lunes, 15 de diciembre de 2008

it had to be green

I swear to G.d I didn't cheat.
Your rainbow is shaded green.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What is says about you: You are an intelligent person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

jueves, 4 de diciembre de 2008

a rant

Besides the news, there are four tv series that I never miss:

1- Child of Our Time: BBC series with an average of three episodes per year.
2- Lost: haven't seen an episode since the season finale months and months ago.
3- Cuéntame: spanish series scheduled Thursdays nights.
4- Pushing Daisies

So I almost felt like crying when I learned that Pushing Daisies had been cancelled. There's no other show like it on tv right now, the attention to detail, art direction, the performances, specially from miss Kristin Chenoweth and Swoosie Kurtz (I love saying her name Swoosie, Swoosie...).

Are tv executives out of their mind!?!?! What am I supposed to watch now?

miércoles, 5 de noviembre de 2008

I should be celebrating...

but it's hard to get over the fact that discrimination is alive and well. History was made, but equality must be for all, black, Latino, gay, lesbian, rich, poor.

Today my family was denied it's basic rights.

miércoles, 1 de octubre de 2008

just because

I have everything ready for tomorrow's debate. Will it be as funny as the Saturday Night Live sketches? Crossing my fingers.
Thanks to Tina Fey my nephew (14) is now interested in politics, weird.

Yes, I have too much time in my hands.

sábado, 20 de septiembre de 2008

sad beauty

Viewing some pics taken in a recent one day trip to the south I was overcome with emotion after seeing first hand the devastation that this hurricane season has caused in the crops. Complete plantain, banana, corn and grape fields are still under water a week after the storms. Thankfully not many lives were lost, as opposed to our neighbors Haiti and Cuba.

jueves, 18 de septiembre de 2008

is that a duck in my wrist?


I was able to make my first softy a few days ago. I chose a pretty simple pattern found here and couldn’t be happier with the results. After it was done, it hit me: “What was I going to do with a little duck?”, so I added a blue ribbon to the bottom and some Velcro, and voila, a new pincushion!

domingo, 14 de septiembre de 2008

the last day

The Hudson’s version of an Englishmen's club is anything but traditional. Don't let those Haunted Mansion fake books fool you, we are not here to read, we're here to play and this is what we're doing.

There's no doubt about it, the grape Fanta pool table, as I’ll call it, is the centerpiece and “she” knows it (I don’t know why, but with those solid legs and dressed in that color, the table definitely looks like a gallega lady just coming out of mourning). Hanging above “her” is an oversized domelike lamp providing just enough light to showcase this solid purple beauty. Long gone are the days of drunken commoners playing pool at their favorite seedy joint.

But nothing is more suitable for a place that once hosted the Sesame Street studio than the fifteen black and white pictures of coquette cows donning their best Sunday hats. Forget the coffee table books here and there, with those black and white chubby girls who can look at anything else?!?

Champagne flows by the bottle and lively conversation is enhanced by Amir, the always engaging host tending to our every need. It’s a shame that there's no time to visit Mogadore, suggested by our newly acquired friend as the best Moroccan restaurant in the city. But don't worry dear friend, as the now Governor of California once said: "I'll be back".

Warning: If the room temperature is low and you’re only dressed in your underwear, it’s NOT a good idea to sit on the custom made aluminum chair to blog. Hey Phillippe Stark, can you say butt-freeze??

sábado, 13 de septiembre de 2008

NY day 2

When I think of Miami I think blue, annoyingly happy acqua blue. When I think of NY I think black, sleek, slimming, deceiving and trendy black.

Fortunately my mother died. Don't get me wrong, I loved my mom, but mourning her has made me feel a little less out of place in this steel mass that houses assembly-line-always-wearing-black people. Suddenly I'm not asked why am I always in black shirts and, unlike Tati, no one has approached me asking me if I'm a tourist.

NY has no sidewalks, it has catwalks. Perfect people gliding by, no sounds coming out of them but still screaming fashion. Is it the way their heads seem to carry an imaginary book? Or is the way their arms barely sway? Who knows! I just know that doing the NY walk is impossible with the hips I have, but that hasn't stopped me from trying.

viernes, 12 de septiembre de 2008

The Hudson is now my favorite hotel in NY

So far I'm liking what I see. Starting with the bald Godlike creature greeting us at the door and the ascent to boutique hotel heaven thru escalators suited for a subway.

Check in under the chandelier, holographic light bulbs, as real ones are just too kitsch to have at The Hudson.

An then up to our rooms, up in elevator limbo. Red "EXIT"'s bleeding their lights in the dark barren hallways. Am I being taken to an experiment room behind one of those generic doors? I'm numbered, 972 tattooed in my card (thank God not in my arm). Is this what my future is going to look like? I'm doomed.

An then my door opens, soft heavenly glow filtered thru chiffon barriers. Dark wood, mirror and art as nightlight. The required tiny white formulaic b (as in "boutique") bathroom , clean, crisp. My future looks surprisingly brighter now. Too tired to think I jump to my nest. Soft pillow? Hard pillow? I've entered a world in which those are the toughest decisions I will have to face. And so, as my head hits the hard allergenic pile of mush my eyes adjust to the light I find myself wondering: "What is that popcorn ceiling doing here?!?!"

More later.

sábado, 6 de septiembre de 2008

in case you're wondering

I guess I'll have time to do a little crafting. Hey, I'm just trying to find the silver lining here.

miércoles, 3 de septiembre de 2008

warning

Even though I may seem somewhat sane in my posts, I actually have no idea what I’m doing.

jueves, 28 de agosto de 2008

my baby the entrepeneur

It seems like yesterday that she was born, “Bachata Rosa” sounding everywhere. As soon as I saw her face I fell in love with her. She was my doll to dress up and spoil; that’s what aunts do, isn’t it?

No longer a baby, M is now using her free time to start a little business (when not studying, partying and sleeping). After years of helping her with projects, dioramas, costumes... the time I’ve dreamed about came a few weeks ago, when I was asked to make a logo for her “cookie business” even though most of them end up being consumed before they’re even packaged.

Maybe in 10 years, when Mookies surpasses Oreo sales, I’ll receive a lifetime supply of free cookies!

miércoles, 27 de agosto de 2008

building a family

The baby is coming, the baby is coming!! And even the dogs in the Colonial Zone seem to be eagerly waiting for Eva’s arrival.
She’s not coming today, and maybe not for the next few weeks, but there’s a good chance (and that’s an understatement) that by the end of this year a child will have me as a mother.

viernes, 15 de agosto de 2008

simple flower tutorial

Susan from Plush Parade asked me how I made the flowers for my niece’s bag. So this post is for her.

1. Start making the circle, you know the drill.
2. Make a knot at the end to secure it but don’t cut the thread.
3. Thread needle thru the center of the circle from back (the back being the side with the hole) to front, then thread again from back to front. (Repeat depending on how many petals you’ll need).
4. When you have all your petals, the needle will be in the front. Thread back though the center, this time from front to back. Make knot to secure it. Don’t cut the thread.
5. You’ll end up with something like this. Now choose what you’ll put in the middle.
6. Add bead or a few beads, French knots... Secure them and now you can cut the thread.

PD. This is not the cutest flower ever, but had to use contrasting colors for the pics to come out clear.

anything BUT a pack rat

Sharing an apartment with someone that saves everything (cute little stones, interesting leaves, junk mail that one day might come in handy, EVERYTHING) I feel a need to be the total opposite. Dealing with scraps is especially difficult for me as I don’t always have enough storage space, so I tend to use them regularly, sometimes even more than newly acquired fabric.

A few days ago I decided to play around with some tiny scraps that I knew worked well together, and made three wonky log cabin-ish type squares. Used Photoshop to create a few versions for a baby quilt, and I went with the easiest one I could come up with (hey I’m just learning as I go along). I think I have enough fabric to make nine more wonky squares. Hope it turns out better that the blue cheese quilt I made last year.

jueves, 14 de agosto de 2008

U is for Uganda / C is for Caribbean

They sit close together in my bedroom, almost touching each other. Forget lunchboxes or bentos, this woven wonder is what farm workers use in Uganda to carry their food. It was a gift given to us by a friend that spent months there volunteering for a non profit.

Each time I see it I’m reminded of the night it came to be ours, a perfect night of chipirones and wine, new friends that opened their home to me, stories and laughter. I see the farmer, saying goodbye to his family before going to work at the fields, carrying “little blue” with his simple meal inside. I see the wife, the same hands used to weave now kead the perfect balls that will feed them.

And then my thoughs go to the seashell bowl, with little pieces from our travels through the island, and specially from Miches and fishermen sailing the waters to feed their families. Although we are far, we are the same.

martes, 12 de agosto de 2008

heirlooms and leftovers

As we always say, we only have two seasons here in the Caribbean: Summer and Hell; this time of year being Hell. Sunday was especially hot, causing a kind of heat induced stupor in us. Cooking in front of a stove was an impossible task, and so we went the pasta salad route for lunch.

To make up for our lack of domestic inspiration I decided to do the unthinkable: use one of my grandmother’s crystal bowls. Having heard during all my childhood not to touch them; using one for the first time almost made me feel guilty. Don’t worry abuela, I’ll take good care of them.

domingo, 10 de agosto de 2008

little boy, little shoes

A few months ago I saw this great tutorial and bookmarked it. I finally got around to making them and gave them to my little nephew as a gift the day he turned two months; but it was a little late, as it turns out they were too small for him. No biggy though, enlarged the pattern to 125% and they fit just fine.
The little french knot sheep inspired by incy.wincy.

miércoles, 16 de julio de 2008

viernes, 23 de mayo de 2008

beads

I’m a sucker for Peruvian crafts and their colors, geometric shapes, their tapestries and specially their retablos with nativity scenes. They remind me of sleepovers at a friend’s house, but more importantly, they remind me of her mother, a woman that touched many lives.

These are beads I bought from a Peruvian lady at a craft fair. They will adorn some bookmarks I’m planning to make. The cholito is not a bead, but I just HAD to have it.

miércoles, 21 de mayo de 2008

chez andrea

Gave my first try at piecing this weekend, I was inspired by a book I bought for my niece and since she’s the “girliest” of girls there was no better way to wrap it up than with a flowery tote. I first drew what I wanted in freehand and then gave it a try piecing it. It didn’t turn out exactly the way I planned it, but Andrea seemed to love it.

viernes, 16 de mayo de 2008

little sailor bear sailed away


I’m really happy about the way this pillow turned out. I wasn’t specially enthusiastic when I decided to do it, seeing as I’m a little tired of cross stitching, but since every time one of my cousins had their babies I’ve always given them something x-stitched with the baby’s name on it, I HAD to do it.

The best thing was that I had everything I needed right here: thread, fabrics, everything. I couldn’t believe how great it feels starting a craft and not having to put in on hold just because you lack one thread. A first for me.

domingo, 11 de mayo de 2008

Salinas



We spent Saturday at a little town called Salinas while our friend windsurfed. We took shelter from the sun at what I thought was an abandoned house; it turned out to be the office for the local salt mine across the street that gives the town its name.

miércoles, 7 de mayo de 2008

sad faced bear

This will be my last cross stitch project for a long time, I swear. I just couldn’t resist making “him” for a nephew that’ll be born this month.

viernes, 2 de mayo de 2008

burgos

My favorite Burgos pic has nothing to do with gothic cathedrals, green parks surrounding a river, world famous embutidos and such. My favorite picture was not even taken with a camera, just with a phone as we took 5 minutes to rest the Spanish way, with a coffee and a piece of tortilla (omelet).
As we parked our vehicles it hit me: old and new, a great past and a hopeful future.

jueves, 1 de mayo de 2008

building my own house

It's always more fun to work with glue than with a hammer and nails.
A little too victorian for my taste, but it was a steal at $1.25. Who said the economy was in bad shape?

martes, 29 de abril de 2008

lazy sunday afternoon

I forgot how much home life changes when you have a puppy. We wished for a lazy Sunday afternoon, sitting on the balcony floor, exploring books, sipping juice. But we underestimated the power of annoyance of a six pound puppy. Just 23 minutes after we sat and took our first sip of that wonderful carrot and passion fruit concoction (believe me I hate carrots… but this was delicious) juice was all over us, the books and pillows; and the half eaten cupcakes along with their paper cups had disappeared in the jaws of our little troll.

sábado, 26 de abril de 2008

Case 2: Solved!

Not only did the itchy topiary pillow finally fulfilled its reason for being created, but it found a loving home far away from me!

miércoles, 23 de abril de 2008

little hungry anarchist

My dear friend is the proud owner of a purse tissue holder… I asked her to loan it to me, and now the time has come for it to go back home… with a little friend in tow.
It was my first attempt at embroidering something that was not formed by x’s and my first try at appliquéing.

martes, 22 de abril de 2008

MMD, step 1

I´m putting the virtual pieces together for my first quilt. Each color is a different fabric. Basic squares combined in freehand. Should the seam allowance be 1/4 inch? I´ll need to browse some quilting blogs to figure out details like that. Wish me luck.

jueves, 17 de abril de 2008

a whole new direction

I’m going to take a break from cross stitching after I finish my latest wip. Can’t wait until I’m ready to start making new things, which is not going to be easy since... I don’t know how to sew, the sewing machine was my mother’s. Stitching the project below took weeks, but quilting and binding it only took a few hours, I’m all for instant gratification.

miércoles, 16 de abril de 2008

a promise fulfilled


I didn’t know she was losing her sight, so when I found a project she had been working in a drawer, unfinished, I had to ask.
“Can you finish it for me?” was her plea.
“You’ll finish it once you get better” was my lie.
Even though it was clearly meant for someone else, as the future recipient’s name was already embroidered in the piece, I couldn’t part with it. Knotty, crooked, to other’s a bad cross stitch work, to me a reflection of her tenacity.
A replacement, a duplicate started from 0. Was it cheating?

Sad in so many levels


They both jumped into the marriage for ulterior reasons and now the cat´s out of the bag. “All that shines it´s not gold”. Trophy wives better beware.

martes, 25 de marzo de 2008

all gargoyles point to heaven

Walking around the Colonial Zone we found this little treasure, 26 gargoyles just “sitting” there.


domingo, 23 de marzo de 2008

scale model

Sorting pics I came around this scale model made by under privileged children in one of the poorest areas of the city. It depicts their neighborhood in such a whimsical way that it almost makes you forget their precarious surroundings.

sábado, 22 de marzo de 2008

Cold Case 2: The case of the itchy topiary

Victim: Needlepoint Topiarius
Born: 1998-1999 approx.
Known facts: Subject was abandoned after its caretaker suffered a severe wool related rash. It being the second topiary found in such a short amount of time is making us look into the possibility of a serial case. No visible wounds. Further examination required. Surgical gloves are a must.

viernes, 21 de marzo de 2008

Case 1: Solved!

I'm taking it today to my aunt's, I hope she likes it.

Juan Sebastian Elcano (the ship)

Recently while driving through the Avenida del Puerto we were surprised to see the ship in the Santo Domingo Port. Having a Spaniard in the car with us, we HAD to pull over. She was amazed, as it is a well loved icon for Spanish history, that the first time she was able to see it was in a port so far from home.

For those who don’t know, the ship is the third largest tall ship in the world, and it serves a as school ship. (you know, were the future king of Spain trained and everything).

domingo, 16 de marzo de 2008

Cold Case 1: The case of the comatose topiary.

I have A TON of works in project. Some of them are only days old, but most of them have been sitting around for years. I’m going to try to finish them before I start any more crafts. (yeah, right)

Victim: Corny Topiary Doe
Born: Around 2002
Known facts: Subject entered a deep coma after being stabbed with a rusty needle on 2003 and has never regain consciousness although attempts to “bring her back” were perform in 2005.

sábado, 15 de marzo de 2008

rules rule!

After a year of working non-stop for 24/7 I decided to have weekends for myself and not read any work related emails. My clients know about it, and I have to say, for the most part (there have been two little urgent things), they have been very understanding. I guess that having rules is not bad at all.

miércoles, 12 de marzo de 2008

more Biarritz please


It was cold, not crowded, quiet, lots of Chloe, Fendi, Lalique… But I felt at home.
If I loved it at winter, I can’t wait to see it at summertime.

domingo, 9 de marzo de 2008

I had forgotten...

...how sweet puppy breath can be.

martes, 26 de febrero de 2008

musings

Went to an exhibit yesterday, it seems that I’m back on track.

Much more fit, my trip to the Netherlands is now closer.

For now is just work here at home, which I love, so I’m not complaining.

Just needed to write all this down to remind myself how lucky I am.