Bao!
When we decided to move from Los Angeles to New Orleans, we knew that there would be less diversity. Even though New Orleans is one of the most diverse cities in the country, especially with its rich history, it is hard to compare any city in this country to Los Angeles or New York. We were, however, quite surprised when we discovered that there was a massive Vietnamese population here.
We love Etsy and, although neither one of us has the skills to create any crafts or goods to sell on the site, we window-shop and admire everyone else’s talent. A few days ago, a new Etsy shop opened in Boulder, CO and it already offers some tremendous products. April has brought tremendous talent across the world from Bali and has made authentic and handmade crafts available for everyone online. The store currently has seven products available. These include various dolls and candles. The dolls are all crocheted and of the highest quality. We personally are purchasing the bear for our nieces. (Shh… don’t tell them.) The other dolls are durable and well-sized with great attention to detail.
The other products are eco soy hand carved candles. These candles are made to order and the best part is that you can request what scent you want. The carvings are of bears, owls, and a beautiful flower from Southeast Asia, if I’m not mistaken. All of the products that are currently available are low in stock so hurry to guarantee one for yourself. If you don’t make it in time, you have nothing to worry about because April’s talents allow her to recreate her projects to order. The shop’s motto is “With love we create and share” and that is exactly what they are doing here. They are creating goods full of love with their hands and sharing them to the rest of the community, no matter how far away.
As you know we already declared Gammianne’s Attic as our friend and BaliAsli is our second friend from Etsy alone. So again, please keep an eye on this new shop so you can have the first look and chance to buy April’s newest products before they get too popular! And if you’re looking for one of the bears, you’re going to have to wait in line because we want one first!
For more information and amazing gift ideas for children (nieces, nephews, grandchildren) and adults (grandparents, aunts, uncles, coworkers, parents) please follow this link or check our friend’s page for more information.
The beautiful family of BaliAsli!
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It’s been awhile since we hit the movie theatres with our busy schedules, work, and sickness. But today, we did. It was a movie that I’ve wanted to see for a while now: “The Impossible.” It’s a true story about a British (though in the credits of the actual family members, we think they are Spanish) family of 5 (parents and 3 boys) on a resort in Thailand when the 2004 Tsunami hit the Southeast Asian area. It was very gripping and intense.
Countries most affected by the tsunami, with the earthquake’s epicenter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There is an underlying tension from the beginning, seeing as the audience knows what’s going to happen as they show the date and time continually. The family is happy travelling to Thailand and having a blast on a beautiful resort, lots of love and joy. But we know what’s going to happen. We just don’t know how it specifically is going to happen to these people. So right from the start, there’s that gripping tension of waiting.
Once it does happen, the movie becomes very intense and consequently emotional, family members trying to find their others. And in the midst of the tsunami actually passing through, a feeling of panic and terror rose up even in me as I was sitting safely in my cushioned movie theatre chair. The thing that made this harder to watch and comprehend was that it happened in real life, all of this occurred to real people and I kept remembering back to the catastrophic death toll of this event.
The Impossible (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The family, split up, travels to different locations, sustaining horrific injuries and struggling to survive through it all. I won’t spoil it by telling you if they do or not. Despite the terrible event that triggered the horrors, there was something incredibly heartwarming about many parts. People, when they were significantly injured, stopping to help others in need when it could cause their own death. A village of Thai helping out two rich anglos, going completely out of their way just to save someone’s life. During these scenes, I felt an incredible warm feeling of hope and the beauty that still thrives in humanity, despite scenes of horror.
The acting of this movie was splendid–I mean, how could you go wrong with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGreggor. Also, the oldest son was an incredible actor and took up a big role of the movie. It really felt as if you were thrown into the situation with them. The only downside to this movie for me was that, at some parts, it was a little bit too dramatic. Sometimes you didn’t need the drama of Hollywood because you had the drama of nature–a real-life event.
English: Naomi Watts at the Cannes film festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It was tough to watch in some parts, but highlights what’s good in humanity in the worst of times. Take the time to go see it, or catch it on DVD when it comes out.
Cheers!
