NY Handmade Collective Travels: Costa Rica

When I travel, one of my top draws to any destination is the opportunity to see wildlife and nature.  Given that, I can't believe it's taken me so long to visit Costa Rica!  Costa Rica accounts for only 0.03 percent of the earth's surface, but contains almost 6 percent of the world's biodiversity.  I was excited to see sloths and other furry creatures, but I never expected to see and learn about the incredible variety of frogs and birds populating the incredible country.  I was there for less than two weeks, and visited a few different locations throughout the country, but there's so much left to explore!

I spent the first few days horseback riding, through small towns and countryside in Guanacaste, on a native Criollo paint horse.  This is the lovely Leyenda!

Sometimes the most entertaining animals are right nearby!

We moved on to Monteverde from there. The bed and breakfast we stayed in had a little forest in the back, with a very popular hummingbird feeder- there were this many birds at a time pretty much always!

We saw three different kinds of venomous snakes in Costa Rica, on various walks through forests.  This was the first, and he was small but deadly.

fer-de-lance, the most deadly

This little agouti was a very avid snacker.  We also saw kinkajous, coatis, and peccaries (a rare sight!).  It was incredibly helpful to have a knowledgeable guide on our nature walks, to tell us about the animals and help spot them. 

Another amazing advantage of guides is that they typically have scopes that they carry with them, so in addition to spotting lots of animals, we were able to view them in incredible detail, and take photographs using the scopes (called 'digiscoping') which was really fun!  This bird is pretty numerous in CR, and his colors were so vibrant.

emerald toucanet

We visited a butterfly and frog park in Monteverde to learn more about some of the creatures we'd seen and were hoping to see.  The camouflage on this butterfly is pretty effective, and the insides of his wings are iridescent blue!

We so so many awesome frogs, including this one which is emblematic of the country, the red-eyed tree frog.

When the lines between nature and bathrooms blur...

Look at that color and shape!

Not all of the frogs we saw were full-grown... there were thousands of tadpoles in various stages of development in this pond!

We then went to Manuel Antonio, a famous nature reserve park with a wonderful diversity of wildlife.  With yet another amazing guide, we spotted lots of new friends!

These crabs hang out on land; I had no idea!  The ocean is almost a 20 minute walk from here.

sleepy bats

Commonly referred to as the Jesus lizard, because he can walk on water!

And finally, at long last, we saw a sloth!!  Sloths are not only adorable, but super fascinating.  There are both two and three toed sloths in Costa Rica; one is diurnal and one is nocturnal.

There are three different types of monkeys and we saw all of them.  Here's a cheeky capuchin who had stolen a loaf of bread from some tourists and was eating it slice by slice.

One of the most incredible things we saw was this bodysurfing iguana.  We spent almost an hour watching him catch waves and wading back to shore...

These were just a few of the menagerie I saw in Costa Rica, and I stayed along only part of the Pacific coast. I got so much inspiration for future watercolor paintings.  I can't wait to go back to discover even more!

                                                             Wandering Laur Fine Art

NY Handmade Collective Travels: India part 2

A few months ago, I took an amazing trip to a friend's wedding, near Jaipur, in India (I recounted the wedding itself in this post).  Of course, once I arrived in such an exciting, long-dreamt of location, I couldn't just head right home - I had to explore!  I find bright colors and interesting textiles incredibly inspirational, and my entire trip was a continual jolt of creative stimuli. I traveled around the 'golden triangle' - a popular tourist route, through Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park, Agra, and back to Delhi - and this route is classic for a reason.  It gave an amazing introduction into a huge, complex and fascinating country.  

I was also lucky to be in India during the festival of Holi, a spring festival famous for vibrant colors and joyful celebration. We played Holi with the classic fluorescent powders in Jaipur, and it was a unique, lovely day.

Holi is fun for all ages!

We also arranged for exfoliating scrubs that night at our hotel so we got squeaky clean after all that playing with powder.

After we washed off the awesome rainbow that was Holi, we set out to explore Jaipur.  Jaipur is known as the 'pink city' although the color of all of the gorgeous historic buildings is a bit more salmon-hued, in my humble opinion, but no less beautiful for being a slight misnomer.

In addition to the incredible architectural detail that graced every corner, Jaipur is famous for its textiles and jewels.  I was lucky enough to learn about about how they make the classic block print pattern, and I even got to try my hand at it. [Not pictured: all of the textiles and clothing I purchased and brought back with me!  We did a lot of research so that we made sure to shop in places with fair business practices that pay their artisans proper wages.  I also learned that due to the nature of block printing, slight overlaps in the blocks that show in the reprinting can actually be desirable, as it shows that something is actually blocked out by hand. I had a number of pieces made just for me, using textiles and saris that I fell in love with, and every piece is so colorful and distinct.]

Of course, I was also inspired a bit more directly by some of the sights in India - since I paint animals, I couldn't resist depicting a few of India's goofiest and well-dressed camels.

This is just one of the animals I was lucky enough to depict from my own photographs!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my adventures in Jaipur and the creativity they inspired; may the colors, shapes and patterns of the photos in turn spark some of your own creative thoughts!

EtsyNY Travels: Kyoto, Japan

I was lucky enough to visit Japan this past spring (you can read about the first part of my trip here) and as excited as I was to visit Kyoto, it still managed to exceed my expectations.  It is so charming. has such a long, rich history filled with beauty, art and nature.  Around every turn was a cherry tree with blush blossoms winking in the wind, a temple bustling yet serene, or a gaggle of girls in traditional dress kimonos. 

A part of what made Kyoto so special to me were the myriad forms of history-filled art: textiles and embroidery, painting and calligraphy, even the presentation of food is beautiful and carefully thought out. I hope you enjoy my photographic journey through Kyoto!

Even the Hello Kitty dolls in Kyoto wear kimonos

We stopped an an Onsen (hot spring) on the way to Kyoto, just outside the city, and stayed at the ryokan there.  Everyone wears matching kimonos you are given at check in.  After enjoying the springs, we were served impeccable, multi-course meals for dinner and breakfast.  While almost no one at the ryokan spoke any English, we were able to communicate perfectly well and enjoy a lovely, relaxing day.

There is a seemingly endless array of temples in Kyoto, but they are all lovely and unique.

There are many species of cherry blossom.  These slightly pinker ones were at the height of their bloom during our visit.  It's hard to predict exactly when the blossoms will bloom, but we got lucky.

Look at those blooms!

The Fushimi Inari Shrine was my favorite - miles of these orange gates and various moments of smaller shrines throughout, with a charming little village at the base.

We wandered through a small, historic geisha neighborhood and, thanks to an historian acquaintance from Kyoto, learned about the life of a geisha.  We also saw a geisha show put on by one of Japan's 'living national treasures.'

In Kyoto, traditional dress is much more common than in Tokyo.  Visitors even rent kimonos for the day so they can visit shrines in traditional garb.

I found a left-handed sashimi knife at a small shop (it was the only knife labelled in English!), and they engraved the kanji for my last name on the blade.  They sharpen the knife before giving it to you, and it is incredibly sharp!  I love that it's the perfect knife for me, a lefty, and personalized.  

The food, of course, in Kyoto was wonderful.  Kaiseki cuisine, a set many-course dinner using seasonal ingredients, were incredible, and featured lots of cherry blossom flavors!

These snow monkeys were so adorable and we had an awesome afternoon hanging out with them. 

These thousands of cranes are left with wishes at shrines throughout the city.

I spent hours in the Kyoto Handicraft Center.  It has several floors, and hundreds of objects made with traditional crafting techniques. I brought home lots of prizes, from pretty sweets to miniature painted fans.

Jumping for joy at the end of an amazing trip!

Lauren

Hawaii Part II

I’m back from Hawaii with lots of new goodies!

My Hawaii trip fabric stash.

Rather than buying the typical souvenir, I prefer visiting local fabric stores to pick out prints that inspire me during my travels.  Everything was so beautiful there that it was hard to not overload my luggage with yards and yards of fabric!  I knew for sure I wanted some bold island prints to make into crop-tops and dresses so I could incorporate the Hawaiian vacation look into my wardrobe without looking tacky.  Sadly, the Hawaiian shirts I see in tourist shops just aren’t for me. 

Koa wood turtle buttons.

And with the strong Japanese cultural influence in Hawaii, I was also pleasantly surprised to find a great selection of intricate Japanese print fabrics!

Unfortunately, with working full time as a dentist, I barely manage to keep my Etsy shop running, so I’m super impressed that my fellow Moobowy partner (etsy shop collaboration with My Cute Bow) managed to complete a gorgeous kimono robe with the fabric she bought in Hawaii.

Check out My Cute Bow’s awesome DIY kimono robe tutorial here!

For more fashion tips, cosplay and DIY, checkout My Cute Bow blog.

Post by Eugenia || www.moobury.com || Etsy || Facebook & Instagram @Moobury

Time to Blossom

Many years ago I moved from Taiwan to attend college in Boston.  To all those around me I exuded excitement, but only I knew how terrified I was.  That wide-eyed 17-year-old wanted so bad to achieve her dreams, to make friends and to fit into a new country.

My story starts out like many others, and with time, I hope that who I am and what drives me, will come out in bits and pieces in later entries.  Nowadays people can hardly guess I grew up in a foreign country, and have an even harder time believing I experienced culture shock when I first came.

How did I overcome this? 1. Open to criticism, and 2. paid a painful amount of attention to what made me different.

I committed to change my accent, the way I talked, and the way I acted.  These were all surface things I was willing to give up. However, when a family friend told me it was time to change my wardrobe, I was offended.  Strange right? Seeing that it was the most surface out of all the things.

I didn’t grow up with much of a budget for nice clothes, so what goes into my closet always went through a selective process to express who I am, and to walk with that pride everyday. Some of my pieces are on trend, while others are odd and vintage.  I am proud of my collection, the stories that go with the choices, and the sense of personal style that has developed.  Still my family friend was right, I had a new home, and I had to figure out how to play nice with my surroundings while not losing ‘me’.

Since then I have grown to incorporate various clothing styles while being weirdly me.  I enjoy bringing inspiration from my travels and environment to my wardrobe, so with that I'm here to share my travel inspired fashion choices.


Spring is in the air!  And my current fashion appetite is all about floral prints!  Even with my allergies,  I’m craving pretty flowers - so I say we all give in and become one with nature.

nom nom nom

nom nom nom

I’ve been drooling over the luxuriously bold and flirty Liberty London prints for years now, and am ecstatic to find out that Uniqlo and J.Crew have finally caught on and merged these amazing floral prints into their line.

But really what sold me on flower-on-flower-on-more-flower is my trip to Kyoto, Japan last spring.  The Japanese have been mixing and matching bright colors and florals for centuries in their traditional kimonos!  I was fortunate enough to experience it first hand among the cherry blossoms, and now I am excited to flower-up again this spring in my new home.

Embrace the flower you were always meant to be this spring! Make Bambi proud!


Please enjoy these flowery inspired creations by the Etsy New York Team:

Unicorn Music Box Locket by Clockworkfantastica|My Secret Music Box

Unicorn Music Box Locket by Clockworkfantastica|My Secret Music Box

Liberty London Floral Earmuffs by Moobury

Liberty London Floral Earmuffs by Moobury

Blue Rose Linen Makeup Bag by Chubby ABC

Blue Rose Linen Makeup Bag by Chubby ABC

Floral Corduroy Hat by DeathXDesign

Floral Corduroy Hat by DeathXDesign

Handpainted Floral Silk Scarf by Divine NY & Co.

Handpainted Floral Silk Scarf by Divine NY & Co.


Post by Eugenia || www.moobury.com || Etsy || Facebook & Instagram @Moobury

     Fashion Earmuffs

     Fashion Earmuffs