Pura Vida!

I have been tagged yet again by Crystal (so*euro) and Kirsten (winipoo) to tell all about my hometown. So, rather than bore you all with fact after boring fact about my current town, I thought it would be more fun to tell you about the place where I spent my whole childhood... my real hometown and also the inspiration for my current line of children's boutique clothing: Costa Rica.

WHERE IS IT?
Costa Rica (literally "Rich Coast") is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. (it's that little red one shaped like a crab!)


A PEACEFUL COUNTRY
Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a strong constitution. It is one of the most stable countries in Latin America. Costa Rica has avoided the violence that has plagued Central America; it is seen as an example of political stability in the region.

VOLCANOES! VOLCANOES! VOLCANOES!
In Costa Rica there are 112 volcanic formations. They belong to the so called Pacific Rim of Fire. Seven of them are considered as active ones. Their activity is connected with fertile soils, which cover the majority of Costa Rica's territory. Their sudden eruptions have caused huge destructions in past years. The highest volcano in Costa Rica is Irazu, the most active is Arenal and Poas has the second widest crater in the world. (diameter 1,5 kilometres).

A SMART BUNCH!
The literacy rate in Costa Rica is of 96% (CIA World Factbook, February 2007), one of the highest in Latin America. Elementary and high schools are found throughout the country in practically every community. Universal public education is guaranteed in the Constitution. Primary education is obligatory, and both preschool and high school are free. There are both state and private universities.

THE WAY WE TALK
Costa Ricans often refer to themselves as tico (masculine) or tica (feminine). The tico ideal is that of a very friendly, helpful, laid back, unhurried, educated and environmentally aware people. Visitors from the United States are often referred to as gringos, which is virtually always congenial in nature. The phrase "Pura Vida" (literally "Pure Life") is a ubiquitous motto in Costa Rica. It encapsulates the pervading ideology of living in peace in a calm, unclustered manner, appreciating a life surrounded by nature and family and friends.

Costa Rican traditions and culture tend to retain a strong degree of Spanish influence. Their spoken accent is rather different than its Central American counterparts. "-ito" or "-ita" are added to many words to make them sound more polite and courteous.

A TREAT FOR THE EYES!
In my search for beautiful pictures to share with you, I ran across this guy's site. OMG, I was blown away by the photography... this guy is a true pro. So rather than stealing a bunch of his pics, I will just send you there. Have fun browsing Deep Green Photography!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of "my hometown". It is really a gorgeous country to visit if any of you are ever inclined to take an exotic vacation. My family and I are talking about heading down there for a visit next Summer.

Now, I have to tag someone. So to keep the "international flavor" going a bit longer, I will tag my friend Aida (Annabella Designs). Can't wait to hear more about Denmark! :)

Sources: Wikipedia, Kostaryka, Deep Green Photography

Just Listed! Third and last...

... design from The Costa Rica Collection (at least, I think so). I am moving on to some new projects with new fabrics, but I thought I would squeeze in one last design from this collection. Lots of you have said how much you like the vibrant colors and fun designs from this line so I thought I would offer one more before I retire it. And if I shall say so myself, I think the collection is making a big splash on it's way out! But again, my latest design is always my favorite! ;)

I love this design... I sort of dreamt it up and it turned out exactly as it looked in my dream. It has a clever little bodice with two inset shirred panels... love this look because it means that it will grow with you child! As she gets older & taller this dress can be used as a top with a cool pair of jeans or capris underneath. I have included a sweet shirred peasant top as part of this set that can also be worn alone with a pair of pants. And the whole set is topped off with a coordinating skinny head band and a removable hair flower ... wear the head band alone or the flower barrette alone for a different look. Or wear them together as Sydney does in these pictures. Such a fun set!

The best part: it is a custom auction! I will recreate this one time only in any size between 18 Month and 5T.

This auction can be found here.

Oh, and don't forget that each bid placed on one of my auctions until May 20th will give you 2 extra entries into the Anniversary Drawing. I have added more prizes so there will be lots of chances to take home some fun stuff... more on that later! ;)

patty

Marieliz Creations matches
"The Costa Rica Collection"!

I have mentioned before that my mother, who is a wonderful designer and amazing seamstress, recently branched out on her own and started selling her handmade purses on eBay under the id marielizcreations. Well, she has just created 3 new purses to match The Costa Rica Collection! These purses have the boldest of colors... perfect for Summer, and have lots of sweet little features! I had the pleasure of seeing these for myself and photographing them a couple of weeks ago when she was up for a visit from Florida... they are immaculately made! Check them out for yourself.

The first one is a generously sized purse, with lots of pockets and zipper closure. I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it. It is truly striking! Click here for the auction.



The second one is a bucket-style purse with a sweet little yoyo button closure and fabric handles. Click here for the auction.



And last, but not least, a relist. I have one very similar to this one that I use as my everyday purse and I took it with me to our Boutique Cafe Getaway in Salt Lake City. Those of you who saw me there will probably remember this one! Click here for the auction.



She will be listing a few more purses tomorrow, but just wanted to give you a little taste of what she's got to offer. To see all of MarielizCreations auctions, click here.

Just Listed!

Get it while you can! I only have enough denim for one more of these!!!
I'm so excited about this one!!! My FAVORITE design by far! This is the second set in The Costa Rica Collection. And this one is a CUSTOM (because I couldn't bear to part with the sample!)



Click here to see this auction.
Click here to see ALL MODKID Boutique current auctions.
Click here to see all of LimeVine's current auctions.

Thanks for looking! :)

Patty

And speaking of bloopers...

I was so excited that I got this set finished and wanted to take pictures right away, because I am that impatient when it comes to my work. This is the one that I mentioned before that is my ultimate FAVORITE design (if he actually read my blog, Jon would be cracking up right now, because he says my favorite design is always my newest design... I guess there is some truth to that!) So, it just so happened that Sydney was actually in the mood for pictures yesterday. That is a shot in the dark with that girl because she's so darn moody. She voluntarily put on the outfit and sat quietly while I fixed her hair and smiled sweetly as I cleaned her face and hands with a wipe. I was giddy with excitement. This is too good to be true! I went to the office to get all my gear and check email one last time before heading out to the park for pictures. Sydney headed in the direction of the playroom. I thought, "Well, good, she'll be entertained while I get my stuff ready." I come out to get her and this is what I see >>>>>>>


She immediately burst into tears, not because I reprimanded her in any way but because the look on my face must have been of pure horror. How could you punish a face like this? What you are not seeing in this picture is that the blue marker went all the way up both arms and was covering her feet and legs too. But, surprisingly enough she managed not to get even a tiny spot on the set... believe me I checked!


So, I got her all cleaned up (well, as best as I could) and off we went to the park for pictures. She must have been feeling pretty guilty because this was by far the best photoshoot I have ever had with her. She stood when I told her to stand, sat when I told her to sit, looked this way & that way when I told her to and was just as sweet as could be. Oh, and did I mention how much I looooooove this set? LOL! It is my first pair of decoupage jeans (jeans made from scratch too, not pre-purchased) and I am so in love with them that I have to keep them for Sydney. So, this set will be offered as a custom either today or tomorrow, depending on how quickly I can get my template together. Here are a few of my favorite shots from yesterday's session:


Afterwards, I rewarded her by taking her to the "big playground" and I didn't even make her go through the uncomfortable pain of changing outfits in the car. This is the kind of "rugged" outfit that you can wear to the playground, a picnic or a birthday party, but still looks great as a sweet little portrait set. And the more it is washed, the more character it will get. Here she is enjoying her sweet reward:
This is not up for auction yet, but it will be soon. You can find all of my eBay auctions by clicking here.

The Costa Rica Collection is here!

Well, at least part of it. The "food poisoning" or "flu virus" (or whatever the heck it was) prevented me from getting much done last week, but now that I am back to my old self again I am cranking these out! LOL! I sewed last night as if my life depended on it and the product of it was perhaps my most favorite piece of clothing I have ever created!! Hmmm... maybe I should take long sewing breaks more often so I can come back with super-human energy. I will share a little sneak peek later tonight.

But for now, I just listed 2 items as part of LimeVine's SOLEIL launch and the Children of the World debut launch. These are my first 2 items from The Costa Rica Collection which I've mentioned before here. There will be more listed later this week, so stay tuned!

First, is a 2-piece set ready-made in size 2T-4T. Click here to see the auction:




Secondly, the wonderful lotus flower pin! (brainchild of my friend Maria). Click here to see the auction:




As I mentioned above, more from the collection will be listed later on this week. We had a photoshoot today (and an excellent blooper that I will share with you maybe later tonight!).

Insomnia

So I have to be up in about 4 hours so that I can get my entire family ready and in the car so that we can take a 2+ hour drive to Chicago's O'Hare Airport so that I can take a 3.5 hour flight to Salt Lake City to meet 40 or so eBay children's boutique designers. You'd think I'd want to get as much rest as possible, and my body would agree with you, but my mind begs to differ. I am as awake as could be but my body feels like it's about to collapse!

I have been up all day doing laundry, packing, getting last-minute things for my trip. Not to mention checking emails, sending newsletters and... as if that wasn't enough, updating my blog!

For those of you who are not aware, I am taking part in the very first Girls Getaway Weekend hosted by none other than the fabulous Daria and Megan of Boutique Cafe. We are spending 3 days in Salt Lake City, getting to know each other, listening to key note speakers, conducting interviews for future Boutique Cafe shows, shopping, dining, etc., etc., etc.

I am very excited to get to meet the ladies that I have been chatting with for almost an entire year!! This is gonna be a blast!

So, since it's 2 a.m. and I am feeling giddy and silly, I thought I'd share with you the project that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. On May 1st, I will unveil The Costa Rica Collection, a line of children's clothing and boutique accessories inspired by the colors & textures of the Costa Rican rain forest. I grew up in that beautiful Central American country so this collection is very dear to my heart. Below is the logo I came up with . This will give you an idea of the colors I will be using as well as the imagery I used as a source of inspiration.




Here are a couple of sneak peeks from this collection. To the right you will see one of several sets I will be offering. The fabrics I will be using are rich in color and each design will be purely original and unique. Pieces will mix & match perfectly and there will even be some accessories offer that will compliment the pieces perfectly and can be worn by mother & child. Below is a sample of one of the fabric lotus pins that will be offered.


My friend Maria, of buddha*belly*babies, has an eBook on You Can Make This with easy-to-follow instructions on how to make this gorgeous fabric flower pin. She was so sweet to have shared this with me so I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. You can purchase her eBook here.

So that's it! I will chat with everyone when I get back from SLC!! Have a great weekend! :)