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  • The sleeping bees are coming to eBay and more! 11/1/25

    The sleeping bees are coming to eBay and more! 11/1/25

    I’m still awaiting confirmation that this Friday’s Halloween Thrifty Night Market is a go – the organizer has been incommunicado and is not yet advertising as of today, Wednesday 10/29. But… regardless, The Friday night Halloween Thrifty Night Market is now ON too! (She just responded finally right after I first posted this! She had to wait for the venue confirmation.)

    So, local Portland beeps (bee-loving peeps) can snag these new cards from me IN PERSON THIS FRIDAY, Halloween, 5-9 pm at 623 SE Washington Street in Portland, Oregon.

    A dark goth and punk style flyer from thriftynightmarket_ on Insta sharing the Alt Night Market on Halloween with Y2k, Goth and punk themed vintage items and more Friday 10/31/25 from 5-9 pm at 623 SE Washington Street in Portland, Oregon. (Flyer is a little hard to read.)

    The entrance is down the steep ramp at the end of the grey building, (to the east), by the monthly paid parking lot. (Parking for us is on street only sorry, so plan a little time to hunt for a spot as we vendors are going to be using the closest spots to set up.) It’s right off of SE Stark, and Grand. Close to the streetcar, if that helps at all.

    Daytime photo from kitty corner across the interestcion of SE 6th and Washington showing the non-descript grey building where the nightmarket will be. A large thumbs up emoji, and arrows point to the entrance highlighted in yellow toward the back (east end) of the building on SE Washington. Text labels show the street names, and N, E, S, W directionals. So it's clear where to go.
    Find us here

    AND I’m going to start listing the Sleeping Bees duo of cards I just shared in my last post on eBay starting November 1st too! (I was just working out shipping details.)

    Their origin story is so hilarious! I dragged myself to my community garden last July 16th (it was around 95F that day – too hot for me and the garden) to water my poor thirsty plot, and slid over to the Gaillardia (red and yellow blanket flower) patch as per usual. But I only had my phone camera on me, as it was so hot. (I live in the same range as butter: when it melts, I melt.)

    Anyway, that’s when I encountered the FIRST image below, where no less than six longhorn bees were snoozing sweetly away in a perfect circle around the center of a single Gaillardia flower blossom, swaying peacefully in the breeze. Totally unbothered. Bums up. Shown here:

    Photo of a notecard made with a photo of six longhorn bees sleeping neatly and sweetly away around the center of a red and yellow Gaillardia flower.
    Sleeping sweetly July 16th

    I snapped several shots and took a little video to prove this was NOT Photoshop nor AI! (I rarely use either, honestly.) I’ve shown the video at multiple markets to great effect.

    So I swore I’d return the next day with my Nikon Z50 to see if I got as lucky again. Well, the laugh was on me! Because there was not one single bee sleeping sweetly away in any fresh fully open Gaillardia blossoms like the day before – oh no. That would be too easy, Jan. You had your chance yesterday!

    No – they were all clustered up on the tattered petals of a bedraggled spent (mature) Gaillardia blossom, also swaying gently in the breeze, looking like a biker gang after a bender! Lol! Ahh… I laughed so hard! That’ll teach me – ALWAYS have your camera on you, silly! But, if you don’t, the best camera (as always) is whatever you have on hand at the time the image presents itself. (Yay for quick reflexes.) Here’s that image I’m calling “The After Party”:

    Photo of a large notecard with a photo of a gang of longhorn bees dangling from the tattered petals of a bedraggled Gaillardia flower. Looking like they were on a bender.
    The After Party 7/17.

    Ahhh… people love both images separately for different reasons I’m finding. As well as the pair together, for the contrast. (I have all three sizes available now.)

    I’ll try to get them out to Crystal Heart Boutique ASAP too- 269 E Main street in Hillsboro, Oregon. I’ll do this by next Tuesday Nov 4th latest, maybe sooner. (That’s the next First Tuesday Art Walk in Hillsboro by the way. Just one block off the MAX Blue Line 3rd street station. Super easy!)

    Anyway, they are here! And soon they can be there – with you – too!

    PS I’m lining up multiple holiday markets, but not all are confirmed yet. Some may get confirmed at the last minute so stay tuned on my socials (see links below) for late-breaking updates. (I try to keep this up to date, but don’t always succeed.) Cheers.

    Jan and the Sleepy Bees October 29th, 2025.

  • Catch the Sleeping Bees at Spot Market 10/12/25!

    I always bring a pack of my small photo notecards with me when I’m exploring potential markets and stores. And almost every time I go out. It’s so hard to convey their incredible colors otherwise.

    I did just that, when I headed out to find the new to me “Spot Market PDX” in the Lloyd Center Mall in NE Portland, Oregon yesterday, Saturday the 11th. Silly me, I didn’t read the notice closely, and ended up stumbling on an entirely different but equally wonderful small artisan market – the Spectrum Market, for the LGBTQIA community. It was also wonderful, so many great artists with loads of cute and useful things, and whimsy. I highly recommend it! But, being straight, they weren’t so interested in me.

    It also took me over 30 minutes to realize this wasn’t the SPot Market! Which uses a lot of ladybugs and spots for their marketing. Indeed, the vendors and market manager confirmed it was upstairs as they began packing up at 5 pm.

    So I headed upstairs, and lucky me, I caught the last hour of the Spot Market after I found it all the way at the east end of the mall, near the old Marshall’s store (near NE 15th) on the left. And I bumbled in again. And met some more wonderful vendors and artisans. Who all raved about my cards. And even bought one!

    But I kept sharing my sleeping bees photos from last July, with the sweet shot and the “After Party” shot cued up in my photos (after I found it again – I take a LOT of photos all the time)! And then they announced there were two vendor openings the next day (Sunday Oct 12th). And the lovely watercolor artist I was with nudged me to inquire. I did, and they said “come tomorrow!” Boom! that simple! (Well, I did show some of my cards.)

    I was so inspired by this wonderful development, and the interest in my duo of sleeping bee images, that I stayed up way too late tonight (last night), and went ahead and developed the images and produced the first cards featuring them shown here:

    Photo of a notecard made with a photo of six longhorn bees sleeping neatly and sweetly away around the center of a red and yellow Gaillardia flower.
    Sleeping sweetly July 16th
    Photo of a large notecard with a photo of a gang of longhorn bees dangling from the tattered petals of a bedraggled Gaillardia flower. Looking like they were on a bender.
    The After Party 7/17.
    Photo showing a pair of small colorful photo notecards, one in portrait view the other landscape featuring the sleeping bees from the other two shots.

    I haven’t even been able to update my online catalog just yet, things are happening so fast! I’m not unhappy – just trying to keep up! I feel a bit like the bees in the “After Party” shot in the middle above, which is the shot I got the next day after I went back with my Nikon to try catching them sleeping sweetly again.

    No dice! Lol. They gave me the finger, and were ALL clustered on that poor bedraggled Gaillardia shown. Not a one was in the still fresh flowers that were still available. Oh no. Nope. They looked like a biker gang on a bender, giving me the bee finger! That’ll teach me to forget my camera! Ha ha!

    As I told someone again, the best camera to have is the one you have on you when the opportunity (shot) presents itself. Don’t underestimate your phone cameras folks! You can see the results are nothing to sneeze at!

    Speaking of which, the images above aren’t the best because I had already packed up my spot light that helps brighten them up. I’ll try to produce some new, better ones soon, hopefully. I’ll also try to get some up on eBay right away too.

    Oh yeah, you can also get Multnomah Falls from me IN PERSON! Else just at Crystal Heart Boutique in Hillsboro for now. Cheerio.

  • Only available at CHB for now (Oct 2025)

    While I do plan to make some copies of my award-winning Multnomah Falls shot available on eBay, right now they are only available to buy as small cards at Crystal Heart Boutique in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon. (269 E Main Street. The MAX Blue Line stops one block away!)

    Aerial photo looking down at the front side of two small photo notecards featuring upper Multnomah Falls frozen (including the Benson bridge) on the left, and the lower falls frozen on the right. A wooden ruler shows beneath for scale.
    Aerial shot looking down on two photonotecards featuring frozen Multnomah Falls. The upper falls with the Benson bridge is on the left, the lower falls on the right. A wooden ruler shows on the left for scale.

    Grab them while you can! They are one of my most popular images. Especially for out-of-town guests and friends.

    They’d make great gifts for Christmas too!

  • On consignment in Hillsboro September 2025!

    On consignment in Hillsboro September 2025!

    I was not expecting to end up on consignment so quickly, but Spirit nudged me to grab my street kit (bag of cards I now carry to sell in person or at street fairs) along with my yellow apron when I went to get my glasses fixed by the retired optician housed at Crystal Heart Boutique in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon last Wednesday 9/10/25. (269 E Main Street, 1 block off the MAX line for the win.) And I’ve learned to follow those nudges lately. They tend to pay off as you’ll soon see.

    PHoto of a glass store front door with website CHB.rocks and other signage including the hours: Tues-Sat 10-5, closed Sun and Mon. The interior and some art and the wooden floor are visible through the glass.

    Of course, my first order of business was my broken trifocal glasses, which are not easy to replace. My temporary McGyver job with a straight pin wasn’t going to hold too long or well.

    But as I waited for the optician to fix me up, I struck up a conversation with the clerk behind the counter. I asked if they happened to consign people (it looked like it, from the eclectic array of arts and crystals for sale) and she said yes! Was I interested in buying – or perhaps selling? And I hesitated, but fessed up – selling. And pulled out a handful of my small notecards for her to see.

    She was impressed, and said that while she could not make the final decision, she could give me the consignment application form and let her manager know. Plus, the store owner was due back any time from a lunch break, so, if I didn’t mind waiting, perhaps we could actually get a final decision since I was from out of town.

    Meanwhile, the optician had my glasses all fixed up as good as new (for reals, he’s amazing) and for very cheap. So we chatted for a bit too. Then I wandered the store for a bit – there’s so much there, I could easily spend a week just perusing it all. And I noticed some other cards for sale on racks, though none quite as bright as mine, of course. (I really do get uniquely vibrant colors on my printer.) But also quite interesting and fun. (Good job I didn’t have any money to spend – there were tons of cute handmade items I’d have loved to buy.)

    Anyway, I decided to go explore the nearby area while I was waiting for Norman the owner to return. Plus I could fetch more cards (including my medium and large ones) for them to consider too. Off I went, finding the nearby transit center (MAX line from Portland), and some other cute boutiques and consignment shops nearby. But at 4:45 pmI figured I best get back before closing at 5 pm, lest I miss him! (They said they’d call me if he came back but then didn’t.)

    Well, turns out I’d just missed him in person BUT – I was consigned if I wanted to be! And how many small cards could I leave with them? Well! How many would you like? :)

    Meanwhile, the store manager came up beside me holding what looked like a large live dragonfly in her palm. But I was so busy trying to do a quick inventory, wrap up business and get out of their hair (they needed to close promptly), that I couldn’t quite tell. Finally, the photographer and naturalist in me could stand it no longer and I asked: “Is that a real dragonfly in your hand?”

    Yup! It sure was! She had just rescued it from out front of the store, caught in a spider’s web~! No kidding! I was stunned – talk about a God wink! ;) Unfortunately she had to rush off to pick up her son promptly, so I could only take a couple quick shots on my cell phone. But how kismet was that? Heck, how kismet was the whole day!

    We’re still ironing out a few details, but I’m happy to be underway with them, and ahead of the Christmas season. Meanwhile, I really gotta get cracking on those worker bees – we gotta be ready to restock again soon! Plus add some more images. Oh frabjous day, calloo callay! Things like this keep happening, and falling in my lap, so I know I’m on the right path, yay.

    Go see for yourselves if you’re in the greater Portland, Oregon area. But plan to make a day of it – the store itself is loaded with amazing locally made art and crystals and gifts to choose from (seriously, chock-full with tons of variety), aimed at the metaphysical community, but with something for almost everyone, truly.*

    And they are in the heart of the old-town Hillsboro district, which has lots of other cute boutiques and antique shops to browse as well. Plus lots of good food around. So, take a day and come on out. Of course, there may be seasonal events in store that I’m not yet aware of too. You know I’ll keep you all posted here and on socials (see below).

    Back to the hive – I gotta get cracking! A la prochaine… Jan Groh, Photograbee 2025.

    *Heads up to my fellow zebras with MCAS – the store is heavily scented with various items including incense, essential oils and aromatherapy, so plan accordingly. (Wear a Vogmask if you have one.)

  • My first coupon code is born! 9/1/25

    Phew! It took me a minute, and I had to pass an intelligence test (I couldn’t figure out the user interface for a minute), but I finally did it: I hatched my first discount campaign for 20% off all auctions through 9/21/25!

    Use code: NEWBEE20 at checkout to get 20% off all Buy it Now (fixed bid) auctions through 9/21/25.

    Square promotional graphic with a brown background, shows a camera lens with a bee in it upper left, "Don't miss my first discount offer good through 9/21/25...", a large honey bee below that. "Code: NEWBEE20" then" At checkout, use discount code NEWBEE20 for 20% off all fixed price auctions (max $10 savings) 9/1/25 through 9/21/25!" Then a graphical logo that reads "Photograbee.com" with a cartoon honey bee flying up and away to the right from it.
    My first discount code

    NB – I also lowered the price on the last two auctions that haven’t moved as well, so you’re gonna get a steal! And, I’ll be uploading more soon, including some fresh new images!

    It’s just hard being the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, AND Gardener, AND Tech support, AND Photographer – WHILE disabled, phew! Pant, pant pant… wait for me…. I’m a BIZZY BEEEEEE! :) <—- more like sleepy, but shhh… don’t tell anyone!

  • Set up for CC now in person

    Set up for CC now in person

    I’ve been a really busy bee behind the scenes, slowly spinning this little bees-ness up with great success so far – thank you early customers! And I haven’t been idle.

    I now have my very own business PayPal, Venmo and Cashapp accounts just for Photograbee, and can also take credit cards in person using either tap-to-pay or my new Square magnetic card stripe reader. So, I’m ready to roll tomorrow, Thursday August 28, 2025 again on Alberta for Last Thursday, yay! (I was testing last month, and used my personal accounts which was not very professional I confess. I wasn’t sure if I was going to press the “Start” button on this busines or not, and your support helped me take the plunge, TY!)

    It’s gonna be a wee toasty for me tomorrow, so I apologize in advance if I look wilted or grumpy – I live in the same range as butter: when it melts, I melt. It’s forecast to be 88 F. But, that beats wind and rain! (I’m bringing ice for myself to be sure.)

    Anyway, just wanted to re-assure folks that you can have peace-of-mind using your credit cards or the other apps with me in person now – I was properly screened and vetted and have tested them all. Cheers!

  • Why the limited catalog?

    Why the limited catalog?

    So I know you, Jan, and you’ve taken thousands of shots since you picked up your first DSLR (your beloved trusty old Nikon D60) in 2008. I KNOW you have many more cool images up your sleeve. Why the limited catalog here?

    Photo showing a green-hued hummingbird feeding from a deep red lucifer crocosmia flower in the sun.

    Well, first off, dear follower, you’re absolutely right, I have thousands of other images. But, barely 1% of those are worth sharing. And yes, I constantly take more, every chance I get. However, yes, that leaves at least 100 worth sharing. So why don’t I show them all here yet?

    Because, if someone buys a set of my cards, and then gets back in touch and says “Could I get another 4-pack of the one with the flowers and bees?” – uhm, well, I’d need help figuring out exactly WHICH flower, and WHICH bees, as I have so many! (Pro-tip: you can see lots of my most recent shots on my social media accounts, especially X and BlueSky. Links down below.)

    So. To make my aging life easier, I’ve established a limited catalog here to start. BUT… I am steadily expanding it as time and energy permit. (I just added a new fourth category – SUNDRY – this weekend!) But again, this way, if anyone wants more of one or another image, they can peek on my website, and say “B1 please“. (This literally just happened the other day.) Boom! Easy! Done!

    This keeps things more manageable for both of us. Enjoy! And don’t forget to leave me feedback on eBay – thank you!! xo – Jan

  • What else is there?

    Don’t look now, but I just hatched a brand new bouncing baby category: SUNDRY.

    You know, for all those “various and sundry” odds and ends that don’t neatly fit into any other category! You know, like birds, squirrels and fall foliage.

    Semi close-up crisp shot of a cute common Oregon brown finch looking proudly at the camera as if in defiance. Despite some crumbs on its beak.
    Proud finch

    I know, I know, I could cook up more categories, but this works for me – for now. Most of what I have fits into Flowers, Bees and Scenics. But, we’ll see how this goes.

    Anyway, go take a peek and see what’s cooking in my new category.

    Jan Aug 11, 2025

  • I’m a sleepy bee!

    I’m a sleepy bee!

    Okay, not always, but sometimes I feel just like these sweet sleeping longhorn bees, snoozing away tucked into this gorgeous Gaillardia blossom.

    I’m thrilled to say all of my auctions have sold on eBay so far! I’m SO happy! I just need to crank out more. Wait for me… I’m a Sleepy Bee…! And thank you for your support – all of you! – Jan August 6, 2025

  • My First Last Thursday as Photograbee July 2025

    My First Last Thursday as Photograbee July 2025

    It was a hare-brained move, and a little premature, but… I realized on Monday July 28th that Portland’s traditional arts fair known as “Last Thursday” on NE Alberta Street (from 15th to 30th) was going to be happening THAT WEEK!

    And, while I wasn’t entirely ready for it, I figured – what the heck? I got nothing to lose, and might even make a sale or two. I’m only selling a couple of my finer images (not shown on here yet) in person still, including Multnomah Falls and Midnight Red Hibiscus. And some odds and ends I may or may not keep selling. (Images that is.)

    I trip-chained on my way, grabbing some more supplies at Office Depot to keep this business going. Then I found I was hungrier than expected on my way despiting eating lunch before, so I grabbed some fast food on the way that I knew I’d regret later. (I did, and how, ow, thanks MCAS – not.) But it is better for me to keep my blood sugar stable and my belly full than to run on empty. I’m glad I did. I also learned just how outrageous prices are getting. I won’t say what I got from where, but the price was easily DOUBLE what it was just over a year ago, gulp! Like, a small fountain drink was $3.99~! Yikes! (I rarely eat fast food – I’ve been fetching my houseless friend Larry his favorite hamburger now and then is all.)

    I hadn’t been to Last Thursday in over ten years, and research showed it was still running the same as before: first come, first served (you snag your spot as early as possible), no fee to artists (THANK YOU), and clean up promptly after and let traffic back through at 9 pm. Roger that. I got there right around 5 pm. Almost too late, but not quite. (I will try to arrive even earlier next time.)

    Photo showing a blue folding cart on wheels with an array of very colorful cellophane wrapped photo notecards in and around some whicker baskets. A sign in front lists prices, and a colorful golden honeybee image catches the eye.

    I only packed one small folding blue cart and stool, as I am disabled from EDS and had no help along, and that worked well, thankfully. (Where there’s a wheel, there’s a way I like to say.) I cannot swing the full canopies anymore – not alone, anyway. And even with help, they are a lot of work. (I’ve been there and done that, and was left stranded once by a friend who had promised to help.)

    Anyway, I made it. The weather was perfect – sunny, but not too hot. Only the lightest of breezes. (I’ve done street fairs before, and wind is as big a problem as rain, trust me.) I came prepared with duct tape, wet wipes, a garbage bag, markers, clothes pins, business cards, my note-cards, a sign, and cash for change. I was even able to help my neighbor with a few things during the event. (I met the amazing Cole Reed from OpenHausPDX.com. Great resource.)

    And it worked! I sold about half of what I brought, which again, was better than nothing. And, I enjoyed no less than two fun bands marching up and down the street and playing and dancing. One was called “Couch Brass”, the other “The Samba Band”.

    My biggest issue was getting gassed out by the super cute but unfortunately smokey two-cycle “Curiosity Cart” that rolled by. I’ve become much more sensitive to such fumes in my dotage, and yup, I was super sick for the next two days between that and the bad foodI wolfed on the way.

    I also ran out of small notecard stock – sorry guys! I realize you’re all ready to buy from me on eBay and there’s nothing for sale just now! I’ll be fixing that real soon, don’t worry. I just had to recover and tidy up some loose ends. (Including figuring out how to get a blog roll to show on this hybrid site of mine – I last set one up 13 years ago!) I’ve been blogging about EDS for 11 years now over at OhTWIST.

    Here’s some more photo and hopefully videos to enjoy. I am going to TRY to make it again this month, August, 2025. But, no promises. Your best bet for the latest is to follow me on any of my socials, linked below at the bottom of every page under their respective icons. My health can and does change on a dime, so even if I think I’m going the night before, I could be bed-bound the next day for no good reason. That’s how my disabled life goes, and why I’m self-employed, sorry not sorry.

    Photo showing a folding blue rolling cart filled with Jan's colorful photo notecards with a sign in front listing prices.
    Jan’s handiwork

    Alright, back to the workshop! I got customers waiting – thank you!! -Jan G, Photograbee August 5, 2025

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