¡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

Summer Vacation

At last!!! Our summer vacation. That's why I didn't write a post last week. I have not been doing jewelry but I am making ceramic beads and pendants. I am just waiting to get them out of the kiln to glaze them. In the meantime we have a few projects at home. Today our solar energy system is been installed. How wonderful! From now on, solar energy is going to produce our electricity!! Next week I will show you some pictures. Another project is our organic home garden. We have bananas (plane trees), avocado, mango, guanabana (soursop tree), batatas (sweet potato), ñame, spinach and recao (cilantro). During the next two weeks my husband, my son and I will be preparing the soil to sow some seeds of carrot, tomatoe, eggplant and pepper (some pictures next week too, I promise!).

Any way, I don't have new jewelry but I want to show you two pendants that my son brought from Egypt. The first one is a sterling silver pendant with his name written in hieroglyphic in 18k gold. The second one is a silver scarab pendant with lapis lazuli, turquoise and cornaline that I am planning to use in a necklace. The scarab is a very important symbol in the Egyptian culture. Read more here. With the pendants you can see a Greek Owl and a Turkish (from Istanbul) coffee cup, both from my son's study trip.


This is an authentic papyrus roll of a wind scarab hand made specially for my son Rauili with his name written in hieroglyphic.

New Pendants

Finally!.. My son arrived from his study trip to Europe, Africa and Asia (with a super nice sun tan). Here he is with professor Ana Georas at the airport. We missed him so much but we know he learned a lot and that all these experiences are part of his education and a way to fulfill his overall culture. Rauli brought so many artcrafts and lovely presents! I'm taking advantage of all these beautiful objects to display some of my new creations.

Against this Egyptian pipe are three ceramic heart pendants that I made last week. I still need more practice and to gain more experience specially with glazes and I need to get used to work with clay. This one is natural earthclay that comes from our Mother Earth. I didn't use molds, I shaped them with my hands and only used some rubber stamps. The more I practice, the more I like it. In following posts I will be showing more lovely objects and more ceramic jewelry.

Paella... Olé

I don't know why this necklace reminds me the Spanish dish paella. Maybe because it has a variety of colors and charms or maybe because Rauli is today in Madrid and when he called he told me he was eating a paella in a restaurant at Plaza Mayor. The necklace (or the paella?) is all handmade. I used copper wire for the chain and the clasp, both hadmade using more than 70 jump rings. For the charms I used cloisoné, crystals, ceramic, red coral, and pewter. It is very colorful, and instead of chicken and seafood it has butterflies, and an owl!

My first ceramic pendants!

Oh wow! Here they are... My first ceramic pendants. They came right out of the kiln last Friday. They have been fired twice. I am just learning this new art and for me it is fascinating. I hope you like them too.

I made some hearts and some butterflies. I glazed them with different colors. The colors are a big surprise. They look quite different from the colors I gave them originally. But, I like them any way.

My son Rauli arrived today at Athen (Greece). He is having a wonderful time. I'm dying to see him again and to see all the photos that he is taking from all these incredible places.

Rauli in Egypt... Frida in Puerto Rico

Last week my son Rauli went with his classmates and professor Anna Georas to an international study trip to Egypt, Istanbul and Greece. Rauli studies at the School of Architecture, University of Puerto Rico. They are now traveling through Egypt and are exploring and studying the ancient ruins, pyramids and tombs of the Egytians. This important study trip is made to complete the classroom experience, to gain new perspectives, and to study architecture in a foreign environment in order to enhance the understanding of the discipline.



Here we are at the airpot minutes before they leave to Egypt through Spain. In the first picture Rauili is with me, and in the second with his father Raúl (We miss him so much but we are very happy for him). I will soon post some photos of this study trip.






And... I just wanted to show you a picture of one of my Frida's Pendant. I love everything about the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. I created this pendant using an innovative transfer technique in a jade stone. It is wrapped in sterling silver wire.

A birthday party and a ceramic necklace... A Celebration!

The other day we celebrated Isabelle's birthday. Isabelle is my beautiful goddaughter. In the first photo is Isabelle with her mother Mónica Liévano (Mónica is my niece) and in the other photo is Isabelle with Mónica, sister Emma Beatrice, cousin Alejandro and his mother Milliet, and uncle Eduardo Liévano. We had a big party and all the family children were there celebrating with Isabelle.

Celebration!!!

I have other two photos of my latest design, a necklace using semiprecious stones like red Agata and Serpentine, and ceramic beads. Four of the ceramic beads in this necklace are my creation. Two 14mm rondelles (one violet and the other is peach), and two 8mm rondelles (both turquoise blue and yellow). They make a perfect combination with the other beads. I am celebrating my ceramic beads! I used hemp cord to string the beads since it is strong, stylish and eco-friendly. The closure is handmade in silver wire.

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Recientemente celebramos los tres años de mi bella ahijada Isabelle. Aquí la vemos con su mamá Mónica Liévano (Mónica es mi sobrina). En la siguiente foto está con su hermanita Emma Beatrice, su primo Alejandro y su mamá Milliet y su tío Eduardo Liévano. Tuvimos una gran fiesta y celebración con todos los niños y niñas de la familia.

En las próximas dos fotos les muestro mi último diseño. Un collar con piedras semipreciosas y beads de cerámica. Cuatro de esos beads son de mi última creación; dos de 14mm en violeta y peach y dos de 8mm en azul turquesa y amarillo. Estos hacen una combinación perfecta con las piedras y beads. Utilicé cordón en hemp para amarralas ya que es fuerte, elegante y eco-amigable. La cerradura está hecha a mano con alambre de plata.