♦Fantastic Fridays: Painting...♦

Oh the joys of creating something yourself. Earlier this week I painted a small 6"x 6" canvas and found it to be therapeutic.

My little painting, acrylic on canvas, first I've ever done...

Yesterday I got a pack of 25 different brushes at Big Lots for four dollars and today I bought some sponges, painters tape and clothes pins for various art projects I want to do. They are not "professional" supplies but I have found that there are many things that one can use to create beautiful works of art. Tomorrow I will work on another painting I want to do using shapes and textures. It should be interesting. 

I am by no means a professional and am just experimenting with art. I've decided to start and art journal on my 30th birthday which I am really excited about as I think it will really help my creativity. I've been gathering my supplies and even think I am going to actually make the journal I want to use myself. So, I'll be posting more about that soon!

I checked out a few sites for inspiration and found the following:

daisy yellow, a great source for learning about art journaling

journal girl, a fantastic blog of inspiration

Hanna Andersson, her blog is full of beautiful art

Enjoy!
   

Fantastic Friday: Just another day in Caracas...

Oh the joys of a Friday! It's nice when you've been paid and have some money to spend and most of my money went to much needed things like: shampoo, conditioner, baño de crema (which is a deep conditioner), lotions, soap and other such things. For next week I'll stock up on other things and some more soap but in the meantime I think what I bought today was sufficient.

I took Andrea to music class today as well and afterward treated her to some ice cream at Mc Donald's! She really enjoyed that and I am glad she did. She's such a cute kid! My one treat for myself today was a really beautiful fan I bought which called my eye when I was taking Andrea to music class, I bought it from an informal street vendor (there are plenty to be had here in Caracas) and I love it! It's black with gorgeous fuscia sequins and embroidery.

What's next on my list of things to do you ask? Tonight: watch "Because I Said So", tomorrow: clean my room and possibly go to the National Art Gallery or go catch a play at the old Ateneo Theatre, Sunday: it's Father's Day and I hope to talk to my father a bit but will be attending Maria Alejandra's choir concert and later that afternoon taking the girls to see the ballet production of "Carmen". That is my weekend in a nutshell! Hope you have a fantabulous weekend too!

Cheers!

Fantastic Friday: Rain, rain and more rain!

It rained pretty much all day today! I did some laundry early in the morning and thank God that was dry but I didn't have such luck with my second load! After placing it out to dry I went to get a couple of things at the panaderia and to meet up with a friend and voila! It stared pouring down rain! My clothes was, of course, soaked and since it rained all day since it is still up there wet and I will probably have to take it down early tomorrow morning, bring it here and put it through the rinse cycle once more...oh well!

Other than that, I had a pretty busy day running about here and there, taking my little friend Maria Alejandra to and from ballet to music class! We had fun at the end, despite the rainfall! I got an Italia bracelet to be decked out in World Cup gear and fervor (that's my team) and Maria Alejandra was happy because she is also a fan of Italy! After that we got ice cream sundae's at McDonald's and headed back to the building! Here are some shots we took today:

Maria and I show off our bracelets...

Maria and I at McD's!

Ahhhh...sundaes!

Maria enjoying her sundae...

Fantastic Friday: Socks for Happy People and more...

Spring Poppies by Susan Hazard

Today is the official launch date of Socks for Happy People's 3 lines of fantastic socks and I can't wait to hear how their first day went! Having been communicating with Tom and Rich since last September (when I met them on Twitter) I've been excited about this moment and now it is here, upon us and the excitement just keeps growing! Check out this video of their fantastic What Lies Beneath Line:

What do you think? I love all of the socks in this first launch collection and can't wait to get a pair on my feet!

Still working on my packing, I have about 2-3 days left to do it all and I've not been very successful of late. I was however able to get a CD notebook and finally take that load of heavy plastic cases off and will be leaving the frightfully large CD carrier for my Dad to enjoy!

Other than packing and getting a few last minute things here and there I've been enjoying my sweet little nieces and trying to give them as much love and affection as I can before I leave. I am going to miss them both a lot!

Cheers!

Fantastic Fridays: Socks for Happy People announces product launch!

Hello friends! Sorry for the two day hiatus, been busy cleaning and packing for my next big move but wanted to bring you all this news which is something I've been waiting to hear for some time and am really excited about! Socks for Happy People has just yesterday announced the launch of their line of eco-friendly happy socks! The website and the ability to buy socks from this fun company will begin on Friday the 26th of March. Tom Minter and Rich Taylor are great friends of mine and I am so happy to announce this launch on my own blog in hopes that you too, if you haven't already, will join in the fun and celebration of this much anticipated product.

Besides going to the website to enter to win the entire collection, which I recommend you do as the contest is still open, you can join the party on facebook on the Socks for Happy People Fan page, follow them on Twitter: @Socks4HappyPPL, check out the Flickr group: The World's Largest Collection of Sock Pics, and of course, you HAVE to check out the blog which is where you will see for the next few days the products revealed starting with today's Affirmation Sock post!

So, stop hesitating and go already! Check it all out and feast your eyes on the coolest socks around!

Have a happy weekend!

Fantastic Friday: Photography I ♥ thee!

January 17th/Day 11,
originally uploaded by Nadia Marie.

I took this photo of the Stella McCartney boutique when I was last in Manhattan. I was already wanting to write a post about photography when I opened my Flickr account and found I had a message. I thought it was from one of my friend's so went to open the message and saw that it was Amanda Brooks from the Schmap New York Guide letting me know that my Stella McCartney boutique photo was chosen for the April 2010 edition of the Schmap Guide's short-list. This does not mean that it will necessarily be in the final edition of the guide but the fact that it is even being considered is a huge honor for me, so I had to share, of course!

I do hope that the photo will make the final cut but if it doesn't I am still honored to have been considered. ☺ I hope to soon be letting you know that it was included in the Guide!

Cheers,

Nadia

PS: Click on the link below the photo for a better view as seen on my Flickr page.

Fantastic Friday: Dreaming of France, Peanut Butter Bread and Free Music

A finer Friday I could not have asked for! I love having exceptionally good days because when you're having a not-so-great day they are the days you can draw inspiration from and remind yourself that there's always a rainbow after the biggest of storms. So, I've had all things French on my mind, so much so that I actually did a little bit of my French lessons on Livemocha.com. I was watching Julie & Julia last night and although I wasn't able to finish (the DVD was not working very well) I was already loving it and think I may just have to purchase it! I think I may also purchase that cookbook of Julia's and tackle those recipes myself (Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a cookbook that has always intimidated me but now that I am older I think I might be able to handle it).

I woke up from a brilliant dream about being in France and was happy to find the sun shining through my window and was even happier to come downstairs and drink a cup of coffee accompanying it with some toast with Nutella spread. After feeding Gianna and making sure Alyssa had some food, I sat down to watch the Gilmore Girls and then caught Paula Deen on the Food Network. Her recipes today were delicious as she had decided to "Go nutz!" The episode, Goin' Nutz! was full of great food and a nice little "tip" at the end. She made this very good looking Peanut Butter bread which I of course had to try! So I made it, although the reviews were not so great, but mine turned out wonderfully! Here it is:

Peanut Butter Bread using Paula Deen's recipe

I think the trick to the bread was baking it for about 30-35 minutes instead of the 50 minutes suggested by the recipe (I inserted a toothpick and when it came out clean took the bread out which was well before the 50 minutes). Also, adding more like 1/2 a cup to 3/4 cups of sugar instead of 1/3 cup will make it a bit better although adding honey to it when it is still warm makes it taste pretty good too! Here is the recipe. Just click on the boldfaced word to access the link!

I listened to the House of Soul sampler I got from iTunes as I was cooking and while waiting for the bread to cool some, I got on facebook to see that there was an NPR sampler available for download so I got that. Looking for more music I found samplers for free on Amazon and I want to share that link with you: Amazon Samplers. I love to listen to music as I cook or craft and even more when it is an ecclectic mixture of good tunes! So, I leave you now with some gorgeous photos of Paris, La Ville-Lumière, the City of Light since that's what I've been dreaming of lately:

{Tour Eiffel, Paris France by Philip Rood Photography}

{Collage by ..Agnes.. on polyvore.com}

{Photo from Paris Perfect}

{Mini Eiffel Tower Grater from wishingfish.com}

Ok, so that last one isn't exactly a photo of Paris but I thought it was cute and really want one! Hope you've enjoyed today's post!

Cheers!

Fantastic Friday: Image Inspiration from Wedding Inspiration Boards

While researching photos for my travel blog, Transitional Nadia, I found a really gorgeous blog with tons of fabulous wedding photos! The blog is called Snippet & Ink and it has some truly beautiful images. I came to this blog by way of another beautiful blog called Pixelimpress which is owned and authored by Pam, the creator of a small stationery business and just to let you know, her stationary is beautiful.

Anyway, I wanted to share some of Snippet & Ink's inspiration boards, the ones which really call my attention. These are the ones I felt to be most beautiful:

Nantucket themed wedding, click here for photo credits.

Sparkle and Bubbly, click here for photo credits.

Pansies and Blush, click here for photo credits.

And last, but certainly not least, the fourth of my favorites:

Let's Do It, Let's fall in love!, click here for photo credits.

Aren't these inspiration boards by Kathryn at Snippet & Ink amazing? I am bookmarking this blog and adding it to my feed list for future reference. I suggest you check it out if you are looking for wedding ideas. Kathryn has tons more boards and many more great posts!

Here's to a wonderful weekend!

Cheers! ☺

Fantastic Friday: Design Blogs Galore!

Fridays are so much fun! Alyssa, Gianna and I had a very good morning today. We were able to talk to my Mom (their Abuela) on skype which was fun! It's always fun, especially when I get to see my four day old nephew! He's such a cutie! Anyway, the sun was out and shining through the window (though it was freezing outside) and reminded me of Spring to come! I am longing for Spring, for colors to return! I love Winter but one can only take so much white before one starts to dream of color and warmth!

So, today I was thinking about design! I follow a ton of design blogs and it's about time I started sharing them! I've already written about {frolic} which is truly one of my favorite blogs. I cannot impress it enough upon you how absolutely inspiring Chelsea Fuss' blog is. Her images will wow you and her polaroids will astound you! Another blog you will remember having read about before on here is A CUP OF JO, though it is not strictly a design blog, Joanna Goddard often posts about design and oh how lovely are the things she posts! I especially love her fairly recent Home Inspiration: Flowers post. The photos of Juliet Toten's New York Apartment are spectacular!

Another site I am now following courtesy of Joanna Goddard's blog is Design*Sponge. Their site's layout is just fun to look at! It's gorgeous and the images that go with the posts are breath-takingly beautiful! There is nothing better than looking through a great design blog! The ideas you can get are amazing! There are many contributors to that site and as I always say, the more the merrier! Now if clean cut design images and beautiful vistas are your thing then you will love escapade. The blogs complete name is In Search of a Life More Fabulous: Escapade, and it truly is quite an escapade! I love it! Their is so much for one to feast the eyes on! I think this is just one of my many favorite images from this blog:

{photo by: Alicia Bock Photography: I love Paris in the Springtime via Escapade}

Can you see why I love all these design blogs??? Another favorite: Abbey Goes Design Scouting, which I have already mentioned as well. As for art and design: Jill Bliss has a little bit of everything! Just check out her new journal design:

{photo by Jill Bliss}

I cannot wait to get my hands on one of those full color journals! It's going to be a long wait as they do not come on the market until September but it is worth going to Jill's blog just to look at the above photo and all the other wonderful things she's posted about! Last but certainly not least, I will mention my friend Kiki Smith's blog: Kiki Nakita. Kiki is an up and coming designer studying in Oregon. Her blog has beautiful images, beautiful music and inspiring stories. You really need to check it out as well! There are so many more design blogs I follow but not enough time in the day to write them all up! I will have to do another Fantastic Friday post about more blogs!

Have a wonderful weekend and have fun perusing these great blogs!

Cheers!

Fantastic Friday: {frolic}

I am obsessed with reading Chelsea Fuss' blog: {frolic}! I love all of her posts! From her tutorials to her product posts, everything she puts on there is worth taking a look at! Her latest post, Project Wedding DIY: flower crown, is sensationally simple to make and just as elegant as an elaborate wreath! It's right up my alley! Something worth bookmarking for when I get married some day...lol! One of the things I love most about Chelsea's blog is her list of sponsors! She has so many great sponsors.

{papermash uk} is one such sponsor and I think their products are super gorgeous! Just check out this amazingly beautiful list package:

This is like a dream come true for me! I love making lists and how much cooler would the look on the paper above? Also, being a notebook lover (I am, after all, a writer), I have fallen in love with their notebooks! This one in particular beckons me to buy it:

Such beautiful paper products for the girl who has everything and wants more of it! The best thing on the site, you may ask? The *free* section is pretty great! Right now they have a craft called Sweet Straws craft project by Olivia Kanaley which is pretty, well, SWEET! It's very cute and the instructions are available for download (hover over the word free on here and it will take you directly to the download page). I downloaded it and can't wait to make some!

Isn't that pretty?

This post is making me want to craft now! LOL! Well, now you can see why I love {frolic} so much! Who wouldn't with all the great things you can find on there? Thanks, Chelsea, for keeping such a beautiful blog and sharing your ideas and favorite things!

Cheers!

Fantastic Friday: Jane Austen and the latest BBC Version of Emma

I've decided that in order to keep the blog up to date I must give each day of the week a specific function and as such have decided that this blog will be maintained Monday through Friday, with the occasional weekend special! In short, Fridays are now called Fantastic Fridays and will feature things such as what I am reading, watching and enjoying during each week. To kick of the first Fantastic Friday we will talk about the latest BBC version of Emma. Jane Austen, as many know, has been delighting us for nearly 200 years and it is no wonder these classic heroines are still causing us to go back to our bookshelves and re-read those beloved books which seem to me as dear as my own friends.

This latest BBC version of the classic tale of Emma Woodhouse is rapidly gaining popularity among Austenites and introducing many younger generations to Jane's thought provoking characters. Romola Garai as Miss Woodhouse is fun and energetic and according to those who know "physically...fits the part perfectly" (Deconstructing Miss Emma Woodhouse, by Laurel Ann of the Austenprose blog). There have been several Emma's but I think that by far Romola Garai is my favorite Emma. There is a uniqueness about her that just makes her endearing even when you are exasperated with her schemes! Jonny Lee Miller is Mr. George Knightley and what a Knightley he is! He fits the character like a charm. I've been watching Emma on PBS' Masterpiece Classics and am eager to see the last installment of the mini series which will air on PBS this Sunday. If you have not already watched it and are in the US you can go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/watch.html to catch up.

Episode 3 of the PBS showing will air online beginning on Monday. So, for all you Jane Austen fans who might be reading this blog, do not miss Emma. It is very entertaining and delightful! I look forward to hearing from those of you who are viewing and hope you will let me know what you think of this latest version of the classic. Before I forget, if you are going to watch on Sunday please join the Emma Twitter Party, don't forget to use the hash tag #emma_pbs when posting during the party! For more info see: Emma Twitter Party. 

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." -Emma

Cheers!