I spent the last days of 2015 with my family at the Santa María del Oro lake in Nayarit. My parents just sold the house they have lived in for the past 16 years, and this was our last trip there. During my visit, I took lots of pictures to capture the spirit of a place that gave us so much.

Most of the pictures I posted here are closeups.
You can see full scale pictures of the house and the lake
in my previous visit. 

I went downtown yesterday to see the Mathias Goeritz retrospective. I don't leave my neighborhood often, but when I do I am struck by the monumental splendor of historic Mexico City. Here are a few images from my visit. 

In 2001 I sold everything I owned and moved to the United States. I got rid of furniture, artwork, books, clothes, and music. But the last thing I held on to was my favorite CD: Moby's Play. I loved that album, but I didn't know where I'd live, and I wanted to travel light, so I let it go. I thought: something better will come my way.

A few years later, I moved to New York City and got a job at a boutique in Nolita. One day, as I threw out the trash in the building's dumpster, I noticed a frame leaning against the wall. I looked closely, and under shattered glass, glued on black velvet, was a CD. It was Moby's Play, with an inscribed metal plate underneath that commemorated the sales of his album. 

I removed the glass, grabbed the CD and the plate, and rushed back to work. When I showed my co-worker what I'd found, she said, that's because Moby lives upstairs. The frame probably fell of his wall and he didn’t want to repair it. As it turns out, I now literally own Moby's album Play.

Magnetic Talisman.
Labradorite and 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.

I spent a week in New York City with my mother and sister. I had not returned since I lived there in 2003, and I have fallen in love all over again. Nothing beats a pedestrian town; a city that is both old and new; that combines cultures from all around the world –many within the same block; that is on the cutting edge of design, food, architecture, art and fashion; and has green everywhere. For a visual junkie like me, it is paradise. 

I shared some of my pictures on Instagram as I took them, but you can see my entre journey here. I hope you enjoy my perspective of New York, but most of all, may these images inspire you to look closely, wherever you are.

I'm off to New York City, and my shop on Etsy will be closed until May 14. I will return with lots of new ideas!

Getting to the ocean was always an adventure. On one trip, my father bought a roof rack for our car that didn't fit right, and all of our luggage flew off as we made the first turn on the highway. We spent that vacation camping in our garden. Other trips included: an overheated car that forced us stop every few kilometers to cool it down; flat tires; fights with my sister; and dehydration. 

Acapulco was the closest beach. Getting there, was a hot and winding five hour trip that felt like an overseas voyage to a ten year old. Hungry and car sick, we started to wish we hadn't left home, when the ocean would appear between the mountains. We could smell the salty air and knew there was nothing better.

Ocean ring. 
100% recycled sterling silver and manto Huichol obsidian.

Sign up here, and I’ll let you know when I add this ring to my shop.

Yesterday, I visited Alexander Calder's exhibit at the Jumex museum. I found it refreshing to see three-dimensional work that is playful and meditative. The mobiles and sculptures are so full of life, that the energy of each piece fills the large, stark rooms. Calder must have enjoyed what he created so much, that his love is forever imprinted in his art. 

May we all love what we do, and do work we love! The world deserves it.

Moon Flower ring. Labradorite and 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.

I have always been fortunate to live in incredible places. When my parents married, they settled in the pine covered mountains outside Mexico City, which is where I grew up. They lived there for over 20 years, until my mother's brother, John, discovered the lake. 

Uncle John was a recluse who loved water. Mother has memories of him as a little boy getting lost for hours along the north England shore when the tide was out. Later, he lived on boats in Florida, Hawaii, California and islands in the Caribbean. As he grew older, he ventured out to Mexico and searched the coasts for a quiet place to settle. In his travels, he discovered a small crater lake three hours inland from Puerto Vallarta. He bought land, and for the next few years, the lake of Santa María del Oro became his home.

A place as pristine as the lake of Santa María del Oro -or Samao, as the locals call it- is a rarity in Mexico. It has lush semi-tropical vegetation, clear waters and lots of wildlife. It was preserved in part because the actual town of Samao settled several kilometers away from the lake, and because it is far from major cities, and the toll roads to get there are expensive. 

When we visited John for the first time fifteen years ago, my parents fell in love with the lake and decided to make it their second home. My father (an architect) built a gorgeous sculpted house, a studio, and guest loft, and my mother created a wonderful garden combining plants with found objects. They planted lots of fruit trees, and grew passion fruit vines along the entire fence. The lake has brought joy and peace to their lives ever since.

I went to visit my parents at Samao lake a few weeks ago, and took lots of pictures so that you could also experience such beauty.

I am visiting my sister Vanessa in Austin. I love this town. The homes are surrounded my trees and lush gardens, there are trails along the river, great food, and lots to do outdoors. On Sunday, we went to Boggy Creek Farm to buy organic produce. I took several of my new pieces to photograph against the beautiful rustic settings and natural surroundings.

These pieces are in my shop.