Fun Find for Salseras!

Tell the boys to keep the hand towels in their back pockets for us, we have additional things to worry about, like the upkeep of our lips and running eye make-up from all of that fun salsa dancing!

Olga Ayala is at it again! As many of you know by now, I'm a huge fan of her work and I just saw this handcrafted "Salsera" pocket mirror in her etsy store. Of course this made me think about more than 50% of my fabulous amigas who you can find occupying the salsa scenes of NYC weekly!

Olga is so incredibly talented (multi-talented I should add), and she puts a lot of work and passion into her products. This mirror is handcrafted and made of polymer clay. Check out the details on the design and colors! Olga also makes beautiful and unique jewelry that will really have you stand out in a crowd; I love one of a kind fashions!

Click on the image below to be lead to the fabulous shop filled with hand crafted jewelry, home decor, Puerto Rican, Latin & Salsa inspired products!

Thanks for checking out this find and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Besos, Beijos, Filakia, MUAH!

Love,

Lisa xo
Twitter: Fab_Chitating

Yeni's Creations: Catering to all Jewelry Addicts...or Making You One!

 Hey ladies (and gents, because I'm sure you can always use new ideas on beautiful and unique gifts for the ladies in your life right? grandma, mama,auntie, wifey, sister...). I want to take a moment to share with you all Yeni's Creations. I love jewelry so much, statement pieces in particular, and especially if they are vintage or handmade. I love Yeni's creations and how whether it's a simple piece or an extravagant piece, it's still a statement piece. Those who know me know very well that I can live in lounge wear or sweats as long as I have a nice piece of jewelry to polish it up; normally earrings or an interesting bracelet. It just adds a dash of class and elegance. Yeni's designs are rich with color, versatile, stylish and unique; I absolutely love her style! Here are pictures of some of my favorite pieces by Yeni from her fan page and her recent participation in Baltimore Fashion Show week!

Yeni's Creations

I love the natural color of these Agate beads. You can top this on a simple neutral maxi/lounge dress (or any color for that matter) or dressed up. Very versatile.

Yeni's Creations

Two of my favorite colors! More commonly associated with summer wardrobe fashion, turquoise and corals have been making their way straight through the fall for quite some time now, as if you didn't know, right? ;)

The possibilities are endless with a necklace like this. Again, just as with the set above, this line truly delivers jewelry that is excellent for dressing up as well as spicing up your dress down days.
 

This reminds me of the Titanic necklace with an earthy twist. I love the vibrant Autumn leaf colors in this one!

Yeni's Creations

Pearls, wood and shells; perfect necklace for a summer night beach party, strolling around town during the day and for taking a token piece of summer with you during the Autumn season!

More beautiful sets...

Perfect example of a piece of jewelry being more on the simple side, but far from boring!

Some favorite's from Yeni's Creations Summer Collection. She now also has 4 tier earrings as well! I love the blue stones of the bracelet.

And now we step into Baltimore Fashion Week! Yeni's Creations collaborates with stylist Devora Wooden of Dig Deep Inc. to create some gorgeous fashion forward looks.

I LOVE it when jewelry is used to create an interesting hair style. It looks so regal and exotic. I used to love doing that with my own hair, but migraines prevent me from putting my hair up much. Hmm, I think weaving a necklace through a braid is do-able and adds an artistic and exotic flair to every day style. Devora has such a great eye and creative mind, her idea has inspired me to do this with my jewelry again. If I can manage the braid, I'll share the pic!

I love leopard and I love red and I love crystals...so you think I love the look on the left? I do! You can see more detailed pics of the jewelry set here. The pearl set on the right is my absolute favorite. It's so vibrantly loud and beautiful, it would do all the talking for me when I'm feeling shy. I love the top alone, though the necklace really brings the outfit to life; what a great pair! For those less flamboyant on the regular, you couldn't find a better piece for theater, a flapper costume, a theme party, photo shoot...the list continues (in my head).

(Left) I love salmon colored everything, and my nails often show it. It's such a happy and tropical color and it looks good on almost everyone, in my humble opinion. (Right) This design is amazing and looks so beautiful on the model. For every day wear, you could pair it with anything from a collared top to a casual tank top.

The Goddess of Yeni's Creations herself, Yeni Makinde, proudly presenting her gorgeous pieces.

Please visit Yeni's Creations Facebook fan page here to see more beautiful designs from this wonderful woman (she is wonderful, I've met her!).

She can also be reached at:

• Phone: (646) 450-9364 
• Email:yeniscreations@gmail.com
• E-Fax: (248)461-5700

Thank you for reading and have a fabulous day!

Besos, Beijos, Filakia, MUAH!

Love,

Lisa xo

Meet Olga Ayala, The Creme de la Creme of Artisans

Over the course of the week, and without a doubt throughout the course of our friendship, you will be hearing or reading about Olga Ayala from me. Whether through my blogs, my pictures, conversation, or conversational pieces (wearing her jewelry or neck warmers never fails at being a great ice breaker), I will be chit chatting about Olga and her work in combination of proudly wearing it. I may even be able to publish one of the two posts I have in drafts about her tonight, before the anticipated Queen Irene temporarily strips us of our electricity as predicted. Therefore, I'd like to publish this little post introducing you to this dear and talented woman. Please take a moment and read a little bit about her. Hopefully one day in the near future we will have an interview to share with you all!

Olga pictured above with her artwork

In the words of Olga Ayala: 

I'm a Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorker) that grew up in the heart of Spanish Harlem in New York City, and I'm an alumnus of The High School of Art & Design in New York City.

While sitting on my mother’s lap as a very young girl while my mom made out the weekly grocery list, I saw her make a quick sketch of Mickey Mouse. I saw that my mom could draw better than anyone I knew and I begged her to teach me to draw too!

My father moonlighted as a Timbalero (Latin percussionist), and this gave me the life long passion I have for music, dance and Latin percussion instruments.

Growing up in the "rhythm section" and being immersed in my rich Puerto Rican culture filled with music, vibrant color, laughter and drama are themes that are often reflected in my work.

Olga creates an array of functional artistic pieces out of polymer clay. She also crochets beautiful scarves, purses and head pieces, each with a unique polymer clay accessory incorporated; Olga's signature finishing touch. From sculptures, to jewelry, to home decor, Olga creates unforgettable pieces of art that can be incorporated and enjoyed in our every day life in multiple ways. 

You can find Olga Ayala and keep up with her events on Facebook at Olga Ayala Handicrafts (Hecho a Mano) and visit her store at Etsy here to find more functional art in polymer.

Here are photos of Olga Ayala artwork that I own!

Olga Ayala Neck Warmer with a hand made polymer clay button closure finished in metallic paints. Photo taken by Paul Newland.

Crocheted Cowl Neck Warmer/Hood made by Olga Ayala. The bracelet I am wearing is also made by Olga, I used it for a photo shoot I was styling. You can find the above bracelet here. Photo by Eric Mayr

Pictured above is my first Olga Ayala purchase ever, my beautiful heart charm bracelet. I bought this for myself for Valentines Day :) Above the bracelet is a pair of earrings I had my eyes on for quite some time as well as the ring that says "love". I just wore all of them together yesterday and received so many compliments! The colors in the ring really pull together the bracelet and earrings, and the ring and bracelet create a more thematical look.