EEK! It’s Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day…nearing the end of a special day of near misses, desperation dates, romantic dinners, bouquets of flowers, boxes of candies – in our shop we featured all manner of loving gestures from Italian blown glass heart vases to Mexican blown glass heart pendants, heart-shaped pewter dishes, hand crafted jewelry to pastel paintings of hearts, ceramic hearts on the wall and many more originally unique ideas to show that YOU care!
“He’s Just Not That Into YOU” says it in so many ways – a great little movie – romantic comedy of sorts but with a story line that is so true. They that don’t get what they think they want end up getting what they should have and it all works out in the final analysis.
Intertwined heart shaped jewelry on T.V. advertise somebody’s design for eternity. Red roses by the bucketful – traditionally cliché! Then there’s imagination…marking the day without convention. What might that mean?
Bath rugs with shaggy red texture in the shape of a heart, pajama-grams, martini glasses with painted hearts all around, the list goes on…
Why don’t we take the time to make a handmade card? From the heart this would be the most meaningful statement of affection – taking the time and thought to create a simple but very special art piece for eternity.
Design…maybe you’ll sandblast a heart on your shower door as a surprise!!! And then there’s Christine Limke’s “Eeks” – loveable creatures each handmade by the artist – for all occasions!
Keep thinking – you have another year to come up with the perfect VALENTINE!!!

Posted On February 14, 2011 By pattisays In art as gift ideas, DIY design, hearts and design, love /

Beach Vendors Offer Colorful Treats from the Tropics

The dark-skinned vendors gather on the beach roasting day after day surrounded by the relentless sun reflecting both off the glittering sea water and the warm granular sand. No sunscreen bottles in evidence here. Some have tables to display their wares and others continuously stroll carrying a variety of offerings. It is fun to see the colors, clothing, house wares, jewelry and other handcrafts. Some are locally fabricated and others come from different regions of Mexico while other items arrive from across the planet from places like Indonesia and China. It’s interesting what sells. It’s interesting what people will buy and why – and the vendors know.
Some feign a lack of English while others genuinely do not speak the language and try very hard to negotiate their business with their prospective customers. Some boldly call out in perfect English and even assist their compatriots to communicate as required to help close a deal.
It is partly friendly and partly competitive. It seems tireless the way they repeat their mantras and vocal sales pitches – and their personalities read through the crush of it all. A really nice young guy took a second glance at me yesterday and said “Hey” in a way that suggested that he recognized me. I didn’t get the connection at first, but a little later when we passed again, he stopped and said “I remember you from the cuchillos.” I tried not to look blank as my mind struggled to race through my memories to recall about what he must be referring. I smiled and said “Oh yes.” He continued to chat asking me how I had been and I returned the inquiry. And as we visited with small talk it hit me “cuhillos” from last year when this really nice young man assisted me in locating the woman who sold the hand-carved wooden spoons! He reminded me his name when I asked and of course it was all coming back to me – Benjamin! He was not trying to sell me anything – how rare among these myriad vendors along the beach – rather, he genuinely enjoyed making the connection and just wanted to say “Hi, how have you been?” We then discussed that the wood carvers were not on the beach this year – the wood was getting increasingly hard to obtain – that was part of the difficulty last year. We talked about the fact that he marketed woven wrist bands that he made himself sporting NFL teams and people’s names – colorful and fun to watch him and other vendors weave with thread as you witnessed the designs and letters materialize. But he knew without questioning that I was not in the market for this handcraft. While others will even approach me with henna tattoo presentations – “thank you, no” – but you can’t blame them for trying – you never know, I might get a wild hair after a few shots!
This year it was about the straw basket vendor. A towering guy encircled with a variety of colorful baskets, handbags and hats, he balanced this extraordinary collection about his person and was a fantastic sight to behold. I was enchanted with the colors and fine workmanship. I particularly focused on the smaller sized handbags – entirely of colored straw without metal or plastic detailing like some sported – these were purely organic and quite lovely. I selected colors that I preferred and he returned the next day with the perfect collection to fill my order. His family makes them and he is their salesman “on the road.” I bought 10 and will be bringing them back to the shop for another treat from the tropics!

Posted On February 3, 2011 By pattisays In art as gift ideas, design, design trends, fashion and design, travel and design /

Traditions of Yesterday in Today’s Interior Design

P-A-R-T-Y!!!! Still in Mexico and thrilled to discover new things! It’s about the allure of the tropics with the brilliant colors that are so vividly expressed in textiles, architecture, flora, tableware, and jewelry suggesting happy, carefree times. The festive colors evoke the mood of a party – a fiesta in this case. It’s a tradition of color in the southern climes that has been around for ages and is continued today in fabulous passed-down handcrafts and artwork. These exquisitely detailed table runners are woven with care and great historical symbolism and merit by the indigenous people of Chiapas.
While traveling, I enjoy the hunt – ferreting out treasures from various sources, meeting the vendors and in many cases the artisans themselves. The other day, I discovered these tightly woven textile table runners. The workmanship is quite fine, the patterns delightful and the colors bold and exhilarating!
When I weed through the myriad offerings to uncover what I regard as the treasures, I always picture the scene. Where will these beautiful art pieces end up?…From where they were made in the verdant lush hillsides of the jungles of Chiapas to someone’s distressed farm table in a kitchen or dining room in my world. By bringing these things to my shop and my clients, I feel a small connection to the people who fabricated them and a sense of travel – time travel and cultural travel – worlds apart but incredibly, not so far away.
We live in a fast world of commercialism and consumption. Yet, to handle one of these individually woven art pieces and actually take a moment to appreciate the origin and not the mass production that is apparent in so much of what we see and procure, is an awesome opportunity. It’s good to know that these traditions still exist and that they are so appreciated by those who value the art of it all.
So gather your friends and bring out your Fiesta-ware – hand blown glasses and party platters of fun and festivity and enjoy these wonderful focal points at your party! Or…merely place them on your table for everyday enjoyment as a reminder of artisans in the hills, living as they have for centuries with little change and at the least a continuation of these fantastic techniques, the not-yet-lost traditions of yesterday in today’s interior design!

Posted On January 31, 2011 By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, design trends, nostalgia and design, travel and design /

Artists Gather Along the Malacon Fronting the Estudio Café

Like a groupie at rock concert I stood in front of this towering man of a man as I was being introduced to the artist who made the whales!!! Trying to be cool, I shook his hand and marveled at the reality of this moment. As I previously wrote, this magical scene of a waterfront art exhibit every Saturday at the marina in Nuevo Vallarta in front of the Estudio Café, the setting was already not to be believed. Then, to realize that the very first person to whom we were being introduced was that of Octavio Gonzales the sculptor of magnificent mega-scaled masterpieces, I was star struck. Yes, I’m one of those who have ogled and continue to marvel at the stupendous scale of the elegant hump-backed whales that gracefully swim through the sky at the entrance of the marina in Puerto Vallarta. This encounter was a pleasant surprise!
Anyone visiting Vallarta has seen Octavio’s whales, dolphin, musical mermaids, orcas and other incredible renditions magnificently presented in bronze many of which are located on the main malacon downtown. Highland Park outside Chicago even has one of his incredible whale sculptures -shown unlikely but proudly in Octavio’s portfolio in a snowy scene as winter descends on the humpbacks. Arnold Schwarzenegger owns a desk-top miniature of the whales that he references with fond memories of time spent in Vallarta as evidenced in a personal letter in the artist’s portfolio.
And this was just the beginning…several other fine talents were present exhibiting their work and meeting the people who had come to see the art, have breakfast or just were fortunate enough to happen upon this wonderful waterfront scene. Estella Herrera’s work, with her lively glass mobiles, fanciful hearts, jewelry and architectural panels, was elegant, translucent, colorful and creative.
Gonzalo Espinosa crafts whimsical hearts, fish, clouds and other images from found wood that he shapes, colors with dyes and colored wax pencils posting them on iron stands that suspend them in the air above their surface. We enjoyed an interesting conversation as he told me about his techniques and also about exhibiting his work in Tucson – where I hope to discover his work on our next trip.
Meg Munro paints incredible watercolors with the eye of a camera and the soul of an artist. She captures the details but dilutes with shapes and differing levels of clarity for both perspective and emphasis of composition. Her colors are crisp and bold, real and softened to a pleasing interpretation of the reality that she sees.
I didn’t meet all of them – that is left for another visit. But I encourage anyone interested in beautiful Saturday mornings, magical marina settings, quiet music and delightful fresh food to visit this enchanting art exhibit along the malacon in Nuevo Vallarta. www.estudiocafe.net

Posted On January 29, 2011 By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, interior design, landscape design, travel and design /

A Little Painting Caught My Eye

At the art show, in front of the Estudio Café on the malecon in Nuevo Vallarta, a little painting with blue blue sky and dancing white leaves falling from a graceful tree gathering in layers upon the ground, caught my eye. It was a happy piece. It conveyed such dimension and texture that the fallen leaves looked like you could remove each one from the painting with the care of a delicate touch. Almost as though tiny translucent grains of rice, these little white leaves, so deliberately rendered, that each individual one had a specific place nestled among the others blanketing the ground
Small things with great impact, it is nice to have the time to savor these details. It’s a luxury to “stop and smell the roses” as they say. Here in Puerto Vallarta, there are many scenes, many different pockets and places, limitless details to examine and enjoy.
After many years of discovering and exploring these myriad nooks and crannies of this fun and fascinating town, we saw things this time through the eyes of our young cousin and niece – both 26 years old and both experiencing Mexico for their very first time. Their wonderment was palpable. There was no pretense to conceal their enthusiasm through cool veils of studied “hip – seen it and done it” placidity. Quite the contrary, these girls were beaming with sparkling eyes and bubbly exclamations for the 10 days that they participated with us in this adventure.
Both are well-traveled. Coincidentally though, neither had been to Mexico. We were thrilled to be the ones to introduce them and share one of our favorite areas. The details that they perceived and about which they enthused were many…from the delicious aroma and tantalizing sizzle of the carne asada cooking on the small grills which circled the plaza in Bucerillas amidst the carnival-like atmosphere of the night’s festivities – to the soft glow of the candlelight dancing on the tablecloths to the sensual beat of jazz in the gentle breeze of the beachside tables at La Palapa – they were amazed.
We tasted tequilas, savored the nuances, and marveled at the smooth warming effects without typical telltale hangovers of the over-indulgent…in fact, they both now swear by the mysterious medicinal qualities of the great blue agaves and their magical distillation! Imagine that! Each tasting experience brought with it a new vessel from which to enjoy the drinks – so exclaiming about the glassware – tall short, green, clear, each had its own unique character that delighted the girls.
The colors and textures of the architecture intrigued them. Those surfer boys on the beach…cute waiters, nothing escaped their observation. Water aerobics in the sapphire blue water of an infinity pool over-looking the sea with thrilling black whales’ tails flipping in the glitter of the sunlight on the water. Surreal…could this be staged? Cameras were constantly clicking off the shots – what did we do before the multi-gigs of our digital camera cards? Hundreds of images were documented for later examination and re-living of the memories gathered in such a short time. An introductory time, we’re sure as each expressed their absolute desire to return again to continue the adventure.
We’ll change gears now and miss their energetic enthusiasm but maybe have more time now to reflect and enjoy before heading back to “reality.” But at home, we’ll see the little white leaves falling through the blue blue sky from the delicate tree branches of the little painting that caught my eye. Thank you Jesus, it’s a treasure.

Posted On January 26, 2011 By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, design trends, interior design, travel and design /

Design Trends…Individual, Artful Confections of Expression

Funny how themes spread across popular culture…okay, not so funny, just fact. From what’s in Vogue to passing trends, we see the elements and wallow in the offerings. So have you noticed the cupcake craze? Designer cupcakes for crying out loud!! And you ask, why not? They’re little art pieces, individual confections of expression – and so much fun!
Cupcakes remind us of childhood and yet today are not just used for little girls’ birthday parties – they’re wedding sensations! Tiers of colorful cakes in cups – it just says fun! Once holiday opportunities, something to sprinkle jimmies on for special occasions…lick the frosting off first…orange and black for Halloween, pastel for Easter, red, white and blue for 4th of July – they now transcend mere holidays and have come into their own as spectacular presentations of creativity – gifts of decadence – simple, yet sinful nonetheless.
So we have joined the ranks with our indulgent collection of confections by Susan Roden who renders these delicate temptations in soft, swirling pastels beautiful enough to eat, offering the viewer an escape into amorous indulgence. We even have colorful cookbooks on the subject, flour sack dish cloths adorned with dripping frosted cupcakes and many other representations of this sweet timeless trend!
Can a trend be timeless or does it then become something else? If it is timeless then it transcends the suggested timeframe of a trend. And as I write this, I firmly believe that inasmuch as cupcakes are currently being re-evaluated, redesigned, and appreciated beyond their previous niche – they are NOT a trend – merely their newfound appreciation appears as though a trend…when in fact, they are a delightful little delicacy that perhaps is redesigned and improved with age and rediscovery.
I’m surprised that we haven’t seen a little Volkswagen dressed up as a cross-country touring cupcake…maybe it needs to be attached to a national name – like Sarah Lee or something…flash on the LED lights of Times Square…too bad Ben and Jerry don’t branch out into cupcakes…their Jane Mansfield cups could really run-ith over!!! “Get a load of those knockers!” Oh what Duff Goldman could do!!! That’s enough!!!
Celebrate the cupcake!!!