Home Sweet Home

So this is my first post from my new residence in Southern Spain. We survived the long travels, the moving stress, the sadness of saying goodbye to friends and the Christmas craze. Tomorrow is the last day of 2010. What a year it has been. Not a bad one, but definitely one of great changes and lots of endings. 2011 will be a life changing year for me, on many different levels, but more on that on a future post.
I thought it might be nice to show you a little of where I will start the new year. Mostly exteriors of the garden, I'll post some interior pics as soon as I'm done redecorating.
Hope you have a great and memorable transition into the new year, may it bring you joy and fill you with happiness, xx

View from the garden onto the Concha mountain (concha means sea shell)

Flowers blooming when in other places in the world all you can see is snow

My shadow in the pool

View from the garden onto town, we have our own oranges (and avocados!!!)

Some of our cohabitants bathing in the sun...

...others prefer the shade

some details of my new NIMO. headquarters

More details of the garden

Sunlight on the dishes in the kitchen (courtesy of Mikki)

This is what happens when my mom "improvises" a quick dinner - wow!

Breakfast

...and my breakfast companion ;)

Wrapping it up in LA

Well, this is a short summary of what my last weeks consisted of. Literally wrapping it up in LA.
Constant trips to the shipping supply store to get seemingly endless rolls of bubble wrap, tape and the occasional box. In between all the packing and selling madness (whoever came up with craigslist is a genius and a live saver) we managed to squeeze in as much fun stuff as possible. So today my pictures are a mix of packing and a great trip to the Queen Mary, which is docked permanently in Long Beach.
The next post will contain more fun images of the amazing weekend I've been having with my dear friends from LA. Have a great week, xx

Heart shaped leaves everywhere

The majestic Queen Mary

Snow flake projections in old town Pasadena

Bon apétit! Improvised dining table amidst boxes

Christmas shadow and giving our Cruiser the last car wash

This box contains all my jewelry tools and supplies

Our belongings, just before pick up

The Crafty Holiday Blog Hop

Today it is my turn to post in the Crafty Blog Hop, which was organized by the lovely Angela Flicker over at The Artists' House. 

The blog hop is a chain-event, in which a bunch of bloggers post their selection of crafty gifts for the holidays and write about their commitment to buy hand made. [Click here to see the full list of participating bloggers]

So why do I commit to buying hand made gifts this Christmas? 

Because I truly believe that hand made gifts really reflect this season of giving and celebrating with family and friends. I can’t think of a more personal way of giving: you are choosing something special, for someone special made by somebody special. 

I also believe that during these dire economic times it is our duty (and joy) to support small businesses and people who pursue their passion of creating things. Some are fortunate enough to have their own shops or to be represented in small boutiques, others participate in local market events and all of them sell online. - Yeay for the web! 

The selection of crafters whose products I’d like to give (and receive) this Christmas, are all available on etsy, although I strongly encourage you to visit local events. Here in the LA area I can recommend  Unique LA and Renegade Craft, which will both take place on December 11th & 12th.  

For Her

1. Woven Cowl by Celapiu

2. Herringbone Gigi Purse by Bagatelles & Co

3. Hand screen printed Hoodie Dress by New Extrave Fashion Studio

4. Pocket Planner 2011 by Dozi

5. Johnny Head Skulpture by Mud

For Him 

1. Godet Tee by Take Off Your Clothes

2. Penguin Print by E. Soule

3. Shadow Boxer Pullover by Hackwith Design

4. Ipad Mix Tape Case by Brave Moonman

5. Antlers Poster by Debie Carlos

For the Little One

1. Sylverster the Sneak Tee by B Childrens Wear

2. Dog Wool Slippers by Little Friend

3. Baby Racoon No. 1 Print by Sharon Montrose

4. Wool Monster Slippers by Handknit Hugs

5. Boom Box Bib Set by Burkeheart Baby

Feel like getting more insider tips on crafty presents? Make sure to visit creative stash on monday! 

Happy Holidays, xx

Bits and pieces of last week

Well hello again. Sorry for my messy posting schedule. The thing is that we're in the middle of moving. And not just from one street to the next, but across the world. Yep. Back to Spain with us two Europeans! Living in Los Angeles the past three years was the best decision we could have ever made, but now it's time to head back to Europe and continue with our adventures on the Old Continent. So moving across the Atlantic involves, not only packing the essentials and getting the best (cheapest and most reliable) shipping company, but getting rid of an entire household: furniture, the car, kitchen utensils... everything!
Anyways, I hope you understand where I'm coming from: craigslist has taken over my brain!
We leave on December 14th, so by then our belongings need to be either shipped, sold or donated. Oh, and did I mention we want to have some fun with friends, too?
Anyways, here is a glimpse on what my past week looked like.
Have a great week everybody, xx

Typical american goodies: breakfast bagel and cupcakes

Praying Mantis at the Huntington Gardens

My last sewing project in the US: reversible harem pants
(the essential piece of clothing in my wardrobe)

View over LA and the ocean from the Getty Center // Christmas decor in Pasadena

My favorite snack at the moment: clementines

LA Auto Show. Mikki and me posing for the VW screen and a gorgeous Morgan. 

Hawaii

Last weekend it was finally time for my best birthday gift so far: a long weekend trip to Hawaii. It just happened to be right the weekend after our 13th anniversary - which gave us even more reasons to indulge and celebrate.

Some of you might not be fully aware of just how "in the middle of nowhere" Hawaii is: it's a 5 hour flight from LAX, that's how far out there it is!

We decided to visit the Big Island, and stayed just north of Kona. We arrived at night time, so we woke up the next day to all the amazingness of Hawaii: palm trees, breakfast right next to the ocean and the pool. We spent our days exploring the island and being lazy - a great combo.

The Big Island is divided very clearly into to landscapes and climates. One side (where our hotel was at) is completely covered by black rough looking lava, the sun shines 99% of the time and there are some amazing beaches. The other side is lush and green, very tropical and rainy.

To give you an idea how crazy the weather changes can be I'll tell you what we did just on the first day.  We had breakfast in the sun by the beach, at noon we were walking through tropical plants, getting completely drenched to see an amazing waterfall. Later on that day we visited the active (yesss! active!) volcano in windy cold conditions, stopped at a warm black sand beach just before sunset and headed to the hot tub right next to the ocean after dinner!

The great thing is that the weather in Hawaii stays pretty much the same all year round, so it's the perfect destination if you can travel while nobody else is on vacation.

Frangipani (Plumeria) Trees everywhere 

Hotel Beach

Turtles taking a nap at the hotel beach

Snorkeling with turtles

Banyan Trees

Akaka Falls

Natural hot steam vents

The active volcano! 

Rainbow

Valley covered by lava

Black sand beach

Better run if a tsunami comes

Landscapes

Waipi'o Valley

Sunset