Hangoverish

Merry Christmas! Today is the strange day that I spend mostly in bed and can hardly get up. It's like the entire year busyness has fallen upon my body. This month has been especially crazy with so many things going on. Several dinners and a music session at home to celebrate that we've relatively settled. End of school, meetings and closing acts. Christmas season work which is always busy, and probably more food than the body needs! 

Yesterday a friend visits and as I walk to meeting her at the bus stop I take my bag and scissors and collect a few plant bits on the way.

And then, at home, the two of us play a little making a spontaneous wreath and several vase arrangements that look very pretty!

Much love and joy and play and health to you and your beloveds! Thanks so much for reading :)

A taste of surprise

As adults we don’t have as many good surprises as we deserve.

It’s like the quantum of good surprises runs out during childhood.

I still remember when I was 4 or 5 and I asked my mom -What are you eating?

She said - Corn. And gave me my first small piece of corn on the cob. I tried it and was hooked forever.

The best corn on the cob that I ever ate was in the town of Aguas Calientes just before taking the little bus to ascend to Macchu Picchu. It was amazingly good AND it made me so sick that I almost missed my tour. But I won’t disgrace you with that story today. 

My favourite fruits: Bananas and cherries.

Bananas may sound pedestrian to some because of their year round availability. But I never get bored of their soft sweet delight. 

Cherries: I have this little ritual where I eat my first cherry each year with eyes closed to feel every bit of flavour in my mouth. You know how a new ring is formed every year in a tree trunk? My first cherry each year is like a new ring in my human-ness. A sign that another year went by. (It happened today!)

Pasionaria.

This weekend at the countryside, my botanical savvy friends taught me that this wild plant’s fruit is edible. I’ve been a long time admirer of its complex beautiful flower but thought the fruit was only for birds.

I grabbed a couple ripe ones from the roadside fence (careful not to fall to the ditch) and tried them. 

They were…they were a surprise.

Spoiler alert: if you want to try them yourself stop reading at this point so I don’t spoil it for you.

Otherwise let me describe them with this formula: 1/3 fig + 1/3 pommegranate + 1/3 caviar

Make sure to try them if you see them around!

And if you know its name in any language but Spanish, please let me know.

Birds will now dislike me. I’m their fierce competitor!

inspired!

While I'm busy with Christmas orders some lovely ideas for new pieces are popping up.
It's curious how inspiration comes when it comes!

So this is cute: I'm grabbing some old molds and motifs that I've used in the past and giving them a whole new treatment. In this case, it's a full metallic patina on the clay and my hammered wire hoops  (like for the earrings I've been doing lately)

And the result is so pretty!

I have a drawer full of charms that I collect when I shop and I then don't have time to further develop. Now it's a good time to play with those! That's what I'm doing this summer!