Christmas break

Me tomo unas vacaciones hasta el Año Nuevo. Quiero pasar menos tiempo en el ordenador y más tiempo haciendo esto:

I'm taking a holiday until the New Year. I want to spend less time with my computer, and more time doing this:


Además, necesito pensar, organizarme, tomar decisiones, escribir una lista de propósitos para el nuevo año, y recordar el año tan increíble que he tenido y lo que he aprendido.
Disfrutad de la Navidad, las fiestas, los amigos, los nuevos comienzos... Nos vemos en el 2009.

Also, I need to think, organize, take decisions, write down a New Year's resolution list (I really want to do this properly), and remember the amazing year I have had and what I've learn from it.
Enjoy Christmas, the parties, time with family and friends, new beginnings... See you in 2009!

London, baby!

¡Hoy he estado en Londres! Los que me conocéis diréis que no tiene mucho mérito, ya que vivo en Oxford, solo a una hora. Pero como he estado en Sudamérica un año, me ha hecho mucha ilusión volver. La verdad es que no me había dado cuenta de cuánto echaba de menos la ciudad hasta que llegué a Marble Arch. Tenía ganas de hacer muchas cosas, pero al final he acabado, pasando el día en Selfridges, antes de ir a patinar sobre hielo en Kew Gardens.

I went to London today! If you know me, you'd be thinking that's not a big deal, since I live in Oxford, after all, only an hour away. But as I've spent a year in South America, this WAS a big deal. I only realized how much I've missed the city when I arrived at Marble Arch. There were lots of things on my to-do list, but somehow I ended up spending most of my time at Selfridges (dreaming of a world where I could afford something else than stationery or food) before going to Kew Gardens for an ice skating session. Fun!

Así que, para la próxima visita, ya tengo algunas cosas en mi lista de cosas que hacer:

So, for next time, these are the things at the top of my list:

Enrollarme (snog) con alguien, o simplemente, ir a esta tienda de yogur helado que se llama Snog. Tiene pinta de ser divertida y deliciosa.

Snog someone... or just visit this frozen yogurt shop, called Snog. It looks lovely, fun, and yummy!

Photo @ DimSumDolly

Su website también es genial:

Their website is great too!

Ir a la exposición de Annie Leibovitz, en la National Portrait Gallery.

Visit the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Photo @ National Portrait Gallery

Ir al mercado de las flores de Columbia Road y, una vez ues esoty allí, comerme un pastelito de Treacle (Gracias a mi amiga Rachel, que fue la me llevó a la tienda por primera vez).

Go to the Columbia Road Flowers Market. I haven't been in ages!!! And, of course, once I'm there, I'll have to have a cupcake from Treacle (thanks, Rachel, for introducing me to them!)

Photo @ Treacle

¡Tengo muchas ganas!

I can't wait!

Ice skating before Christmas

Ice skating in London just before Christmas is becoming a tradition of ours. We went to the Kew Gardens ice rink yesterday and had a fantastic time! We had been to the ice rink in Windsor in the past and want to try every Christmas ice rink in London. We plan to go to a different one every year, so it'll take us a while to finish!
I like ice skating because it celebrates winter, and because everyone can do it and have fun; in the rink yesterday, there were families, groups of teenagers and many, many couples. Of course, it's a romantic thing for couples to do, but most importantly, it's fun and not too cheessy; if you are anything like us, one or both of you will fall at some point, and will have to get up, laugh and continue the fun!

Christmas at home

Salamanca es una de las ciudades más bonitas del mundo, y no porque yo lo diga. Aquí os pongo algunas fotos para que veais lo bonita que está estas Navidades. La primera es de la Plaza Mayor y la segunda es de la Iglesia de San Marcos, una de las pocas iglesias redondas que existen.

Salamanca is my hometown in Spain and, also, one of the most beautiful places in the world! I took some photos of the Christmas decorations the other day. The first one is a photo of the main square (Plaza Mayor) and the second one, a church nearby. It´s one of very few round churches.

Wish list

Voy a ser frívola y egoista (por un rato) y mostraros algunas de las cosas que me gustaría que me regalaran estas Navidades. ¿Os gustan? ¿Qué pediríais vosotros?

I'm going to be shallow and selfish (just for a little while) and show you some of the things I'd like to get this Christmas. What's on your wish list?

Velo para bailar la danza del vientre. Es hora de volver a mover las caderas. Este es perfecto porque mi faldita de monedas favorita es negra.
Belly dancing veil. Time to start shimming again. This one is perfect because my favourite hip scarf is black.

El libro del que todo el mundo habla. Yo también lo quiero.
The book everyone is talking about. I want it too!
Bolso de Mango Touch. Lo he visto en la tienda, pero en el último momento no me lo he comprado. Y no dejo de pensar en él.

Mango Touch bag. I saw it in the shop, but decided not to get it. Now I can´t stop thinking about it!

Ropa de dormir y de estar en casa bonita. Es tan importante estar guapa dentro de casa como fuera. Mis favoritos son de Massimo Dutti; tienen un aire fresco y muy romántico.
Nice clothes to wear at home. It´s important to look as good inside the house as inside. My favourites are in Massimo Dutti, fresh and very romantic.

More yellow

Parece que no soy la única a la que le gusta el amarillo. En la última media hora lo he visto en Habitually Chic, The City Sage y en This is love forever. Estas dos últimas mencionan a Twig Hutchinson, que es la estilista de esta foto, que me encaaaanta.

It seems I'm not the only one who likes yellow. In the last hour only I have seen it in Habitually Chic, The City Sage and in This is love forever. The last two mention Twig Hutchinson, stylist of what it has to be my favourite photo at the moment:


Por si eso no fuera suficiente, los expertos tambien afirman que el amarillo es el color del 2009. La alegría, la vitalidad y el optimismo del amarillo es algo que el mundo necesita ahora mismo, ¿no creeis?

As if that wasn't enough, the experts are also predicting that yellow is THE colour of 2009. The world definitely needs some of the joy, vitality and optimism that yellow brings, don't you think?

Photo @ Twig Hutchinson

Photo competitions

My boyfriend and I do this sometimes. We get two disposable cameras and choose a location. Snap, snap, snap. We discover new things and get closer to details. We think before we push the button because we only have one chance to capture what we see. The result is always a surprise and inevitably appears different from what we remember seeing as we took the photo, sometimes better and sometimes worse.
See photos from our last competition in our travel blog, www.oursouthamerica.wordpress.com.

Home

De vuelta a casa.
I´m home!

More cakes

Quizás estaba equivocada y estos sean los mejores pasteles del mundo! Porque puedes admirar el diseño... y después comértelos! Además son mucho más baratos que este.

Maybe I was wrong! Maybe these are the best cakes! Because you can admire the design... and then eat them! They are also much cheaper than this one.

Photo from Made by girl

Drawing

I thought I couldn’t draw. I wasn’t very good at it in school. Perhaps I’m not much better now, and the difference is that I love myself more. I’m not so hard on myself. I allow myself not to be perfect. My drawings aren’t perfect. They are very simple and I guess a bit childish. I draw every day objects: a pink mug, a pretty skirt in a magazine, an orange table. Some of those things that I see and like.

New design

Estoy pensando en personalizar el diseño del blog. Quiero que sea como un collage, como si los posts fueran recortes. Empezaré a colgar aquí ideas hasta que vea lo que tienen en común y empiece a pensar en el diseño en concreto. Para los colores, quiero algo así. Que opinais?

So, I´m going to have this blog designed by a professional (My boyfriend happens to be a graphic and website designer). I want it to look like a moodboard, as if the posts were cuttings from different sources (hence the name!). I´m going to start posting ideas until I find the "common theme" ! As for colours? I want something like this! What do you think?

Photo from Swissmiss

Letters on the wall

Últimamente, encuentro inspiración en las letras y la tipografía y he visto muchas maneras de usar letras como decoración. En este collage hay algunos ejemplos. Mi favorito es el "America" hecho con cubos, de la oficina de Mary Randolph Carter.

I have recently been inspired by letters and typography. There are lots of ways you can use letters around the house or the office. Here are some examples. My favourite is the America made of cubes from Mary Randolph Carter´s office.

Collage made with photos from Aesthetic Outbourst, Cookiemag, The Selby, Simple lovely, among others.

Old Hollywood Musicals

I have my parents to blame for this. I remember cozy evenings, the whole family watching a movie, and my father, annoyingly explaining the meaning of every scene and the biographies of a director or an actor. Old Hollywood musicals were the family’s favorites. The ones we all loved, without exception. My personal favourites were (and are) Singing in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which we watched again, and again. I LOVE the later and it always reminds me of Christmas (wait, there is an explanation), as for years, they would show this movie late on New Year’s Eve in the Spanish Public TV channel. They don’t do it anymore, but every time I watch it, it takes me back to old New Year’s Eves.

Good morning!

Que bonita manera de empezar el dia (y la semana), sobre todo ahora que ya no me tengo que levantar a las 6 de la mañana para ir a trabajar a la escuela!

What a lovely way to start the day (and the week). It´s eve beteer because I no loger need to get up at 6am to go to work at the school!

From Desire to inspire

Personal trends

“No es tan importante la tendencia a la que te apuntes como la pasión que derroches para hacerla tuya.” dice Carmen Grassa, la editora de Interiores, una revista de decoracion, en uno de sus editoriales. Esto, que siempre lo he tenido claro cuando se trata de moda, estoy aprendiendo a aplicarlo a la decoración, el diseño, las manualidades... Es otra manera de seguir conociéndome a mí misma.

“The trend you choose is not as important as the passion you put in to make it yours”. I read it in one of Carmen Grassa’s editorials in the Spanish decor magazine Interiores. Now, I´ve always known this when it came to fashion but i´m trying to apply it to my crafts and design projects. It’s another way of getting to know myself.

Yummy!

Últimamente, no dejo de pensar en pastelitos! Los veo por todas partes. Los de arriba son algunos de mis favoritos.Y este es el ganador!

I have been thinking a lot about cakes lately. I see them everywhere. Above are some of my favourites! And this is the winner!

Photos from Inspire Company, Made by girl, The cupcake boutique @ Jenn Ski, Apples for Jam @ Inspiration chic.

Winner by Neimann Marcus @ Fashionisima