Tot sobre rovellons.

 

Welcome to the woods!

Yesterday was an interesting day…

One time I was making small mushrooms for a ring and my teacher and I started a to talk about them, he told me about going to the woods once a year to pick a variety of them, how seriously people take this and I asked a million questions, little did I know two years later I would be doing it myself.

The most important thing is to go with someone that knows where to find them, location and the right spots and which  are the ones you can eat and which are poisonous, I was lucky to go with three men who had 50 years of doing this

They gave me a special knife, because they have to be removed from the stem, if you just pull them they won’t grow next year.

 

 

And a whistle, there were 6 of us in groups of two, so one blow meant we were around, two blows meant you were lost

They gave me a basket and then they left before I could ask anything else, in a blink they turned into little children right before my eyes and just left with their basketsl

I was faced with this:

Basket in hand just knowing I was to search on damp places.

I can’t describe the joy..

But I can show you.

  

 

So many different kinds, so many details, I found  many hidden under rosemary bushes.

The minute you moved them around to pick the rovellon between the damp smell of the earth and rosemary it was impossible not to smile, what a pure smell.

The whole place was the perfect scenario for a fairytale

 

 

We were there from 9am to 2pm having a little break in the woods for lunch under the mist and we showed each other what we had found

Here is a different variety of the ones we can eat.

Here is what I found.

 

It was such a lovely experience, specially since the people I went with knew so many stories of the place, they told me many recipes, how to clean them and store them even how to conserve them.

I agreed to come next year.

These are the moments I cherish.

Going back in time.

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.

Today

 

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!

Ribbit!

Finding things and turning them into jewelry, is one of my favorite things, it’s really eye catching and gives a little back story to the piece..

For example, this little piece of wood, was picked in a beach in Costa Rica, and then turned into the home of this little frog..

 

I apologize for the dirty,messy fingers in the photos, if you know me, you know sadly that’s their natural status

As for the pendant, all made with sterling silver, the frog, some little leafs, a wonderful Ocean Jasper cabochon in one of my favorite colors..

Making her way to the shop this coming Sunday

So hard to convince…

This is Jorgito he is a gnome that was born March 18th,2010   between a good friend of mine who loves gnomes and I .

He went with me to Guatemala and came back.. he’s always been around..

This week I thought it was about time for the world to see him, but then he just completely turned around and didn’t want anything to do with me..

He is not being mean, he is just very very shy, and I guess it could be scary for a little gnome used to hiding to call the attention so much..

I tried to bribe him with chocolate..

And he gave me such a hard cold stare.. how embarrassing! how could I think he would give in so easily to a giant chocolate bar???

The disappointed Jorgito kept hiding all week long..

I tried to convince him once again, and basically told him, that by letting me make a piece of jewelry with him, he could travel! he could meet new people and see new places..

After hours and hours, of sitting down and chatting..

He wondered where he would go?? We don’t know yet but it triggered his interest and asked to see what I had planned..

He finally agreed!!!  but under his own  terms of course.. and here you have it..

Still hiding a little bit, but I assure after this he is fully into it. so there will be more of him around here..

This right here…

 

 

Would make me reaaaaallyyy happy… do you imagine curling up in a sunny day in one of these??

Designed by Parisian duo Daniel Pouzet and Fred Frety for DEDON

Waiting for the sun to come down..

Finally yesterday, while still in my forced hibernation..  I waited and waited until the sun went down to go for a walk in the afternoon.

It’s been a month of which every single minute of my time it’s been exclusively to rest and do nothing, since my body is not ready to go back to the crazy routine, I call life.. But since nothing lasts 100 years, it was about time to go out, I covered my wound and  yesterday I went out to search some fresh air, and I found it down the road from our house, by a river , where you can find giant trees responsible of filling me with the purest oxygen..

Green long empty roads that really made me forget this whole situation to give me back for a second that joy of discovering , pictures of  people working on the field (it’s the season to harvest the beans here), entire families outside in the corridor catching that little bit of wind in the afternoon,drinking coffee, looking at who’s passing by saying ” Höla” or “Buenas tardes” with a smile,and wondering who you are, here my introduction is my grandmas name and they immediately know where I come from, kids in their bicycles just running around,dogs so many dogs, having dogs is a must here, to take care of the house,of the cows, etc..

A 50yr old bridge which swings back and forth as you walk through it..

I stopped in the middle…

look down …

On one side,

Then the other..

Images that really make me happy and peaceful and that for some more  time will be the world I’m going to live in..

Hope to get some good news tomorrow..

 

Fishing 101

Find silent river in the afternoon, where others go fishing..

Throw fishing cane really far into the river…

This is when you relax, you are one nature,with the river, call the fish with your mind and just stay still hoping something that is not branch bites..

Freak out when something actually bites and the person who was supposed to help you is taking photos..(oh and by the way hold the cane with 2 hands in this step or else it will fall off in the river,the fish will be gone and the photographer  must go swim after it)

Give the cane to someone else and chill by the river, promise to try another day, try to lift some weights previously

The end.

A peek of the madness…

It’s been a while now since I’ve blogged, used facebook anything!

I feel my poor shop is been neglected, no new items for a while nothing!

But again I am testing myself I have never never ever had this many pieces in stock.. I got 74 completely done and some that are still in the making.

From today on I have exactly 10 days to make jewelry, all I can for the fair (if you don’t read this blog the fair lasts 10 days that’s why I’m going crazy) I am getting so excited I just what this to begin already!

Well I wanted to show you some of the stuff I’ve been working on..

My little ladies.. I have to make some more of them.. to think I almost didn’t bring them.

I’m making rings with different stones…

Some of my trippy flowers…

.. and regular flowers..

Some pendants with different stones..

Some cute small pendants…

And the spores collection ..

Double rings these are the big ones…

And I made some smaller ones, and some pinky rings coz they are cute

Variations..

I made 2 sets and several pairs of earrings which I think I will offer polished too

Longer earrings and a pendant with jade in it.. the stand is going to be separated in collections this one goes in the nature one

And that’s it I’m not going to spam you even more with pictures!! haaa I can’t take pictures of each thing I’ve made but I will be back with more!

Have to run now!

Adieu

Weekend…

 

 

 

 

 

*