Monday, January 9, 2012

Your Home as an Art Piece


Have you purchased a piece of art and found it is a topic of conversation? We think of ideaboxes as large art pieces. 

Each element of the home is thoughtful and personalized to meet the character of the owner.  Each ideabox is a symbol of the owner’s design style, as well as, life style.  Their ideabox tells a bigger story than just the home they live in. It shows what they stand for. Maybe it is to “live off of the grid”, to live with less (space and clutter), or to simply be an “out of the box” thinker and doer. Whatever the style, our clients have found that the story is best told from an ideabox.

People are becoming aware of the varying applications available in prefab modern living.  They are going beyond the interest of living out of the box, and defining their own market for modern prefab homes. Each owner’s reason for choosing an ideabox will be different, but the pride will remain the same. Their story is a part of the home.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Willamette Valley Cheese Co.


This is the outside of the tasting room
I recently toured the Willamette Valley Cheese Company in West Salem and I had a great experience! I had only heard great things about their company, and found all of it was true. When we arrived Marita greeted us in the tasting room with a friendly smile and obvious passion for what she does.

Not knowing much about cheese we did not know where to start. She took our group through the most popular cheeses and explained how each one differed. We felt welcomed and that our business was appreciated. We got to take our time tasting with no pressure of time (did I mention that they were free tastings). Seeing the operation of their working farm reminded me of what “local” truly means.

Rob Volbeda of  Volbeda Farms owns and operates the Willamette Cheese Company. With award winning cheese, emphasis is placed on quality during every step of the process.

Quality every step:
  •  Certified organic pastures and production facilities
  • Raw or Pasteurized Jersey Milk 
  • No Herbicides, Pesticides or Commercial Fertilizers
  • No Product Additives, Preservatives or Hormones
  •  All-Natural & Hand-Crafted Cheeses



Rob graduated with a Food Science degree from Oregon State University, then apprenticed with three different cheese masters in Holland to learn the art and science of cheese making. Beyond amazing cheese Rob has built a genuine brand. Willamette Valley Cheese Company does not have customers they have fans. The cheese was the best I have ever had, but the people made it even more memorable. I would definitely suggest it for a nice afternoon activity… and remember, show up hungry!

WVCC famous Jersey Cows
photo taken from:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Willamette-Valley-Cheese-Company/146925235346365   



The inside of the tasting room, decorated for Christmas


Some of the offerings of their cheese 
This was some cheese that was in the back not packaged yet