Today I thought I would deviate from the usual Friday I’m In Llama pic to something a little different. I realize that it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned my best friend and business partner extraordinaire, Miles the LAMA shop dog! Last Thursday, Miles and I were whisked off for a surprise weekend getaway in Lake Tahoe. We had the most amazing time! I finally got around to uploading all of my photos this morning and I thought I would share a few here. I often like to put a series of pics together and create stories with them… just some one or two line captions to add a little narrative to the images. I think it’s a fun way to remember an event. Below I put together one of my little picture stories. I call this one, “Miles vs. The Pine Cone.” Enjoy!

Miles the dog hasn’t been to the lake since he was a puppy. He was incredibly curious about his new surroundings.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, his daddy fished a pine cone out of the water. All to familiar with “fetch,” Miles eagerly anticipated the throw.

Not thinking much of the water, Miles casually stepped through the sand to retrieve his “ball.”

Until the water (that he had not thought much of) touched his paws and stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Oh my gosh! What is this liquid under under my paws! It’s like a giant bath!! How am I going to get my ball?!”

Not wanting to admit defeat and put an end to his favorite game, Miles (because he’s such a smarty pants) quickly figured out that at a certain point, the water slips away leaving his pine cone exposed.

Seizing the opportunity, Miles quickly leaned in and went for the grab.

Successfully taking the pine cone into his underbite, Miles quickly backed up before the dreaded giant bath water returned.

VICTORY!!!

After ripping his pine cone to shreds…

Miles declared this THE BEST DAY EVER!!

THE END.

Happy Friday everyone! Have the best weekend ever!

I often like to search for unusual vacation spots to bookmark under “places I will see someday.” What can I say, I’m an optimistic person. The other day I came across perhaps one of the most unique resort hotels I have ever seen, Costa Rica’s Airplane Hotel. Located on the edge of the Manuel Antonio National Park, the Hotel Costa Verde is a “fully outfitted, meticulously detailed, two bedroom, Boeing 727 fuselage suite.” Refurbished with Costa Rican teak wood within a vintage 1965 Boeing 747, this incredible space perched 50 ft. up boasts views of the ocean and the jungle canopy. The following line completely sold me, “Enjoy an evening on the terrace while sipping a glass of wine and observing your tree top neighbors: sloths, toucans and monkeys..!” Needless to say, I have bookmarked it in my vacation folder, and yes, it is a place I most certainly will see someday.

*via* pictures and quotes taken from here.

Based in Nuevo León, México, Anagrama is a design agency specializing in brand identity and development as well as being “experts in the design and development of objects, spaces and multimedia projects.” Experts indeed! I am completely taken aback by the high level of their work and their ability to not only design a great package, but an entire space and identity to go with it. Check out some of my favorite projects below.

Theurel & Thomas

Theurel & Thomas Interior

Romantica Bridal Boutique

Romantica Store Stationary

La Fábrica Del Taco (Mexican Restaurant in Argentina)

La Fábrica Del Taco Business Cards (that fold into tacos!)

La Fábrica Del Taco Flyers

Al Fresco Gelato and Bistro

Al Fresco Drinks and Ice Cream Cups

Al Fresco Food, Dessert, and Drink Menus

Located in Carmelo, Uruguay near the Argentine border, this gorgeous farm house from the 1800′s was recently renovated by Argentine designers Federico Bonomi and Cynthia Kern. Keeping in mind the couples own clothing brand, Kosiuko, florals were used as a recurring theme. These soft touches are especially beautiful juxtaposed with the unfinished and rough interior walls that were left behind by the pre-renovated farmhouse. Incidentally, “brutal interiors” is a huge trend in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. Personally, I love the process of renovation, whether it’s a small piece of furniture or an entire home. Giving new life to the otherwise disregarded is such an exciting thing to do. I think the space below is an incredible example of what can be achieved with a lot of imagination and hard work. Enjoy all of the fabulous photos below. I couldn’t resist leaving a single one out!

Check out the Mixr blog for the full story on this incredible renovation.

The other day I was searching around the web for some color inspiration (yes, color.. I can’t get enough), when I came across Color Me Katie. Katie is a freelance photographer and street performer with the ability to capture color and emotion at their best. Perhaps because she really feels the close relationship between the two. Scrolling through her blog, I came across the adorable photo below of the little llama she calls her “new intern.” Too cute!

Maybe that’s who I should bring on as my new intern! Brilliant. Happy Friday everyone! I hope everyone’s weekend is as awesome as mine already is (I’m in the woods! Right now, at this very moment!) More on that later…

I am over the top IN LOVE with artist Jennifer Sanchez’s work. Her usage of simple geometric shapes to create bold and complex images is incredible. What I love most about Jennifer’s work are the gorgeous colors palettes she uses. They are the kind of colors that inspire entire rooms! That is, if you love colorful spaces as much as I do.

In fact, the beautiful color palette above makes me think of this stunning bedroom by Pal and Smith that I discovered via the Ruby PR blog a while back. I’ve been dreaming of it ever since.

To check out more of Jennifer’s work, be sure to check out her website. Jennifer’s work is also available for purchase over at the Beholder (a favorite online art gallery of mine.)

Anyone who knows me knows I love dresses. In fact, you can check out a selection of some of my favorite dresses right here. I don’t get to wear them as often as I would like, but I certainly seize the opportunity when I do get the chance. I just love how feminine and pretty I feel in a great dress! I was so excited to recently stumble upon these gorgeous Mexican dresses by Aida Coronado that are “full of tradition, culture, love and emotion.” Handmade in Mexico, Aida likes to say that there is “a heart in every piece.” I like to say, I heart every piece.

Elena Mexican vintage embroidered hippie chic tunic dress

Birds y Nubes Strapless Mexican embroidered boho hippie dress

Peacock Mexican embroidered tunic dress

Sweet days pink off shoulder Mexican embroidered dress

Be sure to check out Aida Coronado’s entire collection!

The Favela Painting Project, by Dutch designers Jeroen Koolhas and Dre Urhahn, is one of the most ambitious and inspiring urban renewal projects I have ever come across. Located in Vila Cruzeiro, Brazil, “This project involves employing the inhabitants of a favela to paint their own houses according to a pre-arranged pattern. It will turn their community into an artwork of epic scale and will produce an explosion of color, joyfully radiating into the world. Visible from the center of Rio, ‘O Morro’ will draw attention to the city’s deplorable social situation, while instilling pride and joy in the at the bottom of the social hierarchy.”

I am truly in awe of the scale of this incredible project. Beyond that, I am moved by the mission of Jeroen Koolhas and Dre Urhahn to “create striking artworks in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. To collaborate with local people to use art as a tool to inspire, create beauty, combat prejudice and attract attention.” I hope to see more of the projects pop up around South America in the years to come.

*via*

I’m in love with the combination of dogs and patterns in this series entitled “Hunting Dogs” by Brazilian artist Ana Elisa Egreja.

Be sure to check out the rest of Ana’s incredibly unique work here. I am so taken with her  distinct artistic approach.

I’m loving this llama illustration by artist Justin White, which was inspired by a brief encounter he had with a llama. I don’t know what made me laugh more, the illustration or the quote by the artist.

“Yesterday i ran into a llama. It really freaked me out. In reality it looked like the one on the left, but in my mind it looked like the one on the right.”

Hilarious. Have a wonderful weekend!!