Help Latin Pop Shop Become a Finalist!!!

We want to win the Big Commerce $35,000 Ecommerce Makeover Contest!
Winning this (even making it to runner up) would take us to the next level and help us greatly in reaching our target audience. Below, see how the finalists are being chosen:

BigCommerce judges will choose five contestants who will be put through to the final round of judging based on their submission video. Judging criteria includes (1) creativity, (2) coherence of message, (3) potential for company growth, (4) inspiring story.

*Number of views for each video on YouTube will factor into the judges' decision.

So please take a moment (60 seconds) to watch our video. If you can, please watch often and please, please, please pass it on and have others view it as well!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBnwhk-6Xas

THANK YOU!

Making Room for the New

I've just created a CLEARANCE section in my Etsy store and stocked it with 22 items!
It's time to clear some space in my studio and make some room for new work.

Campesina

Campesina
8x10"/Acrylic on canvas

Available through my Etsy store.

Mexican Inspiration: New Direction

I didn't get much of a chance to work on my "Mexican Tiles" until yesterday afternoon.
I began adding detail to one in particular (lower left). There was a lot of painting and "erasing". Nothing I did seemed right and then it dawned on me that what I might really be wanting to achieve is inject the Mexican pottery details that inspire me into my regular style of painting.
So for now, rather than dig myself deeper into a rut, I might set these aside and move on with that in mind.

Do you ever start a project then halfway into it realize that it's not at all what you are meant to be doing?

Mexican Inspiration

There's always been Mexican influences in my work, but at the moment I'm fixated on all the pottery I wish I'd been able to bring home with me from our recent trip. As a result I've begun a series of Mexican "tile" paintings on wood.

Xel-Ha

During our Mexican vacation we spent a day at Xel-Ha. An amazing eco-aquarium. Everything is natural, the fish are not in tanks (nor are they afraid of you ). SOOO cool.






We swam in a cave.




I dove (jumped, actually) off a cliff a few times.




We tubed down a mangrove path and swam down a "lazy" river.
The water was amazing.








Xel-Ha is an all inclusive park. $105 per person (through our tour company at the hotel) covered transportation to and from, rental of all snorkel equipment (bring $20 deposit for snorkel equipment, you'll get it back), towels, lockers and all you can eat and drink (including beer and cocktails). The only added expense (besides the shopping I did on my way out) was purchasing their bio-degradable sunscreen. Being an ecological preserve, standard sunscreens are, understandably, not allowed.

For extra fees you can do things like swim with dolphins, manatees or go on an underwater "sea-trek". While they all seem fun, these activities will take up part of your day. We were perfectly happy to simply explore the park on our own on our first visit. Even with this approach there were a few things we didn't get to do. I guess we'll just have to visit again.

I Left My Liver in Mexico

I'm baaaack!
Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but we all left our livers in the Maya Riviera. We arrived home on Sunday morning from a wonderful family (Ron, my aunt and I) vacation to the Maya Riviera (just 20 minutes outside Cancun). We stayed at the wonderful all-inclusive Secrets Silversands Riviera. We loved it there and would return in a heartbeat.


Cocktails NON-STOP!!!



The room and resort grounds were beautiful.












The beach out front was lovely.






The restaurants and nightly shows were great.










I even won a Bocce Ball tournament and got pulled up on stage.



Hair courtesy of Mother Nature and Jose Cuervo:

Did I mention how much we drank???

I am now tanned, relaxed and most importantly recharged with colorful inspiration.
I am ready and eager to get back into the studio!