Monday 15 December 2014

My first trip to Morocco


And I say 'first' because I feel it won't be the last, although I would do it a bit differently; not sure how I did it on my last 6 month trip to not feel exhausted of all this moving around, this time I couldn't wait to come back home! It could've been the fact that we saw pretty much half of Morocco in 16 days...anyhow, next time we're getting a car, I'm too old for this now ;-)

Here's a few of my favourite pictures of an amazingly diverse country in so many aspects, from landscape, to flavours to weather conditions, to arts and crafts etc. 

I knew they were incredibly good artisans but the stuff I've seen them make exceeded my expectations and it was great to see they're keen on keeping their traditions alive too. 

One of the funniest things we realized they do is they paint their taxis depending on the 'colour of the city', so in Chefchaouen they're blue while in the desert they're 'sandy' etc. Cool, huh?!

Enjoy the pictures now!


Sunrise at Sahara desert, it must have been around 5am, I mean...
It was freeeeezing at the High Atlas mountains, a very early start again, where is my coffee!!! 
At this unpronounceable place where they film all the 'Gladiator-type' movies...recognize it?

Leather tanning in Fes - oh the stench!

Dealing with a lovely (non English or French speaker) leather Master Artisan

Textile weaving

Rug making
Jewels, metalwork and ceramics
Pottery, crockery

Amazing painted wall in the gorgeous Chefchaouen, the blue city. 

Like a kid in a candy-shop...



Pretty much on the last day of the holiday...
I finally found the Kilim I could afford to buy :-)

Incredible colours and flavours

The best nuts and dried fruits I've ever eaten!
Follow the leader (leader-leader...) 
The beautiful Essaouira



Do we need a caption here?

Off the beaten track - Sidi Kaouki - lush. 

Feeling jealous yet? Go, go, go!!!
Although you'll have to be well prepared for the amount of people who'll try to sell you something every second of the day, especially in Marrakech (not sure I'd go back there).
 How do you usually deal with it?

Till next time xxx

Thursday 27 November 2014

Black Friday and Cyber Monday - 50% OFF on all items.


So I'm back from Morocco and believe me if I tell you that I brought back about 40kgs of dust and beautiful materials, apart from a little neck-arm contracture from carrying it all.

Anyways, I'm in the process of washing everything up and organizing everything in the shape of a little studio to start working in the new collection, think Morocco ;-)

In the meantime, to make space for the new, I've decided to put EVERYTHING in the shop at a 50% OFF for the whole weekend, starting tomorrow (BLACK FRIDAY - thank God for online shopping) and finishing at the end of CYBER MONDAY. So get your shopping fingers ready and get your Christmas presents early :-)

Use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY at check-out. I'll be posting your presents on Tuesday morning.

Till next time,

Idoia.

Thursday 28 August 2014

SUMMER SALE!!! 25% OFF ON ALL ITEMS, GET IN!!


It's been a hectic Summer to say the least and even though I tried to keep on top of things, in the end I had to accept that I couldn't handle everything and I had to leave certain things for quieter times...

I have to say I've had the chance to enjoy a lot of time outdoors on the seaside (often with my stall), been to a few gigs on warm nights (and even worked as a makeup artist again, I missed it!!), had a lot of good meals with friends, even under the stars on the beach and a long etc. of events but for the rest, it's all been work, work, work and no rest and I'm very tired.


Had a 1 and a 1/2 day holiday with my best friend, hurray!!!



I kind of look forward to the slower (and fresher) months coming up so I can reset my body and most importantly, my mind and so I can get organized for the rest of the year. I need a holiday, really.

Until then, and while I slowly prepare the new collection for the shop, let's make some space getting rid of the older stuff...have a look in the shop and enjoy a 25% OFF ON ALL ITEMS with the coupon code SUMMER15 (at checkout). 

This is the kind of stuff you could get at reduced price...




Speak to you soon, I hope :-)


Friday 11 July 2014

Join ETSY in Fighting for an OPEN INTERNET -- DAVID and GOLIATH








So what's this all about?

Just the old David vs Goliath story, the small businesses vs big corporations, the poor vs the rich, the 99% vs the 1%, you know what I'm coming from...

This time it could affect people like me, women (mostly) who run a micro business from home to make ends meet in this uncertain times and who refuse to let go of their dreams to go and work for the big guys.

But it also affects everyone else, from anyone who needs access to any kind of information to anyone who has a revolutionary idea and wants to get it out there.

I see great stuff happening on the Internet every day and I have a lot of respect for these people who make so much effort to share their findings with the rest of us.

I believe it will keep happening, it's just that it could be that little bit harder for them, for us, for everyone.

Read the full fact ETSY article here 

Watch a very funny video 


  • Submit comments today to the FCC to let them know that you oppose their proposal and urge them to preserve a free and open Internet. Comments are due on July 15.

Thank you and have a nice week! 




Friday 20 June 2014

I HAVE DIVORCED

Or should I say 'I have separated' my shop in two ;-)

What were you thinking, you cheeky you???

It's not easy to be cohesive as a brand when your mind is in constant motion and you want to make everything that takes your fancy and inspires you and excites you, so for the sake of organization and a cleaner look, this is what I have done.

Still lots of work to be done but things are slowly taking shape...

Click on the photos to be transported onto the correspondent shop.

What do you think?

www.etsy.com/shop/lipsandpieces


 new shop
www.etsy.com/shop/lipsandpiecesbridal


Have a nice week everyone!!

Monday 9 June 2014

Holiday rental in Marina di Ragusa, Sicily.

Hello there!

It's getting more and more difficult to be up to date with the blog posts, the temperatures getting higher and that, all my projects are left unfinished in the hope that I'll find the time in between work and beach time...

In the meantime, here's something that you might find appealing at this time of the year ;-)

Please click here for more details and to contact us



Monday 26 May 2014

10 Rules to survive Sicilian traffic and birthdays galore


 Wow, this sign is a bit scary and so is Italian traffic!

After a year of living here (OMG!) I've only just recently started to venture into the city by car on my own and just because I can't take the fact that I'm not fully independent any more. Sadly, you need a car to move around here since public transport is nearly nonexistent and cycling is too dangerous, to say the least.

I compiled a list of non-written rules that apply on these roads, should you ever have to visit this wonderful land...enjoy the ride :-)


#1 Never, ever, drive at a speed under 100km/h. If you break, you lose.

#2 In city roads, you're allowed to drive under the 100km/h mark but again, never respect the speed limit and always drive at at least, 20km above that limit.

#3 If in doubt, just do it. Whatever it is.

#4 Never let anyone know of your intentions. Turn right, turn left, brake in the middle of the motorway and decide to do a U-turn, whatever takes your fancy; the important part is to keep the drivers behind you on their toes. What's that little flashing light for anyway?

#5 If you're to join the fast lane traffic from a side road and you have a 'yield' or 'stop' sign, make sure you approach at full speed until you're side to side with the cars on the fast lane, then slow down and possibly brake. What else, apart from coffee, would keep the other drivers awake otherwise?

#6 Even if the road is clear for kilometers on end, make sure you drive right behind the car in front of you, no excuses. Before you overtake, bug the bugger for a while; honk, swear in annoyance, swerve aggressively and then, only then, maybe, overtake. You can possibly slow down after that and stay in front of the said car, depends on whether you're in a playful mood or not.

#7 If you see 2 cars coming your way and only 1 of them is on their lane, move away to the side, keep calm and carry on. Don't worry whether this happens when you're approaching a curve or the line on the ground is continuous. The lower the visibility, the better. Word.

#8 Multitask. As soon as you get into your car, light a cigarette, start a phone call and go your way. And by 'your way' I mean, whichever way you prefer. The more things you can do at the same time, the better; I mean, what better time than this to call someone for the umpteenth time on any given day?

#9 Park anywhere you like, anytime, it's only a minute anyway (that is, unless you bump into your whole family and group of friends). Make sure you park in diagonal and take up a fair bit of space though, so the other cars feel like they're in a video-game and have to avoid crashing while they drive in the city at high speed.

#10 If you're a pedestrian and you have to cross the road, open your car doors, push a pram, accompany an elder to the other side etc. do it this way: hold the approaching driver's gaze until he/she thinks you're waiting for them to pass; at the last nanosecond, stop eye contact and do whatever you had in mind. When it's dark and there's not pedestrian crossing or traffic lights, you get double points. If you manage to make the driver leave a wheel mark on the road, triple. It's a win-win. 

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Well, apparently this is not the worse place I get told, so I shouldn't be complaining really. What do you think? :-)

On a lighter note, below are some pictures of a day out for my birthday, a couple of weeks ago

Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar...



http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Italy/Sicily/Syracuse/Pachino/photo1231939.htm
Tonnara di Vendicari

An afternoon nap on the beach is a must






I wonder what 'water-traffic' is like...


https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0LEV0X7IINTn2EAQFtXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0YTliZm1uBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM2OV8x?_adv_prop=image&fr=moz35&va=marzamemi
Beautiful Marzamemi

Wedding photos
Yes, I ate the whole lot...so what?! 


Have a good week everyone! xx