One of my latest handbag rendering projects!

To my ladies! Xx

Oh hey Sydney!

Sydney is definitely a destination with an abundance of cultural and contemporary sites and flavors. Realizing I had some time to travel and airline miles to spare, I decided to make a trip to visit my cousin who just recently moved there from Colombia. She's only been there 6 months and has completely fallen in love with the city. It's funny because she kind of reminds me of me when I moved to NYC - so I totally get her head over heels for the city type of feeling. She is so hard working and driven and I deeply admire her genuineness and passion for photography and life. Visiting Sydney is a trip I will remember for a lifetime. I had the opportunity to spend time with my dear cousin and learn about the Aussie way of life and really experience their world. Australia is a continent the size of U.S. with the population of Texas - about 24 million people. (Which, I found kind of surprising). Most of the population lives in the larger urban cities; Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. There are so many beautiful outdoor sites and activities. It's a great place to visit if you are in to the outdoors and enjoy hiking, surfing, snorkeling or fishing. While I was there we got to climb the Sydney Bridge at night and take pictures of the Sydney Harbor and Opera House at night. We also escaped the city for the two weekends that I was there and went to the Wine Country and Blue Mountains. The wine tour was awesome, we visited several differently boutique wineries with a great group! After the third winery we were all pretty tipsy but I do have to say it was a nice day to unwind from the city and learn about the variety of wines that come from the region. The day at Blue Mountains was breathtaking. They have some serious hiking trails but the stunning views make it all worth while. The 18 hour flight was a little brutal but I made sure to not get many hours of sleep before both of my flights and sure enough I managed to get some rest. However, I do have to admit I did not gather up enough courage to actually try the vegemite. Instead I went the Fish & Chips and Tim Tam route ;) My dear cousin, I feel so lucky to have been able to spend this time with you there. Thank you for taking the time to show me your new home! You are the kindest most loving person. I can't wait until we are all together again! Here are a few pictures we took throughout our days in Sydney. 

My Summer Playlist...On repeat!

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Sneak Peak into my Rhino World....

These are a couple of latest Rhino designs, I've mostly been focusing on Jewelry pieces and learning all the tools to begin sending designs to a 3D printer called CNC soon. With this machine I can send any design to a printer and have a real wax prototype within minutes. It has been really fun learning this new program and I'm happy I've been able to catch on pretty quickly. Next, I am taking a level 2 Rhino course and learning another software called Z Brush that is mostly used in animation projects, but with this program I will be able to import Rhino designs and create different textures and finishes to all the Jewelry pieces. Accessories design is very technical, and designing things for production is so much easier with all the technology there is available today! These are a few things I've made on Rhino since my last post and Im so excited for my next projects in the coming weeks....

3D Fashion

I've been learning this really cool new 3D design software called 3D Rhino and Im loving this class! Its mostly used by companies in the design, architecture and graphic design industry and you can design anything from cars, furniture, jewelry to handbags! I am really into CADs (computer aided design) recently and for me it has been really helpful in creating and communicating ideas. You can basically design anything you could imagine in a 3D or 2D space.  I've only had 7 classes so far and I can't wait to start designing handbags in 3D! Sometimes designers use this program to create the outline of the 3D model and then import it into Illustrator to add texture and color. Its great to create prototypes as well and to test specific designs before actually manufacturing and sampling pieces. These are some things I've created in some of my classes!

Juice for the Soul

To keep the body in good health is a duty, and it is essential in order to keep our mind strong and clear. At a very young age my dad always stressed the importance of taking good care of ourselves and to eat healthy and to exercise on a regular basis. I wouldn't consider myself a crazy health nut because I really love food and trying new restaurants and such but I've definitely become more aware through the years. I am now reading this amazing book called the Green Smoothie Bible. For the past year I have been trying to drink at least one green smoothie a day either as a light snack in the afternoon or as a meal replacement. Its been a really great and easy way to eat/drink more fruits and veggies regularly and it literally boosts my energy and makes me feel amazing. Drinking your fruits and veggies is actually more nutritious since they don't contain any fiber and the body absorbs the nutrients much faster and very little digestive energy is required. I was really excited when I found this book on Amazon because I was in search of some ideas to venture out and try something new and the Smoothie Bible has some really amazing recipes.  Its a great book for anybody who is curious to learn about the many great health benefits of juicing and/or blending.

Some of my favorite veggies to use for smoothies are Kale, Spinach, Celery, Cucumbers, Carrot Juice, Apples, Berries, Bananas (usually only in the morning) and I always add Aloe Vera Juice and Flax Seeds. In the book she also recommends using a lot of organic or locally grown herbs such as Basil, Mint, Parsley and Coriander.

In the book she also talks about some of the main differences between blending and juicing. Both are really great since many of us eat much too quickly without thinking and don't chew our foods sufficiently. Smoothing and blending provide a predigested and readily available supply of nutrients that are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Blending and juicing are both great depending on the person. One of the great advantages of smoothies is the fiber since many of us don't consume enough of it. Fiber is great for preventing colon cancer and lowering high cholesterol. Juicing can be more time consuming but she also says that the heat from the blender depletes some of the nutritional ingredients and anytime you add heat to food this is likely to happen. 

Hope you guys enjoyed it, but more importantly take the next step towards feeling great on the inside and out!

Xoxoxo!