LA ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

Antigua used to serve as the colonial Spanish capital of Central America, and is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guatemala.  It is a very small town (you can walk from one side to the other in 15 minutes), surrounded by the imposing Volcan de Agua, Volcan de Fuego, and Volcan Acatenango. Antigua's big, baroque cathedrals and convents were repeatedly damaged by earthquakes in the 18th century, and the capital was moved to Guatemala City.  We came here for a wedding that look place in one of the ruins, Convento las Capuchinas.

This charming, colorful town is full of great shops, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts.  We stayed at Posada Del Angel, a cute little boutique hotel with only seven rooms.  We were assigned to the Green Room, "a favorite for honeymooners and lovers of all ages," as they say on the website. Well, they certainly knew how to set the mood! We walked into this beautiful room to find the floor covered in rose petals, a bottle of wine and homemade chocolate truffles waiting for us.  The staff was sweet and helpful, and the decor was very rustic and homey.

These Muñecas quitapenas (worry dolls) were placed on our bed. They are like the Guatemalan equivalent of a dream catcher. You tell the dolls your problems and place them under your pillow before bed, and they do the worrying for you so you can sleep soundly.

antique mismatched silverware at breakfast.

I'm proud to say my Spanish is starting to come back! A long walk through the mercado artisanal and a good deal of bartering brought my Spanish confidence level back up.  Who knew shopping can do so much good? I even understood the entire ceremony at the wedding! Maybe it's not grammatically perfect but I can get my point across.  I just hope that my accent in Spanish is as charming as when foreigners speak English with an accent... Does that work both ways?

 

getting creepy at Hotel Convento!

The civil ceremony at Hotel Convento

Hotel Convento

Due to Antigua's elevation, the temperature drops down to the 40's at night, so remember to pack warmly and keep in mind high heels are a terrible idea because of the cobblestone streets. I learned the hard way, coming thisclose to twisting my ankle a few times. Poor Matthew's bag never arrived (later found out it took a trip to Punta Cana, D.R.) so he was stuck in his work clothes the whole weekend. We luckily managed to find a suit on the day of the wedding.

The wedding was the most beautiful I've ever been to. The venue was mind-blowing. Our jaws literally dropped when we walked into the reception. Congratulations Christian and Jessica!

Wedding ceremony at Las Capuchinas

hmm, wasnt quite ready for one of those.

PASSIONPIT

 

at the Hollywood Palladium, December 7th 2010

Burning Man in French VOGUE!

  

Has BM become chic? Might have to step up my game with the outfits next year, but I don't think we'll see Carine Roitfeld on the playa anytime soon.

Shot by David Mushegain for Paris VOGUE, Nov 2010.

MORE SLIPCOVERS!!

This has become my new favorite way to breathe new life into unfortunate pieces of furniture. Here is a little ottoman from Target. I'm not even really sure how this came into my possession but it's a good size so I'll keep it, but it definitely can't stay looking like that.

I was debating whether to cover it in this snakeskin from New Mexico or this vintage kimono belt from a flea market in Sendai, Japan.

I figured two animal skin ottomans would be too much for one room.
"Have you met my pet ottomans Zebra and Snake? Don't worry they're very docile."
Uh. No thanks.

On second thought... an ottoman as a pet? Maybe I don't need to get a dog after all!

Just kidding! The kimono belt won.

I bought it seven years ago on a trip to Japan, but never figured out what to do with it. Finally this beautiful material can be showcased! I cut four strips to cover the top. Luckily it fit perfectly and there was enough of the embroidery to put together a nice design. I used the second half to cover the sides, but there wasn't enough to go all the way around. I had to rip the seams and split the two sides apart in order to get enough material. While taking it apart I discovered this beautiful Japanese linen, but there was only enough for one side. I realized the delicate old silk would not hold up on its own, so I cut strips of red denim (from the legs of some old jeans I turned into cutoffs, I just knew they'd be useful someday!) to reinforce it.

 

 

 

Now all that's left is to cover those awful aluminum feet!