Women are from Venus, Men are from ???

Happy Valentines Day!! We've kept up our tradition from last year of making each other home-made cards... it seems some of us have different notions of romance. It's the thought that counts right?

Big Love to you all

Ashiberry & The Brit

Hitchhiker's Guide To... Who are we kidding, we don't hitchhike

Happy New Years everyone! It really has been too long. What can we say, we're gypsies at heart doing what gypsies do best, traveling. This time, destination Thailand where we spent a whirlwind month exploring North and South of this charming country. For me it was all about the elephant sanctuaries, banana shakes and buying my weight in fabric at the incredible textiles stores in every city. That's right, Thailand is sewing heaven. The Brit discovered {and fell in love} with diving, got all Easy Rider and rented himself a Harley-type beast of a bike and ate his life's quota of Panang curry. Safe to say we've come back heavier, happier and ready to take on 2012. 

xo Ashiberry & The Brit

Seven Sisters

What may look like scenes from a Mediterranean getaway are really just shots we took on a hike twenty minutes from our home. The famous Seven Sisters trek along stark white chalk cliffs gives the water an incredible turquoise hue and the impression that we're wandering a foreign land... {that's until you hear the cockney accent}. It was unusually warm out, but you could still feel the changing season. We kept thinking this could be our last hike of the year without wellies and mittens... what better excuse to break out the coffee & Baileys. Winter is in the air don't you know!

xo Ashi & The Brit

Stolen Thunder

I know, I know things have been quiet here on the blog front, but I'm back with some very exciting news. First off I did a little Q & A with the lovely folks from the sweet UK jewelry line Stolen Thunder a while back. The feature was posted this week. You can read it here! In addition to the awesomeness CoCoon readers are being offered a generous 15% all Stolen Thunder items for the month!!! All you have to do is put in the code word COCOON when purchasing any of their gems. The journalist in me is swooning over their typewriter charm as part of their new gorgeous Heritage collection... speaking of journalism, I'm off to Africa tomorrow as part of a project, so expect some guest posts and lots of photos once I get home.

Hope you're well & lovely!

paisley top: self-made, vintage fabric

jeans: River Island

boots: Bertie Zoona via Asos

xo Ashi

Loving!

Photo: Patrick Culhane

                                                                                                                                                         

The Brit & I discovered this charming documentary by filmmaker Kevin Tomlinson a few nights ago and we're already trying to find a commune to join in California & vintage camper van to call our new home.... okay that may be a little extreme {we did actually Google 'communes in California'} but this film does prove that the counterculture movement of the late 60s and 70s isn't simply a thing of the past. The pioneering generation of flower children are still committed to their values and earth-friendly ways of life.... even if their kids think they're completely nuts. Enjoy!

xo Ashi

Loving!

❝ My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. ❞

-Jack Layton

Loving this quote by Jack Layton in his final letter to his country. Like the man himself it is fearless, inspiring and bright. Let's not let his hope die.

Loving!

A new weekly feature to help make Mondays less monochrome. 'Loving' because well... yes! I'm loving all the bits that I'll be sharing with you, but it's also what the Brit and I shout into the phone before hanging up or as we walk out the door. Alright enough sap. First of all I have to say I'm such a sucker for men's fashion. Clean lines, tailored perfection and really no fuss fashion is so inspiring to me. These Fall / Winter '11 looks from Rodarte for Opening Ceremony are as good as it gets from head to toe. Finally, I was lucky enough to catch Montreal artist {but raised in Vancouver!} Claire Boucher a.k.a Grimes over the weekend and it was probably one of the best shows I've seen in ages. Watching this one-woman performance is like observing one of those Hindu goddesses with multiple arms as she rapidly hits keys, fiddles with pitch and picks up the mic to add vocals. If you ever hear she'll be playing your town, GO, trust me. This unofficial video for her song 'Vanessa' by the talented editor David Dean Burkhart is pretty amazing. It features random scenes from the 1960s film "Alphaville", starring Anna Karina and whole slew of other retro babes... paired with Grimes' track, well... Loving! 

xo Ashiberry

Holga Holidays

A few Holga snaps from our recent Moroccan holiday. God bless that little plastic camera and all the magic she produces. I still* get butterflies every time I go to pick up our pics from the photo lab. Hope there's sunshine where ever you are. 

xo Ashi

Hootenanny!

The Brit has had this 'surprise' up his sleeve for what feels like forever... but 'the conditions had to be just right'. He'd every now and then ask me how I feel about wearing a wet suit or if I've ever traveled in the water at 60 miles an hour?! I couldn't figure out for the life of me what kind of situation he was going to get me in.. all I know is last weekend it was 'go time', so I packed my bikini and said a little prayer and off we went on a drive an hour out of town... me sitting there with sweaty palms as the Brit drilled me with questions... "how do I feel about bungee chords' and 'what about heights'... still no clue as to where we were going. Turns out minor panic attacks aside, my Brit really is the most thoughtful guy. My surprise was a trip to the West Sussex Falconry where I could fully indulge my obsession with owls {I think they're my spirit guides... I know, I'm a weirdo}.... and indulge I did. The place is run by a lovely lady named Sally Buckland who rescues and raises owls and falcons. She has tremendous knowledge and respect for these creatures. My absolute favourite was a little barn owl named Crystal.... such an affectionate and sweet bird. Watching her fly around was well... one of the coolest things I've ever seen. {Thanks Love}

 xo Ashi

Essaouira

This is our last Morocco post, and I must say, my favourite part of our getaway. The Brit and I left our laid-back surf spot behind for a few days and road tripped to the infamous beach town of Essaouira. This place is best known for serving as a haven to hippie travelers and artists in the 1970s, including Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley... and it still has remnants of its psychedelic past. The beaches themselves are long-stretching and lively.. full of families and vacationers, but its the old town that gives Essaouira its edge. Wrapped around by an ancient wall, the historic town is a giant maze made up of narrow passages, alleys and underground tunnels, all surrounded by towering old buildings. To be honest, the Brit felt a bit claustrophobic and confined at times, but I simply loved the intensity, the people, noises, smells {except for the fish market} and constant stream of visual stimulation from the absurd to the absolutely stunning. The old town has endless lovely guest houses, called riads, each designed in its own unique theme or character. We stayed in the Riad Dar Zayna, a gorgeous sanctuary, decked out in traditional Moroccan tile-work and furnishings with an amazing rooftop terrace and the best breakfast in town {all I have to say is apricot jam and massive mugs full of steaming creamy coffee}. 

The shopping in Essaouira is amazing, there are so many markets and vendors down every crammed laneway, each selling various takes on gorgeous hand-crafted silver and beaded jewelry, leather, rugs, spices, teas, crystals, hand-painted ceramics... I ended up buying a cherry-brown leather knapsack {okay maybe two} and tiny hand of Fatima pendent to wear around my neck {she's meant to ward off the evil eye}. We just wandered the maze for hours, tucking into tea houses or finding a courtyard patio to have a tagine and a rest.. and then back at it, into the madness, the crowds, the curious looks from the women behind their veils and tiny street cats running around looking for their next meal. At times it felt quite intense, children begging, vendors constant calling out to us, motorcycles suddenly speeding down the once-tranquil passage, but I think its that intensity I craved... as for the Brit, let's just say he was happy to get back on the beach and amongst the waves. 

 xo Ashi

Not Your Average Farmer's Market

Tipped off by our host Chris as a must-see, we managed to catch the weekly market {known as the Souk} in a neighbouring town to Taghazout. Not only is the Souk a chance for villagers living in remote areas to stock upon their weekly goods, they are also THE place for socializing and catching up on village gossip. A slot of land is cordoned off and hundreds of sellers set up a little stands to sell their goods. You can find pretty much find everything from fabric to fruit & veggies to glassware and endless mounds of spices. We just wandered around and let ourselves be guided by the waves of people hustling and bargaining to get their watermelons and mint.. vital elements to any Moroccan meal. I must say out of our entire trip this was the first time I felt relieved to have my black pashmina with me to throw on my shoulders. I really only had my hair and feet showing but still felt to be underdressed. This Souk happened to bring out a very traditional crowd who weren't shy to stare. My advice, regardless off the heat always pack a pashmina in your day bag when traveling through a Muslim country.

xo Ashi