I Heart Cadaques

It's a beautiful high and curvy drive over the mountain to get into Cadaques, the one lane town that bends sharp around a rough bay. I think this was my favorite place--a white washed, wind-torn old salt town and a short drive into the Cap de Creus peninsula, the rocky, northern-most part of Spain that juts out into the sea. Dalí was raised in Cadaques and built a house with his wife here as well. It has a really rugged and isolated feel and in the early 1900's, some of the residents, mainly fishermen, were more familiar with Italy across the water than Figueres, the little city 30km inland.

We drank hot puddingy chocolates by day, beer in the little heated bar on the beach at twilight, and god-knows-what by night. Salvador's house was closed but we walked around the outside and made friends with the local cats.

Proof of Windiness, Cap de Creus, Spain

Pals, (Costa Brav con'd)

On the road to Pals.

A thing for house numbers and shrines.

We had to go to a place called "Pals", a perfect medieval village a bit inland onth eway to Girona. It was 95% deserted for winter, except for a little cafe where we got in from the wind and had a little sour wine for lunch. We had a lot of fun walking around all the deserted towns of the Costa Brava. In some towns, we'd get lost and there would be no one to help us get out. But we got out.

I haven't mentioned that we took a course along the coast during the time of year when the Tramontana winds kick the hell of the coast. The skies were sunny, but man it was windy. Proof to follow.

Make Workshops in April, May & June

just finished these custom feather earrings last
night for a special order. sa-weet!

Here is the info for the workshops I'll be teaching over at Make! She just added one more--an earring workshop coming up in a few weeks on Thursday April 24th. She also called me a genius, which is pretty nice.

From the Make Website:
make earrings: one-night workshop

jewelry design genius deborah stein (the lady behind brooklyn-based bonbonoiseau) will be here to teach her signature "assemblage" moves. learn how to work with basic tools to design and assemble jumprings, find and measure chain, make wire findings and create wearable art by incorporating vintage beads, charms, old jewelry and semi-precious stones. the class will be structured in 2 parts: we'll provide all the supplies you need for the first meeting and hold an in-depth discussion re the supplies required for the second class. the second night will be spent fashioning a finished necklace and/or bracelet for you to wear home or give to a loved one. (psst! deborah will also be selling well-loved items from her stash.)

two 2-hour classes

$140 + additional supplies TBD at first class

A

wed

may

14 | 21

6:30pm – 8:30pm

new! memento assemblage: necklaces and bracelets

learn how to form metal wire with jewelry pliers and delicate hammering and string semi precious beads in this one-night only jewelry workshop with deborah stein of bonbonoiseau. to make things easy and fun, we will lend you pliers and create a kit for you which includes metal wire, head pins, sterling silver earwires and enough beads to make at least 2 pairs of earrings in class. plus you'll have the skills to create many, many more! (psst! deborah is also going to bring stuff to sell from her enviable stash!)

one 2-hour class

$80 + $15 for supply fee

(we'll have everything for you at class)

A	wed	apr	23	6:30pm – 8:30pm
B	wed	jun	04	6:30pm – 8:30pm

new!

The sign me up buttons don't work here--you may have already noticed that if you clicked on one. To register go to the Make Workshop website.

Smacking of Spring

I really want to make these . Gold on the outside, yes, and filled with chocolate.
(from Apartment Therapy

and this Cassata Cake
from Gourmet Traveler (Australia). I don't know what half of
these ingredients are, but they sound intriguing.

and these Matcha Tea Macarons with Lemon Curd
(from Lipsmacking Goddness)

Jän & Aya

Photo by Elaine Perlov

Daily Candy did a review today of a new shop right here in neighborhood of Greenpoint (or Punte Verde as we like to call it) by the name of Jan & Aya. Elaine Perlov (blogger extraordinaire, fellow Greenpointer and expert clothing designer) in her Franklin Street jaunts, also gave the little shop some glowing reviews--the pic above is Elaine's.

I'm so happy that Carolyn launched with some of our Spring pieces by Bonbon Oiseau Jewelry! (She carries the very last Vie en Rose necklace and earrings as well!)

pic by Alexa Vachon

Sadly, I missed the opening (was 7 hours in the NYU Emergency Room with that 'ole appendicitis. No cheese and wine there I can tell you). I'm really excited to walk the 2 blocks finally to see it and hoping this weekend to try some of the treats.

Jan & Aya
99 Franklin Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718.609.1404

Bonbon at Make Workshop in May

I was just asked by the fabulously talented Diana at Make Workshop to teach some Jewelry Design Classes in May and June.
I'll be doing a class about creating Memento Assemblage Jewelry on May 14th and 21st and will put together some antique bead and charm bags that will be for sale there as well. Sign up! It will be a lot of fun! Will also do a one night workshop where we'll learn to make beaded earrings on June 4th.

North of Barcelona along the Coast

Barcelona, March 5th and 6th

Barcelona. Day 1 and 2. These are my pictures of food and buildings. I am inspired by each equally. Since this was our second stint in Barcelona, we just relaxed, walked around and ate about 4 times a day.

Lunch in the Born District (below). I love the way these sardines came to us,

romantically entangled on a stark white plate,
salty charred and fresh

The Born District. I liked this little back-courtyard filled with color.

The Boqueria.
We sat down at one of the food stands in the back. It was our first stop off the plane. We drank cava and ate this fabulous Catalan style sausage with white beans called "botifarra amb mongetes".
It has the faintest hint of cinnamon in the mix.

When we got into town, we learned that Barcelona was about to play Edinburgh
the next day. Our hotel and the streets were teeming with Scots of all ages in green and white team shirts, chanting team spirit chants and drinking Estrella Dam and Moritz Beer, which we were happy to imbibe as well.

Casa Battlo, a beautiful Gaudi example in the Eixample.

Bocadillas with Serrano, Breakfast, at Edelman's Bar in the Barri Gotic.

Barcelonans must really love chocolate. There were some interesting displays
in a lot of chocolate shop windows. I especially liked the green chocolate
flip-flops with licorice straps, above.

Beautiful Brunelles Chocolate bars, one of the oldest pastisserias in Barcelona.

We took a long walk from where we were staying to La Sagrada di Familia.
Jim shot the top photo which is just beautiful I think.

Lovely little overpriced candy-covered almonds at la Boqueria.
I love the hot-pink ones, just in time for Easter.

The Catalunya Owl Building.

I purchased two things for myself while in Spain: A beautiful putty gray wallet in soft leather,
lined with pretty fabric in teal, pink and green and a pair of shoes from Vialis, a shoe store in the Born District.
It was so hard to choose because I fell in love with too many of them.
Poor Jim patiently checked his emails and walked back in a few times to inquire as to my ETD.
I settled upon a lovely pair of thin-wedge open-toe sandles with an ankle strap in a heavenly shade of teal blue, the same color of the Mediterranean in Spring.
Hard to see, but that's the pair on the second shelf down on the far right (in black).

Las Pets of Spain

"Boss", the owner's new puppy at the Hotel Llevant. Off-Season has it's privileges.
We were one of two couples staying here and had "Boss" all to ourselves.

Some fella guarding Dali's House at Porte de Creus.

Pretty birds at the bird market on La Rambla, Barcelona

Awwww. Bunnies also for sale along La Rambla

Geese in the courtyard at the Old Cathedral in Barcelona

We are hard pressed to go on a trip that we don't find animals or animals don't find us (see beach cat below). I'm organizing my photos from my trip today according to categories.

Baby ducks at the market along La Rambla, Barcelona. Before Easter.

Beach cat in the Costa Brava town of Llafranc. This cat got a lot of pets from us.

Beagle in a window, Town where we stopped for lunch, I Forgot Where, Spain