On the set of Love in the Time of Cholera 2007, filmed in Cartagena, Columbia

I’m not here to review the film, Love in the Time of Cholera, directed by Mike Newell. I will probably see it though, not just because I am a huge fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and read the book, but because the foundation set of the film inspired the eco-chic! out of me.

Wait…back up…Ok, the other day I was reading Set Decor Magazine which is a quarterly publication dedicated to set design on tv and films. There was an article about the set design process on this film…decorated by Elli Griff SDSA, with production designer Wolf Krueger, that was totally eco-awesome…Read on…I’m gettin’ there….

Garden details: A local man made innumerable items out of bamboo and cane.

The challenge was to organically recreate a time period that spun between 1870-1930, with what was available locally to the set crew. The family home was owned by the city and very old…so that was a done deal…As far as furnishings…well….this is what Elli Griff had to say taken from Set Decor Magazine:

We had to find everything locally; but because of the heat and humidity, not many colonial relics exist intact. Luckily, we met this amazing family in Cartagena who agreed to sign a contract that we could have the whole contents of a building that they were renovating, which dated from the 14th century to the present day. So we have a lovely layering of furniture covered with woodworm and patched up and broken but it all has a patina that is real.

Impressive huh?

Scene in local marketplace…love those costumes!

In continuing the theme of keeping everything organic, antique pieces were solicited for the home, the mirror in the dining room belonged to the building and was decaying which was perfect for the atmosphere that Elli Griff was trying to re-create.

As for the garden details, a local bamboo man, named, Perfecto (translation is “perfect”) made many items out of cane and bamboo, including the incredible bird cages in the courtyard scenes. Gracias Perfecto, Ud. es un artista perfecto asi como su nombre!

What a dream project.

Dr. Kristin Sulis, Katie and Dee Dee, the family dog. Isn’t she cute?

I went to a celebration last night (so much fun!) at the beautiful home of Dr. Kristin Sulis, and husband/business partner, Michael.

The theme? A pre-New Year celebration, of course, and honoring those who have supported Kristin and Michael with Dr. Sulis’s new veterinary practice, Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care. That includes me!. Check out Kristin’s blog for more updates….

Don’t you just love those scrubs? Fabulous choice. So much better than those ordinary gray scrubs we tend to see in traditional veterinary clinics and hospitals…..You and Katie are so adorable! Smart, sweet and sexy…Plus, you are a rock star in veterinary care. I’m super picky and you really are the best!

This eco-chic veterinary practice is opening very soon in the hip and chic Belmont area of SE Portland….and I can’t wait…Kristin, Carlito really has bad breath and needs his teeth cleaned….Check out my blog written on 12/6/07 regarding all the green details of Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care. You’ll love it…

Michael (on left), we love you! You look very pensive and handsome. Thanks for posing.

I have to mention Kristin’s fabulous food.

Here’s to all the festivities for the New Year celebration.

Rawganique hemp, flax and cotton blend. They sell out quickly.

It’s totally amazing to me and frustrating at the same time that I cannot find a continuous resource of hemp paper products! The material is lovely, sustainable, organic, feels yummy to the touch, is tree free and totally eco-chic. Rawganique is out of British Columbia and has gorgeous hemp paper products. They simply cannot keep them in stock.

Rawganique inspiration books, eco-hemp delicious.

So my big thing right now is trying to find hemp business card stock for my new business cards! Hello out there eco-world…..I want hemp and environmentally friendly inks like soy and/or vegetable based. I know hemp is limited….click here for more details on hemp… but….I’m on a mission with this and I’ll share with you what I’ve found so far….

Living Tree Paper Company–Vanguard Recycled Plus

I just contacted Living Tree Paper Company out of Eugene, Oregon (I left a message…they are closed for the holidays….smart people…) who carry these earth friendly paper products:

Vanguard Recycled Plus (shown above)

• 10% hemp/flax & 90% post-consumer waste.
• 100% processed chlorine-free.
• Ideal for brochures, newsletters, annual reports, hang tags, and other high-profile corporate identity and promotional pieces.
• Excellent printing quality for black & white and full-color projects.
• Available in most sheet and roll sizes and basis weights.

Dejavu Coated C2S

• 10% hemp/flax, 40% post-consumer waste, 20% pre-consumer waste & 30% certified sustainably harvested wood.
• hemp/flax (TCF) Totally Chlorine-Free, pre-consumer waste & post-consumer waste (PCF) Process Chlorine-Free, sustainably harvested wood (ECF) Elemental Chlorine-Free.
• Available in most sheet and roll sizes and basis weights.
• Ideal for annual reports, CD booklets, catalogs, magazines and books.

Visit Living Tree Paper Company for more details.

Pinball Publishing right here in Portland, Oregon. Makes me so happy.

I just found these guys right here locally in Portland! So happy. They are eco-conscious and print on recycled paper with soy based inks. They might be able to get me hemp. I’ll keep you posted.

Deep breath, calm space, quiet heart and interior re-alignment in my meditation room.

So, as I’ve shared with you here, I have been gifted with such an infusion of love around Christmas…Wow so fun and now….well as I’m sure many of you are feeling….exhausted?

I noticed on the day after Christmas that my nervous system felt out of wack (you know that feeling where you are tired but are challenged to relax…yes, that’s it!)…..so I said to my higher self…..extreme self care was an order, not a request….

This restorative yoga pose is called, Savasana or Corpse pose…Yes, I did that pose first and no, sweetness…that’s not me.

The first thing I did was to just sit in my candlelit meditation room (shown above) for quite awhile with a blanket wrapped around me….Ah….long deep breaths were a great start as I counted 1, 2, 3… and felt the air move deep inside of me.

That alone calmed me down and got me re-connected to my body. I then listened to the silence…Have you ever tried that? It’s actually very pleasant and almost intoxicating after so much noise, both internal and external.

I then lay in Savasana (yoga pose shown above) where I simply relaxed into the earth, releasing the tension in my neck, jaw, back and shoulders….Ahhhhh….Is it possible that something so simple (and free!) can relieve tension and feel so good? Yes, I really think so….After just a little while of relaxing and being still, my energy level increased and my emotional state felt so much more balanced….love that!

We humans sometimes make things so complicated.

Lisa Mae Osborn’s personal sacred space. Isn’t it Divine?

I took this photo of Lisa Mae Osborn’s sacred meditation room where she connects with her higher self and regains her sense of balance. I loved the feeling in here. It’s one of those spaces you just melt into. Lisa Mae is the co-owner of The Bhaktishop, which you may have heard me talk about lots of times….all well deserved. She is one of my favorite yoga teachers just for her mere presence and ability to bring me (and her students) to a calm, centered place. Thank-you darling sister.

One last suggestion. You might request a massage from one of your loved ones, friends or family members. Even a ten minute rub can do wonders for calming the mind and reconnecting to our body and Spirit. I can tell you from first hand experience….

…Just recently, the Blue Buddha (sometimes referred to as the medicine Buddha) gave me an eco-shamanistic massage. Thank-you, your hands were very healing…you know who you are….

Excuse me now…I’m going for my weekly massage with Carlos…Deep breath and a lot of gratitude…here’s to extreme self-care!

The Brelli is behind this eco-fabulous, white umbrella which also happens to be the world’s first 100% biodegradable umbrella.

I live in Portland, Oregon and yes it rains a lot here. What a perfect addition to my wardrobe.

Available in two sizes, 37” diameter and 52” diameter; $28, and $38.

More details as explained by The Brelli:

“The Brelli’s patented design features a certified biodegradable plastic canopy. This innovative new material has a unique chemical composition which allows it to completely biodegrade in conditional landfill environments. Unlike conventional plastic, which takes hundreds of years to break down, The Brelli’s bio-plastic canopy has passed stringent tests certifying that it will fully biodegrade in one to two years. Furthermore, the gases released during the degrading process can be harvested to generate electricity. More than 90% of the energy used to create The Brelli can thereby be recycled.”

Bio-plastic. I love it!

Where does one buy this fashion accessory?  Fred Siegel Zero Minus Plus in Los Angeles and Jussara Lee in New York.