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Adios & Gracias! FINAL LAMA SALE

Lamadesigns — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:31:29 +0000

Dearest LAMA Friends and Customers,

Three years ago I decided to take the journey of my life to bring you Latin America in the Modern Age. It was an exciting vision that sent me all over the world and moved me to create a beautiful place on the web to share my unique finds. I never imagined the impact LAMA would make and all of the beautiful words that would come my way from publications I admire and LAMA fans and customers who took the time to share their warm thoughts. Each and every one meant so much!

Being the restless person I am, the time has come for me to embark on a new journey in my life. And so, with immense gratitude, I want to say thank you to all of you who have embraced my vision and supported LAMA. I feel honored by your kindness and patronage.

As difficult as it is to say goodbye to this chapter in my life and this business I have loved so much, I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to create LAMA. Someone special told me along the way (in Spanish) “it is so important to know where you come from in order to know where you’re going.” I will be eternally grateful to have made a strong connection with my culture and to have been given the chance to share it with thousands of LAMA visitors and customers. What a dream come true this has been for me and I have all of you to thank for it!

Please be sure to stop by LAMA for a final opportunity to pick up your favorite products at up to 75% off! Quantities are very limited and this sale won’t last long!

Adios and Gracias!

Lots of LAMA love,
Christine E. Martinez & Miles the trusty shop dog

Monday Motivation: Become Great!

Lamadesigns — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:42:09 +0000

I took a little time off from blogging here last week to tend to a few important things in my life, but mostly to get ready for a big LAMA announcement I’ll be making to my friends and customers tomorrow through the LAMA newsletter … I’m closing the LAMA shop. *deep breath.. massive sigh.* It’s a decision that has been in the works for some time now and was by no means an easy one to make. LAMA was the biggest dream I have ever dreamt, and it came true beyond my wildest expectations. It’s who I have been for the past few years and nearly everything my mind has focused on and my attention has gone to. So making the decision to move on has been a bit grueling, but it’s the right one for me to make. In other words, don’t cry for me Argentina, I’m heading on to a new journey in my life and excited to do it. It’s time for me to use all that I have learned and do something amazing. I know what it is to start at the beginning of something, at just a tiny seed of an idea, and I know what it takes to make it great. At the heart of it, you just have to love what you do.

Although I am closing LAMA and sad to do it, I have zero regrets about a single thing I have done with this business. And if someone were to come to me and tell me about their dream to open a business, I would say, “Yes! Do it!” Without hesitation. I will be eternally grateful for all the incredible things I have been able to do and all of the talented and special people I have met all over the world along the way. I have stories and memories great enough for a novel (hm, maybe I should write one…). I have a life that I am proud to live because I had the courage to do so, and it all stemmed from a little idea that popped into my head while I was jogging with Miles four years ago.

Yes, I am deeply sad to say goodbye to my little shop of treasures and to this part of who I’ve become. To be honest, I have tears in my eyes at this very moment. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t. But I can hardly wait to see what’s around the corner! I have no doubt, whatever it is, it will be GREAT.

As for the LAMA blog, I may take a bit of time off, but I am still dedicated to promoting the work of Latino artists and designers as I feel they are grossly underrepresented in the design world.

Thank you to everyone who has taken this journey with me. Small things really do become great when done with LOVE.

Be sure to stop by LAMA (starting tomorrow) for the big “Adios & Gracias” sale. You won’t want to miss your last chance to pick up your favorite LAMA items.

*image via Design Me Daily

Help Japan

Lamadesigns — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:40:40 +0000

Like many of you, I spent much of Friday reading about and watching the devastating news coming out of Japan. I can’t seem to wrap my head around events like this. How one minute the world is just as you know it, and the next, the destruction from a natural disaster can literally change our map. I think if many of us could, we would rush over to lend a helping hand. I know when I see people suffering, I just want to help. Thank goodness their are creative companies like W + K Studio that are coming up with creative ways in which all of us can help through donations.

W+ K Studi o has designed this beautiful print to raise relief funds for the Japanese quake. They are asking for a minimum donation of $25 with 100% of the proceeds going to the relief effort.

Thank you W + K Studio for creating a beautiful way for all of us to pitch in. Also, my wonderful friend and graphic designer Hijiri K Shepherd is donating 50% of her sales to the relief effort this week.

Happy Holidays!

Lamadesigns — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 18:24:29 +0000

Ximena Carreira

Lamadesigns — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:09:24 +0000

Question. How is it possible that today is already December 15th? Now here’s the bigger question.. How is is possible that I haven’t purchased a single Christmas present?! For me, I have to be made painfully aware that it is indeed the holiday season. Otherwise, locked in my little office, zombies can be taking over the planet and I would have no idea. I use zombies as an example because over the weekend I watched the entire first season of The Walking Dead. (*note: do not watch this series in one sitting unless you want to have terrible nightmares). Anyhow, how have I gotten so off topic today? Yes, Christmas.. as I was saying, sometimes you just have to be made aware of the fact that it’s the holiday season. For me, these ADORABLE Christmas pieces by artist Ximena Carreira just may have done the trick.

Ximena Carreira is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, from Buenos Aires, who recently discovered a new way of expressing herself by creating with her hands. Luckily, for the rest of us, Ximena discovered this new form of self expression. If you love off-beat Christmas decor as much as I do, you should certainly check out her work.

By the way, if you’re still in need of the perfect holiday gift for that artsy someone in your life, be sure to stop by LAMA. The entire store is heavily discounted as we clear out our current inventory to make way for next year’s new items!!

Latin Lover Design Conference

Lamadesigns — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:06:47 +0000

As if I needed any more reasons to head down to Santiago, Chile, the second annual Latin Lover design conference is currently going on! What is Latin Lover? Allow me to translate, “Latin Lover is an international event which gathers, disseminates, and explores new directions in graphic design and global visual culture. Latin Lover seeks to create a place of connection, participation and reflection in which noted figures of national and international visual creation share their experiences and visions with the local creative community.” How amazing does that sound?!

I was especially excited to see Irana Douer on the list of International guests. LAMA was fortunate enough to have Irana create a series of exclusive hand drawn teacups for the shop! (Most of the current set has sold out, but don’t worry.. more on on their way! Btw, they are currently on sale but not for long!) Irana was invited to give a lecture on her artwork at Latin Lover as well as create an exhibition. Congratulations Irana!

If you happen to be in Santiago, Chile, make sure and check out this amazing event! Latin Lover will be on exhibit until December 24th. And make sure to check out their hilarious promotional videos.

Photo Shoot Fun in Argentina

Lamadesigns — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:55:17 +0000

The first few photo shoots I had for LAMA back in 2008 were SO stressful. I had no idea what I was doing as a stylist, I didn’t know how to translate what I saw in my head onto film, SLR cameras were completely foreign to me, and lighting? Forget about it! But once I got into the swing of things, photo shoots became incredibly fun. They’re exciting and fast paced days where you get to be as creative as you want. I was so excited see the behind the scenes shots of a recent photo shoot for a company I adore working with here at LAMA. It certainly looks like the lovely ladies behind Buenos Aires based Violraviol know how to have some photo shoot fun!

After all of the styling and editing, the best part is admiring the fruits of your labor. I think these photos turned out stunning! Great job Violraviol! It looks like they had a wonderful day out in the Argentinean countryside.

I’m excited to announce that LAMA will continue to work with Violraviol once we launch the new shop in 2011. Be sure to stop by and pick up a selection of Violraviol’s beautiful products! Until then, you can pick up Violraviol eco-friendly baskets right here and a very discounted price!

Photos are courtesy of photographer and blogger Alma Singer.

Product Previews

Lamadesigns — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:45:59 +0000

I’ve got a full day of photography ahead of me so I’m going to have to keep today’s post short and sweet. For those of you who follow LAMA on twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen these product preview pics pop up over the past couple of weeks (whoa! try saying that ten times!) For those of you not following LAMA on twitter.. why aren’t you following LAMA on twitter?! You’re missing out! Check out our sneak peek shots of cool things to come.

Coffee With A Kick!

Lamadesigns — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:31:39 +0000

I recently shot this photo for a fun spread with a very cool online magazine. (More on that later). I’m not a photographer but I was quite pleased with how this turned out. You may be asking yourself, “what’s with the confetti?” Simple. This is no ordinary cup of coffee. Oh no! This is coffee with a kick! So why am I sharing this today? Well, if anyone out there has had the kind of morning I’ve had (the LAMA site was down for hours mid super sale!) I figured, we could all use some coffee with a kick today. I say, go ahead! Kick up your coffee and have a wonderful day! Enjoy the recipe below… you’re welcome.

Coffee with a Kick

- brew a pot of coffee

- add raw sugar and cinnamon for a sweet and spicy flavor

- like yours con leche? add some leche.

- Now here’s the kick.. Kahlua! How much? A solid kicks worth.

- Drink responsibly of course.

Motivation Monday: Don’t Worry, Just Hustle

Lamadesigns — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:47:26 +0000

I had a difficult time getting out of bed today. At first I thought it was just a case of the Mondays, until I realized it’s that I’m feeling totally overwhelmed. Hm, I’m better with pictures. I’m feeling a bit like this:

Like I’m jumping into oblivion. I think it’s just all of the changes I’m going through right now with life and LAMA. So I decided to just get up, grab some coffee, and face the day. Thanks to the LAMA clearance sale, I’ve got LOTS of orders to package! For me, the best way to get through uncertain times is just to keep going. Today, I’m just going to:

All I can do is get one thing done at a time. Here’s to another week!

*images via Alessandro Gottardo and Greg Lamarche