My friend Emily from Huitzili has invited me to celebrate Peru in her store this friday and I would love it if you can come!

Huitzili

624 Metropolitan Avenue

Williamsburg, NY 11211

From 7-9:30pm

Drinks & appetizers from Chimu! ( I love this place…)

Stop by to say hello, meet another fellow peruvian artisan, Patricia from Runa Studios, a coop of artisans in Ayacucho that handmade the most beautiful ceramics. Also showing the work of master weaver Oscar Huarancca, who creates truly stunning pieces of tapestries. And along with Huitzili’s beautiful selection of Mexican jewelry and clothes, Hortensia’s hats, scarves and knits will be available for sale…it’s getting chilly!

A new decade…and we are already mid January! Goes fast… now after all the Holiday celebrations, our trip to Peru ( to get the new fall collection ready) it’s time to catch up. Before we know it will be Spring!

I want to share with you some photos I took while in Lima, visiting the artisans markets and getting some interesting gifts. From the cutest  ”cholita” dolls, “Ekekos” for good luck, colorful blankets & artesanias, delicious chocolates to bizarre stuffed “cuy”  ( a guinea pig from the Andes) all dressed up in a miniature motorcycle, it was a feast to the eyes.

Now all pumped up for 2010 with lots of plans and goals.  Stay tune for some special events for the rest of the winter, our first Spring collection and some happennings straight from the red carpet… hope to see you all wrap on your Hortensia’s!

You can’t miss this exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. I picked a rainy day, and spent the whole morning checking it out. I never thought you could so many wonderful things with felt and that it was such a ancient craft.  Feltmaking dates back to the first century AD, in Northern Mongolia and spread rapidly among the Turkic-Mongolian tribes. Mostly nomads, they would use felt to build their tents, make clothes,  preserve food  & decorate.

Designers have found many other ways to use and blend felt. From furniture to clothes, this exhibit has an amazing selection of traditional and contemporary pieces that will certainly blow you away…

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“Huitzilli”, in Nahuatl means hummingbird. It is also the name of Emily Cantrell’s lovely store in Brooklyn.

Emily works with artisans from the Yucantan Peninsula, from towns such as Izamal, Bekal, KImbila and Merida which I have been lucky to visit.

You will find elegant guayaberas for the big & little guys,  dresses “guayabera style” for the gals, sombreros, intricate silver jewelry, and many beautiful decorative pieces ( like an hamaca that I want to  get!).

 In  Huitzilli  all is unique, you will be supporting talented artisans and meet Emily who is also great entrepreneur.