of the Rose Festival. The massive Navy ships have come and gone. The Grand Floral Parade actually enjoyed decent weather for once. There was a near collision of two Dragon boats. Summer is officially here. Now, if it would just warm up a bit!

The collage shown above is one that we've created using some of our images of the Portland Japanese Garden. We love the fact that the giant pagoda lanterns are lit, a rare sight that we were lucky enough to see last fall. Prints of this collage are available via our Etsy listing.

Etsy Artist of the Day:

Our featured Etsy shop of the day is Dallas-based Kute Klipboards by Amy. Amy creates these unusual items by embellishing otherwise ordinary clipboards using a variety of materials. And, each one is truly unique, as she says that she's never repeated a design! You can purchase Amy's "Klipboards" here at her Etsy Shop.

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Japanese Garden Collage © Mesman Images

Writing Journals

One new product that we're creating this year is writing journals. Some have ruled sheets of paper, others contain blank paper for drawing, scrapbooking, etc.. Some of these journals can be purchased at the Mesman Images sister shop on Etsy, Mesman Too!

New "TTV" Images

We've been adding to our "through the viewfinder"/vintage-style images. These pink rhododendrons were captured during a recent visit to the Japanese Garden.

Thanks for supporting independent artists and buying hand-made!

Rhododendron images © Mesman Images

Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend

Here's wishing everyone a a wonderful three-day weekend! Of course, we'll be spending ours down at the Portland Saturday Market. While enjoying the time off, don't forget to think about all of the soldiers whom this holiday honors; the sacrifices made by them (and their families) should always be remembered and appreciated!

The image above is yet another version of one of our favorite Japanese Maples at the Portland Japanese Garden. It's amazing how these trees go through such a progression of colors throughout the seasons. This one was taken this spring.

Etsy Artist of the Day:

Today, we call your attention to artist Jennifer Desjardins, whose Etsy shop is known as Distressing Delilah's. Though the pieces shown here, called Winter Rose Necklace and Golden Love Necklace, are jewelry, Jennifer is also talented in other mediums, as you'll see when you visit her shop!

You can purchase these necklaces on Etsy:
Winter Rose Necklace
Golden Love Necklace

Visit Jennifer's shop at Distressing Delilah's.

As always, thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Japanese Maple at Portland Japanese Garden © Mesman Images

Packy the Elephant Mural is Being Destroyed

Each day that we sell at the Portland Saturday Market, we're right below the magnificent mural of the Oregon Zoo's celebrity Elephant, Packy. Sadly, the mural has been reduced to Swiss cheese as windows have been punched through the brick walls of the Skidmore Fountain Building as Mercy Corps builds their new world-wide headquarters. Soon, any trace of the mural will be gone for good.


The mural was painted in 1990, based on the winning submission, by Portland artist Eric Larsen, to a contest put on by the Oregon Zoo. Forty-six-year-old Packy, who enjoys rock star status in this town, has been a welcome sight to anyone crossing the Burnside Bridge or visiting Old Town. Mercy Corps has said that they will honor the memory of the Mural in the lobby of the renovated building. And, of course, we can still visit the real Packy at the zoo!

Etsy Item of the Day:

Today's featured Etsy item comes all the way from Sweden! "Copper Dance" is by Stockholm artist Maria Nyberg, whose Etsy shop is called Macrame By Maja.

Your can purchase these lovely earrings here: Copper Dance
See more of Maria's work in her Etsy shop: MacrameByMaja.

Thanks for supporting Etsy artists and buying hand-made!

Packy the Elephant Mural photos © Mesman Images

First Thursday in the Pearl District

If you're in the Portland Metro area, don't forget that tonight (May 1, 2008) is First Thursday in the Pearl District. In addition to all of the galleries and restaurants being open, the open-air art walk will be set up on NW 13th, between Hoyt and Kearney. The forecast is for dry weather, so come out and support your local artists! We've got beautiful, unique Mothers' Day gifts! For more info, check out Urban Art Network's website.

Tulips Images © Mesman Images

The Buckman Arts Show and Sell

Wow! Have we been busy! In addition to our wholesale and online endeavors, the Portland Saturday Market is back in full swing and, last week, we participated in the Buckman Arts Show and Sell. Which means, we did two shows on the same day! Yikes! We just received a nice note from Mary Bradshaw at Buckman, which reads:

Hello everyone - I wanted to take a moment and quickly thank all of you for donating a piece of your work to the Buckman Art Show and Sell Silent Auction. You should have all received a receipt for your donation except for a few that are being mailed out today. Please let me know if you have not received something by early next week. The show was a smashing success. We were able to raise over $2000 on the silent auction alone. When combined with the proceeds from the Art Show and Sell and the Buckman Bash we were able to raise over $40,000 which goes directly to supporting our arts and music programs. Everyone on the Art Show and Sell Committee and especially myself as the silent auction coordinator want to thank you for your generosity. I hope you enjoyed your participation in the show and hopefully will be back next year! Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy the rest of your spring! Mary Bradshaw Buckman Art Show and Sell

The "Dance" collage shown above is from a new writing journal cover that we created especially for the Buckman show.

ETSY item of the day:

Our featured Etsy item of the day comes from artist KatHannah of Pennsylvania. We love so much of the work in her Etsy shop, it was difficult to choose just one, but we are particularly fond of this one, entitled Jetaime -Mae and Bebe:

You can purchase a print of this lovely oil painting at KatHannah's Etsy listing .
To see more of KatHannah's work, visit her Etsy Shop.

Thanks for supporting Etsy Artists!

Studio 101 Closing

Tillamook Bay, Oregon ©Mesman Images

We're bummed to report that Studio 101 in Garibaldi is closing it's doors.

Etsy Shop of the Day

On a lighter note, today we'd like to introduce you to Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen, an Etsy artist who has a large selection of wonderful hand-made soaps for sale, like these two which caught our eye.

You can see more of Rebecca's products (and buy some, too) by using this link: Rebecca's Soap Deli

Thanks for supporting Etsy Artists and buying Hand-Made!

We Now Create ACEO's

We're now creating and selling ACEO's of our images. ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions, and Originals. They are an offshoot of Artist Trading Cards, which are small pieces of art traded among artists. ACEO's, however, are for sale to anyone and have become the equivalent of baseball cards within the art world. The only criteria for these cards is that they all must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size. Anything else goes. We have a number of ACEO's currently for sale in our Etsy shop and plan to add to the collection frequently. You can check them out here: ACEO's

New feature: Etsy Artists

We're happy to announce that we are going to begin featuring items made by our fellow Etsy artists. While we plan to feature one item per post, this time, we'd like to feature items from two different artists, both of whom create jewelry. Both of these hard-working artists are currently running specials in their Etsy shops, so you should check them out.

Bracelet by DesignsByKat619

The first featured item is titled Montana Blue and Silver Ric Rac Necklace and is the creation of DesignsByKat619. I love the colors in this piece.

You will find this item on Etsy HERE

Her Etsy shop can be found HERE

Necklace by FeatherDragon Jewelry

The second item is titled Victorian Necklace by FeatherDragon Jewelry. The gray and pink in this delicate piece go great together.

You'll find this item on Etsy HERE

Feather Dragon Jewelry's Etsy shop is HERE

Please support these and other Etsy artists!

Portland Saturday Market Begins Season

The Portland Saturday Market, the longest running market in the U.S. devoted exclusively to artists, has kicked off its 35th season this past weekend. Despite conflicting with the annual Southeast Portland Artwalk, there was nonetheless very high attendance. Notable this year is the dramatic change in the site layout, as two major construction projects have altered the landscape. Mercy Corps is building their worldwide headquarters on one side of the site, while the University of Oregon is renovating the White Stag Building to create a Portland Campus on the other. Things seemed to work smoothly despite the changes.

Boardwalk at Cannon Beach © Mesman Images

Portland Saturday Market
Mercy Corps' New Headquarters

Our Note Cards now at The Arrangement

The latest Portland retailer to include our products is The Arrangement on NE Fremont in the Beaumont Wilshire neighborhood. This is a beautiful gift shop in a great area and we're really proud to have a selection of our note cards included there.

The Arrangement
4210 NE Fremont
Portland, Oregon 97213

Toxic Chinese Pet Toys Update

A couple of weeks ago, we brought up the question of whether or not pet toys imported from China are safe. We also wondered out loud why we hadn't really heard anyone talking about this. Well, doing a little web surfing, we discovered that people were talking about this! The links below are to just a few of the articles we've come across.


From the New York Times
From KXAN News in San Antonio
From Ezine Articles

Image of Gelsey at the Dog Cafe © Mesman Images. All Rights Reserved

Trees Make Great Art

One of our favorite subjects to photograph is trees. At any time of year, the architecture, color, and texture of trees makes them interesting and beautiful to look at. Here are a few examples of trees that we've shot during different seasons. The Japanese Maple below was shot at the Portland Japanese Garden during Fall. The bare tree next to it was shot in Herault, France. The moss-covered trunks on the bottom-left are shown as they appear in the heart of winter, near Portland. Finally, the interesting-shaped pine, which appears to have lost its lower limbs, resides on the Oregon Coast and is shown during Spring.

























For info about trees, check out these useful sites:

Spirit of Trees
American Forests
Int'l Society of Arboriculture
National Arbor Day Foundation
National Tree Trust
Nat'l Alliance for Community Trees
See Spirit of Trees for a more exhaustive list