Beautiful handmade finds

I have been meaning to post this for a while now. What else is new right?!? :)

I found these when I was in South America (namely Brazil and Argentina) in April and May.

I just love how intricate and perfect everything is in these Latin countries. Life happens at a much slower pace which allows people to be more passionate and crafty in life (more time for hobbies & other fun stuff). I don't know if it has anything to do with how low the US Dollar has been, but I found handmade goodies to be quite pricey down there.... Totally worth it though.

I bought this table runner for my mother-in-law. It is beige in color and made of twine. Boy! I wish I could crochet like this. It totally reminds me of my grandma, who was the go-to crochet lady in town.

Look at all the detail.....

I must say though, that when I first saw it I thought it was a rug. My husband, very politely corrected me: "it is a table runner, you moron!" Just kidding... But no... really. 

The next super awesome thing I found (which I know I will never ever use because we don't have too many flies and mosquitoes in the Bay Area, but it looks cool and unique nevertheless) is this jar cover, made out of tulle and beads, that form charming palm trees....

Ok... Maybe I could use it after all. We do have some trees in our backyard and next time we have an outdoor party I can keep leaves and things from falling into our water, right?!? Totally ;)

I am a sucker when it comes to cross stitch and tropical stuff. This was a big splurge (HUBBY: if you are reading this don't worry, this is just something I say to impress my blog friends - LOVE YA), but I could not help myself. Look at all those fishies.

Now look a wittle bit closer....

It looks pretty sweet in my bathroom, don't you think?

Some knickknacks. Because a girl can never have enough knickknacks....

And finally, a completely different (at least to me) fruit basket...

I wish I had taken more pictures, but I ended up giving it to my mom.... I will however try to explain its magnificent mechanism: it is made out of wood, cut in the shape of an apple. Then they insert another piece of wood in the same apple shape that is cut like in a spiral towards the center.... So when you add weight to this piece of wood, it has a spring effect and opens in the shape of a basket. I hope this makes sense :)

What kind of treasures have you come across lately? I'd love to hear from my dearest friends!

Thank you so much for stopping by!!!

My vacation - part 2 - handmade goodies!!!

I have had so much fun looking for handmade goods over the past few weeks.

This beautiful necklace is made out of acai seeds. "The açaí palm is a species of palm tree that is native to Central and South America, from Belize southward to Brazil and Peru."

I found these coasters (made out of recycled MDF) in Brazil. They are sort of like a puzzle and when put together can be used as a trivet. It looks like this:

Even though I tried, I couldn't control my addiction.... Specially when I saw these beautiful vintage prints......

I can't wait to see what these become...

I have just finished putting together some gift bags for Mother's Day! I can't wait to share it with all of you. What have you been working on lately? XOXOs!!!

Feeling refreshed - my vacation part 1

I can't even begin to explain how wonderful these past few days have been. I am sorry I have not been around much, but I really needed to take some time off to recharge my batteries as well as spend some quality time with my family.

Hubby, Leela, brother (and his wife), Mom, Dad and I will be spending the next few weeks traveling throughout South America. 

Even though it is fall over here, the weather is still very hot and extremely humid. It is warmer than spring time in San Francisco, that's for sure. The water in the pool felt oh so very refreshing. My feet were tickled with joy!

The food is absolutely wonderful and fresh. Look at this amazing steak, served hot and sizzling, with sauteed onions and fried eggs. I can't even describe the explosion of flavors in my mouth when I had my first bite. Can't wait to try to make this at home!

And because it has been so hot, you tend to crave lighter foods, such as salads ! Fresh cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, organic eggs and my favorite: hearts of palm!!!

Leela has also been able to get some good R&R as well (and I must say she was a doll on the 14 hr. plane ride):

And South America is full of handmade goodies!!! I will be back later this week to share some amazing things that I have found!!!



I hope all is well with all of you!!! XOXO's