Month: August 2012

giveaway [closed]: custom handwrapped earbuds by me

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Okay, so here it is! The very first giveaway on my new blog. I’m very excited about this opportunity to share my best seller from my little Caribbean shop: a custom set of handwrapped earbuds! I really enjoy making these and it has been a blast receiving such wonderful feedback from my customers regarding the quality and beauty of the color combinations. Each set takes me around 6 hours to complete! Yes, it is tedious but I enjoy the work. I have a couple sets myself and I’m always thinking of new things to apply this technique to! So Read More and check out all the awesome options to enter for your chance to win a custom set: completely tailored to your tastes and style! Be sure to read the Terms and Conditions. Giveaway is open to all friends in all countries. It will end on September 10th and I will announce the winner shortly after. If you’d like a bit more info about these earbuds, check out my Etsy listing here. Check back here …

photography: an ode to summer

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An Ode to Summer from Kinfolk on Vimeo. I found this beautiful video from Nathan Williams’ journal.  It’s an feature for Kinfolk magazine’s fourth issue. Have you heard of Kinfolk? They are a “new to me” publication – similar to Anthology that I posted about previously. In their own words, Kinfolk encourages “a natural approach to spending time with family and friends. It sure looks like a beautiful printed magazine. What do you think?  And how about that video, right?? It reminds me of a daydream and many times I find myself feeling like living on this Caribbean island is sort of like a daydream too. Many times, I’ll wander down my street to our beach. I particularly love the summer time (off season) here because nothing is crowded. Evan and I will take a glass of sangria and just slowly walk the shoreline, letting our toes sink into the sand when we stop to watch the sunset. There’s a low-hanging tree that we’ll climb and sit in the branches until it starts to get …

culinary: chocolate babka

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Today, I am sharing one of my favorite dessert breads – chocolate babka. I first made this bread after a craving for every woman’s two favorite things: chocolate and carbs. The two delicious “C”s. The two things you always think you can’t have enough of, until your pants start getting tighter; then maybe you hate the two delicious “C”s. But regardless, here is one scrumptious recipe for one truly delicious sweet bread, swirled with a chocolate-cinnamon crumble filling, baked to a perfection of chocolate + bread goodness.  My version above. Original recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Smitten Kitchen slice. Mine looks identical, thank you very much :) This recipe is from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. Ok, so to start out I must admit that I tend to adjust recipes based on what ingredients I have at hand, or in what ways I can make something I like into something I really like. For one, I halved the recipe,  because the original says it makes 3 loaves ( Certainly didn’t need that much!) . But, be sure …

places: Marrakesh luxury

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I found this beautiful luxury hotel from SfGirlByBay blog. Marrakesh is certainly on my list of places to visit on my world travels, of course, probably not to this extravagant taste. But it’s harmless to wish, right? I love the summery, relaxed colors of the faded turquoise floors and cream colored walls. The wooden doors, exposed ceiling, slender windows and low, plush seating are all such welcoming attributes to the Riad El Fenn hotel. Shall we gawk at more of this luxurious place? All photos by Patrick Cline I love how the rooms are all open to the outdoors. Fresh air, night sounds and live plants galore. Such a beautiful mix of eclectic pieces and colors. Have you ever stayed in a place like this? What was your experience? How do you usually travel – luxury or bare bones? Until tomorrow,

fields: misty mornings & dreamy dusks

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Misty Morning by Lano Ling Source Unknown. Is this yours? What comes to mind when you think of a quiet, relaxed early morning out in the wilderness? Perhaps if you daydream about walking through dew-strewn meadows or waking to a rooster during a brisk autumn morning, then you’ll know what I mean. Are you blessed to wake to a view like this? Or how about a view like this as you end your day: Found via A Field Journal Source Unknown. Is this yours? A beautiful dusk with a dreamy haze. I can imagine getting a little alfresco picnic together to enjoy while watching the sun set at the bottom of these fields. Wouldn’t a nice glass of sangria be a splendid way to enjoy these sights? Sitting on a comfortable, well-worn blanket, with some gentle company and maybe some delectable appetizers… just enjoying the brisk evening out in the meadows. I do hope you get a chance to enjoy a relaxing experience like this one! Or have you already? Tell me about it!  Until …

menagerie: mountain cabins

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Unknown Pin // Miller Architects Wouldn’t you just love to live in one of these homes? It’s almost like being completely alone in the wilderness. The only thing surrounding you are the sounds of birds, roaming deer and the wind through the trees. So peaceful. Here are some others that I love: Aubrey Stoll Poppy Unknown Source Raphael Bick I particularly love this last photo, with the grass covered roof. Talk about becoming one with nature, eh? I’m sure that’s one quiet home when it storms. Do you have a mountain cabin? Have you ever spent any time at one? Do share. Have a beautiful start to your week! Until tomorrow,

my favorites: cleansing home, body & soul

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One category of this blog will be “My Favorites” which will feature different products and ideas that I’ve personally tried and loved (find it in the left sidebar). Everything featured will be geared towards living a more healthy lifestyle in all senses of the word. So, for the first Favorites, I’m sharing with you things for cleansing your body, your home and your soul (or mind). The Meyers cleaning products (particularly the basil scent) are my new best friends in the kitchen and the laundry room. My mother introduced me to these this summer. I later ordered some online and I plan to keep using it. Have you tried this product line before? What do you think about it? Velvet Elvis is book by Rob Bell. My friend Emily suggested the book several years ago. I found it on my shelf when I was visiting Texas this summer and decided to bring it back with me to Puerto Rico to re-read. The book seeks to reinvent the Christian faith, or to rediscover what it seems …

sustainable living: beekeeping part 1

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The beekeeping trend is becoming more popular amid small home farmers and permaculturalists. If you didn’t know, a bee farm is called an apiary and the beekeeper is referred to as an apiarist. I’ve been telling Evan for several months now that I plan to start my own apiary when we move back to the States. He concurs under one condition – I must name my harvested honey as Chelsea’s Bee Barf (don’t be grossed out.. essentially, that is what honey truly is). Not sure I really agree with that branding…  Anyway, I’ve noticed so many more features of apiarists lately than any other type of homesteading. These images were taken by acclaimed photographer Karen Wise for a post on The People Who Feed Us (now named HandPicked Nation). The woman in the photo is beekeeper Mary Woltz, from Sag Harbor, New York. Her beekeeping business is named the Bee’s Needs (because she seeks to put their needs first, and believes this is how she gets some of the most sought-after honey in America). Check …

menagerie: alfresco dining

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Nicole Polk Photography // Source Unknown // Tumblr Feature // Source Unknown // Honestly WTF How often do you eat outside? With summer concluding, many of us may be squeezing in that last meal outdoors before the chilly evenings arrive.  So why not make it memorable? Invite over those neighbors or friends that you haven’t seen since the start of the summer season. Grill up those last garden veggies and slice up that watermelon that’s been sitting in your fridge for a week. You don’t need fancy decor or elaborate seating – just pull together those random chairs, that cute vase of wildflowers and that hodge-podge of string lights. Tie all together with an assortment of candles and maybe some citronella tiki torches. Prepare for a wonderful evening outside. Nicole Polk Photography Here in PR, our summer season is all year long. So naturally, we are able to enjoy alfresco dining during any month. We have a well-worn wooden bar table and a recycled glass candle holder from a local artisan. I occasionally place tea …

tribe: painted sticks

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Via Molly Anne Using nature as a canvas is truly one of my favorite things about creating art. I love to utilize found natural objects as my basis for whatever piece I’m dreaming up at the moment – like pieces of sea fan, bits of coconut palm branches and driftwood. All of which is uber abundant here on the island. But I particularly love painting on driftwood, just like Molly Anne from the image above. When I searched for this unique style, I found similar artists with this love for color bursts on sticks and fragments. via Ginette Lapalme Via Jessica Turnbow These neon lovelies are by Jessica Turnbow from Phoenix, AZ. You can find them in her Etsy shop. I really love her bright and bold colors and unique patterns. She is so original! And the top photo stick collection are actually stickers! Ginette Lapalme from Ontario painted these beauties and turned them into stickers. How creative is that? Yes, I dabble a little too. Here is my version of a sunset palette tribal …