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Archive for the ‘style’ Category

The first time it happened by accident.  Owen was playing with one of those peek-a-boo flap books, and he ripped a child peeking behind a plant clean out of the book.  I thought, that’s a shame, and I taped it up over his coat hooks.  It looked pretty cute.  Before I knew what I was doing I was taping a post card with a picture of a giraffe right next to it. And it looked just perfect.

Later that night I was looking at Owen’s sleeping  nook, the little square alcove in his room that holds his crib, covered by glow in the dark stars. In between that, and his large wooden closet doors, is an odd strip of white wall.  I taped up a photo from our honeymoon in Thailand.  And then I got my idea.  The Nature Zip.  Parents go crazy with all kinds of decorating ideas and murals, many of which I have entertained.  But lets face it.  We are here temporarily.  Painting a giant tree over his crib doesn’t quite seem worth it. But a nature collage on a skinny “zip” of wall, this I can do.

The original idea was to cover the entire area, from floor to ceiling.  Unfortunately, I had to let this go when I realized that Owen enjoys peeling the photos off the wall as much as we both enjoy viewing them from the rocking chair.

Still, the little man seems quite fond of it.

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I often find myself looking for a pick me up in in Caracas, and not just Monday mornings. When a cup of coffee or a chunk of Miss Poema’s dark chocolate just won’t cut it, I turn to my newest vice. Online shopping. If, like many people, you think of South America as cheap, let me be the first to burst your bubble. Caracas is actually more expensive than NYC! And so, what was once a godsend for diapers and detergent has become my personal pick me up. Allow me to share with you what arrived last week, and introduce to you a talented young jewelery designer who surely won’t be this affordable much longer!

This is me in our garden sporting the Gold Hamsa Toggle-Clasp Bracelet by Alexandra Beth Designs. These come in several different colors and are available at http://www.alexandrabeth.com/. What impresses me about her jewelery is that it has a vintage appeal, while being new and refreshing at the same time. I love her bracelets with zippers, and her leaf earrings. Check her out!

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We did manage to get out of the apartment a bit this weekend. The men and I went out for lunch to Rey David, a very cute restaurant at Plaza’s. It seems to be Kosher, Italian, or some sort of mixture of the two. Either way, its delicious, and we had a great time. Rey David is actually a restaurant and a store, with the restaurant on the outside patio, and the store inside. If you are ever in Caracas, it is one of the more charming places to visit.

Here comes my Retail Therapy story Part Two. On each of the tables, there was a large glass Evian bottle, with a swirly, colorful pattern designed by Paul Smith, and I decided that I simply had to have one. I thought it would make the sweetest stem vase. Back in college, I would decorate my first apartment with a stolen flower or two, plucked from a near by park in the middle of the night. We’d use old water and wine bottles in place of vases. Now, all these years later, after bridal registries and showers, and collecting things in our travels, we have more than enough vases, and I love to fill the apartment with flowers. But I still love decorating in resourceful and unexpected ways. I may be a mama, but I’m a mamita bandida!

P.S.-Check in tomorrow for a new post, “What I’m working on now”!

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Here it is, your Monday Morning Pick me up.  A rich color scheme of orange, brown, and blue, that pervaded the photographs taken of our Sunday morning spent in the Embassy playground with our friends and their dogs.

Though these images were taken here, in Caracas, Venezuela, the colors make me think of the American South West….

Caracas is a difficult post, but getting together with other members of the Embassy community helps a lot.  Especially those with dogs and/or babies!  Look how happy they are! Although Charlie was MIA the moment the photo was taken, rest assured he was off being traviesito somewhere close by.

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…And so, our outdoor photo shoot (so to speak) in the morning inspired an indoor photo shoot of the same color scheme in the afternoon.  Here I am cleaning off our young model after a pre photo shoot oreo.

Orange tee-shirt by Penguin.  Rug by Dwell Studio for Target Kids….or something like that.  Adorable blue knit teddy bear by Baby Gap.  Modeled by Kate and Owen Laufert, of Vida Viva

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It occurred to me last night that I should post a blog each Monday morning with an image that inspires my work.  Just the cure for the Monday blahs.

I bought this vase at the Ice-T (I know, bizzare name!)  Murano glass factory recently.  Our trip to this factory has been one of the few highlights in our time here in Caracas.  I love this vase because of it’s retro, almost psychedelic style.  Yet  it is also so undeniably Latin, with it’s swirls of  flamboyant canary yellow. Doesn’t it make you want to throw on a Pucci print dress and go salsa dancing? Very Vida Viva.

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