Inspirational studio ~ The Noisy Plume

 This post combines two things I love creativity and travel ! Jillian of  "The Noisy Plume" is a wonderful jewelry artist who now has a wonderful work studio thats mobile. A labor of love for Jillian and her husband. They aquired the 1964 Sovreign Landyacht Airstream trailer from a farm in Idaho. Much work went in to the restoration of this retro dream like the more than 2500 rivets that were buck-riveted in to the interior walls. A skylight was put in along with light blue flooring and the inside of the door painted tangerine orange.

Julian's husband is a smokejumper or wildland fire fighter which requires him to be away from home for part of the year. Now that they have Miss Maple, which is what the Airstream has been fondly named, Jillian can travel along with her husband and have her studio too. There is still work to be done on Miss Maple like installing a custom work bench with lots of little drawers and shelves and of course a kitchen galley, shower, bed all you need for on the road living. How does she feel about her new studio ? " I love the space.  It glows.  I can’t explain it fully, but the light is serene and divine, no matter the time of day, and it feels really good."

To see more of Miss Maple or Jillian's beautiful jewelry visit her blog The Noisy Plume . You could also take a peek at her shop on Etsy thenoisyplume.etsy.com

♥

Casa de Chocolates

 

Casa De Chocolates is a wonderful little artisan shop in North Berkeley. This unique culinary gem is part of a ethnic foodie community in the northern part of California. As you walk down the street curiosity draws you in to the house of chocolates. Once you enter you are not disappointed, exotic chocolates inspired by the ingredients of Latin America excite the senses.  Aztec and Inca cultures are represented in

ingredients like cinnamon, chili pepper and quinoa. Casa De Chocolates is the creation of two Latin American women, Arcelia Gallardo and Amelia Gonzalez. If you are not in the Bay Area you can still visit the little shop and take home some chocolate by clicking HERE.

   2629 Ashby Ave. Berkeley CA 94705  /  casadechocolates.com

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Frida Kahlo by Rupert Gracia

I love this print of  Frida Kahlo by renowned Bay Area artist Rupert Garcia. This Mexican American California artist had a recent exhibit at the de Young museum in San Francisco, Rupert Garcia: The Magnolia Editions Projects 1991-2011. To see more of his work, learn more about the artist and see a video interview click here.










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Bicichalina ~ let's ride

This poster has great colors and graphics and I love the idea behind it ! Bici is short for the Spanish word for bicycle - bicicleta and chalina is the word for scarf. The poster is from the bicycle riding club Actibícimo in Miraflores, Peru announcing their fall evening bike rides through the city. I think it's great how this bicycle riding movement is spreading all over. To see a short video of one of their evening rides watch " Noche de Bici en Lima ".

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Andy Ve Eirn ~ beautiful knitwear

 

This beautiful knitwear is from Andy Ve Eirn, a shop I found on Etsy.  Yael Scharaby is a designer with a collection of elegant, simple and minimalistic knits. Above are a few of my favorites from her shop. Click on the colored links to see more designs or to visit the designers about page.












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Formentera - Rustic Beauty

via The Style Files

A wonderful Mediterranean get away on the island of Formentera near Spain. I love this type of rustic elegance. The white walls give it a fresh modern feel then the rustic wood makes it warm and cozy. What a great place to just relax and recharge, problem is you wont want to leave : )

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Matcha Chip Cookies

A wonderful recipe from the blog " une deux senses " for soft chewy cookies with matcha green tea chips. This is the second time I've shared a recipe from Michelle's blog, last time it was " Green Tea & Strawberry cupcakes ". Notice a theme ? Une deux senses has so many delicious recipes and beautiful pictures, I look forward to sharing more. To see the full post for any of these recipes or to visit Michelle's blog just click on any of the colored links.

Chewy Matcha Chip Cookies

Yields: 24 - 30 cookies

For the cookies

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 tbsn. strong-brewed green tea

2 cups matcha chips

For the matcha chips:

2 cups white chocolate chips

2 tbsn. matcha powder

To make the matcha chips, carefully melt the white chocolate over a double boiler, making sure not to burn it. Once smooth, whisk in the matcha powder until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into 'chips' onto a piece of foil. Allow to harden completely, about 1 hour or you can speed this up in the freezer.

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until very smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and green tea. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until well combined. Fold in the matcha chips carefully. Roll rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, then place on the prepared cookie sheet, about 1 1/2" apart. Use your palm to press them down slightly. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely on a rack.

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Faces of the world

Lanna Girl, Thailand

Photograph by Lotta Lonnquist, My Shot

Ballerinas, Berlin

Photograph by Maria Helena Buckley, My Shot

Desert Crossing, Rajasthan, India

Photograph by Shivji Joshi, My Shot

Beautiful people pictures from all around the world found at National Geographic. 






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Eco-friendly Tagua Jewelry Collection

On my recent trip to South America I was able to travel to Ecuador for the first time, home of the Tagua nut. I was excited to be able to hand pick my materials. They take the eco-friendly Tagua nut, slice it, polish it and dye it so many beautiful colors it was very hard to choose. It was quite a trek, nine hour bus ride from the border of Peru. So much lush green scenery, my husband and I love traveling by land through South America. Once I was back home I was very anxious to start creating, all the wonderful colors were very inspiring. Once I started I couldn't stop, more and more ideas came as I worked with these materials. Lots of long earrings and necklaces in vibrant colors and unique organic shapes.

I finally had to stop and start putting items in to my shop. All these colors and shapes are perfect for Spring and Summer. I'll be sharing more items from the collection and get started on new summer designs. I love working with Tagua nuts and other Amazon seeds, the amazing colors and organic shapes are just part of the reason. The fact that these materials are eco-friendly was one of the main reasons I decided to focus on creating collections with these elements. If you would like to know more about Tagua nuts click here. To see the entire collection visit my shop : TaniaCaveneciaTorres.com

♥

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Lucy Snowe Photography

 

Lucy Snowe is a photographer from the Pacific Northwest. Many of her works have a beautiful dreamy feel, especially the winter horse and Audrey Hepburn inspired photographs with their soft blue gray color palette. But what originally drew me to her shop was the photo below of " Pinky Novak ", a very different look and feel. Lucy explains, "This lovely little dog belongs to my fashion designer friend Cynthia. I think Pinky looks exactly like Kim Novak in a technicolor Hitchcock movie sitting in this beautiful aqua chair." I am a Hitchcock and classic movie fan and totally agree !

.  visit  Lucy Snowe Photography  to browse the many different styles and options .

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Lima Mas Arriba - Evelyn Merino Reyna

Peruvian photographer Evelyn Merino Reyna's "Lima Más Arriba". A beautiful collection of photographs taken from the skies above Lima, Peru over the course of 6 years. She spent more than 300 hours of flight in different light glider like aircrafts some motorized and some not. This video can best appreciated when watched on full screen and with sound, the photographs are synchronized to music.

enjoy ♥

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Moda Primavera

Moda Primavera or Spring Fashion is a treasury I made on Etsy inspired by beautiful things in the hues of the Pantone Fashion Color Report for Spring 2012. Pantone is known as the global authority on color. This is what they have found : " For spring 2012 designers are inspired by diverse influences, showcasing a range of styles and lifestyles, from free and playful and light and breezy, to contemporary classics. Colors likewise reflect these differing moods, encapsulating vivid brights, soft muted tones and fun-loving pastels.">Here is the list of colors for this season, I love the imaginative names :Cockatoo Blue • Cabaret Pink • Tango Tangerine • Solar Power Yellow • Margarita Green • Sweet Lilac • Starfish Taupe • Driftwood Gray • Bellflower Lavender • Sodalite Blue

Here are the talented artisans from above listed from left to right: 1. Metamorphsi 2. Magalerie 3. Sevenply 4. Filamentstore 5. Pinky A Gogo 6. Lemka B 7. Blush Fashion 8. The Pretty Do Good 9. Pardes 10. Round House Jewelry 11. Eco Shag 12. Independent Reign 13. Mohop 14. ao3designs 15. rntn 16. honeytree








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Almond Waffles with Orange Honey Syrup

I came a cross this wonderful recipe and video on a delightful blog called Roost. Please visit Roost for the full recipe for Almond & Yogurt Waffles with Orange Honey Syrup and see all her other beautiful photographs and recipes by clicking HERE

 ♥

Princessa Inca ~ Vogue Mexico

 This beautiful spread of photographs is from Vogue Mexico of August 2011. It's titled Inca Princess and was photographed in Cusco Peru by photographer Michael Filonow featuring model Tiiu Kuik. I wanted to share this because I just returned from a trip to Peru where we stayed 10 days in Cusco and fell in love with the vivid colors and amazing scenery. I will be posting soon some of our pictures and experiences. Below is a the intro paragraph from Vogue Mexico in Spanish.

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Viajamos a Perú para dejarnos seducir por su luz y su magia únicas. La tendencia étnica se alía con la fascinación andina para transformarte en una suntuosa princesa inca de leyenda. Fotografiada por Michael Filonow, la modelo Tiiu Kuik nos transporta al folclore y gran colorido de este maravilloso país donde su riqueza cultural impacta a primera vista. Encuentra más sobre esta producción en la edición impresa de Vogue agosto.


click on the heart to see the complete photo shoot   ♥

Iced Vanilla Coffee

I came across this delicious iced coffee recipe and these gorgeous pictures on the Call me cupcake ! blog.  Linda has a beautiful blog filled with wonderful recipes and amazing photographs. You can stop by and browse just click HERE

♥

Pedro Diego Alvarado

3 Chirimoyas - Tres Chirimoyas

Mazorcas verticales, una roja ~ Verticle Maize, one red

Candelabro Oaxaqueño Vertical ~ Oaxaqueño Verticle Candelabra

These vibrant beautiful paintings are from Mexican painter Pedro Diego Alvarez, grandson of Diego Rivera. I love the wonderful colors and painting style of the Mexican Modernist School. This movement started in the 1920s by artists including Diego Rivera embracing bold new world imagery full of color and activity of the everyday lives of the contemporary Amerindian people.

"In Mexico we have extraordinary light...we live surrounded by very lively colors and that reality is necessarily reflected in my work. I am a Mexican painter, not only by birth but also because I live and work here. The great Mexican painters (Orozco, Rivera, Tamayo) reflected this light, the biodiversity, the fruits, the men and their cultures in their creations...These are all very profound things and are a part of what it is to be Mexican." - Pedro Diego Alvarado 2001

      To see more of Pedro Diego Alvarado's work visit

    http://www.pedrodiegoalvarado.com

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inspiración ~ Inspiration

via Alita via flickr by Chronographia

I love this photograph ! I've been wanting to start a knitting project, this inspires me  ♥