Over the summer, I have had the pleasure of welcoming two new fantastic designers to LAMA. Based in Santiago, Chile, Rina and Pamela are the graphic design duo behind the up and coming design studio Grafíkk. They’re incredible warm personalities and adorable handmade products had me drawn in immediately. Recently I did an interview with both ladies to find out more about what inspires them to do what they love. I hope you enjoy their answers as much as I did!

LAMA: Tell us about the independent design scene in Santiago.

Rina + Pamela: The design scene in Santiago is growing and growing every day. There’s a lot of talented designers and very good manufacturers. Also it helps that there’s emerging neighborhoods with young design studios and shops. In six years, everything changed a lot, with the emerging Chilean economy (despite of the latest world economy crisis), design has found its place.

LAMA: Who are some of your favorite artists and/or designers and what inspires you?

Rina: I love art, music, literature and design, everything inspires me a lot. Ella Fitzgerald, Pollock, Klimt, Julio Cortazar, Borges, Mozart, Alexander McQueen, Carolina Herrera, Arne Jacobsen, Tom Dixon, and the creative spirit of Lotta Jansdotter!

Pamela: I would happily have my whole apartment furnished by the work of industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. Im absoloultly moved by Chagall paintings and his life. One of my favorite movies is “el lado oscuro del corazón.” It’s magical because of the poems of recently deceased poet Mario Benedetti as the script of the movie, amazing story, soundtrack and actors. Although i have a deep appreciation for latin american design I  have to admit my heart is with scandinavian object and graphic design like Marimekko and Ittala, and scandinavian architecture.

LAMA: What are your some of your favorite blogs and/or magazines?

Rina: I like swissmiss very much, and Bloesem (and of course I can’t name all my favorite blogs, because the list is very very long.) As for magazines, my favorites are Vogue, Living etc, Elle, Hint, Wallpaper, Flaunt, Print.

Pamela: Uf! so many options, i really like El beso, Rina’s blog, and Lama! Print magazine is my favorite.

Baby bibs found here! …

LAMA: What is your dream for Grafíkk?

Rina: I think still growing, but keep our independence. Oh! I want to work and design for graphic I hope all my life, It makes me really happy, and of course working with Pamela is very nice too.

Pamela: Grafíkk is a joint project with Rina but it’s also my own dream come true. To be able to do what I really like with total freedom is a gift, every task i make for Grafíkk motivates me more then any other job I ever had. I guess in terms of what i want Grafíkk to became is a more organizad and stable version of what it already is.

… and here!

LAMA: What is your favorite thing to do in Santiago?

Rina: Santiago is an amazing and modern city. I love reading a book in the beautiful cafes of Santiago and walking around the city with my camera.

Pamela: Walking around it’s different neighborhoods, especially mine! It’s sorrounded by lots of museums, little shops, restaurants and cute cafés. Also riding my bicycle to my office by the park.

Tea Towels found here!

Muchos Gracias Rina and Pamela for sharing your thoughts with us! LAMA couldn’t be happier to work with both of you! To check out more information about information about Grafíkk, please click here. To check out their blog, click here.

As an avid blog reader, I can’t tell you how excited I am whenever I discover a great new blog just entering the internet world. Last week I was introduced to To Be, Inspired by my awesome graphic designer Hijiri k Shepherd when they wrote about her letterpress work. This week, LAMA has had the fortune to also be written about. Cool!

Editors Naomi and Ryan (based out of Vancouver, BC) share a passion for all things old and the inspirations you can draw from them. Be sure to follow To Be, Inspired as they explore design, style, decorating, refinishing and other cool stuff both locally and globally (all with a vintage twist). Naomi and Ryan sound like my kind of people! I can’t wait to see how this blog grows. Congrats to To Be, Inspired!

Visiting a few rug manufacturers on my last trip to Ecuador, I was amazed at the process of taking alpaca wool, dying it, cleaning it and creating beautiful rugs. This morning I received an email from the studio of designer Jessie D’Angelo showing the stages her rugs go through until they become heaven under your feet.

Hand tufted in alpaca or sheep wool, this process takes 6-10 weeks to complete. I’m actually amazed it doesn’t take longer! Absolutely gorgeous Jessie! Thanks for sharing your process with us. To check out one of our favorite handmade Jessie D’Angelo pillows, click here.

As our birthday gift to you, enjoy 20% off your entire order for 5 days only with the promo code “happybday.” Don’t forget to read all about the latest LAMA news!

Browsing through Karen Barbe’s blog over the weekend, I came across her photos of a few Ñandutí lace doilies from Paraguay. I’ve never actually seen this type of lace work before so I was really taken aback by how stunning it is. I think Karen’s lovely photography does an excellent job of capturing the intricacies of this incredible handmade work.

Ñandutí, which means “Spiderweb” in Guaraní, the native language of Paraguay, is a traditional lace technique that is made there. I think it’s absolutely stunning! To read more Ñandutí lace, click here.

Today is LAMA’s first birthday! Yay! Happy Birthday LAMA! I have to admit, there have been so many times along the way when I was certain this day would never come but here I am! Just a little history, LAMA has actually been in production since I had the crazy idea to leave my job 2.5 years ago and give this a shot. Sitting back and reflecting on the past couple of years actually has me feeling a bit overwhelmed with so many different feelings but mostly, I’m feeling really proud today. I’ve traveled the world, met some incredible people, reconnected with family in faraway places, learned a whole lot about what it is to be Ecuadorian, had friends support me in the best ways, seen LAMA in places I never expected in my wildest dreams, and learned how to put myself and my dreams out there for everyone to see (that was a big one for me). Below are just a few photos of some of the highlights along the way.

Monkey fun in Puyo, Ecuador

My little tour guides through the Amazon

My boyfriend and I and our tango legs in Argentina

Writing in the sand in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Learning how to set up product shots and stage photos

Editing photos in the backyard with my big brother Matthew (and Miles) months before the LAMA launch

My first sale! Packaged and ready to go. Could I have used more tape! Ha! Just an amateur then.

Seeing my home in Design Sponge! That was a really cool day.

Being nominated for DailyCandy’s Sweetest Things 2008 award.

A celebratory dinner in SF with some very special people

Next week I’ll be sending out a special Happy Birthday LAMA newsletter to announce some great changes and new features for this second year of LAMA. Don’t forget to join the mailing list for the inside LAMA scoop if you haven’t already. Thank you SO MUCH to all my wonderful LAMA customers this year. I know it’s been a tough year to spend your hard earned bucks on things you don’t necessarily need so LAMA greatly appreciates you for all the support.

One last shout out to my dad because today happens to be his birthday as well! A big thank you to my incredible family and friends for helping me along the way and believing in the possibility of LAMA.

I was so excited to check out artist Tanya Aguiniga’s lovely Los Angeles home yesterday on Design Sponge. I first saw Tanya’s work a couple of years back on D*S and when I decided to open LAMA, I knew I had to have her amazing work in my shop. How honored was I when she agreed!

Her home is absolutely gorgeous! I love all the mid century furniture, bright colors and Mexican artwork. How cute is the exterior? Tanya’s home really makes me miss all the charming LA bungalows that I used to drive by every day and admire. Check out some of my favorite photos below and click here to read the full post.

To check out my personal favorite Tanya Aguiniga product in LAMA, click here. Enjoy!

Lately I’ve taken a little break from home decor and started spending a lot of time scouring the internet for great fashion. After a bit of a hiatus from fashion, I would say I’ve definitely been bitten by the bug again (even though my daily wardrobe these days consists of v-neck tissue t’s from J.Crew, a pair of skinny jeans, my favorite brown cardigan and Rainbow flip flops).  I know, cutting edge.

My internet search turned up the adorable Buenos Aires based shop called Pesqueira. How I managed to miss this charming little shop when I was in Buenos Aires is beyond me. From their website, to their photography and (obviously) their clothing, Pesqueira is just spot on. In their own words, “PESQUEIRA is an argentinian fashion label which clothes, classic & modern everyday-use are sold by many respected retail outlets worldwide as Takashimaya/NY, Le Bon Marche/Paris, Ships ltd/ Tokyo. The company was founded by designer Valeria Pesqueira in 2001. Pesqueira tm develops a line of fashion clothes with a reputation for high quality materials, bright colors and exclusive kawaii print designs.” I know where I’ll be shopping next time I’m in BA! Here are some of my favorites from current and past seasons. Enjoy!

For all of you special LAMA followers, don’t forget to use the discount code “INDIEFIXX” for 15% off your entire order. This code is only valid through July 12th so hurry up and get all of your LAMA goods at a fabulous price!

Last week I had the pleasure of doing a podcast interview with Denise Mpinga, editor of Zagi Online Magazine. In her own words on what Zagi is all about, “Zaji means “adventurous woman”-and is a name taken from a village in Africa’s Congo. We hope to inspire your own adventures whether you’re at home or hopping the globe. We have some fun itineraries on our Destinations link. We update our travel blog regularly with groovy playlists, our food journal, global chic fashions and more.

I was really flattered  (and a little petrified) to be asked to do a podcast interview with Denise. It’s funny how comfortable you can get hiding behind your computer screen sending emails or twitter updates. No one actually hears your voice! Needless to say, I was a little nervous but it actually turned out to be a fun experience.

Unfortunately with the time allotted, we weren’t able to cover all the great questions Denise had prepared so I’ll be posting the questions and answers here on the LAMA blog throughout the week. Thanks again to Denise for the invitation to share some information about myself and LAMA to you listeners and readers.

To listen to the podcast interview, click here.