Self-portrait.

Tags

dirty, girl, gold, handmade, jewelry, love, self, self portrait, sweet, wedding ring, work

     

As of late..

Tags

april, etsy, etsy shop, handmade, jeweller, jewelry, johnny deep, life, may, month, nataliaraya, natalie portman, necklace, Paul Mccartney, photography, production, ring, rings, shopping, video, youtube

I think this last month has been so productive, what means productive? means I fill the orders from the shop, custom orders and make new work, which to me it’s the perfect balance, covering everything so there is a good flow of orders and new listings and I realized there is no updates of the work I’ve been doing over here

Let me see..

First I played a little bit with the idea of the yogis, I’ve been meaning to find the time to maybe make one of these but with several different poses instead of other charms.

Then came what it feel like a lifetime of sawing, for a bracelet needed for a wedding..

 

This was made with a jeweler’s saw, and a lot of patience, usually you can’t rush it because if you do just a slip of the blade can ruin the pattern you are trying to cut.and well you have to start again. and noooo, we don’t want that.

 

This is the final result,  I had to make 2 of them in a row (someone on FB saw it and ordered one just like it), so It was time to make some more coffee and put the same playlist back on..and saw away

 

 

 

I think it would look pretty nice in silver as well..

Then as I was on a bracelet roll I made these two..using lapiz lazuli and larimar.

One night in April just before falling asleep (because between all the things I think before falling asleep jewelry is included) I thought of a ring that had a stone that kind of sat partially on top of your hand.. ermm I know it doesn’t make much sense, and when I jumped out of bed at like 1am like a zombie to find the stone and put it on my hand it didn’t either, but the next day, the wave rings were born:

 

 

Then the latest work I’ve done are pretty big rings, letting the stone do most the work and the detail focused in the band.

 

 

Then came the ammonite addiction , ammonites are the mineral form of a fossil shell of the Cretaceous period
that existed 70 to 135 million years ago

 

 

Still using the details in the bands, this one with little 14k gold pebbles..

That look like this when worn..

 

This morning I made the sketch for the matching pendant, I now want ammonite everything, to me to be able to handle something so old is wonderful.. sometimes we get used to the pretty materials included in jewelry making but if you think twice, it is really unique.

And so this is what I made in the last month, this plus several other smaller pieces..

I have also been struggling with photography a little bit,I think is important to have a constant image but I just can’t decide..been using black backgrounds, I ended up thinking I should go back to grey. What do you think?

And now I am off to get something sweet, summer is here and I keep finding excuses to go for some frozen yogurt!

I leave you with this beautiful,beautiful song.

Going up to the Castle

Tags

alleys, balconies, castle, costa rica, delicate, embroidery, energy, everyday, jewelry, knitting, lace, ladies, life, lifestyle, photography, photos, questions, spain, Spanish, story, sweet, town, travel, traveling, views

  This is Vilafames.

They had a showing of old traditions, a lot of people were outside dressed up making food, some of the houses where open for you to see old kitchens, old schools with books dating 1900, pharmacies, butcheries etc.

There was a lot to see but there was music on the streets and people walking up to a small castle, on top of the town.

We walked down the alleys which I truly adore,they are so inviting, make you want to go get lost..

Still heading up the castle we found this.. pretty clear..go up and up..

 

When we got to the ruins the first thing I did was walk into this tower, and look out one of the windows..

This is what I found..

Inside  this place reminded me of conversations with a friend of mine about spots filled with energy, it makes you wish you could have a peek of this place years and years ago.

Coming back down, I found this garden and got in for a closer look. (((It was open, so I figured I could go in, please don’t think I break into other people’s houses to sniff on their flowers, take photos and and run haha!)))

Three ladies were here knitting, doing embroidery and this is when my jaw dropped, making some lace..

 

 

This lady right here was the highlight of  my day, I stared and smiled and asked 1000 questions and went back to the time I asked my little weaving teachers about their work.

She was kind enough to explain about the patterns, and what amazed me the most is that these threads are regular threads, she just knots and knots and I stand there having no idea how she keeps track, she laughed and told me it was years of practice and then stopped to show me some of the other things she had made, including the black lace she was wearing.

Her granddaughter made bracelets, still so intricate, I just enjoy complimenting others on their handmade work, it is truly admirable how they keep the traditions alive.

After talking with her for a little while I told her that I made jewelry, and she pulled out a cookie box, inside there where some bracelets and she said they where made with silver wire..silver thread I thought.. and she handed it out to me and it was indeed the thinnest wire I have ever seen, she even mentioned someone makes this wire for her in a specific size so she can make it lace like this, again I have made thin, thin wire, but this one was the thinnest! and  in person this bracelet was sturdy,really shiny and delicate.

All and all a nice day, came back home with a ball of goat cheese from that area, happy for a little trip, ready to relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Little Corners.

Tags

color, costa rica, everyday, Guatemala, life, love, metal, photography, photos, silversmith, silversmithing, spain, stones, tools, work, workshop

    

 

Going back in time.

Tags

earth, etsy, everyday, handmade, hiking, love, mountain, natural, nature, photography, photos, roads, sky, spain, time, travel, travelling

I was invited to so some hiking, where I live there are several mountains to go check out.

But this one in particular we had to drive about 1h and a half and get to a tiny little town called “Cortes de Arenoso”, the town was extremely small when I asked how many people lived there they told me only 60 do, there is one bakery,one grocery shop,one bar.

By the end of the day I realized how small it was since  I saw the people from the bar, in the bakery then in the park, running into the same people over and over again and greeting them each time.

Up the mountain we went, while listening to stories, about back in the day waking up very early to go to school, then taking care of the sheep and having lunch with their friends under a tree, telling stories, playing games to pass the time.

 

We were heading to a house, a house that had been abandoned for 40 years, on our way the scenery was beautiful and there where abandoned houses everywhere, up here there is no light or water, back then it was candlelit, and the water taken from a well, people started leaving this place to find better opportunities in other places.

 

The first thing I did when I saw the house was run to see inside, the windows where open, that’s when they asked me if I wanted to go in, and we did, there where still old tools for picking up wheat, old mirrors, wine bottles.

It was so interesting to see how they lived, specially while narrated like this, by someone who lived this way, telling me about how they made their own wine, how in the afternoons in that window up there, the same room where they were born, they would braid their hair, do their homework at candle light.

I could imagine every single thing, it was like going back in time and imagining this place as they told me it once was.

  

I took bunches of photos, then sadly the card of my camera decided to die, the poor thing has been with me 4 years. And puff! all gone.

Here I am paying attention, with my 2 sweaters and pale as ever.

After getting back, we went past a truffle farm, oh myyyyyyyy!! I just loved this, they told me how the dogs go sniffing around and they tell you where the truffles are, then also learned a little bit about how snails are raised for selling and it is just so interesting, to see the products of each place.

Back in the little town (I wish my camera didn’t died) a great lunch in the bar, and some more conversations with people who have lived there their entire life.

Right before leaving, when saying the goodbyes, I mentioned how I love tiny bitty towns and told Mr.Primitivo about Antigua and how it was also very small and smiled as he told me he wouldn’t change that place for the world.

I can see why.

While some people would just go mad in such a small place, surrounded by mountains, seeing the same people every day, for some reason I think it must be an interesting experience to rent a little room for a month and be in one of these small towns working with nothing to bother you at all, just peace and quiet and fresh air.

Easter Costa Rica, Guatemala, Spain.

Tags

article, baking, cake, carpets, childhood, chocolate..., costa rica, culture, easter, Guatemala, holy week, life, living, love, nutella, photography, photos, recipe, rosquillas, spain, story, traditions, travel, traveling

 

Easter or “Holy week” as we call it, is a week long celebration.

Back in Costa Rica we have the processions,there are many church activities and people get from 3 to 5 days off, in my family ever since I was little, we would go back to the farm.

Back then my great grandmother was alive, and I was raised very innocently, believing things like if on a holy friday I went to swim in the river I would turn into a mermaid (something that I seriously considered with a friend of mine), she was a 103 and you have to behave because if you happen to disrespect holy friday you will be punished… oh! I did behave.

We used to go camping,fishing and build fires and the older people would tell us stories about ghosts and things that had happened in the farms, which scared me to death, I believed every single word, as I got older I truly cherish those moments and the other day a cousin took a photo of the house of my great aunt where I used to go for holy week, it is an old house that hasn’t changed a bit.

The traditions, the scary bits, which not believed so much now still respected and remembered with certain nostalgia, my childhood is trapped right there in that moment and time and I remember and cherish every detail.

Some places seem to not be touched by time and still every year, my family goes camping, fishing.. oh and my grandma cooking without limits and us eating like there’s no tomorrow.

 

 

From the  traditional foods I love specially “rosquillas” which are made with corn and cheese  in a wood oven, the best way to eat them is put some in a cup of black coffee and eat them with a spoon, believe me!

They can be purchased like this, but back in the farm, every year the corn dough is prepared from scratch and baked in a rustic wood oven.

 

(Source) 

 

Guatemala is pretty incredible, I think I leave that pretty clear every time I talk about it and sight a little, whishing oceans where way smaller.. what calls my attention the most is the carpets they make in the streets ..

But for this go over to Lucy’s  and this particular post of Semana Santa explaining a more about this and many other Guatemalan traditions.

The photo below belongs to my friend Suzanne

You can see the rest of her photos over here

As for Spain,  I guess there could be a blog just about the stuff they do here, like in every other place some people are quite religious and wait all year for this week, I live in a place where is not common to do so much but this is something new I learned “Monas de Pascua”

Starts at 8am making the dough and letting it rest for 3 hours.

Then there is the filling made with lemon, almond,sugar,cinnamon and olive oil

 

Another layer of dough and some decoration..

  

Some are stuffed some are not..

Then we got to this one which at first I thought they where kidding..

This one is one layer of dough..

 

And 2 hard boiled eggs..

Apparently the tradition for kids mostly is while eating it, smash the egg in someone’s head…

That’s when I giggled .. and had to confirm it, from different sources, I may seem so silly asking all these questions but I was curious..

The egg is smashed in the head, but not eaten with the bread, because is sweet…so it is just used later for a salad or something.

One with Nutella, half of the jar to be precise.

 

Here they are all ready to rest for another hour..

Now they had to be glazed with egg, for that golden color, and sprinkled with sugar all around the top

I made the first 2 in the corner.

After an afternoon of baking, running back and forth, ohhhh the smell..

Here they are.

Starting with the famous eggs..

 

The ones with the filling..

A total of 11, some to give away, some to keep.

They are soooo good, and everyone laughs when I keep telling them, they should be eaten all year long not just easter.

So this is how I spent my easter, and I am keeping this recipe with me to make some when I get back home, one of the great things of traveling is this… learning new things that  you can carry with you and can share later on.

This is the one I made and one last thing:

Nutella is love.

Thank you.

Tags

code, costa rica, delicate, easter, etsy, etsy shop, everyday, handcrafted, handmade, happy, jewelry, love, new, offer, pendants, rings, sale, sales, shop, shopping, silver, spain, sweet

 

 

Today I woke up to find out that there are 1500 sales in my shop.

After making and photographing this pendant, I got to listing as much as I could, easter is full on here and we are baking up a storm.

So I stopped by to say thank you, for your support, for linking my work, for the emails I get that make me smile and feel like I should keep going even during times when I am down and  to celebrate there will be a 10% off in the shop using the code EASTER2012 until Monday.

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

 

 

Oh man, oh my, oh me

Tags

celebrations, delicate, earrings, etsy, experiences, fireworks, fleet foxes, handmade, holidays, live, living, march, montezuma, music, party, pearls, photography, photos, shop, shopping, silver, spain, stones, summer, video, winter, youtube

Looking back I realize I have a tendency of disappearing from cyberspace from time to time.

March flew by and it is almost over, and what I can tell you about this month is I experienced my first holidays here in Spain, my teacher had warn me but I didn’t believe him and well mainly wine, lots of food, lots of walking to see the different activities, wine, fireworks and more fire works, and did I mentioned wine? starting at noon until the next day..

Then it was the first day of summer, and instead of sun there was the rainiest day since I have been here, so dark and grey..

The following day I woke up with a sore throat and well the rest is history, a week in bed, trembling and watching way too many movies, coughing and coughing which it was kind of odd since now the sunshine was out there, for an entire winter I didn’t get sick and all this time waiting for some warmer weather to go for long walks and here it was but I could hardly do anything uff!

When I started reviving, I melted some silver and made a big spool of wire and wire wrapped some bracelets and necklaces..

    

then made 3 pairs of earrings like these, that swing side to side..

 

And yesterday when I felt finally healed and stopped coughing  made some yogis..

 

All of them can be found in the shop now, while I am off to make some more things! so this month is not the most unproductive ever!

Also the title of this post comes from this lovely song which I cant stop listening to.

Everything was ok..

Tags

adorable, awesome, beauty, effect, link, music, Regina Spektor, samson, surreal, sweet, sweetness, teary, video, working, youtube

 

Then this song comes up…

                                                                                              

And I get teary eyed and I stop, and I just say “ohhh it’s so beautiful!”

Makes me feel kind of glad to work from home, and nobody has to see me stop what I am doing and singing out loud,  but  on the other hand  I write this post for everyone to know the secret Regina Spektor effect

That’s it!

Today

Tags

amethyst, coffee, croissants, delicate, design, elegant, etsy, everyday, femenine, flower, inspiration, jewelry, love, nature, pale, photography, photos, poloshed, shop, shopping, spain, stems, sweet, tom petty, wildflower

 

I have my first fair here in Spain this coming Sunday!

I started to make some jewelry for the occasion, I think some of my older designs really capture what my jewelry is all about  and so today a wild flower was born.

Halfway there, a small break while the ring was in cleaning in the acid.

 

 

 

( I am completely addicted to chocolate croissants, blame and thank my jewelry teacher for that)

Back home, a little polishing and setting of the stone.

The stone is an amethyst, in a sweet lavender tone, when I saw these stones I bought the only 2 they had, because the color feels just so feminine.

The setting is as if the stems of the flower hold the stone.

 

 

The band is shaped after a branch, holding the flower just a little higher, so it looks like the flower is resting in the branch.

 

 

I am happy with it, is also nice back to look back every once in a while.

Wish me luck!