Conscious Shopping Wednesday: Homes and Exteriors

photo of events at the Arts School of Venezuela in Caracas...

by: Nadia Marie Perez

What do shopping and design have in common? Quite a bit, actually. In about a week's time, hopefully, I will be heading over to the Tri-Cities to visit my friend Kiki of the blog Kiki Nakita and to attend the 2011 Regional Home and Garden Show in Pasco. I'm very excited to attend because my dear friend Kiki is a designer and I'll be able to pick her brain about what to look for in home decor and exterior design as well. She's bound to know how to get a bang for your buck or what to particularly splurge on. I don't own a home yet but I love design and think that you can shop for your home and what will go in it both conscientiously and efficiently.

I'm no designer but I have always enjoyed design and home improvement; it is no wonder, growing up with a father who had a subscription to HOME magazine ages ago and then House Beautiful to ELLE Decor I was always surrounded by design and yes...as a child I enjoyed watching This Old House and gardening shows so it should come as no great shock to anyone that I would enjoy design.

Look for a future post on the Home and Garden Show! This weekend it is on to celebrating my little nephew's birthday who just turned one yesterday! I love you, Little Alex!

Cheers!

Conscious Shopping Wednesday: My new local loves...

I love to shop locally as most of you know so today when I went out for a walk I went to good old Ben Franklin and bought a couple of things for a postcard exchange I am going to participate in. The host is the Wonderful World of Postcards group on facebook. I bought some really great embellishments and a mat stack that will be the perfect size. For some inspiration I got some magazines and am super happy to get started!

I've been shopping here and made a few purchases at our local grocery store and have stayed pretty local of late. Made some cookies yesterday as well! More to come later...

Conscious Shopping Wednesday: Local Artisans

Living in Caracas has opened my eyes to wonderful new possibilities as well as wonderful new markets! I love to shop! It is part of who I am and it is inevitably engrained in me but I am not a "mall shopper" or even much of a "department store" shopper (although I love the very chic Beco here). I am most definitely a boutique and artisan craft shopper. I LOVE boutiques and things made by hand and in Caracas there is no shortage of boutiques of all kinds.
On Sunday, May 3rd I had the great priviledge of attending a market/bazaar I had discovered a couple of years ago in one of my previous extended stays here in Caracas. The bazaar is called El Tarantín and is a great place to get to know local artisans from all over Caracas and Venezuela. Artisans and vendors showcase their goods and one can shop under the open air market of the Municipal Market of Chacao (one of Caracas' many municipal sectors, sort of like a burrough) for all sorts of great things.

There were so many wonderful things and I just have to share a few of the photos with you all:

The atmosphere was fantastic, everyone was having a great time browsing and shopping and I believe that for the next event I will definitely be taking some more cash to get some other goodies! I made one purchase, a set of flower barrettes for my niece Alyssa:

The event was a huge success and I was able to meet Liliana Saenz, one of the organizers, who had given me permission to photograph the event for this blog. I cannot wait to bring you the future events that are hosted! Liliana was most helpful and all the vendors were really nice about being photographed. There are tons more photos you can check out on my photography page on facebook, Perez Liscano Photography in the Arts and Culture Caracas album. Anyway, I will be trying to write more and more about these cultural events and all that jazz!

I love life here!

Cheers!

{I ♥ shopping!}: El Principito Kids...

Shopping locally is often a bit of a task as nowadays almost everything comes from China but the brand El Principito Kids is from here and marketed throughout Latin America and Spain. I have the good fortune of being near the outlet store so I can get the clothes at a large percentage less than what one would pay at any of the other stores. I wanted to share the beauty and quality of these articles of clothing with you today in hopes that someday soon EPK will export to the US and other parts of the world. Here are the three shirts I bought my two nieces and nephew last week:

These shirts are brilliant and beautiful, designed in France exclusively for EPK and are just too cute for words! I love their collections and while I was in NY was contemplating how I might get some cute articles of clothing for my nieces and nephews from this store and at a good price so I am very happy with my purchase. All three shirts were under Bs.F 110 together which was a real bargain since a small baby shirt alone at any other store here can cost a minimum of Bs.F 120.

Anyway, I just wanted to share these lovely things with you all!
Kisses!

Conscious Shopping Wednesday: Take Me to the UK!

They say that cleanliness is next to Godliness and I think that cleanliness should also be stylish. No need to have ugly and gruff looking cleaners when you can have wonderful things such as those found in UK based summerill&bishop 's online boutique. I have always loved the beautiful things that come from the UK and after reading Chelsea Fuss's post on {frolic} today I was hooked!

One of the things that first caught my eye in the Utility & Laundry section of the boutique were the glass liquid soap bottles. Plastic is so over used today and I've been more inclined of late toward finding products bottled in glass. Here is my favorite from the boutique:

Have another look at the Savon de Marseille products they sell:

With such beautiful and natural presentation who wouldn't want to spend lots of time in the bathroom?

This feather duster makes me want to go out and clean all day long! It's so cute and chic, it reminds me of those Victorian Era stories I used to read as a child. I don't know how many of you used to read the American Girl Collection books but that duster reminds me of the Samantha stories.

I absolutely love this waste paper bin for my bedroom. I must see if I can get one either from the boutique or find one similar here in Caracas. Either way, the wire basket will dress well and keep in line with my classic meets modern idea for room decor!

So there you have it! You can be clean and look good doing it! There are so many wonderful things at summerill&bishop, you'll never want to leave the boutique!

Cheers!

Why another two day hiatus?

Hello friends and fellow readers! I know I've not posted anything in a couple of days and I feel terrible about that but I've been busy packing for a move. On Monday, March 29th I will be embarking on yet another journey to Venezuela. I was there last year for about 4 months, from the end of March to a little past mid-July 2009. As much as it hurts to leave the United States, I believe this move is the best thing for me at this point in my life and when opportunity knocks you've got to grab it by the horns, so to speak. I am not saying good-bye but saying I'll keep in touch from way over there!

I will continue to bring you tutorials, consumer reviews and all the other things I've posted to you about just that I will be in Caracas instead of NY. In the meantime, my room looks like a tornado ripped through it because I have stuff strewn around while I pack (my method is a bit odd but it works for me). I am waiting for a movie I bought from Amazon.com to come in yet (I hope it gets here either today or tomorrow, they said Friday at the latest) and I need to reorganize a few things. The movie I bought is called Blame It on Fidel and it is such a great film! I had the good fortune of watching it on the Sundance Channel in January and really wanted to share it with my friends and family.

The film really makes you think about your own values and where they lie. It's thought provoking and informative. I am really happy to own it on DVD and the fact that I am going to be able to share it with my parents when I arrive in Venezuela is a plus, I'd been telling them about it because I really wanted them to see it. Anyway, a couple of other films I bought previously need special mention here as they too are quite good; Because I Said So (Widescreen Edition) and Sideways (Widescreen Edition). I'm a huge fan of Diane Keaton and a movie all about California wine country can't be bad, right? Watching Sideways always puts me in a mood for good wine!

So, in short, I've a lot of packing to do yet and still have "work" to do taking care of my nieces. Somehow it will all work itself out and I will be ready! LOL!

Until tomorrow!

Une belle surprise! Kate Moss for Longchamp...

I have been a fan of Longchamp ever since they brought the Ceci est un it bag purse! Looking for an image of this bag I found a blog that mentioned it and provided a link to Longchamp's online store and voilà! I found the new Kate Moss for Longchamp collection and fell in love! I still want to find one of those "IT BAG"s but wanted to share this collection with you. Here are a few images from the website and an interview with Kate Moss, all from LONGCHAMP PARIS.

Logo for Kate Moss Collection

The collection is exquisitely beautiful yet modern. The site boasts a downloadable music playlist created by Kate and Queens of Noize which is fun, including tunes such as "Tainted Love" and "You Really Got Me" among other greats. You can also create your own moodboard à la Kate! It's fun and enters you into a contest to win a Gloucester Travelling Bag signed by Kate herself. I created my little board and entered in the drawing! Wish me luck!

Below is what Kate has to say about Longchamp:

from Longchamp Paris, all rights reserved

My Kate Moss Moodboard...

Aren't these gorgeous? I'd love to see everyone else's moodboards! Go ahead and create one!

Cheers!

Conscious Shopping Wednesday: I ♥ Etsy Shops!

I love Etsy shops and am happy to say that I've already made three purchases from three different shops in the past couple of months and am very satisfied (well, I am with the first purchase and sure I will be with the most recent two purchases I've made). The best thing about Etsy shops is that you can find all sorts of handmade items, vintage items and eco-friendly at that! Etsy is such a popular site for selling goods that even a few friends of mine have their own shops. Among them are Khursten Cornwall (owner of Jane Bags), Stacy Gandy (owner of Sewbutterfly), and my dear friend Megzy whose shop is called MegzyTred (both Megzy and Stacy's stores are on vacation right now but you can see some of their wonderful things anyway). These ladies create gorgeous things! First, let's take a look at Stacy's beautiful items:

Adorable buttercream cupcake pin cushion

Gorgeous Floral Tote Bag

Beautiful cobbler apron

Aren't these beauitful? Unfortunately, all of the above items are not available as they have already been sold and as I mentioned before, Stacy's shop is on vacation but this gives you an idea of the things she sells.

Next up, Megzy's little shop! She has gorgeous hand-painted flower pots and she also has an Arfire shop with her gorgeous photography for sale! She is extremely talented and very crafty, I am very glad to feature her here as well! Here are a few of my favorite's from Megzy's shop (items have all been previously sold and there are currently no new items as the shop is also on vacation):

Wintertree my MegzyTred

Will you be my sweetheart pot by MegzyTred

Let's Fall in Love pot by MegzyTred

Those are so gorgeous I think I may have just fallen in love with them! Megzy does some really great work! I love it! Now, last but certainly not least we have Khursten's beautiful handmade bags and custom made bags! I am so eager to see the one that she is making me but in the meantime I wish to show you some of the ones she already made! These are deliciously beautiful!

Beautiful messenger bag custom made for Tiffany Carbaugh

Purse/Bag for Emily by JaneBags

Fabric Cash Envelope Wallet by JaneBags

Aren't Khursten's creations absolutely gorgeous? I love them! And while we are on the subject of Etsy, as I was writing this post my other purchase came in! I was expecting it tomorrow but it got here today, all the way from Texas! I bought a few stickers and a little stamp set from Pretty Tape. Owner Glenda is so nice! She has beautiful stickers, tapes and embellishments from China, Japan, Korea and more! Here are the photos I took of the package I received from Glenda:

The package as it came in the envelope, complete

with note from Glenda!

The sweet note from Glenda! I love how she

personalizes her packaging!

Three packs of stickers! One is message diary sticker

set, the other two are Anne's Euro Travel sticker set,

and Pretty transparent diary deco pack.

C'est moi with the stickers!

Cute Paris stamp set that I got as well!

Inside the little box! Thanks, Glenda!!

I love Etsy and hope you do too! Go check out all there is out there at http://www.etsy.com/. I guarantee you'll love it! There are so many things to see! You can check out my profile and check out some of my favorite sellers by clicking here: CraftyNanny28. Check out my other post about etsy: Can I Have These, Please?

Well, I hope you have enjoyed reading this post as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Check these sellers out and hopefully you'll find something you like and buy it!

Cheers!

Conscious Shopping Wednesday: Paper Fever

Checking out my daily blog reads I found some gorgeous paper goods so I thought, "Why not write a post about the beautiful things people are doing with paper?" So here it is! I've been seeing a lot of letterpress goods and handmade paper lovelies that it is too difficult not to share the goodies!

Sarah Parrot's Parrot Design Studio has the most gorgeous wedding invitations I have ever seen:

In the blog A Field Journal you will find some pretty gorgeous paper goods as well, such as this Grade School Valentine Craft Pack:

This particular craft pack is actually available for download and even though Valentine's Day is gone I think it is worth downloading and using over and over! They are absolutely beautiful and remind me of when I was in grade school! How I miss it!

Another lovely download from the same blog is the I Spied October game book. A beautiful paper project to use as a gift or for nostalgic purposes. I think I may make one for my nieces to give them as a Halloween gift. Here's one of Livy's photos of her beautiful project:

Please be sure to check out Livy's blog A Field Journal, there are so many beautiful tutorials and great recipes. Plus, she was one of the first bloggers I started following, one of my very first daily reads and when you go to her blog you will see why! Click on the bold faced link of the blog name above the Grade School Craft pack photo to access her site.

{papermash} has some really great new products that I want to share with you! These really caught my eye:

Hello Camera Notecards from {papermash}

Mini doilies from {papermash}, shown in white

Paris Polaroid postcards, set of six from {papermash}

Aren't all these things lovely? I love paper goods and even love to make my own cards and things, but I love what others are able to come up with too!

I hope you've enjoyed this post! As you know, Wednesday is my favorite day so I love to share my favorite things with you! Don't forget to check the sites and blogs out!

Cheers!

Images from the following: Parrot Design Studio, A Field Journal, and {papermash}.

Conscious Shopping Wednesday: Sneaker Sensation!

Sneaker Sensation at Rosaeurs!

Wednesday is my favorite day for many reasons!

Reason #1: It marks the mid-week point! It is exactly in the middle of the week!
Reason #2: I was born on a Wednesday.
Reason #3: I get to share interesting eco-friendly shopping finds! Yay!

So, today I went back to my favorite eco-site Inhabitat and found a great DIY Fashion kit being showcased on Ecouterre, their fashion weblog. Ecouterre is amazing and has everything you'd want to know about eco-fashion on it! A bonus was that I was able to attend their launch party in NYC last October which was a total blast! I love fashion and if it is sustainable even better!

Here's the skinny on the DIY: JGoods' Sneaker Restoration Kit, something I think I may just be needing to revamp my poor Nikes (they are in such bad shape right now). This kit basically makes your old kicks look new again and who wouldn't want that? Not only can you hang on to your sneaks a while longer (before deciding to place them six feet under or over a heaping pile of garbage) you can make them look great with this snazzy kit! You can buy the kit at JGoods online shop for just $35. In their own words: "The kit includes all the necessary materials for sneaker restoration and the most comprehensive guide to sneaker care, cleaning and restoration available." And did I mention it comes in a really cool shoe box?

JGoods Sneaker Restoration Kit

So, go on, make your shoes happy! Give them that nice new look and live sustainably by reusing rather than tossing away! Your shoes will be so glad you brought them back they'll want to dance the night away with you!

Cheers! 

New York Sneakers out on Central Park

Conscious Shopping Wednesdays

In the land of sustainable fashion, architecture and children's eco-friendly products no one has better advice or links than Inhabitat. I especially love their kids section properly named Inhabitots! Looking through their posts is pure eye candy. The clean images, the wonderful ideas and the coolest links around! If you are anything like me, you will absolutely love the eco-friendly art smocks for kids showcased on the page today! They are from 3 Sprouts and are totally cute! The one on the website is a green frog art smock! There is also a purple cow one which happens to be my personal favorite!

These are sold by Chi Chi Bean

There are so many great things on Chi Chi Bean's website and what most interests this blogger are the craft kits! One such kit that caught my eye and may have to be my next gift for my four year old niece is the Little Experience Prima Ballerina Create-It Kit. The doll is cute and her packaging becomes her carry-all once it is recycled! The kit comes with everything you need to make a wooden peg-doll ballerina, embellishments for the tu-tu, sticker sheet, glue and etc. Eco-friendly to the nines!

For the little boys in your life, the Little Experience Rocket Build-It kit is just the ticket! Its packaging also turns into its carry bag. There are several greaet little kits on the online store site. Just go ahead and click away to browse through the great craft kits! Now can you see why I love Inhabitots? Look where just one of their links took us! Great stuff on a great site just a few clicks away!

Cheers!