get indo it

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aaaand we're back!  sorry about that hiatus back there, i had some technical difficulties.  ya i know, what else is new.  as i've mentioned my camera died but i was like well joke's on you camera all my pictures are on this here memory card!  but then none of the pictures would open any more, maybe they were mourning the camera?  so like 10 memory card readers later, i won and i'm back and i can't wait to share all these PHOTOS from indonesia.  humans 1, technology 0.
so onto indonesia!  in a word (or two or three): incredible, amazing, alive, my dream life realized!  the landscape, the architecture, the people, the food, the JEWELRY!  our first stop in indonesia was jakarta.  i figured that we should explore java a little before we headed to bali and lombok, really earn our beach time ya know?  i still stand by that even though during the 48 hours we spent trying to get to bali i might have reneged a little.  the absolute highlight of jakarta was the surabaya antiques market.  it was heaven!  it's basically a long street with vendors set up on the entire length of the street selling amazing antiques from all over indonesia.  i saw some incredible masks and textiles but let's get to the jewelry already, am i right??  the most incredible were the gold pieces from sumatra, which were sadly all out of my price range.  but i did have a lot of fun trying on a crown, some necklaces, and some bracelets for both my wrist and upper arm and just dripping in gold for a few minutes.  sadly i don't have many pictures because these guys were on to me.  i tried to explain that i didn't want to copy the pieces (necessarily) i just wanted to remember how beautiful they all were.  but they weren't having any of it.

an ok piece from the surabaya antiques market.  i say ok because it wasn't solid gold.

after jakarta we went to yogyakarta in search of silver and ended up in a workshop learning the ins and outs of silver production firsthand.  then onto gunung bromo in the hopes of being awestruck at the sight of an active volcano, which we would have been if the fog hadn't gotten in the way.

learning how silver earrings are made.  i felt so at home here i had no qualms with getting in the way of her work.

final step, making that silver real shiny to lure in customers like me!

i guess this volcano is cool when you can actually see it?

from there it was on to kuta in bali for a sick day from the aforementioned 48 hours on buses, the things i do for this jewelry!  we eventually rallied and spent 12 hours on a bus and a ferry to make our way to lombok, the next island over from bali.  and then we decided to stay put for as long as we possibly could and we spent an idyllic week zipping around on our scooter to deserted beaches, becoming regulars at the local warung, and playing with the neighbor's adorable baby.  and of course shopping for jewelry!  i found some amazing beads at an antique store and bought tons of handicrafts and fresh produce at the local market (oh hey, remember that?).  we eventually made our way back to bali, but not before surviving the least bad ass crash ever on our scooter.  have i mentioned the things i do for this jewelry??  we were going too slow down a hill and just sort of toppled over to one side, which resulted in badly skinned knees and elbows and me fainting by the side of the road at the sight of said knees and elbows much to the bewilderment of all of the locals who witnessed this stupidest of crashes.  you live you learn and you maybe avoid hills in the future.

our front yard in kuta, lombok.

one of our deserted beaches in kuta, lombok.

and another.  wait, why did we leave here again?

our tiny neighbor.  hands down the cutest baby in the world.

doom is imminent.  the cows know it.  i'm blissfully unaware.

post doom.  same sentiment but now with bandages over my "lombok souvenirs". 

in bali we spent a couple of days in ubud, which was a shopper's (and monkey's) paradise.  the art market or pasar seni was amazing.  i went a little crazy in there and definitely doubled the weight of my luggage, a lot of which was hawaiian shirts.  fingers crossed those are cool again!  after ubud we headed back to kuta, bali and had to partake in the tradition of nyepi, or day of silence.  no one is allowed to leave their homes or hotels on nyepi and seeing as how we refuse to ever splurge on accommodation we spent the sunniest day of our entire time in indonesia in a room with no windows, no tv, no wifi, no nothin!  torture to say the least but we survived and the parade on the eve of nyepi was definitely a highlight.  loved all those demon floats!  getting to see them almost made the solitary confinement of the next day worth it.

our front yard in ubud.  are you starting to understand this whole dream life realized thing?

just monkeying around (ha!) in the monkey forest in ubud in some antique beads from lombok.  

one of the most amazing things i've ever seen in my life.  if there was anyway this could have come home with me it would have, trust me, i tried everything.  apparently first born children are no longer the coveted form of currency they once were.  major bummer.  just look at the detail in that carving work!

the pasar seni in ubud, bali.  or where a majority of my money is now located.  sorry chase bank!

view of the first floor of the market from the second floor.  it never ends!  

scarves and batik and handpainted tapestries!  not pictured next to buddha, the most amazing hand painted ganesh tapestry.  it found a new home in my suitcase.  it's much happier now.

handmade balinese baskets.  in bali they're used for carrying offerings to the temples.  in america they'll be used to hold my jewelry!

what's bahasa indonesia for one of everything please?

more jewelry!  and koozies!  and sarongs!  kind of a one stop shop for all your needs in indonesia.

a demonic float from the nyepi parade.  thanks for the mammaries indonesia! 

and that pretty much wrapped up indonesia for us and marked the end of the southeast asia portion of our trip with some very renewed energy, some new scars, and some much heavier luggage to show for ourselves.  next stop, morocco! 

go global, shop local

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I promise I'll be back with a more substantial post later in the week, I hit kind of a rough patch this past week both internet-wise and life-wise.  Don't even worry, i'm currently in the process of rising from the ashes like a phoneix. But in the meantime I just wanted to say a little word about the importance of local markets. While Ryan and I were in Saigon we went to the war remnants museum, which houses exhibits about the Vietnam war. One of the exhibits focuses on the use of and the effects of "agent orange". Without getting too political, agent orange is the code name for the powerful chemical defoliant dioxin that was used by the US army during the war to clear forests. It had some pretty horrific side effects for the people who came into contact with it on both sides. More shocking than the harrowing photographs of said side effects was learning that the two major producers of dioxin in the US were Dow chemical and the Monsanto corporation. Maybe you've heard of them? Dow is nice enough to make us those cute little ziploc bags and tupperware we can't recycle (what up plastic island) and Monsanto gives us genetically engineered seeds and the bovine growth hormone. Without getting too political, um ew. That got me thinking about the importance of the local market. I talk about local markets a lot on this blog, read all the time, and while I may only highlight the more jewel laden parts of said markets, most of them also function as the main food markets in the places I visit. Farm to table isn't a trendy fad in these places, it's their way of life. Local farmers bring their goods to these markets meaning that they're freshly picked, they're the size they're supposed to be and not some freak jumbo version (thanks but no thanks graisin.), and if something's not in season or not native to the place you won't find it.  So here's a thought, maybe give the grocery store a break the next time you go to do your food shopping and find a local farmer's market instead. Addicted to your fresh direct deliveries? Sign up for a CSA subscription! Check out local harvest if you have no idea where a farmer's market near you is or you have no idea what I'm talking about with this CSA thing. So make like me and hit those markets hard and don't even think about leaving empty handed! Your local farmer will thank you, the earth will thank you, and I'll even thank you personally! The best part about markets, besides the cheese monger boyfriends (hello San Francisco farmer's market!), they're a great excuse to stock up on cute tote bags!  Here are a few of my current favorite to get you excited for your next market run.

The aptly named farmer's market tote from j.crew.

A retro woven bag from Bamboula for Madewell . And the best part, the bags are imported from Kenya fair trade style. Something I can definitely get into!

Love this woven bag from free people. The black and white will really let your bright fresh produce pop! 

A farmers market is the perfect way to get back to your native roots. So is this river island Aztec print shopper from asos!

Another retro basket bag.  Can you believe this puppy is from Old Navy?  Maybe Molly's been right all along and ON really is the epitome of cool...

More of a canvas tote person? Nastygal's got you covered with their awesome zodiac tote! 

And so does etsy thanks to their Ola liola print totes! Obviously I can't get enough of the feather jewelry print bag.  

the brilliance of mr. newton

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and i'm not talking isaac.  i wanted to take some time to share one of my fashion, and by fashion i obviously mean jewelry, inspirations with y'all, the incomprable mr. newton aka one of my favorite street fashion bloggers ever.  in a weird turn of events mr. newton actually found me two years ago.  i was walking to a friend's bbq in williamsburg one summer afternoon when a man stopped me and asked if he could please photograph me because he loved my floral dress and the light was perfect.  he followed this up with, "i swear i'm not a creep, i have a street fashion blog" and gave me a card with his website on it, or the golden ticket to street fashion as i like to think of it.  he took a couple of photos and asked if i could maybe make my hands a little less awkward and try to look a little more comfortable in front of the camera.  turned out no could do and needless to say i was never featured on his blog.  so while a street fashion star wasn't born that day a die hard mr. newton fan was.  living in new york and especially williamsburg is a fashion lifeline for me.  i once did an online interview for fader when they did a feature on new york shop girls, which went a lot better than the doomed mr. newton photo shoot mostly just because there were no cameras involved, and they asked me what my main source of fashion inspiration was.  i told them the subway and i stand by that to this day. so you can imagine how frustrating it can be to be on the road and cut off from my lifeline.  enter the street stlye blogger aka my saviour abroad.  while i have a number of go-tos to sate my need for inspiration (here's looking at you the sartorialist, street peeper, and citizen couture) mr. newton has remained a favorite.  maybe it's the attainable feel to the looks featured, maybe it's the beauty of the photography, or maybe it's just the fact that everyone looks happy.  whatever it is i just hope he keeps it up because my awkward hands and i would be lost without him!    

fur sleeves and copious amounts of silver jewelry.  this is what dreams are made of.

here's a play by play of how i took this photo in.  that necklace!!  those bracelets!!  that skirt!!  those shoes!!  basically utter perfection.  the turquoise bracelets with the coral leather skirt is beyond inspiring.

oh hey boo!  this makes me want to finally actually go to siren festival instead of just saying that i'm gonna go to siren festival.  i love the all black with the pop of the white watch.  love how she turned a wrist band into an upper arm band. 

don't worry, this is just the first of a whole lotta morgan wendelborn you'll be seeing on here. 

love her bracelets.  and her boots.  and her purse.  

oh to be beautiful, french, and heiresses to the clarin cosmetics fortune.  it's pretty much a recipe for always nailing it. 

i'm hitting the hardware store as soon as i get back to america in search of a chain that big.

all images taken from mr. newton's amazing blog. 

cai be floating market

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twice now i've promised you a post about the markets in vietnam so here comes a post about a very special type of market, one that floats.  trust me, it'll be worth the hype!  since i didn't make it to the damnoen saduak floating market of james bond fame while we were in thailand i decided that i wouldn't make the same mistake while i was in vietnam and jumped at the chance to do a tour of the mekong delta that included a trip to the floating market in cai be. the day also included a trip to an apiary and a coconut candy factory, both of which were very informative and delicious but this blog is about my market adventures.  you can read all about the other two in my other blog, the coconutty beekeeper.  just kidding.  well for now anyway, i could get into that.  but back to the market!  cai be is one of the largest wholesale markets in southern vietnam and for a lot of the sellers the river is their entire life and livelihood.  the merchants buy the goods from local farmers and transport them from farm to market via boat and shopkeepers from neighboring towns come to the market to get products to fill their shops with.  the coolest feature of the market is a little device that the merchants use to advertise their wares called a "cay beo".  it's a bamboo pole attached to the front of the boat on which the merchants hang up whatever it is that they have to sell.  that way when you're floating down the river and you get a craving for some watermelon you don't have to float up to every single boat asking if they're selling it.  you just look for the boat that has a watermelon hung up from its cay beo and bam, watermelon craving sated.  pretty genius if you ask me.  you know i had my eyes peeled for a bamboo pole with some beautiful gems dripping from it but sadly no such luck.  i did manage to find some of the best rambutan i've ever eaten though.  the vinh long province boasts the best rambutan in all of vietnam and i gotta say, they more than delivered on that boast.

a cay beo adveritsing yams in the distance.  it's time like these that i miss cooking for myself.

this boat was selling grain.  no cay beo necessary here.

all of the boats had the most amazing painted faces.  ryan thought i was crazy when i kept talking about how cute the boat's faces were until he finally saw what i was talking about.  someone needs some glasses.  and it's not these boats.

bringing the day's purchases home.  just slightly different from a typical supermarket trip.

the best rambutan in all of vietnam.  photo by jim richter.

 after our day in the mekong delta we had a day to wander around saigon and take in the ben thanh central market on dry land.  totally boring after you've experienced one that floats.  the market was full of touristy stuff like uncle ho chi minh t-shirts and vietnamese silk, which would have been more fun to shop if the sellers weren't quite so hardcore.  they didn't really seem to understand the concept of just browsing at this market.  i made the mistake of asking the price of a bracelet and went to put it back when the price was exorbitant and the seller followed me around for a few more stalls yelling at me that people shouldn't come to this market to look and why are you even looking if you're not buying.  i mean i've worked retail and i'm familiar with the hard sell but cool it lady!  needless to say, i didn't buy anything from her.  luckily the ben thanh market has more to offer than just mediocre t-shirts and aggressive merchants, the food stalls are where this market really shines.  there are stalls that specialize in every kind of vietnamese delicacy you can imagine and where the merchants in other parts of the market might have a lot to learn, these merchants are masters of their game.  i had the best prawn spring rolls of my life and some amazing chao ga (rice porridge with chicken).  confession, the porridge had this weird, soft, brown stuff in it in addition to pieces of chicken and i ate every last one of them.  i still have no idea what it was.  i'm choosing to believe it was tofu.  really dark tofu.  ryan tried the vietnamese classic pho bo (beef noodle soup).  we finished the day at the fruit market and capped off our feast with a delicious mango and dragon fruit.  and by we did i mean i did, because ryan hates any fruit that isn't blended into a smoothie.  whatever, more for me! 

the ben thanh central market in saigon.  not featured, the overly aggressive shopkeeper.  i figured if looking wasn't allowed photos were probably a no go as well.

so look at that, one post, two markets, lucky you!  too bad this post was less of a things i bought post and more of a things i ate post.  next stop indonesia, and i promise i'll shop more!

something you'll (pamela) love

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all apologies in advance, this post isn't about any foreign markets.  this post is about some amazing jewelry a little closer to home, namely the amazing new york based designer pamela love's fall 2012 collection.

pamela love, jewelry designer extraordinaire.  image courtesy of vogue.com

 i know i'm a few months behind on this one but news travels much slower on this side of the world.  like how i just found out that heidi klum and seal broke up.  really can't believe that one, i loved them together!  but i digress, back to the jewels at hand!  pamela love's fall 2012 collection is AMAZING and as usual i want every piece.  most of you know that i've been a massive pamela love fan from my first piece, this guy:

miss this piece, and all my jewelry!  image courtesy of net-a-porter.com.

the ladies of el almacen might even remember the time that pamela love came in for brunch and i totally creeped her out by telling her how much i love her work and what a huge fan i am.  she felt the love, she never came back, but i know she felt it!  anyway this new collection just reaffirms why i love her as a designer.  i love her ability to mix different elements in her pieces like tribal and urban, gritty and delicate, simple yet ornately detailed.  there's a real art deco vibe to this season and the pieces all feel architectural and structural but with beautiful detail and pops of color.  as always there's a hint of tribal to the collection with some awesome patterns and the use of turquoise and coral.   basically she's incredible and this new season has made me an even bigger fan, and i don't care if it creeps her out, just keep the jewels coming!

the collection in its entirety or what i wish my jewelry box looked like.  image courtesty of vogue.com.

i love these two necklaces layered together especially since they're both such statement pieces.  the upper arm cuff is amazing.  note to self, need more upper arm cuffs.  image courtesy of fashionologie.com.

talk about a statement necklace!  i love the mix of art deco and tribal.  image courtesty of fashionologie.com

and again with the statement necklace!  the detail here is incredible.

close up of the rings and cuffs.  i especially love the gold double finger ring.  note to self, need more double finger rings.  image courtesy of vogue.com.

i love how she's literally dripping with pamela's pieces.  note to self, need more pamela love!  image courtesy of fashionolgie.com

 for anyone who loves the collection as much as i do, moda operandi is giving you the chance to preorder pieces from the collection until april 3rd.  so what are you still doing reading this??  get over there!  but if you are still here check out this behind the scenes video from pamela love's design studio from fashionologie in which she talks a little bit about her inspiration for the collection.  enjoy, and for real this time next stop vietnam!

living the cambodian dream

Pin It look at this, less than a week ago i promised y'all a cambodia update and here i am to make good on that promise!  no more month long hiatuses around these parts my friends.  famous last words, but i'm trying my best!  anyway, enough about me and more about cambodia!  it's AMAZING!  this country is a dream.  there's khmer ruins to satisfy the history nerd in me, there's amazing beaches for the sun worshipper in me (spf 50 for life though!), and best of all there are markets galore to keep the shopaholic in me busy and happy!  the markets here have been a bit of a mixed bag.  interesting fact about cambodia, everything is a delicacy here.  worms, you bet.  snakes, you better believe it.  roaches, once you pop you can't stop.  the first market i experienced in cambodia was in ban lung and it was not quite what i was expecting.  there was a lot of meat there.  most of it mystery meat still on the bone, or hoof, or head.  i could go into more detail but i think i'll spare y'all.  needless to say i didn't take many pictures there.  in fact i lasted about 3 minutes.  the things i do to find these jewels!

cambodia's equivalent of a new york hot dog stand. at least you know what you're getting at this one!  oh, but it's vermin. (image courtesy of nick's pics.)

my next foray into cambodian markets was the centrail market or psar thmei in phnom penh and it was much more successful!  the market is in a beautiful art deco building in the city center and they sell everything you can imagine here but luckily this market was organized into sections so i was able to bypass the mystery meat section and spent most of my time in the, you guessed it, jewelry section.  i didn't find as much to fall in love with here as i did in luang prabang because this market had mostly new pieces and as nice as it was to have everything sectioned off it also meant that i was able to clearly see how often pieces were being repeated.  but the indoor aspect of it was a nice break from the scorching heat outside.  not that i'm complaining, or would ever complain about scorching heat, you know i'm pro endless summer!  unfortunately ryan had to miss out on this market due to a raging case of food poisoning.  remember when i was all this country is a dream?  well as it turns out one person's dream is another's nightmare, sorry ryan!  he got food poisoning from the most innocent looking fried rice at a restaurant that also periodically brought around a buffet of snakes, beetles, and roaches to your table in case a craving struck.  you always need something salty with an ice cold angkor beer ya know?  so ya while ryan was on his deathbed i was pouncing around the market.  again, the things i do to find these jewels!  and again, um sorry ryan!

the central market in phnom penh, as lovely on the outside as it was on the inside.

amazing fashion finds at the central market!  i know i've been out of america for 3 months but i'm going to assume that style squirrel is hot right now.

the jewelry section of the central market, aka the only section that matters.  (image courtesy of asia explorers.)

after phnom penh it was onto siem reap to take in the temples at angkor and yet another market!  the old market, or psar chaa, at siem reap was a mix of produce and spices and souvenirs and knock offs.  luckily i was able to find the very ample dried fruit section and managed to get some bargains there!

the bayon, one of the temples of angkor.  good carving.  any chance of getting those artisans back to work their magic on some jewelry for me?

produce at the market in siem reap.

dried and powdered everything at the central market in siem reap.  (image courtesy of angkor road.)

well cambodia, thanks for the memories, and more importantly the jewelry!  next stop, vietnam!

luang prabang night market

Pin It so remember when i was all hiatus explained and i'm back with a vengeance and what not and then i went on to take an even longer hiatus?  ya, sorry about that!  it turns out that this whole buying thing has been a full time job!  and pretty much every electronic i brought has failed on me.  i'm now toting around a dead iphone, a dead camera, and half dead ipod in my bag.  but on the more exciting front my bag is also full of some beautiful finds that i just can't wait to share with y'all!  i'll try to get some pictures up on here as soon as i can remedy the whole camera situation.

in the meantime, i wanted to share some photos from the amazing night market i went to in Luang Prabang, Laos.  as soon as the sun starts to set the merchants take over the town's main road and start setting up their tents and wares and everything is lit by the lights they string up, making for a most magical shopping experience.  there's nothing quite like haggling for jewels under tents of twinkling lights!

tents!  lights!  stuff!

amazing Hmong tribal antiques!  obviously one of my favorite sellers.

the most amazing silver collars!  because what good is a necklace if it can't double as a shield?  amazingly enough, even the largest ones were light as a feather.

rows and rows of baby shoes!  possibly the inspiration for far and wild baby in the future.  for now, just something to send my ovaries into hyperdrive! 

handmade skirts from traditional Hmong tribal patterns.  love that they did a mini skirt.  though probably not something you'll see the village ladies rocking.

starving after all that shopping?  good thing there's a food market as well!  granted i couldn't really name one of the things that are in those bowls.  culinary russian roulette or the joy of sampling a new cuisine! 

so we got addicted to satays in thailand and luckily there were tons of stalls doing them at the market, but this particular lady put everyone to shame.  full fish, full chicken breast, and pork something or other!  i swear she must be part texan.

so hopefully that post made you feel like you just spent the evening in laos.  sorry for the killer jet lag!  next stop, cambodia!