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!

Over the weekend I came across these incredible Ojos de Dios by artist Jay Mohler. I remember making these from yarn and popsicle sticks, back in elementary school, while learning about Mexican history. I’ve encountered quite a few on road trips to Arizona and in museums here and there, but none as beautiful as the one’s below. I would love to have one for my apartment. What a beautifully stunning art piece!

You can find more of Jay’s work here and here.

Dear Deer is an independent design studio and shop located in Guadalajara, Mexico. Showcasing the best of Mexican independent design, Dear Deer is also a venue for local art shows, musical performances, and independent art education.

In their own words, “The ethos of Dear Deer is to enable DIY (‘Do It Yourself’) creativity.  A self sufficient community of art, music, fashion and workshops that encourage all forms of creative thinking between contemporary artists and designers.” Recently, Dear Deer has branched off with their own online magazine entitled, “Oh! Dear” which focuses on independent culture throughout Mexico and all over the world.

It’s fantastic to see what an exciting design mecca Mexico is becoming! I love when I stumble upon amazing venues like Deer Dear, which promotes and features independent designers. I would be thrilled to visit this fantastic shop and studio someday soon! Until then, I’ll just have to enjoy the photos of their lovely space.

Felicitaciones (Dear Deer) por tu hermosa tienda y por tu inmensa ayuda en la promocion de los diseñadores independientes!

Alqo Wasi, which means “dog home” in Quechua, is an incredible dog-wear company I discovered last night while perusing the internet for cool dog products. Alqo Wasi creates beautiful dog garments created in native Peruvian communities. Founder Patricia Queirolo came up with idea while traveling through the Peruvian Andes. While attempting to come up with a business idea for her university thesis, she became inspired by the incredible Andean landscape outside of her bus window. Keeping in mind all that she loved and was inspired by (her two pampered dogs and her love for Peruvian culture), she created Alqo Wasi.

Alqo Wasi’s products are produced on traditional weaving looms from alpaca and fine cotton native to Peru. I love the traditional Peruvian patterns and colors and how they work on a modern product like dog clothing. I would LOVE to add some of these pieces to the LAMA collection! Hmm… Miles does need a poncho… I’ll have to see what we can do about this. Regardless, I am a huge fan of Alqo Wasi! Miles the LAMA shop dog tambien! Click here to check out the Alqo Wasi website.

Like many of you, I have been feeling completely devastated by the recent events in Haiti. The reports and coverage of the earthquake have been so heartbreaking. It has been so inspiring, however, to hear the stories of people like you and me who rise to the occasion and do their best to help out when others need it. I was so excited to hear that the lovely Jenn over at Indie Fixx has decided to start a silent auction over on her blog.

Jenn will be auctioning off some gorgeous merchandise generously donated by indie crafters, artists, and designers. 100% of the proceeds from Indie Fixx’s silent auction will go to the Red Cross International Response Fund. It’s for a great cause so head over to Indie Fixx and bid bid BID!

One big challenge I’ve come across as an online-only shop owner is how to best display my homepage in order to give new and returning visitors the best scope of the range of products they will find on LAMA. I’ve been bouncing around some ideas in my head for months now that I’m eager to jump on and, after checking out Supermarket Sarah (via Modish), I have been inspired to move this task to the top of my “to do” list.

I absolutely adore the way UK shop owner Sarah has cleverly displayed the products she sells through her online shop. it’s simple, warm and inviting and definitely makes me want to come in and have a look around. I completely admire Sarah’s innovative way of showcasing her goods. Fantastic! Thanks for the inspiration!

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve got some serious Oakland pride. That’s why I was so excited when one of my favorite Oakland shops, Urban Indigo, introduced their iconic Oakland map earlier this week. Lucky me, I already have one hanging in my apartment! My wonderful boyfriend headed down to Urban Indigo with Miles while I was in NYC to purchase this awesome welcome home gift for me. How sweet!

If you love Oakland as much as I do, I highly recommend you head down to Urban Indigo this weekend and pick up your own. Bonus! It fits perfectly in an inexpensive Ribba frame from Ikea. To check out the map in greater detail and to find Urban Indigo’s location, check out the newsletter below. Go Oakland!

This week, Argentina celebrated Dia del Niño (children’s day). This popular holiday celebrated throughout the world is simply a day to celebrate and honor the children in our lives. In Argentina, the holiday is celebrated much like Mother’s or Father’s day is here in the states. Children receive presents from their parents just for being, well, kids! Wow, I sure could have used an extra day of presents while I was growing up. Being a Christmas baby, It was rough to have only one day of gifts all year long. Dia del Niño would have been awesome! Oh well. Poor me. Anyhow, Check out these cool, kid friendly products below created by favorite Buenos Aires shop Pesqueira for Tienda Malba. If I were in grade school, I would definitely be sporting that red bag. Happy Dia del Niño Argentina!

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!

At long last, Handmade Nation is premiering in San Francisco a week from today (March 11th)! If you live in the SF Bay Area, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out. First time director Faythe Lavine gives us an in depth look into this burgeoning art community that I happen to love. 

Following the film, there will be a discussion with Lisa Congdon, Derek Fagerstrom, Natalie Zee Drieu and Stephanie Syjuco as well as an amazing line up of some of my favorite artists and vendors! For more info and to buy your tickets, please visit the San Francisco Film Society. I can’t wait to check it out myself! Hope to see you all there!