Ivuka

There's a great art gallery near my apartment, called Ivuka, featuring local Rwandan and Ugandan artists. The space is pretty cool; it's perched on a hill overlooking the one and only golf course in Kigali. There are some artists that live/work in the back studios and some of the gallery's proceeds help support local neighborhood children.

  

 

 

 

There's an artist that I really like, J. Juuko, here are some of his pieces:

 

 

I ended up buying one from him along with another artist. There's a lot of texture in these paintings that's probably hard to see:

  

 

Here are some of the local children hanging around the art gallery:

On the Hunt

I finally have internet again! Supposedly a bird had knocked out the cable from the roof...this is actually a plausible reason. I have been amazed with the variety and amount of birds I have seen around Kigali. I need to try and take pictures of them, but there is a huge black and white crow that wakes you up with it's loud cawing at 5am. I've also seen swarms (as in hundreds) of hawks circling areas around the city, makes you wonder what they're preying on.

Anyway, I wanted to share my first fun/fashion-related purchase. I met a girl who runs women cooperatives around Rwanda and helps them develop crafts to sell for fair prices. She recently got an huge order from Ralph Lauren (link to story)to make these leaf bracelets (they come in different colors, depending on which part of the banana leaf is stripped):

 

I got them at a fraction of the price I'm sure they will be selling for at RL stores!

 

I'm also on the hunt for interesting buffalo horn jewelry. I had seen this site: www.koradesigns.bigcartel.com and love her pieces! I'm hoping that I can find similar designs around Kigali at the craft markets. Aren't they beautiful?

 

Grown men & their Snoopys

So how many adult men do you know would want cute ol' Snoopy on something they own?

My hubby mentioned last night that one of his bro's friends has an Omega Snoopy watch,and that he wouldn't mind owning one either. I thought it was just the name of the model, but nope, the watch really has Snoopy on it (small one on the face, enlarged one on the back)! I was befuddled at first, wondering why guys would want Snoopy on their watches. After taking a look at it though, I want hubby to get one too so that I can wear it too :)

click for photo credit

So here's the story behind the Snoopy on the Omega Speedmaster watch:

Omega received the Snoopy Award from NASA for its contribution to the space program. Omega Speedmasters were already worn by astronauts on space missions starting in the 1960s, but their function and reliability were integral to the successful return of Apollo 13 in 1970. During the Apollo 13 mission, an oxygen tank explosion had rendered all time tools useless on the shuttle. . .except for an Omega Speedmaster, which helped the crew keep track of the exact second when they had to fire the re-entry rockets in order to return safety back to earth. To commemorate the award, Omega produced only 5,441 pieces and I want one!

Confessions of a bargainholic

Miyu, Isis and I hung out at the big mall for a little bit this past weekend to scope out some good deals. I found a pair of beige boots tucked away in a random corner at Urban Outfitters, with its price handwritten on the box.  $39.99! What a great deal considering they were originally $150 online. Even though the box indicated they were sized 8.5 (I'm 8 for boots), I tried them on since I couldn't pass up on such an awesome deal. And they fit! Well, kinda. . .they would be a perfect fit with big thick socks.

So off to the cash register I went, ready to pay for my new steal. As the guy rang up the purchase, I noticed that the size indicated on the boots themselves were size 10 (versus 8.5 as indicated on the box)!! So I tried one side on again and realized. . .they were 1.5-2 inches longer than my normal shoe. Sigh, I'm a bargain hunter who does have a tendency of buying things that are sized a bit larger than I really am. . .but it would have been too ridiculous to buy those boots.

Worth a Kidney?

On a blog that I read almost everyday, The Clothes Horse has been interviewing some of her favorite bloggers.  And one of the questions she poses to them is, "Would you rather buy one designer piece or six vintage pieces?"  Usually, I would choose the six separate items if it's a choice of clothes, shoes or jewelry since you would get more bang for the buck!  The only exception...is with bags.  I'd rather go without shopping food in order to save up for a nice bag. 

Hello, my name is Miyu...and I'm a bagaholic. Here is my latest addiction: Chanel Classic Flap.

 

Of course, to justify the exorbitant cost I'm selling my kidney...haha, no just my claim on presents for the rest of 2009. WAIT, before you judge hear me out. The purse could cover this year's presents for Valentine's, our wedding anniversary (4 years!), our dating anniversary (10 years!!), my huge milestone birthday (!!!) and Christmas present. After all that, this would be considered a steal...right?!!?!

 

Locket in my Pocket

Someone, whose name rhymes with "never staying at my house again, ok?", suggested that I should stare at JW a little more. Which was quite prophetic, because I got a vintage locket last week and was planning to put in a picture of JW.  Finally, tonight I went through my photo albums and here's my new pretty locket!

Vroom vroom shoes & "what da?!" boots

My bro & sis-in-law got me these crazy flats for Christmas.

Check out the ornaments - what do they look like? They're steering wheels! They're made by Nascar, and they were on sale at some store closing down. Vroom vroom. . .hopefully a kid doesn't come up to me saying that :)

Anyways, so my bro (and mom) have kinda crazy fashion taste. They always go for the wilder options. However, they both went "eh. . . . what da?!" when they saw my new boots below. . .

I fell in love with these Aldo boots after seeing the real deals (Martin Margiela) on the Sea of Shoes blog.

what do you think? Are they "what da?!" or "cool!"? I'm inching closer and closer to the fence, as I keep getting more "what da?!" comments and I'm starting to doubt whether I'll be able to fit them into my wardrobe or not. . .

Mouse Shoes

My new flats remind me of mice...they're grey and have little ears!

Outfit: Old Navy lace skirt & swing jacket, Zara grey flats

Le Petit Prince

I just found out from my friend, Tokyo Star Girl, about these totally cute shoes from Melissa! They're currently sold out, but hopefully I'll get them once they're back in stock. Do you remember reading The Little Prince for the very first time? The story is so timeless and reminds me of the innocence of our youth.

Perfect outfit for a BIG meal

Thao and I went consignment-shopping this past weekend, where I found the perfect outfit for the holidays. Behold. . .the magical expandable tent-style dress that will accommodate big tummies after huge meals, topped off with a corduroy blazer with a leather closure. I felt slightly like a school girl with the completed outfit, but it was so comfortable!

corey lynn calter dress, Borne Jacket, UO tights & shoes

I used to be a little squeamish about used clothes (other than the ones from family members & friends). This was because I was turned off by the low quality options that were sometimes dirty and majorly overpriced in the places I did check out. However, I recently became much more open to consignment & vintage items after visiting Beacon's Closet and Buffalo Exchange, thanks to Apple. Considering that there are fashion cycles and most things, if not all, come back into fashion, I'm realizing what a great idea vintage/consignment-shopping is! Not to mention it's eco-smart. Now I'm all up for recycled clothes!

GAH! I have to go pack soon. K and I will be heading off to Taiwan later this week, then Honolulu, then onto Cali to visit my bro, sis-in-law, and their newest addition! Hopefully I'll be diligent enough to take tons of pictures and eat tons of good food. I also hope to play in my momma's closet :)

Mackage is seriously macking :)

I had never heard of the brand Mackage until I saw Lilo's winter coat this past Saturday (hopefully she'll post pictures of it). Coincidentally, Apple sent me an email the next day, with a note about how she saw some incredible Mackage coats. And they are indeed INCREDIBLE! They induced some serious drool, even from the hubby.

Image source: Mackage

K & I were in the big city this past weekend, and we took some pics - recognize the location? I just had to post this pic, in case you thought that I perhaps never went outside the house, since all my outfit pictures are in my house! By the way, yes, I was wearing that Uniqlo heat tee AGAIN :)

Outfit Thoughts

Just some outfits from net-a-porter that I came across.
- I really like the color combo of the first outfit, again blue and purple looks great together.
- Usually not fond of cowl necks nor beige (it washes me out), but I couldn't resist how comfy this second outfit looks.
- I love the inky blue dress and the idea of a grey jacket, but I can't stand oversized blazers that are so big this season - just slap some shoulder pads on and call it the 80s.

Narciso Rodriguez

I've always loved Rodriguez's gowns on Hollywood red carpets and I think his fall pieces are spot on with the jewel colorings and easy elegance. The only mis-step so far was Michelle Obama's election night dress...ugh. But these I love.