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

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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  ♥




 

para la cocina

Para la cocina or for the kitchen is a selection of beautiful ceramic pieces from talented artisans that I just had to share. The small pitcher with the great colors is from Melissa Older of  Miss Pottery . 

At 4 1/2 " high it's the perfect size not too small and not too big.

 Next is igotumatcha's set of four tea cups handmade from porcelain clay with a clear glaze. The neutral color and smooth surface give a serene feel and I love the simple curved design. 

These little cups are simple but sturdy measuring 3" x 3".

Speaking of love, the two heart shaped bowls in a delicious raspberry color make a sweet addition to any table setting. They are hand thrown in speckled stoneware with a hint of purple inside 

by Christine from Red Hot Pottery.

  Do you have a mortal and pestle? Clamlab has a nice small one with the end of the pestle and the outside of the bowl glazed but not the rest for an optimal grinding surface. This size is great for crushing seeds and dried herbs into powder.

Like to take more of a peek, just click on any of the colored links to visit these shops. ♥

Eco chic pods ~ Swiss Alps

I'm a big fan of yurts so I know I would absolutely l-o-v-e hybernating in these beautiful pods. They look so cozy, rustic and modern, a great way to enjoy the snow. The Whitepod resort has 15 geodesic-dome pods surrounding a central chalet called the Pod-house. It's located in Switzerland, where the Swiss Alps begin in the village of Les Cerniers only a 45-minute drive from Montreux.  Very eco chic  ♥

via desire to inspire

* click on the colored links for more on yurts and pods *

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Recette filmée ~ Macarons

A beautiful recipe film !

Carte Noire Recette filmée #1 Macarons  from  ))) datafone  on  Vimeo.

bon appetite  ♥

Silvia Gándara's whimsical world

Silvia Gándara is from Salamanca Spain and creates charming illustrations. Her characters adorable and sweet appear on a variety of handmade items by Silvia, jewelry, stationary, bookmarks, keepsake boxes, dolls and more. To see her work visit her Etsy shop or her blog silviagandara.blogspot.com . She also has a shop on envelop where you can purchase pillow cases, aprons and tote bags all with her delightful illustrations. Just click on any of the colored links above.

     Here's a peek at her studio, muy bonito Silvia  ♥

Trail Blazers ~ high fashion in the Andes

Here are some beautiful pictures taken by famous Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino. The photo shoot titled Trail Blazers was done in Cuzco Peru for 2008 UK Vogue.  These pics caught my eye since my husband and I will soon be heading to Cuzco ourselves. I especially like them because it's not your typical Inca princess theme or high fashion peasant girl (cholita) instead it's high fashion trekker girl !  My inspiration for this trip is the trekker girl part, a little style wouldn't hurt either  : )

click on the heart to see the complete photo shoot   ♥

La Buena Vida ~ Fava bean salad

Another great recipe from La Buena Vida blog, sounds familiar ? Yes, I shared a wonderful recipe by Nicole Franzen in a previous post - roasted baby artichokes !  Well here's a simple, quick and refreshing salad of  fava beans with mint and mustard greens. Click on any of the colored links to visit Nicole's blog to be inspired her recipes and photos.

Ingredients

2 pounds of fresh fava beans
1/2 of a lemon
fresh mint
mustard or mesclun greens
parmesan cheese
sea salt & pepper
olive oil

Method

Remove fava beans from their pods. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Add fava beans and cook till tender about 3-4 minutes. Shock fava beans in an ice water bath. Allow to cool then remove the outer shell of the fava bean. You will see the bright, vibrant green bean. In a bowl mix the juice of half a lemon, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. In a bowl add a few handfuls of greens, mix in fava beans, leaves of fresh mint, parmesan cheese, and dressing. Toss well and serve.

La Buena Vida blog