Glamping California Coast

Treebones Resort yurt

 We have some of the most beautiful coastline here in California especially the Big Sur area in Central Coast...still predominantly untouched.  I miss the legendary drive up Highway 1.  It's been a while since we've been up there. And now that summer is almost here, I've been longing to return to one my fave places in the world,even the memory of getting poison oak has not deterred my love for this place. So hikers beware! Although there are plenty of options- from the upper echelon luxury lodging (Post Ranch Inn anyone?) to roughin' it style camping while surrounded by redwoods or the ocean, I'm leaning towards the middle ground with glamping at one of these yurts.

More Textile Love-Fashion

Joanna Fowles' Lookbook

My love for textiles and prints continues with these designs by Joanna Fowles.While I use to dress in just neutral earthy colors with greys, nudes, beiges and browns taking over my closet, I've really been drawn to colors lately. I've incorporated more prints in my wardrobe, especially when coming across beautiful textiles like these.

Holiday Weekend Promotion

To beat the May gray (it's been gloomy and misty here in San Diego) and to celebrate a nice restful long weekend, enjoy 20% off all orders until Tuesday 5/29/12 with code MDAY  in our shop. And of course, FREE SHIPPING on all domestic orders continues until the end of May. Whether you're going out of town or just enjoying some down time at home,we hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

And I'm now in Pinterest, so join me in my visual journey of discoveries, lovely things, places that I love and images that inspire me.

Textile Love

Textiles by Ink and Spindle

I love textiles! From tea towels, totes, wall art, pillows, upholstery or even when integrated into wallet and handbag design as featured in Nancybird's line. These are projects showcasing beautiful prints by Ink and Spindle. The Melbourne based textile studio is owned by designers Lara Cameron & Tegan Rose who design and screen print all their textiles by hand. They also do most of the screen printing for the lovely textiles used in Nancybird's accessories.

Nancybird Nougat Backpack

Pretty in pink

all images via

No longer just pastel pink synonymous with spring, it's wonderful to see the different shades of pink popping up in design, fashion or anything edible too. These images posted by Lizbeth from Sweden via Creative Living makes me want to surround myself with pink,wear anything pink, or even eat yummy pink cupcakes.

And of course, since lipstick/gloss is pretty much the only makeup I wear on a daily basis, my favorite go-to pink shades are Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter Glaze (goes on buttery smooth and smells great) and MAC (Lustre) in See Sheer (a great natural pink shade).

Nature's Great Design-Annular Solar Eclipse

Quezon Province, Phillipines-Getty Image via

From Yokohama near Tokyo, AP photo via

From Redondo Beach, CA via

 Yesterday was no ordinary Sunday or already Monday for others. For the people in parts of Asia and Western US, we were lucky to have the opportunity to witness this infrequent event and for some, a once in a lifetime opportunity to expericence a natural wonder. Although for me, as much as I tried to utilize the hole through the cardboard device while waiting patiently to view this spectacular event and fixated on this tiny ball of light to change shape....the silhouette of light did not change. Oooh the pesky late afternoon clouds, left over marine layer, my angle related to the sun, whatever the reasons maybe, I'm left admiring the wonderful pictures taken by many and appreciating this amazing phenonomen. It just reminds me of the wonder of the cosmic processes that are constantly occurring and how we are part of something greater in our natural world or in this case...universe.

Message on a Friday

Happy Friday! While I should really try to eat more veggies, this little message makes me want to meet my daily servings requirements. Oooh and I see my favorite vegetable, eggplant. Although from a botanist's perspective, it's actually a fruit.  It's great when grilled, flattened,  dipped in eggs and then fried. Yum!

Getting to know Ellen Truijen

I AM ELLEN TRUIJEN
Featuring Ellen Truijen
Art-direction by Rob Truijen
Photography and editing by Bob van Boven
Words & voice by Julie Cordewener

Just like her bags, here's a simple beautifully made video about Ellen Truijen, an amazing Dutch accessories designer. We are happy to be one of the first e-boutiques to showcase Ellen's collection of well-crafted and versatile bags in the US.

Mangia!Mangia!

"Mangia!" One of my favorite Italian words next to "allora". Hmmm...yes a local trattoria...I was listening to the Italian conversation between the waiter and customer,  some Italian music in the background, smelling the garlic in front of me, enjoying the decor-terracotta tiles ,checkered table cloths, window table with a view...aaahh. While I wish I could say I was in my favorite trattoria in Montelpuciano, my visual processing brought me back to reality by the vision of tight wet suits, blue vests and yellow helmets as kayakers passed us by.

We are always on a hunt for authentic Italian food. Osteria Romantica is actually one of our fave Italian joints in San Diego located at La Jolla shores and the other one, Piatti is right across the street.  After having their simply prepared artichoke hearts with garlic and linguine al pesto, it's nice to see that they're back to basics in how they prepare our meal.  I love that they serve food from other regions of Italy like Toscana, yes each region has their very own specialty. I actually found the Tuscan dessert wine that my Italian teacher use to drink in Firenze called Vin Santo. It comes with a biscotti made for dipping in this vino.

And of course, this place has the quaint and charming ambiance,no not just for the cute Italian waiters, but for the casual rustic vintage decor from reused pots/pans (a great inspiration for the new copper trend) to hanging utensils.

Contemporary Jewelry Design

Berlin-based jewelry designer Naoko Ogawa contributed to this recently released book, A Girl's Best Friends Creative Jewelry Design, published by Gestalten. Editors: R. Klanten,S. Ehmann. The book is a compilation of the works of contemporary jewelry designers from around the globe and showcases their innovative concepts, materials and creations.It features new interpretation of jewelry pieces to more experimental forms of body accents or decor.  More images via Klimpt02.

We are proud to present Naoko Ogawa's minimalist and elegant jewelry design in our shop.

dual pendant silver necklace

Agate and Quartz Necklace

Triangle Pendant Necklace

Have a lovely weekend!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day this weekend! Whether you're a mom or spending time with your mom and grandma too, wishing you and your family all the joy as you celebrate Mother's Day.

Vuela Boutique is OPEN!

OUR SHOP IS OPEN!Yay!For our opening, enjoy 20% off (use code WELCOME) and FREE SHIPPING on ALL ORDERS until Thurs. May 17, 2012. 

 In our online boutique, discover international under-the-radar handbag and accessory lines like Ellen Truijen, Erin Templeton, Nancybird and Manufacture Des Rigoles. We also carry hard-to-find beautiful jewelry, travel accessories,as well as home goods from local and international designers.

Vuela means "fly" in Spanish. It's been a long journey that started with an idea during our travels a few years ago (my how time FLIES) after coming across designs from different countries. I was pretty lucky with my travel companion, my partner in life and love. He was sooooooo patiently waiting while I was so wide eyed and excited to check out local shops and designs. And we even survived months of traveling together.  

It's definitely been a learning experience in this path of planning and development  while trying to balance work and fun at the same time.  I'm so excited to take this leap to something new to share beautiful and useful things that I love. While I have a certain vision for our little shop, this project is a team effort. I am truly grateful to the the individuals who helped along the way to establish this e-boutique.

First of foremost,to the programmers: Special thanks to Mark. I truly appreciate your hard work,support and contribution to the functionality of this webshop. Thank you for your patience with changes and listening to my feedback (to say the least) to what seemed like never ending hours of coding. I've definitely appreciated the world of coding and the process (who knew PHP simply means Personal Home Page?). Jeff-thank you for your assistance along the way.

Graphics: Ksenia K- Thank you for your perfect balance of creativity and technical know-how. You have made this project come to it's completion with your expertise in graphic design and coding abilities. Thank you for your help and patience with our changes and quick feedback/solutions to our inquiries.George-We appreciate your help in the initial stages of our project.

Friends and Family: Thank you for all your love and support through the years and for sharing this journey with me. I'm so grateful to those who graciously helped with showcasing the products for the photos.

Artisans/Designers: Thank your for the opportunity to showcase your beautiful work. I can't wait to meet you in person,further share your stories and visit your studios. I'm always up for traveling.

And of course, to our customers, thank you for visiting our shop and your support and interest in the products that we offer.  I look forward to getting to know all of you and appreciate any tips, feedback or suggestions. Please join our mailing list to receive updates, special offers and hear the latest happenings.

Light & Airy

via Lotta Agaton

via

I love places that are light and airy. This space may epitomize such a place, almost feels like being right outside. Images are styled by Nanna Lagerman and photographed by Philip Karlberg.

A Timeless Piece Reinvented

Locket by Verabel

 Lockets by Trois Petits Points

Just in time for Mother's Day, these adorable lockets are simple classic accents while they hold treasured photos. Featuring pretty colors as well as modern patterns, the design offers a fresh interpretation of the timeless keepsake.  I love the bold colors and pattern of the vintage brass locket by Verabel in collaboration with artist/designer Alyson Fox. 

We are excited to carry the jewelry line created by Paris based Emilie Despaux. Trois Petit Points pieces include her treasured lockets, dainty bracelets, rings and lovely earrings-perfect for everyday.