BUY HANDMADE!

Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving!

The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can
be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.

Buying handmade is better for people!

The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.

Buying handmade is better for the environment!

The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.

In the picture, an organic garland from Maya.

NEW FRIENDS!

I've just received a wonderful, amazing, useful, liberating book from Amazon. I need to say it is an IMPERATIVE for you (yes, every single one of you) to buy it. No bullshit, man. I'm talking about real creativity development, and not one more of this huge amount of fake stupid-creativity-raisers full of pictures and bright colors and designer sillyness for silly designers. This is serious. Simple. Effective. I've read the first chapters and I'm really excited. This is like taking a masterclass of 12 weeks. I'm starting today. I'll let you know in 84 days.

I need to thank my new friend (can I say friend with only one date? I think I can!) Ana Montiel for that morning chat where we talked about life, love, ayurveda and the difficult paths of creative living. She illuminated me with her smile and a lot of cultural recommendations (this book was my first objective!) and I came home happy and believing the world -and this city, specially- can be a nice place because there are people like she, like us, making real little changes around.

These days, just because of Dumbo and our new life, I've met some special people that I'd love to call my friends, someday. It's specially weird for someone like me because I was the one never calling anybody (not even my real friends, who always complain about me with a good reason) and not really caring about nothing. But dear, life paths are mysterious and suddenly you found yourself in a new mood, with new concernings and new objectives. And, oh, yes, I think I should thank Ari about this positive change. True love is the key.


(On the picture, TOPO AZUL, the amazing patterned wallpaper designed by Ana who made me leave a comment on her blog for the first time. She gave me some samples on our meeting! Isn't she lovely?)

VISTE ADECUADAMENTE ♥ DUMBO

Aquí me hallo, inmersa en un submundo apasionante que consiste en diseñar unos tours supermajos de shopping por Barcelona para un evento grandioso de una empresa de productos de belleza grandiosa, para que los asistentes al evento (periodistas de belleza grandiosos, mostly) disfruten de una tarde de compras -grandiosa!- en nuestra city. Y todo gracias a que Time Out London nos llamó local hipsters -eso sí que es grandioso-!

En fin, que aquí me hallo, dejando a Dumbo un poco abandonado entre unas cosas (ayer hice un antifaz para Ari, que empieza unas clases muy interesantes y lo necesita, y se lo regalé por la noche en plan surprise) y otras (por suerte ya terminé con lo de San Sebastián y ahora tendría que encontrar un trabajo de verdad a media jornada si no quiero morir de hambre y que mis dos pequeños mueran conmigo), mientras escucho a Leonard Cohen en Spotify -qué gran cosa es Spotify!- y vigilo la siesta de los gatos y me preparo para poner Fama de fondo mientras sigo trabajando -aquí en este punto me he descubierto como la auténtica cholilla que soy, no pasa nada, hay que ser sincero. También soy gran fan de Pekín Express.

Total, que como soy una adicta a chequear mis gmails cada 3 segundos (por favor, no habría manera de que el gmail te avisara con un pop-up tipo el messenger cuando te llega un mail a cualquiera de tus cuentas? me ahorarría muchos clicks!) me acaba de llegar carta de la encantadora Anna, del blog Viste Adecuadamente, diciéndome que acaban de postear sobre nosotros. Id a mirarlo! :)

Gracias Anna!