Pica Pica ~ making empanadas

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen is a Venezuelan Arepera or take out style restaurant run by a father and daughter team. This is the first of it's kind in California with one in Napa and one in San Francisco. Adriana Lopez, the daughter, has a blog AdrianaLopezBlog.com where she shares information and recipes for Venezuelan dishes. My husband and I have visited the Napa location and have enjoyed everything we've tried. So I thought I would share Adriana's photos and video instructions for making empanadas from her blog.

for more instructions on how to prepare empanadas click HERE to visit Adriana's blog

La Fuerza de Frida ~ Vogue Mexico

This beautiful fashion editorial appeared in Mexican Vogue for their March 2011 issue. I think they have done an excellent job interpreting the strength and unique style of the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. What makes this homage to Frida so special is that it was photographed in la Casa Azul, her private residence in Coyoacán, Mexico. The title of the editorial "La Fuerza de Frida" means the strength or force of  Frida. I have also included below the video of the making  of this colorful editorial.

photographed by Michael Filonow /  model - Renata Sozzi

Vintage Chenille from Australia

Have you ever heard of Koorlong Australia ? You may not have since it's a small town but this is where Vintage Chenille is from. These creations are adorable ! Leah takes vintage chenille blankets and makes whimsical things like Scottie dogs, ice cream cones, elephants and rabbits. One of the things I love about vintage is taking something that was once beautiful but now forgotten and neglected and giving it new live.

 You will find Vintage Chenille on Etsy, stop by Leah's shop and take a look at some of the other wonderful items. There is also a blog you can visit called Handmade Bits and Pieces, just click on any of the pictures above or on the colored links to visit.

 

Machu Picchu Post ~ via France

A great animated short from France.  'Machu Picchu Post', was made by three students, Clement Crocq, Margaux Durand-Rival and Nicolas Novali at the 3D school Supinfocom Arles in France. The story is about a Peruvian boy and his llama. While they both sit around bored a french mail plane flies over and loses some letters from it's mail bag. 

The boy sees one of the letters that has flown out and picks it up to make a paper plane to play with. Everything the boy does with paper plane actually begins to happen to the real plane, taking them all on a wonderful fantastic trip in to an imaginary and colorful Inca world.

Machu Picchu Post was featured on CG Society- society of digital arts website. Margaux Durand-Rival, one of the animators, explains in detail how this wonderful project was developed. You can read her interview and see several more pictures on the making of the film by clicking on the blue link above.

Machu Picchu Poste has it's own website click HERE to visit.

Flora Caribeña ~ Nieves Pumarejo

Gracias Nieves for this beautiful print !
Nieves Pumarejo is an artist from Puerto Rico. I participated in her recent blog giveaway and
won. Her artwork was carefully packaged thensent all the way from Puerto Rico, it just arrived
yesterday ! If  you would like to see more of her lovely artwork you can visit Nieves' Etsy shop
Toshi's world or visit her blog .  

                   Just click on the links or photo