Lapis & Llamas

Every September 18 in Chile they celebrate their Independence or Chile’s Fiestas Patrias .  In Chile they have a 3 to 10 day party.  Store and offices close on the Friday at 1pm and don't open up till Tuesday.  It's a huge celebration that I've always wanted to be in Chile for.  My dad always told that I should witness it once in my life because it is impressive and you get eat a lot!!  Great food is everywhere and lots of red wine for drinking, "fondas" they are like fairs, fireworks, musics, parades.  People are everywhere happy, dancing the Queca and in festive spirits. Here in Kitchener we have a good size of Chilean population.  The neighborhood I grew up in was a Latino filled complex and this day they always have a dinner with music dancing and Empanadas!!  Yummy, yummy Empanadas.  A traditional meal that you wash down with a Pisco Sour. Picture taken from Cachando Chile So this event got me thinking about making Empanad...

Just bought our tickets!! This Saturday night we will be watching and listening to some great Chilean entertainment. Thank you to Neruda Production who is wonderfully bring these three acts together.  First Proyecto Antiplano . Proyecto Altiplano (means“Highlands Project”) is a collective of Latin American/Canadian musicians. Blending  sounds of a combination of Latin American traditional, Roots music, traditional Andean, modern contemporary, rhythms of the Indigenous, African and Creole, with elements of Latin American Folk, popular music and Jazz. I have never seen them live and I'm really excited. They play songs from Chilean folk artist that I love, such as Violeta Parra, Victor Jara, Jose Seves, Second to perform is Freddy Torrealba. Freddy Torrealba Freddy is a Chilean charango musician.  The charango is a five paired stringed instrument, used in the South America and Central America. Originating in the highlands of Bolivia.  ...

After my dad passed away I started to feel like my last connection to my parents homeland was gone.  I started going through all the conversation that I had with him about places he always wanted to take us(his children) in Chile.  The towns where he had the best "mariscos" - seafood, or "empanadas".  Or the town his great uncle lived, where he spent one of his summers, eating and drinking the best food he have ever had.  He always joked that being in Valdivia for 3 months made him gain so much weight.  He told me that we still have family down there and to try to visit them one day. Along with trying to recall conversations with him I also started listening to radio stations from Chile.  It's something in the way Chileans speak that makes me feel like i am with family.  The one station I fell in love with is Radio Quellon 100.5 FM I have been listening to this station for about 2 weeks.  They play lots of old folk music and hav...

This photograph of my Grandmother has always inspired me,..it's her style and posture.  I only met her once when I was 13 on a trip to Chile.  Although she was in her 80's she still had this stiff, aristocrat presence to her.  She passed away shortly after we meet her, I was too young to ask questions that I now as an adult, would love to ask. Ernestina Johnson Rivera This photo made my creative hands start working, and the outcome is a series of wire rings with buttons and semi-precious stones. These rings reflect the beautiful hats that were wore in the days when my grandmother was in her 20's & 30's.  I was pleasantly pleased with the outcome:)   All these rings plus much more will be going up on our("our" being me & Bob, my sweetheart) shop on Etsy,  V and C Reclamations , we also have our vintage/pop culture shop Look at all the Prettys .  Please check them out!!

123people.com     hildadeschutter.blogspot.com feulscomunica.blogspot.com travel.webshots.com   Ramona Parra was a young woman, who was shot and killed in Santiago Chile in 1940 during a strike/  protest march against a new government. She was a member of the JJCC (Chilean Communist Youth League) and after her death she became a martyr symbol of the Chilean struggle against oppression.   From that day on her name lives on through the underground art movement that decorates the streets of Santiago with illegal art and political propaganda in favour of human rights. The arts collective that calls itself the Brigada Ramona Parra( BRP ) travels the world making murals protesting against the global tendency towards capitalism. "CONTRA LA DICTADURA PINTAREMOS HASTA EL CIELO!" "we'll paint against dictatorship until we reach heaven"

I love collecting llamas figures!  The only place I seem able to get one is when a family member goes to Chile.  There you can find them plenty.  The one on the left was a collection of 3 but I lost one :(  The ones on the right is made from brass with the mama llamas back pouch is full of turquoise.