PARTY LIKE A STAR IN NYC!!! SATURDAY JUNE 20TH 2009

Let's leave behind the fact that I didn't feature any sellers yesterday, let's talk party people!

We are making a purse, jewelry and soap party in the east village this coming Saturday.

I'm moving to Israel at the end of this month and I had the idea of putting some of my products on discount and make a party.

After all, I'm moving far away and I want to sell some of my inventory so that I don't have to ship so many bags to Israel. Then I had the great idea to team up with other sellers. I think it will be awesome. These are the sellers who will come to join me on this fun day!

http://www.kreatedbykarina.etsy.com/

http://www.dovetailoriginals.etsy.com/

If you live in the city and want to come around please do so! There will be wine and some snacks, so you can have fun, check out our products, chat and meet other fun people.

We will be at 240 1st avenue, apt. 7A, buzzer 156, NY, NY 10009. (between 14th st and 15th st) from noon until 6pm. Remember this is happening this coming Saturday, come and meet other sellers and have fun: that's all I have to say! :D

If you have any questions feel free to email me at:

sales@RaquelGonzalezBags.com

For those who don't live around the city, I'll be having a special sale the day after, so you might still be able to get a fair discount on my products. The sale will go on for a day or two at the most since I need to ship my bags after that.

So, click here for a map to help you locate us!

SUMMER ETSY SELLERS- Let's welcome summer the right way!

Let's welcome the fun of summer and feature 10 awesome sellers that have created 'summer inspired' products.

I'm very happy because I featured a pair of vintage shoes last week and they sold out, congratulations ShrimpSaladCircus on your sale and I really hope that the sale came from this blog!!!

Check out these sellers, show your love, share your comments and have a great Monday shopping Day!!!

Click on any image to go straight to their shop!

Best of all, always

Raquel Gonzalez-Handbagcave

MOVING OUT OF THE COUNTRY

I'm moving to Israel with my husband- yes! this is actually happening and we are in a little bit of shock but quiet excited. We both love the beach, the heat and NYC is just not doing it for us anymore. We are a young couple, no children, not huge commitments in this city, so we should definitely give adventure a try!

If you are in NYC, we are moving at the end of the month and we are selling all our stuff. I have a sewing machine that is worth mentioning since I know tons of crafters visit my blog. It's a dressmaker, vintage, singer look alike, includes plastic carrying case, needles, bobbins, manual, regular foot and zipper foot.

If you are interested about the rest of the furniture (table, sofa bed, tv, tv stand, lamps, mirrors, dresser, large bookshelf, bathroom furniture, etc) email me and I'll give you a whole list with pics :)

EMAIL ME AT sales@RaquelGonzalezBags.com

MONDAY SELLERS: they've come to show you their talent!

Here are the etsy sellers featured for this Monday. Check them out and yell out loud with me that they have talent!!!

Click on any image to directly to their shop!

MONDAY FEATURED SELLERS: time to shop!

This Monday, I have chosen 20 etsy sellers that I've chosen from past post' comments and from etsy forums.

As many of you might know I didn't feature any sellers last week. I was just getting back to normal after my vacation and I decided to just do a post about Costa Rica, check it out below if you have a chance.

Come on over now and enjoy these talented sellers! Click on any image to go straight to the shop.

1.Marywibis

2.FayeHubele

1.zwzzy

2.starshinecompany

1.WinchesterLambourne

2.RedMarionette

1.addtwist

2.shadesofsplendor

1.MyNaturesArt

2.FlyingButtons

1.OhBananas

2.Hexotica

1.tumbleweedstudios

2.Glitzer

1.BululuStudio

2.wcarolw

1.DollCloset

2.paperhill

1.Piggy

2.OblinaKnit

Next Monday: more etsy sellers! Don't forget to check to see if your name is out here hanging out on my blog! :)

A TRIP TO DIE FOR: COSTA RICA

BEFORE WE START: I will be featuring 20 etsy sellers next Monday. I'm getting back to normal here and it's hard for me to prepare it for this week.

You may click on any picture to enlarge it! :)
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I gotta tell you all that a week like that should last longer! I've been back to NYC for two days now and I still look for the morning air and the singing birds of Costa Rica when I wake up.

I always get a bit sad when I come back and leave my family behind. Many latin people would agree with me when I say that latin family members are very attached to each other. And -putting modesty on the side- costarrican people are always welcoming and warm!

But let me swallow my sadness and tell you all how much fun it was to be there.

We landed in Alajuela on Friday 8th. and stayed at my sister's place for one night. She's got the cutest baby girl in the world!!! It didn't take too long for my husband to fall in love with her too.

On Saturday 9th, my best friend came to pick us up to go to the beach. We chose Hermosa Beach, which is close to Jaco and close to San Jose. Convenient for a short trip like ours! Tarcoles river is on the way there; full of crocodiles!!!

We stayed in a place called Las Olas in Hermosa Beach. We had a swimming pool, a rustic restaurant with hammocks and we were right in front of the beach.

On Monday we drove to Manuel Antonio, about an hour away. We were lucky to find a very typical costarrican kitchen located right on the beach, a place that resembles the old fashion cooking. We ate casados (a full meal: pork, beef or chicken with rice, beans, plantains, salad, etc), tamales, yucca and more.

On Tuesday we drove to Carara National Park; the mosquitoes made a nice party out of us! When we came out though, we found a huge iguana on the parking lot and got some awesome pictures of it!

Hubby enjoyed that stay but he fell in love with the country when we drove to my parents.

I grew up in a small town in the north of the country. The whole area is surrounded by volcanoes, mountains, rivers, cows, horses and the greenest fields ever! Somehow, seeing my husband so thrilled about it made me appreciate it more.

We stopped in Zarcero, which has a church surrounded by a beautiful park. This is a very small town (not smaller than my town:) and it’s located on the mountains.

Once at my parents, I got to see the guests’ room that my mom added to the house. It’s separated from the house and it’s not finished so it’s quiet rustic: more rustic than you would wish.

When I got in the room I rushed to close the windows and told my mom that I didn’t want to let the mosquitoes in. They all laughed at me and showed me the huge gaps everywhere including a window that’s only covered by curtains. I told myself: shoot, you’ve been in NYC way tooooo long!

I and hubby stayed in that room. We didn’t get eaten by any wild creature and we slept like kings. We showered with cold-very cold-water every morning and it felt good. We had costarrican coffee every morning and that felt damn good!

While being there, we went to La Fortuna, to see the Arenal Volcano; this is a tricky one because the area is located on the mountains and you have to be very lucky to catch the volcano free of clouds. It’s also great to spend a summer night there because there are fewer clouds and you can see the lava coming out of the volcano. While you are around, you can also check the Arenal lake: it's made by man but it's a cool lake :)

We went to El Tucanito, a small and isolated resort. You walk down the trails through the mountain and you get a natural river of thermal waters. There are many rocks colored by sulfur, small waterfalls and the whole thing is just dead gorgeous!!

We also went to the zoo which is located in La Marina, very close to the hot springs. We saw lions, tigers, birds, monkeys, peacocks, ostriches, wild pigs, ant eaters, owls, snakes, etc.

On our last day; Saturday 16th, we went to the lagoon of Río Cuarto with a couple of my sisters and their kids. The walk there is a killer. It’s very far and isolated. The lagoon is a mysterious place with tons of stories and a myth of a treasure hidden in its waters. They say in town that the people who have drawn in the lagoon have never been found.

Costa Rica Turn off’s

- Seeing a tourist shaking a small tree in order to catch an iguana.
- Prostitution growing heavily in touristic areas: immigrant ladies.
- All prices are in dollars at the airport- and expensive!!!
- Los Chiles town fighting against some rich dudes who came up with a project to build a golf field in their area (thousands of trees have to be cut in order to build a golf field).