Interview with J. Musi, Artist and Designer at MusiBatty

Hey! Thank you for joining me today!  I am overjoyed to present this interview with Jennifer Musi, the artist and designer for MusiBatty.  If you saw my blogoversary post, hopefully you are already excited about her jewelry and the upcoming giveaway of the Mexican Bird pendant.  There will be more on that later, but I wanted to give you a little background on the artist herself.  Therefore, without further ado, I present Jennifer Musi of MusiBatty.

Model wearing four MusiBatty pieces. Used with permission.

Ganchitos Mexico City #Crochet and Knit Yarnboming Photos!

Happily, the first yarnbombing project by Ganchitos Mexico City was a huge success!

What My (Famous) Stitching Group Made

I love sharing photos of the work of my wonderful stitching group! I adore all of them. Each one of us has a different forte when it comes to yarn crafting, so we love getting together and sharing what we do.

By the way, we are famous, as we were recently mentioned in the Holiday Collector's Issue of Vogue Knitting.  :)  (Yes, still excited!) 

Dvora is teaching her friend to knit. 
Hooray for new crafters!

I cast on some broomstick lace.

You can check on my progress on the "Il Pleut" Ravelry Project Page.

Are you impressed yet? Yes, that is about 8 active needles you see there.

David makes the most complex projects on the tiniest needles.  He makes the most beautiful knit amigurumi and is fascinated by crafts of all kinds.  

And he taught himself tatting.  I know. Totally cool.  (These are tatting shuttles, by the way.)

Jimena's fine handiwork has resulted in a beautiful sweater. 

Angeles is a whiz at free-form crochet.

 

I love my crafting friends!!

Wordless Wednesday - Day of the Dead #Fabric Haul

Festive holiday fabrics from Telas Junco in Mexico City

The World Is Beautiful | International Day of Peace

I like public art, especially when it makes a beautiful, welcoming statement like this one.  As someone who has traveled/lived internationally, it's comforting to see a visual representation of your home country, especially when displayed so beautifully and respectfully as these flags.

Terminal at O'Hare Airport, Chicago, IL, USA

Happy

International Day of Peace

Why not make an origami peace crane today?

Cool t-shirt spotted in Mexico City. It was designed by the wearer's girlfriend.

Shop Mexico: Ana Gorozpe & Barks Masaryk

Ana designed this amazing bag and her mother crocheted the boa!

 One of the coolest, nicest, and most creative people I've met in Mexico has got to be Ana Gorozpe.  Ana is the proprietor of a chic accessories boutique that bears her name and Barks Mazaryk.  Pay her a visit, and both you and your dog can enjoy cute and trendy wearables!

Yummy charms, sequin wrap bracelets, exquisitely-designed necklaces, felt flowers... All handmade!

It's hard to choose just one, but my favorite style is the sequin wrap bracelet.  See that black and white number at the left of the collage?  I've been wearing that nonstop since I bought it!  She also has sequin earrings and all different colors of each style available.  :)  Glee!

Your prized pooch can have a perfect perch on this cute pet bed.  Ana also carries a number of adorable doggy outfits!

Find Ana Gorozpe & Barks Masaryk online and follow them on facebook!

What's New at Palacio?

In Mexico City we have a department store called Palacio del Hierro, which I think means "Iron Palace".  You can find everything from perfume to furniture to gourmet foods there.  Then there's Casa Palacio, which is located in Antara, is strictly for furniture and accents, and is FRICKIN' EXPENSIVE!

It had been a while since I'd visited either store, so I brought my camera along to see what was up. 

At Palacio del Hierro I spied a nature lamp, which looked gorgeous and elegant.

.

To make this, I would take some branches, christmas lights, floral tape, and paper shapes and go to town.  (Free idea! Please link back to artlikebread.com!) But it's a great idea.  I'd never seen this before.

There was also an interesting display made of paper cones that were burned around the edges.  I noticed my photography doesn't do it justice.  It looked very cool as a store display.  I love it when they use paper creatively!

Can you see how cool it is in the photo?

Then on to Casa Palacios, which should be named "Just Pay with Your First Born".  There I found inspiration galore!

This gives new meaning to string art.

This piece is begging me to hack it.  How easy!

The price?

It's in pesos, but still!  It's almost $300 USD!

I think the buyers had a thing for pendant lamps.  These are fab!

Bring the outdoors indoors.  ;)

Just a couple of smart accessories.  Isn't this glass piece interesting?

These pillows reminded me of a coral reef.  They change color with perspective.  Very cool.

This can be done DIY.  The light fixture combines unpredictability with structure.  I thought the touch of neon was interesting with the chunky, white ceramics.  It was 80s but updated and improved upon.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our little tour through just one of Mexico City's house ware empires. I was inspired.  I hope you are, too.  :)

Coffee!

You want to hear something really ironic? For the past two-plus years that I've been living here, I've been bringing my coffee in from the States. Don't judge me, people. I have to tell you that I am pretty particular about my coffee. It's got to be bold, smooth, and full-bodied.

I've come to understand that the Mexican palate prefers a lighter blend than I am used to. Seriously, if a coffee quenches my thirst, something is wrong there. So, there's Starbucks (which doesn't taste the same here!), and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (which I love, but seriously- who wants to drink CBTL while in Mexico?), and I tried all the bags at the supermarket, hoping for a "Cafe Rico" discovery. (On a side note, Cafe Rico is Puerto Rico's RICO (meaning freaking YUMMMMA) coffee, which (I'm told) only costs a dollar!! Yumma!) How's that for parenthetical?

Anyhoo, I finally found a coffee source that's not to far from home, and so far, so good. But today, today folks, I found my coffee Mecca.

Cafe Villarias.

A small and unassuming building in the city's center, Cafe Villarias is a roaster, and by the looks of the setup, they move a lot of coffee every day. The smell wafting through the street was so enticing you could just follow your nose there.

The beans I purchased were still warm from roasting and the man that served them was one of the nicest souls I've met. It's great to see someone who really enjoys their job and wants to do a good job. That's what you'll find at Cafe Villarias.

Villiarias
Cafe 100% Puro
Lopez No. 68
Col. Centro
Mexico, DF
5512-8688

Trend-Watching at Antara, Polanco

So I took a little time to visit Antara in Polanco. For the uninitiated, Antara is a swanker than swank mall. Whenever I go there, I just eat or shop the cheap stores! They have some very high-end stuff there. My first night in Mexico City, the concierge at the hotel recommended it to us. :( I was disappointed because it didn't seem very different from what I'd already seen in Miami. But I have come to appreciate the beauty of the architecture (which is excellent!) and, of course, the fabulous window displays.

These bougainvillea (thanks, Niki) are all over the city. They are so beautiful, especially
when they have fallen on the pavement.

I love the checkerboard effect made with plants.
They pay attention to details in design at Antara.

This made me miss New York.

And now, to the window displays.

First, BLOOM!

I like the retro and modern counterpoint. The cut-out background nods to current trends in design without being to frilly. I never thought I'd say this, but I am getting sick of flourishes!

For those who sew, this bag is totally hackable. Go for it!

The dress is flawlessly styled, and the clutch adds just the right
pop of color without being obnoxious.

Beats air guitar.

Around the corner we go!

Great for summer and highly hackable. I may give this one a go.

Next, GUESS!

Although there was much more, I was most inspired by the t-shirts.
I was looking for hackable stuff.

Love the grey number.

Get the batik look by using bleach to paint on your shirts. Here's a tutorial from I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar, and a more advanced technique from Phelyx on eHow.

This brings the necklace-on-the-t-shirt trend to another level.

And finally, RAPSODIA!

The store was beckoning me in, but I didn't have time to explore.

I have noticed various blogs about creating decorative pennants.
Here's a good tutorial from Genevieive Gail.

This is gorgeous, but not any easy hack unless you like tatting.
(Don't you love the confetti?)

Just loved the way this was styled. Casual chic.

Thanks for reading! I enjoy sharing my finds with you!

Project Fusion, June 18, 19, & 20, 2010

Project Fusion is a crafty hipster's dream.

This guy was nice enough to let me take a picture of him in his turquoise pants,
which perfectly coordinated with the water in the fountain. What a sweetie!

Located in Mexico City's trendiest neighborhoods, Project Fusion's main event, Fusion Bazar, is chock full of indie music, creative inspiration, and really good shopping! I felt like I'd found my niche there. I was amongst my people.

How clever to use such a large band to form

both the sides and the strap of this bag.

And Project Fusion is going on NOW, if you're in the city, stop by! It's June 18, 19, & 20th from 11 am to 7 pm in Plaza Luis Cabrera, near a gorgeous fountain in the heart of Roma. Click for a map of the location.

A curtain for your windows or your doors?
Every room deserves cheerful color.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring a few artists from Fusion on my blog. Everyone there was so gracious and inviting. They allowed me to take pictures of their wonderful wares. My problem was that I didn't have any spare cash to buy (which is what I really wanted to do!)

Imagine falling to sleep underneath these stars.

If you enjoy these blog posts, please do me a favor and visit the websites of my featured artists. It's great and generous of them to put their work out there. And if you're in the area, BUY THEIR STUFF. It's awesome and really well made! Here's to a good few weeks of Fusion!!