and the dust settles...

books, to me, are romantic. something about words pressed up against a page, melting into it, like a lover's embrace. nostalgic. longing. a quest to discover what exists within...

reading is a transformation. an evolution, so small that most of us don't recognize the slight change in our thoughts, our character but it's there. tiny bits & pieces remain in our minds forever.

i used to read two books a week, religiously. mostly because i preferred the little temporary world over my own dull existence, being on the cusp of incredibly shy, this worked for me too well.

& no, i am not that shy anymore. but i still love a good book.

some of my recent crushes have are those listed above. although marquez, has been read many times, i love that book.

other writers i cherish range from existentialists (djuna barnes) to magical realism (marquez) i love mailer and his approach to "hip" in "the white negro" mailer states, “the language of hip is a language of energy, how it is found, how it is lost”, and that “movement is always to be preferred to inaction.". glorious.

on poetry, many, many favorite poets but my all time favorite is amiri baraka, "transbluesency" is my favorite collection. and i love all of the beats, who doesn't? aaahhh, this is really refreshing.

wonder why i am not shy anymore? i used to perform spoken word. ha! it seems like forever ago. now jimmy & i just make up stuff and record it on his 8-track with funk in the background. good times...

rambling over.

have you any suggestions? i would love to know! i've been out of the loop with olilo being so busy. but now i am ready to make a reading list!

peeping...

these little cuddlies are off on a journey to new jersey. they will be sold as a set, with matching booties and onesies. randy at that's art, a boutique/art school, will be giving these little guys some company until they are whisked away to their real homes.

i had another order similar to his, so there has been a lot of box cutting and stuffie stuffing around here.

the only thing i am frustrated with is the quality of photos. i took, literally, over 100 photos of these guys before i shipped them out. i couldn't get one perfect shot. i tried in the morning, afternoon, and late evening, the above photo is the best i could get! this is when i wish i had a light box or photo studio. eek!

speaking of studio, you should see mine. it is a disaster. i can hardly move in there. today's mission, is order. i am going to organize. i will post an after photo when i am finished. phew!

bauble

my newest creation, bauble. they are made of fabric, the front as you can see is floral, the back is b&w polka dots. you can find them here.

i had a really fun time making them. i am filled with the sensation of being a female and delicate, when i make these. it's a nice feeling especially when i am making baby booties all the time. i forget that there is also a feminine, dainty side to me that wants to come out from time to time.

it's a pleasant vacation. speaking of vacation, it felt like i was somewhere glorious, rather than in phoenix, yesterday. it was 80 degrees here! i sat in the sun and tried to relax but my mind kept coming back to my lists of things that need to get done and they seem to multiply every time i look away. i swear those lists are living, breathing, insects that can mass produce in a blink of an eye. it's terribly frightening! and the sad part is, they don't die in 48 hours, they keep living.

today, is going to be much the same as yesterday, perhaps i will take my notebook out and work on more collections for trousseaux to treasure. it's coming along nicely.

one more photo and i am off to find the fly swatter and see how many mind buzzing items i can swat off my list.

tuffet ring - desejo

i've just listed a new tuffet ring! this one is called desejo. the top is made with three layers. the first layer is a black & white polka dot fabric, second is a warm burgundy lace, and the top, as you can see it the white with silhouettes of flowers.

this ring has turned out to be my favorite i've listed so far. i like the spanish vintage feel to it. i should have called it flamenco. maybe another one...

below is a sneak peak at desejo's companion piece which will be listed tomorrow in my shop, they are my first attempt making fabric earrings. i am pretty content with them. i will write more about them tomorrow.

please let me know what you think!

trousseaux to treasure

the blog is in it's beginning stages. we are almost there! please take a look at trousseaux and let me know what you think!

thanks so much for your comments and emails!

brigadeiro isn't as sweet as chloe

my niece turned one yesterday. we're celebrating her birthday tonight. she is the most precious little girl i have ever met. she's hilarious, even at one.

her name is chloe and she is the first baby in our family. my brother, damian and his wife, nicole, actually made her on their honeymoon. what a gift! ha!

i made brigadeiro, my favorite dessert for her birthday party. i've been making brigadeiro since i was a young girl. my aunt, olga, and i would make them the day i arrived in brasil. every year was the same, even as i grew older. as the plane would land in belo horizonte, i would be & still am filled with nerves & hunger for my family & for brigadeiro.

i hope to have this same kind of relationship with chloe. i want to watch her stir vigorously so the chocolate doesn't burn & giggle while we roll the sticky chocolatey goodness between our hands, stealing a ball every now & then.

my aunt, my second mother, suffered an aneurysm this past year. i haven't seen her yet and i hope that our ritual, our reuniting will still be filled will the taste of chocolate, but i fear it may be a bit bittersweet.

she still has her memory intact and talks often of brigadeiro. this is a good sign, because memory is what keeps us going. we seek experience in order to create memory. i dream we can share many more lovely moments together.

and finally to chloe, happy birthday, i love you.

(she's like 7 m's here, but i love this photo)

the recipe:

4 tbs cocoa

4 tbs butter/margerine

1 can condensed milk

1 tsp honey

combine all ingredients, cook over medium-high heat stirring constantly. when mixture thickens & you can see the sides of the pot, remove from heat. cool.

roll into 1/2" or 1" balls. it may be a good idea to put a little butter on your hands so they don't get too sticky.

it's delicious.

Order

though, i have been working mostly on wholesale orders lately, i did steal a few moments before falling asleep last night to create a new member of the tuffet family, La Playa.

i promise a better post tomorrow...