May Flowers On A Sunset

After all the rain we had during the weekend, we've finally seen the sun rise above our heads. And that also means sunsets have been quite amazing these past few days. Aren't you excited about it?

Since we were having an amazing, sunny day, I decided to wear nude colours. In the end, they're big this season! But it turned out my outfit wasn't much of what I planned so superhero Diego came and told me to wear this flower T-Shirt. I wasn't convinced at the beginning but, once I saw my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't believe my eyes! It looked absolutely gorgeous!

After April showers come May Flowers

If you're wondering where this T-Shirt came from, I must tell you it's been with me for almost two years. But it's SO pretty, I just can't get enough of it. I remember last year I wore it in Boston with some denim. And I never will regret it! About four complete strangers told me it was amazing in the streets... Isn't it nice? I love Boston people for loving my T-Shirt (among other qualities they have)!

But besides feeling loved by passers-by, there are other reasons why I love my flower oldie. It's got the brightest colours and it's got flowers; two everlasting favourites. May usually tends to be all about the flowers! And that means May (and the whole Spring-Summer season, actually) is a perfect occasion to take out this all-time favourite and explore brand new ways to wear it!

Chained Love

Another big favourite I wore with this outfit was the chain bracelet. It is so beautiful! I remember I found it about a year ago in my mum's belongings and couldn't help but taking it! She was not very happy at the beginning (who would like to give this piece away, right?), but after all my begging she accepted. And now it's one of my favourite pieces. It's so vintage but at the same time so timeless! I love it!

Love,

Reasons To Love Portugal: Get Lost In A Sea Of Books!

You might have guessed by now how much of a book junkie I am... Ever since I have a memory, I've loved escaping from this world and diving into a book. To be honest, I don't usually have a preference; I read everything ranging from fiction to biography to novel to short story... You just name it! I also do read a lot of interesting articles on the Internet, but we'll talk about that later. I want today's post to be about books!

So, now that I've made my confession about my mad book addiction, I can introduce my Friday Favourite of the week: FILBO. This is an international book fair that takes place every year in Bogota. It lasts a couple of weeks, and you can just go there and get drunk in books. Nothing I could love more! This year, it took place in the last few days of April, and Portugal was the Guest of Honor. Which means that there were lots of lovely things about Portugal all over the place.

One of the things I liked the most was the exhibition I'm sharing with you in this post. It was all about introducing us, FILBO attendants, to this amazing country. It was all about the sea, since Portugal itself is all about the sea. It had some amazing pictures from wonderful places I can't wait to visit (hopefully soon enough) in Portugal, as well as some art. The details also contributed to the atmosphere: there were pieces of cloth in the ceiling, simulating what waves look like when you're underwater in the ocean. I honestly fell in love with this whole Portugal thing... Can we travel to Portugal now?

Love,

Summer Essentials: B&W

B&W is––no doubt––the colour combination of the season. I love it because it's classic and looks effortlessly chic. Plus, you can wear it to any occasion, during the day or the night and without having to worry about the weather. In other words, it is just perfect!

Love,

DIY mugs

There's one thing I've probably never talked about on the blog before, and it's my love for mugs. I can't get enough of them! I'm constantly looking around for more and more mugs with beautiful designs to collect. As you might have already guessed, my favourite mugs are horse-themed. But my obsession doesn't limit to those. A couple of weeks ago, for instance, I bought a beautiful one with two antique cars on it (although it was meant for Diego to use it, rather than myself)...

But I found out about a month ago how to do DIY personalised mugs. Isn't it amazing? It was a shame, though, that we didn't have time to do them before, since I was dying to share the how-to's on this project on a blog post for so long! We finally had the time to do them last night (read we: Diego, my sister and I), and we spent some time just having fun, drinking tea and doing our personalised mugs!

You'll Need...

Believe it or not, there are only two ingredients to this recipe: mugs and permanent markers. That's it! Oh, and you'll need an oven, since that's the secret for the ink of the permanent markers to stay.

What You Should Do

Once you've decided what you want your personalised mug to look like, use a pencil to draw it!

Then use the permanent markers to make your beautiful design

Put your mug in the oven (preheated at 350ºF), and leave it there for 30 minutes. Once you bring out your mug, don't use it or wash it until it has completely cooled down, otherwise you'll ruin your design.

These personalised mugs will stay with you, unless you put them on the washing machine. You need to hand wash them in order to make sure the ink won't run away.

Love,

Hello, Summer!

After a very long time spent studying, I can finally say I'm free! And you can't imagine how good that feels! Summer's one of my favourite seasons, and the main reason for that is probably because I get to travel and wear dresses... What else can I ask for?

I can also say that, thankfully, summer has always been quite a great time for me... I've spent the season in Paris, Summer Camp and New York, to list a few amazing experiences. But, no matter where in the world I spend the Summer, what I love the most about it is having time to do whatever I feel like doing. This includes reading a good book, letting my mind fly away of this world and come up with new incredible ideas or just take a nap. I also usually spend more hours at the stable than usual, sharing amazing moments with Coco, my beloved horse (I introduced him to you on this post).

This summer will be no different than those I've lived in the past, for sure! Last night, after my last final, I started reading a book Diego recommended: Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami. And I got so absorbed, I'll have to get another one soon. (Any suggestions out there?) Today, I spent the morning riding under a blue, sunny sky! Diego just came home and we're going out in a while for some dessert. The sun's still up, so I hope we can go for a promenade, another of my favourite things about summer!

Travel will also be a big thing this season. Just to give you something to look forward to (since you'll be reading my posts about it), I'll be going to Europe for three weeks. I'm not telling whereabouts yet, because I love surprises and I want to give one to you! Diego will spend the summer in lovely New York, where I'll also spend a couple of weeks this summer, meeting him. There's no place in the world I love more than The City, and I just can't wait to go back!

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

PS. I took the photo in this post back in Summer 2011, when I worked as a riding instructor at a Summer Camp. It was one of the best experiences in my life, and I'll never forget it. The Camp was in Maine, where landscapes are the most beautiful ever... Which you can see from this amazing sunrise!

Sunset Boulevard

One thing I always complain about my city is the weather: I thought it was the place where the weather has the most bipolar behaviour in the whole world... Until I spent a complete summer in Maine and realised that I could live with this weather!!! But I honestly wish we could have proper seasons here, instead of having them a little bit of each one of them everyday!

I know many of you probably don't understand what I'm talking about... So to make you feel a little more in context, let me explain. Colombia is near the Equator, which means we don't have classic seasons; instead, we have two rainy seasons: december and june. The temperature depends on how high on the mountains we are: the higher, the colder. The city where I live is normally around 18 C and cloudy. But, sometimes we wake up with a very warm and sunny day and, around noon, it starts raining as if the sky were going to fall... And sometimes it's just the opposite. You could wear 3 different outfits every day and you can never tell! Which means you're never prepared for the day!

However, Mother Nature has been quite kind to us these past few days, thankfully! This means we've had some sun and the temperature has been warmer than normal! And that's why I decided to wear this amazing spring look, with a beautiful floral print! There's absolutely nothing more spring than flowers...

And to shoot the pictures, there couldn't be a better location! Diego and I went looking for a cool place to shoot near home, and we discovered this beautiful street! It's only 2 blocks away from home, and I honestly can't believe how come we hadn't seen it before! It is SO pretty! The light was also perfect for the shoot, right before the sunset. I couldn't be happier with the result! It was so magical, that I suddenly felt transported to Sunset Boulevard in California! I wish I could find this kind of places more often!

Love,

Farewell inspired by Illustration Friday

Illustration Friday

Diego and I have always shared a big love for arts, and were always on the look for fun activities in the arts and crafts field. Last week I found this amazing website, named Illustration Friday, where they suggest a topic and illustrators submit their creations related to it. Last week's topic was farewell, and we decided to make our own drawings. So, even if we didn't finish on time to submit them, we did have a lot of fun while doing it! We also invited my sister, and she drew something with us.

I'm not showing all the drawings, but I wanted to share a cute storyboard Diego did for his farewell illustration. I really like his idea, and the drawings are so perfect! I love the girl's faces but, what I love the most are the flowers in the last tile!

I also wanted to share this amazing idea for when you're looking for something to do when you're a bit bored some day. You already have a general topic of what to draw, so you won't have to think much about it... Just let your creativity flow, and do some art!

Love,