Thursday, March 31, 2011

Eastside Drive-in...food trailer heaven

Looking for a new dining spot? 

Perhaps one that your kids can run around in, makes you seem cool to your indie friends, one you can bring your own booze to... and you can choose between perfectly delicious Fish and Chips, authentic Mexican food, fried Oreos, vegan yumminess, japanese love balls, Spanish tapas or a delicious egg sandwich?

Well my friends, look no further.

Pull on up to the Eastside Drive-in at 1001 E Sixth Street in Austin, Texas and you have found food trailer heaven. All these little spots are within 13 feet of each other.

And better yet, all the food is RAWKING!

Red double-decker bus food establishments are rad.


I have a BIG-TIME weakness for fish and chips. 
vinegar and fried food = heaven



Step off, Penelope. 
La Tasca food trailer, you are a sleek Spanish beauty.


People, I own chickens. Does that tell you how I feel about eggs?


Okay - I love your name and I am crazy about pickled ginger.


Pig Vicious. I am a vegetarian, yet drool when I smell bacon.


This trailer makes people of my Mother Country proud.
Orale.


Calories are your friends.

What more can I say? Vegans don't hurt animals. Vegans rule.



Seriously. How can you go wrong? 
Don't forget a bottle of red or a six pack. 
And bring some Wet Ones. Your kids will run around, get dirty and have a total blast.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Blue Trees




Incredible. This art project created by Konstantin Dimopoulos is explored at the Vancouver Biennale.

Intended to be “social art action,” says Dimopoulos he hopes that his work will be part of a larger international discussion with the hopes of blue forests in cities worldwide. Each year an area at least the size of Belgium of native forests is cleared from around the planet. So much a part of our daily lives, they are the lungs of the planet and attention must be paid.
Colour is a powerful stimulant, a means of altering perception and defining space and time. The fact that blue is a colour that is not naturally identified with trees suggests to the viewer that something unusual, something out of the ordinary has happened. It becomes a magical transformation.
The colour used on the trees is biologically safe pigmented water. As an ephemeral artwork, the colour will naturally degrade and the trees gradually revert to their natural state.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Natalia Clavier

Nothing beats the sweet sound of a woman's voice. 
Add in beauty, intelligence, charm, humor & humility... and you have Natalia Clavier.

Natalia is one of the strong, feminine energies in The Echocentrics, Federico Aubele and Thievery Corporation. She's the woman behind the voice that gently carries you away to a dreamy place... reminding us that the world filled with faraway lands that may or may not exist.

Here she is singing one of her original songs off her album, Nectar:


Wowza!
Sometimes its easy to forget that there's a real-life person behind such an inspiring voice. And what's even better than hearing her albums or seeing her perform on stage, is learning that she's just an earth-bound woman that us "mere mortals" can get to know as a sweet friend.

 

Let's keep it real and find out just what makes Natalia Clavier tick:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
a world without borders nor visas. perfect health. to create a family. to be present.

What is your greatest fear?
human involution, war is a good example of it

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

acting and music (and puppies! hehe)

If you were to do and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

a Hippocamp (seahorse) or a royal owl

What do you value most in your friends?
honesty. that phone call or e-mail when you needed it the most...

What is your favorite item of clothing?
oh girl! this one's tough! mmm... dresses... and I'm also a total shoeaholic! big big time!

Who are your real heroes in life?

I guess this changes depending on where I stand in life, at the moment they are all the hard working moms :-))

Favorite discovery
Ayurveda and holistic medicine and nutrition!

Who inspires you
my friends fo' sho'! and at this moment specially Reggie Watts and Adrian Quesada, these guys are unstoppably creative and super prolific!

Necessary extravagance

to turn my whole wardrobe into an organic, vegan, vintage (recycled pieces) fare trade one and to have a 2 bedroom home dressing room (hardcore daydreaming)

Favorite color

purple and black (sorry, can't pick one)

Favorite gadget
iPhone and Vitamix

Favorite dessert
Ginger gelato, flan, coconut creme brulee, carrot cake, coconut gelato, b-day cake! aaahhhh!!! love sweets! all vegan, please ;)

Favorite ingredient
organic raw agave nectar!

There you have it!
Thank you for reminding us that even a Goddess of the Arts 
can be totally grounded, funny and girlie.

Muchisimas Gracias, Natalia!!

PS: You can see Natalia in Austin, Texas at the Pachanga Fest in May
performing with The Echocentrics

PPS: Her husband is pretty darn rad too.




Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Awesome Book

I love kids books. They always have the best illustrations, super sweet messages, and allow one's self to tap back into the imagination. The only thing better than a kid's book is having someone read it to you.

Well, thanks to the fabulous Kami Wilt of the Austin Tinkering School, we had of opportunity to attend a reading of a hot new children's author, Dallas Clayton. He's the creator of the AWESOME book series.

Kami organized him to come to Austin, and read his book at Austin's Stacy Park for an intimate group of kid and parents.

See him up in that big tree. (He's the one with the tie-dye shoes.)

After his super fun reading, he gave all of the kids a free beautiful hard-bound book called "An Awesome Book of Thanks!"  Wow. That's pretty darn generous!

Well, Lo and Behold, he's created a foundation called none other than the Awesome World Foundation. Every time someone buys one of his books, he gives away one. Pretty rad concept!

My kid sure did love it!

It was wonderful day to spend a Saturday morning. 
For more cool family-friendly experiences, you should absolutely check out the Austin Tinkering School. And the next time you need a children's gift, buy a book from the Awesome collection.

The Austin Tinkering School and the Awesome World Foundation are both totally...awesome!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Malia Mills

Love a beauty company whose motto is "Love Thy Differences". 
Not only do they make a great line of swimwear and clothing, 
but I'm simply crazy about their model choices and product photography.






Just crazy about their philosophy. 

At Malia Mills we encourage women to use affirmative language when speaking of themselves. We are passionate about articulating a new voice on the subject of women and beauty. Love thy differences!™

Thank you, Malia Mills... for talking the talk and walking the walk.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Lace Fence.

Rethink your typical suburban hurricane fence. 
These are gorgeous. inside or out. 





"Lace Fence shows how something which was meant purely functional can also be decorative. Hostility versus kindness, industry versus craft."

Thank you, Lace Fence
Your Dutch Design House is super cool.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Gardens in the Sky.

This is one of the coolest projects I've seen in a long time. 


Bus Roots aims to reclaim the forgotten space on the tops of city buses, while enhancing the quality of urban life by proliferating green spaces on these unused bus roofs.

New York City Designer Marco Antonio Castro Cosio 
explains his project as an exercise in “nomadic urban agriculture.” 

Benefits
According to the bus top gardener, benefits include:
• Aesthetic Value
• Mitigation of Urban Heat Island Effect
• Acoustical and Thermal Insulation
• Storm Water Reduction and Management
• CO2 absorption
• Habitat Restoration
• Public Education and Recreation
• Reclaiming Forgotten Real Estate 

Learn more here.

Big shout-out to the beautiful Marni Martinez 
(nurse, science researcher and mother of two) 
for the tip.