favela painting

Have you guys seen this project in Praça Cantão? What used to be "hillside slum" is now a monument for this community Santa Marta, a favela in the heart of Rio de Janeiro.

Art & design projects of this magnitude really blow my mind. I bet this would be amazing to see in person.

Aida Coronado on Etsy

This weekend I stumbled across Aida Coronado's shop on Etsy. In her shop she shares wonderful and beautiful handmade items from Mexico. The design and embroidery work is stunning, and the colors are bright and beautiful. I don't know how the prices compare if you were buying them yourself on the streets of Mexico, but the fact that you can purchase these beauties from your own living room, I think the prices are fair and reasonable. Any of these pieces would be a perfect addition to your summer wardrobe, check them out!

anthropologie goes to morocco.

hello, friends. i would like to apologize for my absence these past couple of weeks. since i last posted my [work] life has shifted... but in a good way! EU (the newspaper / magazine i produce here in jacksonville, fl) has gone from being a weekly publication to a monthly. we are extremely excited about all the new opportunities and endeavors this will give us. this change is going to allow so many doors to open that i have been patiently waiting by.

not only is the pace and schedule of my work changed but i have also decided to to do my work from my home(!). bringing my work home with me [literally] has been exciting and intimidating at the same time. mostly exciting though because i am hoping that i will now have more time to cultivate my inspiration that i find on this great network of blogs, and also allow time to dedicate to my photography business. i have spent the last week preparing things and it hasn't been until just now that i've had a moment to calmly sit down at my computer, catch up on my blog reader subscriptions and put a little TLC into this blog. so that leaves me back to my original intentions for this post...

have you seen the new anthropologie catalog? {see above photo} i am so thrilled to see two of my favorite (and inspirational) things come to together: anthropologie and morocco! last spring/summer i visited marrakech, morocco (where it looks like the photos in the catalog were taken) and anytime i see photographs from that place it instantly brings back so many memories. i love that anthropologie used morocco as their location... and, really, a lot of their new items seem to have lovely moroccan / moorish design elements and inspiration. (and i'm talking about the real moroccan design elements... lately every time you turn around you see "moroccan-themed decor" and most of that is far too flashy and "arabian nights-ish" than the real deal.) so it is refreshing to see the right design elements subtly borrowed by these products. i feel like anthropologie and morocco are a perfect fit. like the anthropologie stores, moroccan design melds together the most beautiful worldy elements into one... morocco has a feel of its own, but amazingly borrows traditions and elements from the moors, spanish-europeans, africans and arabic culture.

i look at the photo above and i have to wonder if the photographers actually hired that boy to use him for the shoot or if he stumbled upon their shoot claiming to "show them the way to the souks" .... haha. (you'd have to go there to believe it, but in the medina of marrakech it is nearly impossible to walk down the streets as a foreigner and not be chased by a gang of pre-pubescent boys begging to help you in anyway they can... all for a fee - in which they wait until after they've helped you to disclose - of course.)

{brought to my attention by both maryam at my marrakesh and the craving anthrolpolgie blog.}

folk art forms {part 1}

lately i've been incredibly inspired by different forms of folk art... patterns, textures, techniques. there is nothing like an authentic form of folk art, i especially love seeing some of the ways people are incorporating these age-old looks and traditions into modern pieces and rooms.

wycinanki {pronounced vi-chee-nahn-key} is a polish folk art that involves paper cutouts, bright colors and intricate patterns. wycinanki dates back to mid 19th century and originated with polish sheepherders cutting designs out of treebark and leather. in rural areas of poland this craft is done for relaxation and passed down for generations, all the while designs and themes have become more intricate and detailed.

+ you can find more designs and purchase some pieces of art work at the polish art center.
+ doris sikorsky is an artist from chicago who has mastered the art of wycinanki.
+ the rug pictured above {top, right-hand corner} is from urban outfitters. the uo website describes the rug as "greek floral pattern" but it looks like wycinanki if you ask me {as pointed out by jamie from the i suwannee blog the other day}.
+ the framed artwork is a photo i found on picasa.

another fascinating form of folk art is colcha fabric. this folkart has been practiced by the otomi indians (from the tenango region of the mexican state of hidalgo). each piece of fabric usually comes in very bright colors and takes up to three weeks to complete. this region has been an impoverished region, and buying these fabrics helps the women who spend so much time making them and it also helps to sustain the viability of this tradition of endangered textiles.

+ you can read about colcha fabric at the beachbungalow blog.
+ you can purchase colcha fabric panels from jacarnda home and at the mexican textiles museum. (a bedspread size panel will cost you anywhere from $250 -$400.)
+ {photos from design*sponge, jacarnda home and the beachbungalow blog}

juju (or tyn) hats are a ceremonial accessory to the villages of cameroon. it is worn by chiefs, prominent officials and important dancers. the hats are made out of brightly colored feathers that are sewn onto a raffia fiber base. the feathers are utilized as a symbol of prosperity and positive qualities associated with birds.

+ you can read more about juju hats being used in decorating at the more ways to waste time blog.
+ you can purchase a juju hat for about $325 at the authentic africa store.

moroccan wedding blankets are a tradition used with brides in moroccan weddings. usually five days before the wedding the a mattress, blankets and other necessities are taken into the bridal chamber where the bride is given a milk bath in the hammam. the negassa (female attendants) spend the days beatifying and preparing the bride with henna stains and then dress her in embroidered wedding finery of white robes.

+ you can contact maryam (from my marrakesh) and she may have some of these fine blankets left to sell you.
+ you can read about the others who have been so lucky to acquire on these blankets from maryam: holly (from decor8), blue mountains mary and tara (from paris parfait)
+ {the pillow pictured above is from a post holly made a while ago and the store it came from doesn't seem to exist any longer.}
+ {the picture of the moroccan bride came from here.}
+ also, i must add that the other day i was in the urban outfitters store and i spotted a rug that looked remarkably like a traditional moroccan wedding blanket. i don't see one on the website at all, but maybe you've seen it in the stores as well.


now after all this inspiration and back-stories of these wonderful forms of folk art, isn't it refreshing to see items like these {pictured below} made by bokja design?

{photo from bokja's press release page}

i hope to bring more folk art to this blog in the future as inspiration. it is refreshing sometimes to know why and where these patterns and designs originated from.

all around the world.

okay, today i LOVE this! check out these world atlas bowls made by etsy seller bombu's shop! {um, boyfriend and family, my birthday is march 2nd... hint, hint.} i think this would look so perfect on our casual white dining table.

{via more ways to waste time. thanks, leah for pointing them out!}

{r.s.v.p. berlin} stickpostkarten

i love the idea of these maps with thread. the website they are from is in german, but i am assuming you are to use the thread to chart a path of places you went or are going to on a trip. how lovely it would be to have a whole collection of these showing your landmarks for each trip you've taken.

world map decals

i've watched the wall decal trend over the last couple of years and none of it has really grabbed me one way or the other, but i have to say that this one from ferm living is an exception. obviously i have a thing for maps (hence the post right before this one and the other post i've made about map murals and globes - i even used vintage maps as my wrapping paper this past christmas) , so naturally i would be partial to this sort of thing. even though one of my favorite things about maps are usually their color, i do like the sleek design of the map silhouette.

(via laissez faire)

places i have never been

i have fallen in love with this blog i found today called places i have never been. its written by Jennifer Hill, an illustrator / designer in Boston. the premise of this project is that jennifer designs different patterns that "are inspired by her imaginary vacations to far off places."

the cool thing about this 'places i have never been' project is the way she writes her blog... say she is designing a pattern for morocco or spain or dia de los muertos in mexico, while doing so she sort of explores the region and gives you a background to her process of creating the design and pattern. as a passionate lover of travel and design i couldn't be more inspired and thrilled to hear about such a cool project. in fact, i want to order one of her desk calendars asap!

she also sells her patterns on notecards, notebooks and as individual prints.

air traffic

air traffic pillow from re:modern

i live with a constant itch to travel, especially the last few weeks, far off places like india and japan are next on my list to conquer. did you know my first time ever flying on a commercial airplane i flew all the way to china? yep, i was fifteen. the night of my fifteenth birthday my parents told me that i was getting to go on a trip of a lifetime with my best friend to, of all places, china. my parents weren't going to just pay for this extravagant trip; the next week i had my first job at a pizza place around the corner from my neighborhood (and i have been a hard worker ever since). so ever since the beginning i have put travel on the forefront of my financial priorities and i never plan to let that change. something about the satisfaction of experiencing far-off lands makes the sound of working for hard-earned money that much sweeter. in that first trip to china i went with an organization called the civil air patrol (my best friend's father was involved with it somehow), and we must have taken over 12 flights all over to different cities in china. i came back to the u.s. with not only plenty of flying under my belt, but the thirst for travel, travel, travel!

the taste of morocco.

i will never forget or stop craving the taste of morocco. everything i ate there was so delicious and flavorful. if i only knew how to cook like that...

(white tagine from the conran shop)

a lot of moroccan dishes are cooked in a tagine like the one pictured above. i would love to be able to recreate some of the flavors i tasted in marrakech, i wonder if this tagine would work the same way? i don't even know, can these be put in the oven? i do know that traditionally a tagine cooks over (in?) fire for many hours to carefully blend the tastes of meat, vegetables and seasonings together. and then can be used as a serving dish, being brought directly to your table.

not too long ago i came across a blog called a moroccan kitchen that is being written by two lovely ladies named sabah and samira. they are moroccan women from fès medina who work at riad laaroussa. they started this blog to practice their english and spread the taste of morocco all over the world!

so maybe with these two things, a lovely tagine and a moroccan kitchen blog, i can come a fraction closer to having the authentic cuisine in my own home!

where in the world is carmen san diego?

[above: worldly flickr favorites]

after having a conversation the other day with my good friend megan, who is coveting a new globe to adorn her home, i started looking around and wondering where it was that you could actually purchase an up-to-date, decent-looking globe. so megan, this post is dedicated to you!

also, recently when i was abroad (which happened to be with megan) i decided that i wanted to bring some stuff back for the kids' room in our new house. to go along with their international goods i thought a mural like this would be fantastic.


[right: Austine - Replogle Globes, Inc., $699.999 at map and globe store]


[wall mural via flickr user kbreenbo.]

the mural comes in 8 different panels and applies like wallpaper. it can be found at four corners map and costs $119.95. (if you read kbreenbo's description of her photo on flickr, she tells you a lot about how she put together that room pictured above.)

in fact, this was all inspired by a kids' puzzle we saw in an amsterdam shop window. the puzzle was a map of europe. i wanted to buy it desperately but it was in the wee hours of the morning and the shop was not going to open before our flight departed. however, i have found a puzzle and globe online that would be great for any child to have. (see below) having exposures to maps and globes at a young age can only increase their sense of adventure!



[globe, $39.88 and puzzle map, $29.98 from highlights magazine. (omg, remember the hidden-things picture in every issue?? that was always my favorite as a kid.)]



doesn't this store in barcelona look like it would be fun to go to? so many globes! [via Greg Robbins flickr.]

some other nice globes that you can find at the map and globe store...



[first column: Starlight - Replogle Globes, Inc. $69.99, Crystal Marquise - Replogle Globes, Inc. $169.99, Livingston (Illuminated) - Replogle Globes, Inc. $98.99. second column (tall globe): Edinburgh - Replogle Globes, Inc. $129.99.]

ready, set, go!

in lieu of having just bought plane tickets to spain, i dedicate this post to... TRAVEL!

1. the moleskine city notebook allows you to keep track of your travels by making your own guidebook. it features metro maps, station index, zone maps and street index, 42 blank pages, 96 notched pages for your city file, 32 detachable sheets, 12 translucent sticky sheets to trace, and expandable inner pocket.

2. the F1 IDENTIFLYER TAG is a feature product from the [great] travel gear website Flight 001.

3. i am in love with this item, a graphic style clutch from Loop! perfect size for your plane tickets, passports, metro cards, and other travel documents. found on the kitschy site, fred flare. [pssst, locals! i also saw this clutch in five points' edge city... and i think it was tad bit cheaper too!]



4. this is an expand-a-bag! i can't think of a better thing to bring. toss it in your suitcase on the way there, and then carry it on your shoulder on the way back when it's full of all the goodies you bought that didn't fit in your luggage!

5 and 6. are a little tribute to the wonderful world of real film and lomography. first is the Lomographic Horizon Compact Panorama Camera, "Its glass swing-lens pans a full 120° from left to right as soon as you press the (exposure release) button. The Horizon image is then magnificently captured across an e-x-t-r-a-w-i-d-e 58mm of film - almost the width of two "normal" 35mm frames. Mind you, this is still using the standard, easy-to-find 35mm film that we all know and love. High resolution panoramic shots of people and space, skylines and broad vistas are captured seamlessly in striking clarity and regal colours." [accoring to adorama.] Second, we have the Lomo Super Sampler 4 Lens Panoramic 35mm Camera. I gave this camera to my sister for christmas, and it really is cool and fun! It captures 4 panoramic sequential images, all on one regular photo print.

7. F1 SAFETY MAKEUP BOX, another featured [and exclusive] item of flight001.com. it's your general toiletries bag, but printed in airplane safety graphics. how silly and neat!