Valparaíso, Chile

And just like that it's February! This last recap from Chile may have been my favorite to put together. I had so many photos to choose from — Valparaíso was unlike any city I have been to. If you plan on visiting, anticipate the hills! The city is filled with funicular lifts to take tourists and locals alike up particularly steep hills. 

We stayed in Cerro Alegre at Hotel Casa Higueras which had a wonderful view of the bay as well as a restaurant where we ate both evenings of our stay. My absolute favorite part of our time here was all the art. Valparaíso is filled with art galleries and shops and we came home with lots of souvenirs. 

Our last full day was spent relaxing by the pool in denial that we would be heading back to Winter weather in KC. After one last delicious dinner it was time to pack up before our long day of traveling home. I think two weeks in Chile was the perfect amount to time to see a huge variety of things, but also short enough that I hope we will be able to go back someday! We didn't get a chance to visit the desert in the North, and I know my Dad would love a chance to visit with his host family again. And I hope you've found some travel inspiration of your own, too! 

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January Around The Web

Happy Monday, friends! This month has been tough. After returning from Chile I spent several weeks dealing with health issues and a chaotic time of year at work — alongside the general chaotic nature of current political events. That said, I'm very grateful to be feeling much better now. This month has given me a renewed sense of energy to take care of myself. A January highlight has been seeing many of the Valentine's Day cards I created for Hallmark in stores. Work chaos sometimes leads to wonderful opportunities and I think that this is definitely one of those times. I'm really excited to see how the work I am creating now develops. It's always motivating to see cards come to life on shelf. Now for a few favorites around the web: 

• I found Wit & Delight's new studio space to be super inspiring. I'm very jealous of those in Minneapolis who will have the opportunity to use it!

• This month I saw La La Land (I know, so did everyone), but I loved Jimmy Fallon's Golden Globes Opening Number based off the opening scene in the movie almost as much as the movie itself. 

• These photos stopped me in my tracks, I'm a big fan of Kaley From Kansas' photography, and her beautiful work this month for 100 Layer Cake. 

• Keeping this DIY in mind for if/when I have a home studio someday!

• Loving Studio DIY's new balloon shop! I have my heart set on the Sparkle Emoji Ballons

• New to me Ceramics inspiration

• Some images from the Women's March

• Creative globe painting ideas from Think.Make.Share.

• I am constantly seeing Geronimo Balloons installations on Instagram and I enjoyed learning more about her in this interview.

• This Queen of Jet Lags post has me adding Amsterdam to my travel wish list. 

• While I'm late to the party, this month I tried this Golden Milk recipe. 

Here's to a healthier February,
hopefully filled with some winter sunshine! 

Santa Cruz, Chile

Our second to last stop in Chile was a day in Santa Cruz! Deep in wine country, we fittingly spent most of our day at the the beautiful Vina Santa Cruz. We hadn't made any reservations in advance and luckily were able to immediately get a table in the restaurant. After eating we rode their gondola up the top of a hill where they have a self-guided tour. My absolute favorite moment was stumbling across two llamas trying to escape the heat—llamas are one of my favorite animals! 

After our time at the vineyard we headed into Santa Cruz to check into our hotel. Along the way we stopped so my dad could buy a traditional Chilean hat, and the woman was gracious enough to let us take her picture with her sewing machine. The rest of our evening was spent wandering around the town and relaxing by the hotel pool. The next morning we visited the Colchagua Museum which is on the same property as the Hotel Santa Cruz. If you find yourself in the area it is a must see, the museum covers our history from 400 million years ago up until the twentieth century. While it is an unexpected location it was one of the best history museums I have ever visited! The last few days of our trip flew by and I just have one more place to recap. Be on the lookout for a few photos from Valparaíso next week! 

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Rengo, Chile

The second half of my family's trip to Chile was planned completely around visiting my Dad's host family from when he was an AFS student in high school! He lived in Rengo, Chile for one half of his year, and we spent two nights at his family's home in the countryside outside the city. We had an amazing time meeting everyone and hearing stories from his time in Chile. They also treated us to some wonderful food and graciously allowed us to realax by their pool.

I especially loved walking around the plaza and the main streets of Rengo. There were still some New Year's and Christmas decorations up, which felt pretty strange with the Summer weather, but at the same time festive in a way we don't experience in the US. And as always I was a huge fan of thebright florals, palm trees and colorful homes!

This part of the trip was especially meaningful because it is what brought our entire family to Chile. Without my Dad's experience we would not have been able to spend a few days experiencing daily life with this family. During other trips I have purely been a tourist, so this was a nice change of pace and allowed us to see a more authentic version of life in Chile. Enjoy!

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Women’s March

While I am unable to march today, I am so proud of the women around the world speaking out today. It's pretty spectacular seeing all the photos. And thanks to Samantha Hahn for her amazing posters. Let's make our voices heard at the polls in the future. 

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Nordenskjöld Lake and Lenga Forest Excursions

Our final day in Patagonia was spent on two horseback rides! First we went on a ride to Nordenskjold Lake, and then in the afternoon we went through the Legna Forest. After our hike the day before it was nice to get a break from walking, and still get to enjoy the scenery!

This was definitely the most beautiful place I had ever been on a horseback ride, I especially loved the view of the towers on our afternoon ride. After getting back to the ranch we grabbed some dinner and then headed to the spa for a massage. This was also New Year's Eve, so that night we attended the hotel's party before getting up early to head to the airport. Hopefully I will get to return to Patagonia someday and make the hike to the towers and the lake just below them! This was the one thing we missed out on that I really would have loved to have done, but we just didn't have the time (or the energy) by the end of this part of the trip. Thank you Hotel Las Torres for showing our family just how magical Patagonia can be!