Doodling Miracles

I recently became ingrigued with these small talismans called Milagros. Milagros, which is spanish for miracle, are small amulets used as votive offerings in Latin America, Spain and some other countries in Europe. The idea behind a milagro is that it is a physical representation of a prayer. For example, if someone is experiencing a pain in the leg, a milagro in the shape of a leg would be attached to the robe or altar of the saint during prayer.

In addition a milagro can also be utilized in a prayer of thanks. Inexpensive generic tin milagros are often sold by church vendors, but many craftsmen will create custom more detailed ones out of a variety of materials.

One of the things which makes milagros so remarkable is the fact that the tradition has endured for over two thousand years and although these folk charms are most classically associated with Catholic prayer they have been an inspiration for artist all over the world from all sorts of religious backgrounds.

Copper Milagro By Deryn Mentock

Milagro Inspired Necklace

That is exactly my case, for some reason I have been particularly fixated with the heart icon, I love hearts, of all shapes and colors, so no wonder my favorite milagro is, yes you guessed right... THE HEART MILAGRO. It represents love, healing and gratitude as well as longing, passion and worry. It is the most common image offered at shrines.

For the last few weeks I have been taking a metalsmithing e-course with Stephanie Lee. I really love this workshop. This weekend I decided to try to incorporate a milagro somewhere in my work and I started doodling, perhaps to stamp it or etch it or... just for fun. Here are my Heart Milagro Doodles.

Milagros are part of a magical and symbolic past, and are an ongoing part of a fascinating folk culture. If you want to find some to incorporate in your jewelry and you are not quite ready to travel to Mexico, there are some etsy vendors that have a large selection of them. I hope they bring you all they are meant to bring.

Moroccan Inspiration

It all began when I stumbled upon a book called Tagine - Spicy stews from Morocco'. The exotic ingredients used in this books recipes immediately caught my attention. Dates, almonds pistachios, preserved lemons, apricots, saffron, pomegranates, honey...ummm...SOLD!

I took the book home and immediately started browsing through all of the recipes. It is in this book that I first learned about Ras el Hanout. Literally "top of the shop", Ras el Hanout is a spice blend that can contain more than 30 ingredients. For the moroccan souks (spice merchants) it is a point of honour to have the most sought after version of this blend. There are stories of these spice merchants creating custom blends of Ras el Hanout for special clients with ingredients that might include hashish and even Spanish Fly.

My quest for this exotic ingredient then began.I also would be needing a Tagine Pot, but of course!. Google here I come!

After hours and hours of research I ended up NOT buying a Tagine, but I did end up travelling to Morocco, and what an amazing lifetime experience this was.

I can proudly say that I contained myself from buying all that I saw, because it all was truly beautiful but way to big to bring back home. Humongous tagine pots beautifully handcrafted, incredible samovars, rugs, dishes, teapots,leather poufs, jewlery. The terra cotta tiles, light fixtures and lanterns, wall sconces and tropical plants made my heart beat faster. And the doors, oh my god, the doors!

We visited a cooperative of Berber women were ARGAN OIL was produced.I had never heard of Argan Oil before! Well let me tell you,it is the new "it" anti-aging product and it is being hailed as "liquid gold" by the New York Times. It comes form the nuts of the Argan tree which grows almost exclusively in Morocco. The oil is said to have restorative and age-defying effects. The production of Argan oil, entirely done by traditional methods is a lengthy process.

Each nut has to be cracked open by hand to remove the kernels and producing one litre of oil takes 20 hours of work!.

This I could not resist, and I did buy a couple of bottles to bring home. I later learned about Argan Oil craze and that it is sold for 30 dollars for a 2 fl oz by some companies like Eden Oil...yikes, I could have bought a couple more!

Berber woman cracking the nuts

My trip could not have been complete without visiting the Souk.The experience was overwhelming.I could not get enough of this place!

The 2 or so hours we had to visit it were certainly not enough to see it all!. The guide took us to a spice shop, I was not going to miss this one. Everyone in the tour group had heard my stories about the ras el hanout, and by this time I had gathered a couple of followers who wanted to come along to the spice shop to purchase this mystical spice blend.

The visit to the spice shop was an experience on its own, the merchant sat us on this room surrounded by shelves full of jars of all kinds of spices, herbs and who knows what else.

I had finally bought myself some Ras el Hanout, the original culprit of my moroccan obsession and perhaps the reason why I was there, in Morocco.

I bought a little bit more than ras el hanout: some 10 bags of slimming tea, fish spices, paprika, more argan oil, rose cream and some eucalyptus seeds. The vendor promised these would cure all sinus congestion and snoring. I don't snore, but I bought it anyway.

There were food vendors of all sorts, little shops that sold all kinds of olives marinated with delicious spices and chilli. The tour guide advised us not to buy any food from the streets, so I could only imagine how delicious they were. The preserved lemons looked incredible! Merchants with baskets of rose petals, tangerines and orange flowers filled the markets narrow corridors.

My trip to Morocco was an unforgettable experience and it certainly left me wanting more. I came back home with a heart full of inspiration, ideas and thousands of pictures to remind me of this enchanting magical place.

Rose Hip

I often visit Etsy in search of new ideas and inspiration. This is a place were hundreds of talented artist sell their handmade creations. I can spend hours browsing through the beautiful stuff and often buy knitting and crochet patterns. It is here I found Rose Hip; she lives in Vancouver and offers a collection of pillowcases made out of new and vintage fabrics. What is so special about these is that she tastefully finishes the pillowcases with a lovely scallop crocheted motif using a soft cotton yarn in stunning contrasting colours.

I noticed the link to her blog and was happily surprised when I realized she has 2 great crochet tutorials absolutely free.

Her Crochet Flower Square Pattern and Crochet Flower Pattern were a fabulous addition to my "things I want to make" list. These two patterns are perfect for making throws and pillow covers. The colour combination she uses reminds me of the stuff at pottery barn kids with a bit of a vintage twist.

Check out her Flickr photostream where I find inspiration on all the fabric she uses. I like to open my Color Munki palette creation software, where I throw in photos that inspire me and pull out unique color palette combinations I can later use on my own projects.

Chocolate Cake Box For My Sweethearts

When I first saw this chocolate box at Bakerella, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. It surprised me even more when I realized it was made out of cake. Yes, the whole thing is made out of cake!!

I showed it to my daughter Odette and she asked me if I could make it for her on Valentines Day.

Yikes, by the time Valentines day would come I would forget about it, I thought. I went and bought myself the cake mold at Michael's, and all ingredients I would be needing just in case my urge to make it would fade out by February. Baking it in November would not make much sense anyway. I had no idea If I would be able to pull it off due to my lack of experience in cake decorating.

So there, yesterday I called my mom, the family's "cake boss", and told her I needed her help. She came along with her famous chocolate nut cake recipe, and lots and lots of patience.

The little chocolates are actually made out of cake which we shaped and then dipped in candy melts.

This afternoon Odette discovered the cake which I had not yet finished, she had forgotten all about it!

I kicked her out of the living room where I had hid it and presented it to the kids later at supper time when it was all filled with the little chocolate treats.

The truth is that we never ever celebrate Valentines Day, but what an excuse this was to make this lovely cake for my Sweethearts!

Mystical Pomegranate

Pomegranate season is here! ... It's been a couple of weeks since I started seeing pomegranates appear in the supermarket and it reminds me that Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner.

In the past, I never really paid much attention to this fruit. Removing the seeds seemed somewhat of a laborious task, and I only eat some once a year during the high holidays. It is only recently that I learned to appreciate Pomegranates and started using them in various dishes all year around. This mystical and exotic fruits' popularity has been growing significantly due to its high antioxidant content and related health benefits. The Pomegranate has long be heralded as one of the great healing fruits in many regions and belief systems. In Rosh Hashanah we eat pomegranates as a symbol of abundant goodness. Jewish tradition holds that a pomegranate has 613 seeds, representing the 613 mitzvot that we are supposed to keep. We eat pomegranates as a symbolic gesture in the hope that our merits will increase like the seeds of a pomegranate.

Although there is no doubt that it would not hurt to earn a few merits for my spiritual growth, I like Pomegranates not only because they are tangy, sweet and delicious but also because the ruby-red jem-like seeds makes all kinds of dishes look beautiful and flamboyant. No question about it... pomegranate is one of my favorite foods.

GREEN OLIVE, WALNUT, PISTACHIO AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

On my endless search for interesting and exotic edible ideas, I found this incredible recipe that contains some of my favorite ingredients: Pistachios and Pomegranate. (From "Turquoise" by Greg and Lucy Malouf)

• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, washed and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 2 small shallots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 red serrano chile, seeded and finely diced
• 1 tablespoon shredded flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• -- Splash of pomegranate molasses
• -- Juice of 1/2 lemon
• -- Sea salt
• -- Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°. Scatter the walnuts onto a jelly-roll pan and roast for 5-10 minutes until a deep golden brown. Pour the nuts into a tea towel and rub well to remove as much skin as possible. Chop the walnuts coarsely and toss in a sieve to remove any remaining skin and dust.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently. Leave to stand for 5 minutes or so before serving, to allow the flavors to meld.

My Favorite Face Cleanser

Rituals Tri-Dosha Cleanser:

I met Andrea Olivera last summer after one of the yoga teachers at Yivamukti mentioned there was an amazing woman who offered indian head massage courses.The course was too much for Patty and I, so we decided to get an actual massage instead of learning how to do it to others. Long story short, I became good friends with this incredibly talented woman who was just starting to lounge her own natural beauty line. I ended up designing all labels and brochure for her, but never tried any of the products...I was too busy trying to get the work done in time!

When I finished printing and all, Andrea gave me a few of the products to try.

I absolutely loved her stuff, the tri dosha cleanser, the liquid nectar and the renewal cream leave your face feeling incredible.I promissed to make this blog of things I love, and since washing my face is one of the first things I do when I wake up, I could not help but think of this cleanser as one of my favorite things!