Thursday, May 29, 2014

Spirit Weaver








I've been wanting to make a post about this artist for a long time… but procrastination has been my best friend lately. So many things happening at the same time! But enough about me… let's talk about Karolina Daria Flora and how amazing her work is. She's all kinds of artists, rolled into one… costume, sculpture, installations and photography. The work above was created for the Spirit Weavers Gathering of Amy Woodruff, aka "Daughter of the Sun". The technique used was the ones the Huichol people of Mexico use (painting with threads) and everything was made by hand. I love that all the elements where handmade and not added digitally in post-production… except for the last picture of course..

Check out Karolina's blog and prepare to anxiously wait for new posts. Her work is amazing! Cannot be more inspired. 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Guatemala Parte Dos!

Here's the second part of our trip. These pictures take me back to the burning sun, the taste of cardamon spiced chocolate, the sound of the lake and the peace of mind. Cannot stop thinking of when I'll go back and stay there for at least 3 months. So many things to see and learn from the Mayan culture! Here are my recommendations if you are traveling to Guatemala.

Aside from going to Antigua..You should check out these places as well:

Panajachel
"El Lago Atitlan"

Pana (how' the locals call it) is one of the towns around Lake Atitlan. It holds the main dock with the boats that take you from town to town for about Q10. We stayed at the Hotel Isla Verde in Santa Cruz de La Laguna and I highly recommend it. If you're a vegetarian...I think it's the best veggie food you'll find in Guatemala! They grow and cook their own food
so it's seasonal. 








This is the path to the hotel. 


Our Cabin


The morning view


The yoga hut from the outside


and from the inside


The lobby from the outside


and from the inside


The parking lot


The Restaurant





Lounging area



Veggie nachos and spicy bloody maries


Visit San Juan La Laguna

Guatemala is synonymous of super bright colors. But not in San Juan La Laguna. They turned the saturation down. They dye with natural colors and the results are beautiful pastel colors. This is the place to buy textiles and crafts around Panajachel.



They make a tea with the leaf of Guava, Avocado, Annatto, Coconut etc.. and start the dying process.


Here, Amalia is dying with Guava, Orange & some green leaves that I forgot how they're called.. Cushil or something like that..



The result is a mint green.



I got this shawl from Amalia


The lake is rising more every day with climate change. Soon a lot of Panajachel will be underwater.




Chichicastenango

The place to buy crafts. It can be overwhelming with so many things going on at the same time. The market is open only on Thursdays and Sundays. They perform Mayan rituals in front of the church. The rituals are very similar to Santeria. They sacrifice animals and ask for stuff they want, like health, wealth, money, love.. sometimes they use it for not so good stuff if you know what I mean.. 








Suspenders Tierra available here


And here I am trying to do some hat modeling and being confused at the same time. The hat is available here



Don't miss Semuc Champey!

The Lord of the Rivers! These are connected natural pools and you go swimming and jumping from one to another. I couldn't get that many pictures of this amazing adventure because we couldn't find an underwater camera anywhere! But I was able to enjoy every single moment without any technological interruption. Sometimes you focus more on taking the perfect picture, than being in the moment. So all I could say is to go to the water cave expedition (with just candles for the pitch black darkness) and finish off with a relaxing rubber tube ride down the river. You can die happy after that.









ESO ES TODO AMIGOS!!!


Friday, May 16, 2014

:: HIMOART ::




















This is the work of japanese artist May aka "Himoart". I stumbled upon her work on Instagram and since then.. I fell in love. Her designs are so refreshing! Love the new perspective she's giving to this classic all time macrame art. Love love love what this girl is doing. These beauties are available at Urban Outfitters Space Ninety 8 and at her Etsy shop.