After Hours Parade: Handmade Pop Culture Shrine/Nicho Magnet Giveaway

Frances is the creative brains and hands behind After Hours Parade, an Etsy shop that sell handmade Pop Culture Shrine/Nicho Magnets. After Hours Parade is what happens when love for art and Pop Culture merges with Frances' love of Mexican folklore. Considering Frances first etsy shop (Il*Mostro) is dedicated to character robots, its no surprise that Pop Culture strikes again for her second shop.  

Downtown Los Angeles: Beautiful Architecture and Historic- Cultural Monuments

Downtown Los Angeles has some of the most beautiful architecture I've seen. I swear every district has buildings that have such eye-catching detail. The different styles of architecture in Downtown Los Angeles are really breath-taking and I highly recommend walking around and taking a look for yourself. And if you aren't going to be in DTLA any time soon, why not take a stroll thru your downtown and explore the architecture? :) 

Below are some of my favorite buildings in Downtown LA. Some are Historic-Cultural Monuments!

Above: Angels Flight is a funicular railway. Funicular basically means that it's a little tram that goes up a steep slope. It opened in 1901 and was designated a Historic Monument of LA on August 6, 1962. 
Location: Hill Street and 3rd Street.

Partying with the #1 cosmetic brand in Canada: Lise Watier Launches

 On August 22, my sister in law and I joined Canada's number one cosmetic brand, Lise Watier in celebrating the launches of their products (20th Anniversary Neiges, Something Sweet fragrance, Lift & Firm 3D, Base Miracle & Luminous Correcting Primer) at the beautiful Loden Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.

Un plato tipico de Honduras: Pescado Frito en el Lago de Yojoa, Honduras // A typical dish from Honduras: Fried Fish from Lake Yojoa

Una de mis comidas favoritas de la cocina Catracha (Honduras) es un plato tipico: pescado frito. Para mi es casi mandatorio ir al Lago de Yojoa solo para comerme un pescado frito, que viene de ese mismo lago.

En general, los restaurantes que estan al rededor de el Lago de Yojoa te dejan escojer el pescado que quieres freir. Casi siempre voy por uno mediano y que este gordito. Jejeje.

El tipico plato de pescado frito viene con tajaditas, tortillas, arroz con frijoles (conocido como "casamiento"). Y tambien le puedes agregar as much or as little curtido. Y me gusta tener una cervezita Nacional de Honduras al lado. Apoco no se te antojo??

Is there a plate in your Culture that is similar to this one? 

Mis frases favoritas de EL ALQUIMISTA de Paulo Coelho

I love to read and often highlight many quotes that I find inspiring so I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my favorite quotes with you. This week I read Paulo Coelho's book The Alquimist in Spanish, El Alquimista! ^.^  Espero que este post te inspire a seguir luchando por tu Leyenda Personal, recuerdate de no tener miedo, seguir las señales y tomar tus propias decisiones!

• ...siempre conocian una ciudad donde habia alguien capaz de hacer que olvidaran la alegria de viajar libres por el mundo.
• ...confian en mi y se olvidaron de confiar en su propio instinto. Solo porque las llevo hasta el agua y la comida.
• Tenemos que estar siempre preparados para las sorpresas del tiempo.
• Entre nosotros, solo los pastores viajan. -Entonces sere pastor.
• Lo mas importante, sin embargo, era que cada dia realizaba el gra sueño de su vida: viajar.
• Es justamente la posibilidad de realizar un sueño lo que torna la vida interesante.
• ..en un determinando momento de nuestra experiencia, perdemos el control de nuestras vidas, y ellas pasan a ser gobernadas por el destino.
• ...la Leyenda Personal. - Es aquello que siempre deseaste hacer.
• ... al comienzo de su juventud, saben cual es su Leyenda Personal. En ese momento de la vida todo es claro, todo es posible, y ellas no tienen miedo de soñar y desear todo aquello que les gustaria hacer en sus vidas. No obstante, a medida que el tiempo va pasando, una misteriosa fuerza trata de convencerlas de que es imposible realizar la Leyenda Personal.
• Jamas entendio que la gente siempre esta en condiciones de realizar lo que sueña.
• Las personas aprenden muy pronto su razon de vivir.
• Nada se lo impedia, excepto el mismo.
• Las mariposas son la señal de la buena suerte.
• ...procura tomar tu las decisiones.
• Cuando quieres una cosa, todo el Universo conspira para ayudarte a conseguirla.
• Aprende a respetar y a seguir las señales.
• Existe un lenguaje que va mas alla de las palabras.
• Principio Favorable, suerte de principiante. Porque la vida quiere que tu vivas tu Leyenda Personal.
• Tengo miedo de realizar mi sueño y despues no tener mas motivos para continuar vivo.
• Nunca desistas de tus sueños. Siga las señales.
• ...habia un lenguaje en el mundo que todos comprendian. Era el lenguaje del enyusiasmo, de las cosas hechas con amor y con voluntad, en busca de algo que se deseaba o en lo que se creia.
• ...la misma manera que habia conquistado aquel lugar, podria conquistar el mundo.
• Cuando deseas alguna cosa, todo el Universo conspira para que puedas realizarla.
• ...confianza en si mismo y animos para conquistar el mundo.
• Se por que quiero volver a mis ovejas. Yo ya las conozco; no dan mucho trabajo, y pueden ser amadas. No se si el desierto puede ser amado, pero es el desierto que esconde mi tesoro. Si yo no consigo encontrarlo, siempre podre volver a casa. Pero de repente la vida me ha dado suficiente dinero, y tengo todo el tiempr que necesito; po que no?
• ...las decisiones eran solamente el comienzo de algo.
• ...una decision mia, pero el curso que tomara sera siempre un misterio.
• Todo en la vida son señales.
• El Universo esta hecho por una lengua que todo el mundo entiende, pero que ya fue olvidada.
• ...suerte y coincidencia. Es con estas palabras que se escribe el Lenguaje Universal.
• No existen coincidencias.
• Cuanto mas unoo se aproxima al sueño, mas se va convirtiendo la Leyenda Personal en la verdadera razon de vivir.
• Presentimientos eran las rapidas zambullidas que el alma daba en esta corriente Universal de la vida.
• Y cuando no se puede volver atras, solo debemos preocuparnos por la mejor manera de seguir hacia adelante.
• Cuando deseas algo con todo tu corazon, estas mas proximo al Alma del Mundo. Es una fuerza siempre positiva.
• ...la faz de la Tierra tenian tambien un alma.
• Todo lo que esta sobre la faz de la Tierra se transforma siempre, porque la Tierra esta viva, y tiene un alma. Somos parte de esa alma y raramente sabemos que ella siempre trabaja en nuestro favor.
• Porque no vivo ni en mi pasado ni en mi futuro. Tengo solo el presente, y el es el que me interesa. Si puedes permanecer siempre en el presente, serias un hombre feliz.
• La vida sera una fiesta, un gran festival, porque ella es siempre solo el momento que estamos viviendo.
• ...vivirlo con la lecciones de su pasado y los sueños de su futuro.
• Lo que funcionaba, sabia el, era la prueba de la persistencia y del coraje de quien busca su Leyenda Personal.
• ...aquella certeza que todas las cosas debajo del sol fueron escritas por la misma Mano. La Mano que despierta el Amor, y que hizo una alma gemela para cada persona.
• ...su amor por ella haria que encontrase todos los tesoros del mundo.
• Las dunas cambian con el viento, pero el desierto permanece el mismo. Asi sera con nuestro amor.
• Ellos pasan a existir en las nubes sin lluvia, en los animales que se esconden entre las piedras, en el agua que brota generosa de la tierra. Pasan a formar parte de todo, pasan a ser el Alma del Mundo.
• ...no puedo tener miedo de fallar.
• ...no hay tanta diferencia entre morir mañana u otro dia. Cualquier dia estaba hecho para ser vivido o para abandonar el mundo. Todo dependia apenas de una palabra: "Maktub" (esta escrito).
• El mal no es lo que entra en la boca del hombre. El mal es lo que sale de ella.
• La vida atrae a la vida.
• Se ama porque se ama. No hay ninguna razon para amar.
• No pienses en lo que quedo atras.
• Este mundo natural es solamente una imagen y una copia del Paraiso. La simple existencia de que este mundo es la garantia de que existe un mundo mas perfecto que el.
• ...comprender sus enseñanzas espirituales y las maravillas de su sabiduria.
• Es natural tener miedo de cambiar por un sueño todo aquello que ua se consiguio.
• ...el miedo de sufrir es peor que el propio sufrimiento.
• Cuando tenemos los grndes tesoros delante nuestro, nunca lo percibimos.
• Los ojos muestran la fuerza del alma.
• Solo una cosa torna a un sueño imposible: el miedo a fracasar.
• ...las posibilidades ilimitadas.
• ...es necesario transformarse en algo mejor.
• ...que cada hombre busque su tesoro, y lo encuentre, y despues quiera ser mejor de lo que fue en su vida anterior.
• ...cuando buscamos ser mejores de lo que somos, todo a nuestro alrededor se vuelve mejor tambien.
• El Amor es la fuerza que transforma y mejora el Alma del Mundo.
• ...el Alma del Mundo y la tierra donde vivimos sera mejor o peor, segun seamos mejores o peores.
• ...cuando amamos, siempre deseamos ser mejores de lo que somos.
• ...el Alma del Mundo era parte del Alma de Dios, y vio que el Alma de Dios era su propia alma.
• ...habia entendido la gloria de Dios.
• Estoy recibiendo un pago que excede a mi generosidad- jamas repita eso. La vida puede escucharlo, y darle menos la proxima vez.
• Todo lo que sucede una vez, puede no suceder nunca mas. Pero todo que sucede dos veces, sucedera, ciertamente, una tercera. 
• Viviste tu existencia con amor, y moriste con dignidad.
• Señor, yo no soy digno de que entres a mi casa, pero di una sola palabra y mi siervo sera salvo.

Hispanicize13

To be honest, our first day at Hispanicize13 felt like "the first day of school." You know that feeling: eager to see your friends, excited to make new friends and a little nervous about the unexpected/unknown. Our friend Babushka was kind enough to teach Hispanicize101 on our first day! So the rest of the days were smooth sailing.

Some of my favorite memories from Hispanicize13:

• Experiencing it with my husband.
• Seeing/Chillin with a couple of old friends again.
• Meeting some of my online friends, offline for THE FIRST TIME! 
• Meeting new people and making real relationships!
• Events/Parties: AH-MAY-ZING. The McDonald's Yacht Party/After-Party was off the chain. Target and Tide parties were so much fun too! The Coca-Cola Adelante Movement was beautiful. Clorox Sueña sin Limites was awesome too!
• La Comida/The Food: The breakfast and luncheons were DELICIOUS! 
• La Playa/The Beach: Having Miami Beach a few steps away from the conference was brilliant. We snuck away in the evening and enjoyed listening to the waves crashing.
• The exhibition area: We really enjoyed ourselves in the exhibition area were the sponsors strut their latest products and gave out some swag. Oh,we also had so much fun at the photo booths. A couple of my favorite booths were: VisitOrlando, P&G, Coca-Cola, RadioShack Lounge and the Target Lounge because they were those most interactive! 
• Networking, networking, NETWORKING. 

Third Annual National Lifestyle Conference

Next weekend I will be attending the third annual national lifestyle conference in Los Angeles. I am so excited to be attending this conference for the second time in a row. Last year, I took away many key learning points about blogging.

One of the highlights this year is that New Yorks Times best selling author, Alisa Valdes will be in at the kickoff reception. I absolutely love her books, so I can't wait to meet her and hopefully get a copy of my books signed. Hehehe.

There will be great workshops April 26th-27 focusing on: Creating a blogger business plan,  branding, vlogs and photography. There will also be panels, where experts will share their knowledge about writing, ethics and working with brands and agencies. 

The event will take place at the Cooper Design Space in Downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are available here: http://lallblog13.eventbrite.com/ and make sure to use the discount code BEST for $125 off the tickets! This is an event you do not want to miss, especially if you are in the SoCal area!! Looking forward to seeing you there!!!

Hispanicize 2013- Nos Vemos en Miami!

The majority of conferences are dedicated to a specific topic like Music, Health or Blogging. But, that isn't the case with Hispanicize 2013, the annual event that is dedicated to "Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, marketing, film, music and innovation." (More about Hispanicize here).

2013 es un año muy importante para mi esposo y para mi, cada quién hemos estado trabajando en diferentes proyectos en los últimos dos años y finalmente este 2013 llega con muchas sorpresas y es el tiempo de dar el siguiente paso, pues nuestros sueños se empiezan a concretar y que mejor manera de darles el impulso necesario que atendiendo Hispanicize 2013, el evento ICÓNICO en nuestra comunidad Hispana de social media, periodismo, marketing, film, música e inovación que se llevará a cabo del 9 al 13 de Abril en la ciudad de Miami. La combinación perfecta de elementos para esta pareja bloguera-musical que busca aprender nuevas formas de expandirse, explorando nuevo territorios y socializando con personas que comparten los mismos intereses.

I know how quickly people begin to bond and form real friendships through blogging and social media by experience. Many of my closest friendships were made in the blogosphere and I have been fortunate enough to meet some of them in person! Besides providing great panels Hispanicize 2013 also presents a great settings for socializing, networking and building relationships which makes for an unforgettable learning experience. I am looking forward to finally meeting (and giving a BIG WARM hug to) many of my friends and mentors at Hispanicize 2013 when I meet them for the first time. Relationships that are made online can be real and authentic, especially if you invest into it, and connect offline.

Nuestra comunidad Hispana es cada vez más fuerte e influyente. No te quedes fuera de la jugada y se parte de Hispanicize 2013. El evento que tienes que asistir!

Some of the panels We would like to attend during Hispancize 2013:

• The Blog/Home Life Balance- Become a 'Force' of One
• Upwardly Mobile and On the Go: The Latina Lifestyle Blogger
• The Rules of Engagement 2013
• Return on Relationship: Relationships ARE the New Currency
• Making Films Latinos Love
• How to Create Branded Videos that go Viral
• Breaking into Pandora's Latin Music Selection
• Beautiful and Bold: The Proud Leaders of Latina Fashion Blogging
• Connecting with the Digital Latinas
• Meet the Leading Conservative and Liberal Voices of Hispanic Journalism
• Your Brand Ought to Be in Pictures
• Crowd sourcing to Fund your Film Projects on Kickstarted and IndieGogo
• Going Places: The Further Adventures of Latino Travel Bloggers
• Negotiating Contracts on a Budget

Miami, here we come!

Aclaratoria: Este post es para mi participación en el concurso “Fly Me to Miami” Blogger Contest de Hispanicize 2013 and Latina Mom Bloggers hosted by Mama Contemporanea.

Meeting Celebrity Stylist/ Designer Rachel Zoe at Holt Renfrew

Friday afternoon, my friends Alex from Bodega Goods, Felix from Yuki and Bee, and I went to Holt Renfrew for the showing of Rachel Zoe's Pre/Fall 2012 Collection, but more importantly to get a glimpse of the fashion stylist, Rachel Zoe.

Yup, she was there, talking us through some of the key pieces from her beautiful Collection. It was really awesome to hear her vision of the outfits being modeled; like where the girl rocking the outfit would be going, the personality of the outfit, and where her inspiration for pieces came from. Rachel Zoe made it clear, that it took her a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where she is today, and that by no means should you give up on your dream! She insisted on chasing your dreams because that's the only way they will become reality!

After the show ended, Felix, Alex and I wiggled our way to the front to try to reach Rachel Zoe for a photo, but her assistant wasn't having any of it, LOL. And before we knew it, Rachel Zoe was walking into a room...

Punto numero uno, always go right to the person you want to talk to, don't be afraid, they are human, and if you are kind and courteous, they will probably oblige to a photo or autograph ;) Hence, why we waited around for her to come out of a conference room twenty minutes later! Tah-dah, we asked politely and she kindly agreed to take a photo with each of us!

Meeting Victoria Beckham at Holt Renfrew

It was 1996, and the Spice Girls were taking the world by storm with their hit single "Wanabee"... 

To say I was obsessed with the Spice Girls is an understatement. I shared a room with my sister, but the walls on my side were covered with their posters and magazine clippings, my dresser was covered with their limited edition Chupa-Chups "Fantasy Ball" tins, and collectible stickers! I had shirts, wallets, purses, towels with them plastered all over it. Oh, who can forget the collectible photo and sticker albums, and of course the dolls! 

They were a huge fashion inspiration for me growing up, I loved how wild MelB, aka Scary Spice dressed, how Posh was always so put together and feminine, and well MelC was just awesome for being Sporty, hahaha. Baby and Ginger were cool too. They pretty much influenced me into buying animal print, track suits, and cute dresses appropriate for my age! Oh yeah, and platforms!

Oh I have some great memories of the Spice Girls; like crying for days because my mom wouldn't buy me a ticket to their first concert in Vancouver! Hahaha, seriously! Oh, and FINALLY being able to see them LIVE for the first time, like 10  years later for their REUNION TOUR! Yup, you guessed it, I cried as one of my childhood dreams came true December 2nd, 2007.

So now that you have a rough idea of how big of a Spice Girls fan I was/am, I can commence to tell you about what happend on Friday (June 15)...

 I met up with my friends Karen from Trendy Feeling, and Felix from Yuki and Bee at Holt Renfrew because we had heard that Victoria Beckham would be there promoting her 2012 Fall/Winter Collection AND that there would be a photo op. Cool,right? We thought so...

It was to start at 12:30 promptly, BUT roughly three hours passed before Posh showed up. Good thing, we didn't wait around, we gave up around the 45 minute mark, and went for coffee. We wandered around Holts; smelling perfumes, trying on creams, and shoes, sunglasses and bags. Finally, we were getting restless, and decided to stand by/wander around an entrance where there was a lonesome photographer and some body guards...

A few minutes later, there she was, looking Posh, like always. Wearing a dress from her collection, knee high boots, with her hair pulled to the side in a braid. I was in awe...she was in my bubble.

ANOTHER CHILDHOOD DREAM CAME TRUE: MEETING A SPICE GIRL!!

JUNE 15, 2012

Pink Guayabas + Giveaway

Hola! Today I'd like to introduce to you, my friend Susana, or S as I like to call her! She is the talented artisan behind Pink Guayabas, a line of sweet and feminine jewelry with an edge! 

About S:
I'm originally from Los Angeles, California. Moved to Colima, Mexico when I was six, moved back at 11, moved to DF Mexico City at 17, then back to LA, moved to London at 21 (yep out of the blue), moved back to LA, then to San Fransisco, spent longer periods of time in Tijuana and Puebla, Mexico, then moved to Austin, TX, then Oaxaca, Mexico... etc. etc. are you dizzy yet?

I am very proud to be a first generation college graduate and to hold a Master's degree.Yes, I'm a bit of a nerd ;)

I started making things, working with my hands from a very young age. While living in Mexico I would save up my allowance to buy big sheets of colored and textured paper that I would use to make costumes for my younger siblings. I would direct mother's day performances with my unwitting actors, (my brother and sister). Later when we came back to the US, we briefly lived with my grandfather. He had his own workshop. He would solder metals, cut Plexiglas, build things, inventing, or as he calls it innovations all the time. I would collect scraps from the floor and use them to make my own inventions. 

In college, against my father's well intended hopes, I decided to pursue art. It was a very contentious and difficult decision. Being the first to go to college in a family of 5, and not pursuing a more stable business, law, medical or engineering degree often put me at odds with my father and at times even my extended family. Thankfully with time things changed a little ;) 

Why Pink Guayabas:

Before moving to Portland I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live in Southern Mexico. It was there that I first began letting my creative side run wild again after years of grad school. It was also there where I learned and began making jewelry mostly for friends and family and of course for myself :) It was also there that I decided to open my own etsy shop. I have a good friend who opened a shop a few years back. I love her work and she uses the space as a place to be creative. With her inspiration and having purchased several items on etsy including crucial wedding items, I finally came up with a name for my own etsy shop. 

As life would have it I then moved to Portland, a diy metropolis! It finally pushed me to open Pink Guayabas.

About Pink Guayabas:

I've tried to combine all of my loves into pink g's. Bright colors, feminine pieces daringly fierce, small and sweet, classic,eco-friendly, natural, and fun! I only sell pieces I absolutely love, that I would wear, in other words, the piece in my little shop are carefully and lovingly curated. I feel like there's a little bit of my gypsy life in every piece.

Where to Find Pink Guayabas:

Etsy: www.pinkguayabas.etsy.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pink.guayabas

E-mail: pinkguayabas@gmail.com

Twitter: @pinkguayabas

Blog: www.pinkguayabas.com

S is offering these fuchsia stacking bracelets (Eco-Friendly) to ONE lucky reader. These beautiful fuchsia stacking bracelets are made out of organic acai and job seeds! Perfect for Spring and SUMMER! Stack them up, combine them wear one, two, three. Add a splash of color to your outfits with these pretty  little bracelets ♥

To enter simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from PINK GUAYABAS, and your contact (email or twitter) info. Also mandatory, follow Nina on the Moon via GFC.

Sweet Spot Card Shop + Giveaway

Ladies, and gentleman, let me introduce you to Leesandra Diaz. An amazing mother of twins, wife and entrepreneur, who resides in "La Gran Manzana" [the big apple, in Spanish], New York! I fell in love with her uber unique, one of a kind greeting cards and creative ways of using paper! Her store, Sweet Spot Card Shop has an array of hand-made items; greeting cards, rings, and wreaths to name a few! I am over the moon, with Sweet Spot Card Shop because Leesandra is able to capture and create the feelings of being unique/special, loved and humous in her all of her items!

1. Your cards are so unique, what is your approach to designing? My approach is to "do what I know". By that I mean that I design things based on my own experiences, i.e. what I'd wear (jewelry), what I'd say. It's also heavily based on relationships with my friends and family.

2. What 3 words best describes your cards? happy, colorful, and unique.

3. Is there a certain food, drink or song that inspires you? Oh boy. I constantly have music on when I create. Lots of times I make cards based on lyrics that stick in my head. A while ago, I made a card based on a drink and a song. It all depends on my mood, whether it'll be lovey dovey or funny or just plain old crazy! But the biggest inspiration is my family. My boys and my hubby are my everyday inspirations.

4.What is your outlook on life? My motto is "one day at a time". I suffer from a chronic illness and I have to learn that I can't control how I feel physically, but I can sure try hard to control how I feel inside and how I see things. It's a constant work in progress, but I can say for sure that my outlook has improved greatly from what it was 5 years ago. I've learned to accept what I can't do and do a cannon ball jump into things I can do. Things are only as bad as you let them be.

5. How did you decide to start your shop? How did you decide to "take it to the next level?" I decided to start my shop so that I could have a real reason to keep creating. I figured that if I had people depending on me for something, I wouldn't just let me desire to create die. It has also been a great stress reducer as I can come into my little studio and just create. Not to mention that it helps me keep my sanity from raising my twin boys. Last year, I decided to "take it to the next level" by setting more serious and actually dedicating set hours to networking and creating. It's been great and I've loved every minute of it. I'm coming back now after having closed my shop in June and I'm geared up and ready to do my thing!

6. Any words of advice/tips for people who want to express their creativity, but don't know how? Stay true to yourself! I can't stress that enough. Don't do something just because you see that others have success with it. You need to do something that  feels natural and right to you. It's the only way your creativity and your product will shine above other and the only way you will find true joy in what you are doing. Lots of people don't believe that they are truly creative, but I believe everyone has something the can contribute to the world. You just have to dig in there and find it. So, get diggin'!

Leesandra is offering to giveaway a flower ring (pictured above) and a $20 gift certificate to Sweet Spot Card Shop (good for about 4 cards!) to one lucky Nina on the Moon reader!

Lark Calderon Gomez + Giveaway

Lark Calderon Gomez, what can I say about this extremely talented woman? The first time I saw her artwork, I was moved. The women she paints are so full of character, that they speak to me through their eyes. They tell stories of love, passion, pain, joy and many other journeys that we all encounter in life. While reading about Lark, I discovered that her current series "Julia's Journeys" is based on her grandmas journey from Guatemala to the United States of America in the 1940! HOW INSPIRING IS THAT?! so much, that I have made it my duty to question my (and my husbands) parents, grandparents and some other family members about their journeys to Canada/USA/Mexico from Honduras/China/Spain!  and I write it all down in a book, so that my future kids can read about their history.

Ready to be inspired? Here is my interview with Lark, our honorary sister of August!  

1. Your current series, "Julia's Journeys" is based on your grandmas journey from Guatemala to the Unites States of America in the 1940s. Besides your grandmas travels, can you describe another real life situation that has inspired you?  I love romance, so I enjoy turning the stories in that direction, but mostly I'm inspired by people overcoming an injustice which is at the heart of this series.  Evita Peron is a huge inspiration; she did so much for the people of her country in her short and interesting life. 

2. Why do you do what you do? Like many families, I am the child of an immigrant.  I knew my grandmother was a strong and savvy woman, and I wanted to know more.  Most of my life I did not know her story.  It was a painful story that my Father didn't like talking about. She had to leave him and his brother for 10 yrs when my father was 5.  But she was leaving them with her parents, while she sought a better life, leaving an abusive spouse behind.  It was a part of my life that I knew nothing about.  Not that long ago, my father started to open up about it, and I am so thankful.  My grandmother has been gone for many years now.  Basically, it was something I wanted to know more about...and since I only have a limited amount of facts, I started painting fictional stories to satisfy my curiosity.  

3. What's the best advice you've been given? Always be developing your eye, your unique perspective...and have fun with it! 

4. What was your first piece?  When I was a kid my mom set me up an easel next to hers and we painted a still life in oil.  It was because she was painting this incredible painting and I just wanted to hang out with her and watch it develop.  I'm sure it was hard to paint with me blabbering away so I think she got me to paint so  I would stop talking! Lol! (and I loved it!). 

5. What is next for lark Calderon Gomez, what are you aspirations, goals and dreams?

I love the idea of keeping my grandmother Julia alive in paint.  (I love that when I think of her I can still smell her perfume)... I guess, that would be an aspiration;) dreams? To be happy, and this makes me happy.  I will keep doing it until something tells me to move on to something else, but for right now it's this...Goals? Well, in the short term we have another solo exhibition tentatively scheduled for the end of January, 2012, in San Francisco at The Amelia Hyde Gallery in SOMO.  I'm excited about presenting the "next episode" of Julia's Journeys there.  So if anyone is in the area, please stop by for a fun night in the city!  

6. Any words of advice/tips for people who want to express their creativity, but don't know how?  With me, it was a place to go when life was difficult and frustrating.  I felt like drawing and painting helped me work out issues, like quality time with myself.  It's great for that and I'd recommend this for everyone.  Also, to not be too critical of yourself in the early stages of a new painting...it takes time to get your vision in your head out and onto the surface...sometimes it takes me months, but I don't care how long it takes because I love the process...and when you finally get there, it feels so good.   

Lark has been kind enough to offer a limited edition (signed+numbered) giclee print to a Nina on the Moon reader.

Roque Jewelry + Giveaway

Luisa is the amazingly talented artisan behind Roque Jewelry. Luisa makes earrings, pendants, rings and necklaces with an eco conscience. She's able to translate life's natural beauties into such special pieces. I really, enjoy her pieces because they have such a raw vibe! She uses an array of materials, aluminum bronze, silver, copper, brass and recycled materials too!

1) When did you first discover your ability to make such beautiful and unique pieces? First, as a matter of a brief background, I have always been drawn to art- by means of drawing... since I was probably 10 or so. I loved drawing everything and everywhere. But right after High School, that ability sort of got frozen in my first 'wrong choosing of career': Chemical Engineering! Yes, at first I thought this was the thing for me, don't ask me why. Later on, my inclination for certain aesthetics and other artistic venues led me towards a different path (Communication) which somehow opened up again the art vein in me.

In 2009, a group of fab woman friends of mine decided to get together and promote a social gathering that provoked us to make our own Christmas gift. You name it- decoupage, collages, clothing, and of course jewelry. I inlclined towards jewelry and found myself inmersed in a very interesting process: balancing out how the necklaces or earrings looked at a first glance. I loved it!!! Then, my dear friend Rosamaria from Santa Monica, CA introduced me to a jeweler in the area that noticed my “eye for design” and invited me to take his 'lost wax' technique workshop so I could have an 'up and close' encounter with the 'real jewelry making'.   

This is exactly when, by constructing and deconstructing wax and then having the piece transform into metal, I discovered my ability to make pieces that kept on pushing my everyday jewelry learning experience and life knowledge in itself.

2) What is your favorite piece and can you describe its process? Actually, my favorite piece is METROPOLI Silver Ring. I still remember driving down the Santa Monica freeway, stuck in traffic trying to be on time to my 'lost wax' workshop. Frustrated, I started looking around me and taking mental pictures of my surroundings... Have it, buildings, sounds, people, airplanes... A big city full of good and not so good energy. Of excitement and frustrations. Dreams and hopes. A city of opportunities and failures... Yup! 

And of course, this required that I pushed myself further in my jewelry learning experience since I was trying to built up on wax. I had to try to form cylinders that then conformed all together 'the grand metropoli'. I first drew my initial concept and then from the original concept I started dissecting the ring in phases or parts. Once all parts were handmade in wax, I started waxing all the pieces together to finally form my structural ring in fine silver.      

3) Where do your ideas come from? It's interesting because although I always say nature is my major force of inspiration (I live in the countryside), I guess anything and everything does inspire me. I see things transforming into shapes. If an object or situation provokes me, alters my state somehow, I transform it into a shape whereas it is round, pointy, triangular, square... A even then, these shapes can start pairing with each other to form my unique pieces. 

4) What themes do you pursue? I have a tendency to pursue Utopian themes. Themes that are ideal in nature or interpret nature in a raw form... Universal themes, these might be? Love. Moon. Motherhood. Nature. Recycling. Friendship. 

Then, whenever I have a chance, I inspire myself in those situations that afflict woman. So, you can see that a lot of my pieces are described as for a Goddess or Queen. As if this would alleviate the pain and empower us (or me) to be who we truly are.  

5) What do you like about your art? I like that my art does not respond to an 'establishment'. That I still feel free from rules and regulations an that this allows for a certain naiveness that I truly enjoy. 

6) Any words of advice/tips for people who want to express their creativity, but don't know where to start? For those of you that don't know where to start... I say take a class of 'anything' that you feel will help you  express that hidden creativity. A drawing class is always good since it aids in the process of designing- expressing figuratively what you eventually want to produce at a bigger scale. But bottom line, if naturally it does not come, just take a class, a course, a workshop of your interest... This will eventually lead you somewhere. It will open doors. It might not even be the class or workshop perse but then, the instructor or the new friend you make will then lead you into that new destiny of yours. Dare to explore!  

Luisa has an amazing new Eco-Friendly line, and is going to give FOUR lucky Nina on the Moon readers, each an Anjana Hook Eco-Friendly Symbol necklace (pictured above)!!

giveaway runs for the month of july, a winner each friday!