saving the planet.. one plastic bag at a time

i am sort of a bag lady.  i politely decline the plastic bags when i go grocery shopping and instead i bring my own.  for those unavoidable big stuff, i keep the bags (paper or plastic) and use them as bin liners or give them to the charity shop (they sometimes ask me to bring them some if their supplies have ran out).

i learned this from my sister, who was already cool when being "green" still wasn't.  i am now conscious about this and have learned to carry my very own reliable big bag whenever i do errands.

last Saturday was Earth Hour when i spotted these beautiful recyclable shopping bags in the supermarket we usually go to.  not only are they good for our Home but also easy on the eyes. 

 the designs are so bohemian and sort of folksy.  it makes shopping easier :)

the colors are also soft and current.  who doesn't want to shop with these on their arm?

these bags carry the same theme of thoughtful design.  you can tell that someone really took the time to create a beautiful recyclable grocery bag so people can be reminded everyday of how important it is to do their bit of loving this planet we call Home.

flea market finds: paper, cloth and nets

after the glorious sunshine-y week announcing the arrival of spring, the weather has turned gloomy once again by bringing in thick dark clouds and the unpredictable incessant rain.

to top that, my favorite shop will be closing for Holy Week.  I figured I'll have a long weekend to make use of by doing some much-needed sewing and crafting.

my finds for this week have been very interesting.  since i don't resell, i mostly thrift as a hobby and some of the stuff i find i often give to friends and family.

but this one here below i am keeping :)

i love origami and have been making paper cranes for the longest time.  they are thought to bring good luck in Japan :)  so you can imagine my joy when i saw this kit :)

this kit was created from the bestselling phenomenon "The Daring Book for Girls" by Meriam Peskowitz.  i love the title!  it is sooo empowering :)  and just look at that beautiful peacock design :)

my next find is a lime green cotton scarf from TieRack.  i am in love with the fern leaf design :)  its a bit wrinkly i know but i couldn't wait to take a photo of it :)

i bought 5 Italian fishnet stockings!  yes 5!  i don't know what to do with it but for .50p each, how can i resist?


linking to Selena in Thrift Share Monday @ Apron Thrift Girl :)

do i need an overpriced camera to make great pictures?

i love taking photographs of people, especially portraits, because in my opinion the face is a very complex landmine of emotions.  i love how the expression changes in an instant when i point the camera at them.  but here in Europe, i have a hard time doing that with strangers.  either they are too shy or not too trusting of people, they generally do not let me take their photo even if i ask them first.  

so i moved on to texture photography.  i love how light plays a major role in rough, smooth, crisp, pitted surfaces and how it changes the whole composition entirely.

even though i am an amateur and i really couldn't understand most of the technical terms involved in taking a photograph, i prefer to shoot from the heart.  in my opinion, you don't need to have expensive equipment to take great photographs.  

(but it doesn't really hurt if you have a kick-ass DSLR right?)

peeling paint on a painted brick wall in an abandoned warehouse (Gibraltar)

i've been known as a "forever tourist" here in Gib because my trusty Canon Ixus 80IS goes with me wherever i go!

a secret hole on a stone wall from a crumbling castle (Spain)

brick roofing on a low-ceilinged cafe (Spain)

a riot of yellow wild flowers growing up the Rock (Gibraltar)

i think wild flowers are beautiful!  and i also think the reason they are called wild is because they should remain that way.

like antlers on a mythical deer, the branches on this tree are beautifully enhanced at night (Spain)

an acorn or a pineapple finial i found surrounding a statue  (Spain)

i've been mulling over which camera to upgrade for over a year now.  so many to choose from!  but should i?  

food trip

during our short vacation, we made sure to eat only the best that Marbella has to offer.  Spanish cuisine is one of the tastiest in the world and so we decided to look for little known cafes mostly frequented by the locals. however, we were so hungry when we arrived that we just sat down in the first one we saw!  we ordered clams in garlic and wine sauce, calamares and boquerones (lightly battered and lightly fried anchovies) after we consumed the olives and bread. 

i tell you, they were the best i have ever had!  the sauce in the clams was to-die-for!  we licked our plates clean!

next stop was to find good old reliable chinese food :)  there was one along the Paseo Maritimo so we headed for that.  we basically just ordered the more familiar ones but my eye was caught by something unusual :)

bunny-shaped Yu Tou Gao!  it is steamed yam/taro cake individually wrapped in a rabbit-shaped flour wrapper.  it was an early Easter treat for me :)

the mister has always had this hankering for really good, really tasty American burgers for a long time now so we drove to Puerto Banus (a marina southwest of Marbella) and looked for the one and the only Hard Rock Cafe

we weren't disappointed!  i ordered the pulled pork sandwich with baked beans, coleslaw and fries and they were soooo good!

the mister had the hickory BBQ bacon cheeseburger (i know! its overload!) and he loved it!  

just for the record, we don't plan on doing this everyday :)  we can't wait to do a food trip in America however... we've seen and heard so much of the gastronomic delights of Uncle Sam :)


we were sooo stuffed on our trip but we were also looking forward to our healthy home-cooked meals :)  nothing can ever beat the comforts of home :)

like attracts like

do you ever believe in the Law of Attraction?  do you ever believe that you attract into your life whatever it is that you are constantly thinking about?  i do!

we were admiring Salvador Dali's bronze sculptures in the Alameda Park along Playa la Venus in Marbella when out of the corner of my eye i saw something green and something familiar.  it was a charity shop!

before we drove to Marbella, i made a mental note to look for a charity shop there.  i even researched online and wrote down the address.

and serendipity led me to the CUDECA! founded in 1991, CUDECA is one of the leading Cancer Hospices in Southern Spain and has shops all over the Andalucia region.

it was a spacious shop and most of the stuff are organized and labelled.  they sell mostly clothes and accessories.  i was looking for kitchen stuff but when i asked where they are they told me they were at a different shop.  so i am guessing there are other shops in and around Marbella.

i found this Charles Tyrwhitt Classic Linen top in pink, magenta and blue stripes for €8. not bad really for a high end blouse  but way above my thrift shop budget :)  but i can never resist classic linen tops so i indulged myself ;)


*linking to Selena's Thrift Share Monday @ Apron Thrift Girl :)

la primavera en Marbella, España

spring has sprung!  the mister and i went on a little getaway in Marbella, Spain to properly welcome warmer weather.  Marbella is sometimes known as the Miami of Spain and is only about an hour and a half away from Gib.

the beach is still empty but "chiringuitos" or snack bars by the beach are already prepping up for the feasts of grilled/fried fish al fresco

huts are coming up like 'shrooms!

this baby's trunk doubles as a shower when you tweak the knob behind its ear 

Puerto Banus is the playground of the rich and famous, where Rolls Royces and Ferraris meet yachts

Salvador Dali is featured most in the streets of Marbella with his bronze sculptures all over town

i am so surprised that Marbella has a bonsai museum :)  

and the species that they house are pretty impressive too :)

on the way to the Casco Antiguo (Old Quarters), we passed by beautiful colored tiles depicting stories of the Spanish culture

the Plaza de los Naranjos or Orange Square is the heart of the Old Town of Marbella

tiny side streets in the Old Town; guess what caught my eye ;)

in one of our after dinner walks, by the beach, in the Paseo Maritimo

the police are on horseback along the coast...

and even in the main square!

he was nowhere to be seen but he has a house here with his wife Melanie Griffith

lots of cafes and designer shops!

Marbella is a celebrity magnet and Mr. Iglesias (who is originally from Madrid) got married to his second wife here.  he was first married to Spanish-Filipina Isabel Preysler and has three kids with her, including the hottie Enrique Iglesias

the pool in the hotel we stayed in was so inviting... but it was still a bit nippy for me...

...so a glorious, relaxing bubble bath instead to end the day :)

animal magnetism

as i've said earlier, i've been here almost three years but in all those years i've never seen a real, live rooster in Gib.  let alone witness a real, live rooster cross the road in Gib!

(be kind rewind: i love animals and am a country girl at heart.  i grew up with farm animals almost all my life back home.  therefore, a rooster is an everyday sight... but not here in Gib... so IMHO, this is a funk phenomenon and therefore worthy of a post!)  

(why did the rooster cross the road in Gib?  the rooster crossed the road because it was time for a change!  the rooster wanted change!)

some people say that aside from the Barbary Macaques (or Barbary Apes as they are locally known because they are missing their tails) numbering about 200 residing up in the Rock, there are also wild goats, different species of birds, wild squirrels, etc.  some old folks even said there were horses up there too at one time. 

(ohhh yes! scratch it right there wilma!  scratch it good!)

legend has it that the Apes are a symbol of British sovereignty and should they disappear from the Rock, Gib will no longer be British.

meanwhile, in another part of town, these adorable Shih Tzus with their lazy bums are downsizing :)

and on the opposite side, these Guinea Pigs have just collectively decided to change their names to Guini Pigs, thereby saving on vowels :)