MY BOY

Today is my son's birthday. I feel so happy to share with you some pictures and will try to upload in my next post a Photo DVD that I made five years ago on his 18th birthday. Today he is 23 and I'm so proud of him. He is finishing his BA in Architecture and has been accepted in Graduate School. He's a handsome, intelligent, and lovely young man! (I´m his mother, of course, but you can judge for yourself!!!).

Here are some words that I want to tell him:

En la Universidad

Carta a mi Hijo

Querido Hijo,

Hoy es tu cumpleaños y como todos los años en esta fecha vienen a mi memoria tantos lindos recuerdos, tantos momentos significativos, tanta felicidad... Recuerdo, igual que tu, cuando nos escogiste para ser tus padres, cuando te sentí por primera vez, cuando me comunicaste quién eras. En mis recurrentes sueños de luces, colores, fantasías y estrellas, mientras te acurrucabas dentro de mi vientre, presagiabas tu mundo y toda nuestra felicidad. En el momento en que llegaste, después de una dulce espera de nueve meses, todo mi mundo se transformó. Me sentí envuelta en una inmensa burbuja donde solamente nos encontrábamos tu y yo. Fue un momento sublime y único.

Luego, verte crecer y desarrollar tanta sensibilidad, llevarte junto a tu padre a la escuela, el parque, los museos, a ver el mar, pasar largas horas leyendo y ver como te ibas convirtiendo en un ser tan especial nos hizo y hace sentir como los padres más dichosos del mundo. No lo decimos nosotros tus padres solamente, sino que todos tus maestro y maestras, todos tus profesores y todo el que te conoce resalta tu inmensa sensibilidad y dulzura que unida a tu inteligencia te han llevado a cosechar tantos triunfos y éxitos. Eres un joven, un hijo, un sobrino, nieto, amigo y estudiante especial.

Hoy, celebramos tu cumpleaños y estaremos como siempre contigo. Te doy las gracias por escogerme como mamá, por todo el amor y felicidad que me das. Te deseo que continúes esparciendo tu Luz, tu Cristal y que ese afán de construir y diseñar un mundo más bello y mejor te sea recompensado de la manera que mereces.

Te deseamos que continues con la música, el arte y tu apasionada arquitectura...

Te deseamos un Feliz Cumpleaños,

Con todo mi Amor,

Mamá

Con Violeta de la Mata, Rosita Casanova (sus profesoras de piano) y Antonio Martorell

En Cambride, Harvard Square y en Boston




Happy Bithday Luis Raúl!!!!

A Successful Jewelry Show...

I just wanted to share with you some pictures of the last jewelry show that I participated. It took place at Adelita Rosa's house in Dorado PR and was fantastic!! It was fabulous to see people's reactions to my jewelry and of course, to Adelita's jewelry. Adelita's creations (Yari D'Atabex) are my inspiration.

These are some of Adelita's creations



Freshwater pearls, Mother of pearls, and Sea shells
Yari D'Atabex



Sea shell, Amber, and Coral pendant
Yari D'Atabex

Glass pearls, Swarovski crystal, Filigree water lily, Fabric flower
Doris Rivera Designs

Adelita will soon open her Etsy Shop. I will be adding new designs to my Etsy shop today and tomorrow.

Hi, Everyone!!

It has been a long time since my last post... more than four months! Wonderful things have happened since then. I have been creating new designs and using new materials like paper beads (from my friend Karen aka runswithscissors4 at Etsy), fabric flowers (my new line of corsage necklaces), and a lot of filigree that I just love. I have been experimenting with mixed media art and have created some new art pendants that I'll show in my next post.

I will have an important jewelry show next Saturday (April 18) with my friend and jewelry designer Adela Rosa aka Yarid'atabex and that's the reason why I'm not posting new items in my Etsy Shop for this last month. On Sunday I'll be adding to my shop the jewelry that I don´t sell at the show.

Here is a preview of some of my new designs:

At home, everything is fantastic. We are adding a small studio to the house that is going to be my jewelry studio! and next, we will be remodeling some of the windows. I 'll have pictures of my new studio as soon as it is finished (about one month).

My dear lovely son Rauli (Luisra) is in Houston with his classmates and professor Ana Georas visiting Rice University. They'll be sharing experiences with other architect students and having and exposition of their latest designs. We miss him...

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Desde hace aproximadamente cuatro meses no escribo nada en este blog. He estado bien ocupada con mi joyería y nuevos diseños. Experimentando con beads de papel (de mi amiga Karen de runswithscissors4), flores de tela (para mi línea de collares corsage) y filigree (filigrana) en metal en especial bronce antiguo. También he estado experimentando con "mixed media art" y he desarrollado una línea de pendants con mis propias ilustraciones que estaré mostrando en mi próximo Post.

El próximo sábado 18 de abril tengo un importante show con mi amiga diseñadora de joyería, Adela Rosa, también conocida como Yari D'atabex y por esa razón no he estado actualizando mi tienda desde hace como un mes. Lo que no venda es este show lo estaré incluyendo en mi tienda desde el próximo domingo.

En casa, todo fantástico. Estamos añadiendo lo que será un pequeño estudio para mi joyería, al fin! (próximamente fotos) que estará terminado como en un mes y luego estaremos remodelando algunas ventanas de la casa.

Mi amado hijo Rauli, de nuevo de viaje, se encuentra en Houston con sus compañeros de clase y la Profesora Ana Georas. Están visitando Rice University y compartiendo con otros estudiantes de arquitectura y exhibiendo sus últimos diseños. lo extrañamos mucho...

¡Felices Fiestas! Happy Holidays!

Just a note to wish you happy holidays and to let you know that we are having a wonderful time here in PR. The weather is perfect! Fresh air, beautiful soft sunlight, and spectacular sunsets. The family has been decorating for Xmas and here is our Xmas Tree :), and our collection of hand-carved wooden Three Kings. In Puerto Rico the tradition has been to observe Christmas Day as a solemn religious ocassion, although we have the tradition of Santa Claus too. We celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6 and give presents to children.

Besides decorating I have been creating some jewelry that you can find in my Etsy Shop and that I want to show some of them here:

Already Sold

Already Sold

Happy Birthday, My Love!

Today is my husband's birthday. We went to Old San Juan to celebrate with our two lovely sons: Luis Raúl and Juan Gabriel. We had lunch-dinner at Siglo XX Restaurant, a very nice an old restaurant that serves delicious Spanish and Puerto Rican food.

After that, we went to Paseo la Princesa. Emanating a rather distinctly European flavor, the Paseo de la Princesa is a 19th century esplanade situated just outside the city walls. Lined with antique street lamps, shade trees, statues, benches, fruit vendors carts, artisians, and street entertainers and musicians. This romantic walkway culminates at the magnificient Raíce Fountain, a stunning statue/water feature that depicts the Island's Taíno, African, and Spanish heritage. While we walked we had a breathtaking view of the San Juan Bay. We saw an impressive sunset and felt the romantic atmospher with the lights from the antique street lamps. We had a wonderful time!

Back home I made these beautiful earrings that are going to be on my Etsy Shop.

It's Autumn... and we have flowers!

Yes, we have flowers and flowers. Fall in Puerto Rico is like spring: fresh air, beautiful clear sunlight, and of course, flowers. That is the nicest thing about this weather, spring is forever. You can notice only small and fine changes in the climate and that is why I think it is very interesting. You perceive the changes in the air, the atmosphere, and in your heart.

All of my latest designs are created around flowers. Now in my Etsy Shop you can find the Garden Bracelet in green, full of green flowers, the Flowery Milagro Necklace, and the Flowery Parisian Necklace. Go and take a look at my shop, let me know what you think.

Pretty Flower and leaves...

I live in a Tropical Island. I find flowers and trees everywhere. We have dragonflies too especially at my garden!! That's why I made today these beautiful necklaces. I like them very much. Hope you like them too!!

Find these necklaces and my other jewelry at my Etsy Shop.

SEA ENERGY

I found this beautiful seashell at a Rincon beach (as most of the seashells that I use for my creations). Here in Puerto Rico we have plenty of seashells, corals, and sea glass. These elements from nature are part of my inspiration. Seashells in particular, come in different sizes, colors, and forms. This one in the picture is what we call a "carrucho" or conch. I turned this conch into a beautiful pendant using vintage brass wire, swarovski crystals, and pressed glass. The light green color gives this pendant a refreshing look like the breeze that we feel in this enchanted Island.

You can find this and other pendants in my Etsy Shop.

My New Milagros...

This necklace is part of my new Milagros Collection at my Etsy Shop.

It is inspired in an exhibition that took place last year at the Art Museum of Puerto Rico: La Virgen, Santos y Ángeles: pinturas suramericanas del 1600-1825 de la Colección Thoma (Virgin Mary, Saints, and Angels: South American paintings from 1600-1825, Thoma Collection). It also reminds the Milagros or Ex-votos from the religious tradition.

According to Wikipedia Milagros or Ex-votos are religious folk charms that are traditionally used for healing purposes and as a votative offerings in Mexico, the Southern United States, other areas of Latin America, as well as parts of the Iberian Peninsula. They are frequently attached onto altars, shrines, and sacred objects found in places of worship, and are often purchased in churches, cathedrals or from street vendors.This "Milagros" (Miracle) necklace is all handmade with bronze wire. The pendant has seven charms: a Virgin Mary/Sacred Heart medallion, coral twig, aventurine bead, Lead-free pewter feather, a small bell, and two glass Lilies.

It comes with a bronze neck wire. The pendant is about 3" long. Feel the good energy...

And here is Panchita, again, in her favorite hiding place: one of my empty ceramic pots. Panchita is a "Miracle". She was rescued with her mother Umasi. Her mother Umasi left her when she was one day old. We nourished her until Umasi came back. She was so little and helpless! Now they are save and very happy with us.

New Etsy Shop !!!

Today is the opening day of my brand -new Etsy Shop and the end of summer vacation in my Blog.

One of my new creations made with a natural beach coral.
You can find one similar to this one at my Etsy shop.


Last month I was quite busy looking for new materials for my jewelry, taking pictures, reading instructions from Etsy's website, organizing my creations and preparing them for my store, and at last, VOILA... My new Casa Doralba at Etsy! It was fun anyway, but it was lot of work too. I have just listed twelve items and I'm planning to continue adding new things next weekend.

A pendant made with a Crystal Quartz from Puerto Rico

Visit me at http://dorisrivera.etsy.com/

BUY HANDMADE

We had at home other projects besides my new Etsy Shop. We installed our solar energy system that is working great, and we continued working in our organic garden. Here I show you some pictures:

SOLAR SYSTEM

ORGANIC GARDEN AND GARDENER

MY NEW CATS: Panchita (2 months old) and her mother Umasi