You might be an Urban Inca if...

You might be an Urban Inca If...


5. Ok. Ok. So Urban Inca's been a busy girl.Here are some photos from the Fair Trade Fashion Show and a sneak peek at my new fair trade leather and textile sandals. They are beautiful!

I'll start with the best part. At the last minute, they needed something for a male model and I happen to have just the thing: a pair of recycled board shorts and a vintage textile belt in his size!

Tony modeling recycled boardshorts embellished with repurposed, vintage textiles
and with a vintage textile belt. 

About a dozen adorable models of all ages sauntered and posed along the catwalk wearing a variety of embroidered tunics, textile belts and other garments. My other favorite model was a lovely young lady modeling an embroidered tunic from Mexico and my very own suede and vintage textile boots. She looked great and wore a beautiful smile!

Soledad modeling an embroidered tunic and Urban Inca suede
and vintage textile boots.

This was my very first event and, thankfully, I  had help!  My sister, Angie of Two Prince Bakery Theater, and my buddies, Mishou Sanchez and Lyndi Jordan. 

Here I am in front of my table with a few of the items I feature:
children's boots, recycled denim skirts and leather and textile bracelets.

I was proud to be a part of Youth for Human Rights Florida and Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the fashion show was upbeat, fun and raised awareness and needed funds to continue their work. 




              

The two red items, corduroy skirt and linen shorts with vintage
textiles, sold to the same lady who was as excited as I was!

The only bummer... the sandals did not arrive in time to share them with the fashion show attendees. But, here they are, before they hit the website. I hope you love them. They were made by a small cobble shop in Cusco, the same one that makes the awesome boots being modeled above.  So far, they are on Etsy, but I hope to have them on the Urban Inca website very soon. 

Ariana, my lovely younger sister, is modeling the handmade leather sandals
with vintage textiles, an embellished recycled denim mini and a handmade
leather purse.

Each sandal isa one-of-a-kind, fair trade creation straight
from Cusco.  They are available in any size for women, children and,
coming soon, men! 



Next, I will be preparing to travel to San Francisco to visit my dear friend, Rikki, and to shop my fair trade beauties to local boutiques.  I'll keep you posted! 

Luisella, Your Urban Inca

You might be an Urban Inca if...

You might be an Urban Inca if...

5. You think paying a fair wage to farmers and workers is only fair. 

I am proud to offer fair trade products and will be participating in a Fair Trade Fashion Show on Saturday, June 9 in one of the most historically significant places in town, Ybor City. 

Your ticket includes an international buffet, live music,
fashion and shopping all for a very worthy cause!

The fashion show is being hosted by Youth for Human Rights Florida and Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking to bring awareness to and prevent human trafficking.

After the show, attendees have the opportunity to purchase all of the items modeled, with a portion of the sale price going right back towards the fight against human trafficking.
Here are a few of the fair trade items that will be worn by their models:

Handmade, naturally dyed leather boots made by a
 small business owner in Cusco, Peru

Chullos- the traditional head gear for Andean men,
but I wear them too!

Handmade, naturally dyed men's scarf made by
a women's cooperative in Peru

I can't wait to see you there!  Look good.  Feel good.

Luisella, Your Urban Inca

You might be an Urban Inca if...

You might be an Urban Inca if...

4. You prefer to live in a historic neighborhood.

So why choose a historic (old) home with drafty windows, tiny closets and no sidewalks?  Character (and characters), trees!, outdoor concerts and Sunday markets.  Seminole Heights has all of these. 

No two houses are alike in historic disricts which makes walks with my neighbor and long-time friend, interesting and different each time.  Ecclectic gardens, art, creative designs, color... it's all here!

Colonial

Reminds me of a Swiss Chalet- wildflowers everywhere!

Classic "shotgun" bungalow

Mediterranean bungalow ala desert (one of my favorites)

I cannot remember what he called it, but WOW!

And the neighbors are so friendly (Tampa is not well-known for friendliness.).  Everyone says hello! 

As a matter of fact, while photographing one of my neighbor's homes (the desert one above) where a beautiful flower grew in his garden, he got out of his car and dug up a root for me on the spot. 

Gosh, I hope it grows!!

Tree canopy-typical street view

And there are trees, so many trees. And where there are trees there are birds and butterflies and flowers. All things that make me smile in my urban existence.

Besides the historic homes, the trees are what draw people here: grand oaks, magnolias, pines. They form beautiful canopies over most streets here, keeping us cool and surrounded by woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals and, yes, squirrels.  So many squirrels... 

Friday Extra outdoor concerts are back in the neighborhood! Neighbors gather. They eat. They dance. They laugh. They listen to local musicians and children play with other children they know from school or who they've just met for the first time, instant friends. Others (not going to name any names now) drink wine on blankets, and community forms not-so-quietly under oaks and pines.



Listening to live music at Lowry Park



My neighbor, Jim, dancing with his daughter

And you can't forget the Seminole Heights Sunday Morning Market. Vendors gather, hula hoops girate and dogs walk their owners around tents and tents of handmade jewelry like Mark Noll Designs and freshly made food.

Sunday Market at Hillsborough High School

So why am I ok with a window that leaks sometimes (only just sometimes) during a heavy rain? Or a slightly crooked wooden floors (a great feature for my son's many matchox cars)? Well, because I don't believe I could get all of this in any other neighborhood, because there is more character and sense of community here than in any other neighborhood that I have lived.  I feel at home here.

So I'm willing to overlook some flaws...

I love my historic neighborhood, warts and all.

Luisella, Your Urban Inca

You might be an Urban Inca if...

3. Growing your own herbs and veggies makes you feel downright 
   giddy.  Guilty!

Recently, thanks to my groovy friend, Jacinda, I became a member of the Tampa Heights Community Garden.  I didn't dive into it. At first, I was content to watch as others planted and toiled, only trimming Jacinda's collard greens which had taken off.

Tampa Heights Community Garden (Can you find the butterfly?)

A few weeks ago, members gathered and prepared the soil for spring plantings. I took a risk and planted green beans, pepper, zucchini and carrot seeds.  I had had some success at home with peppers and was excited to try it on a larger scale.


Baby pepper!

I returned once a week, my young son in tow, to check progress. The carrots didn't make it far but the pepper and green beans had sprouted and were looking healthy.

This weekend I returned again.  Previous weeks brought peppers and yet more collard greens and along with the veggies and herbs, friendships grew or were revived.  And maybe it's that holidays make me reflect or hormones doing their sinful business, but yesterday, when I visited and found that we finally had green beans that I thought of Peru. 



Green beans grown from seed!

My grandfather was a farmer in Mollepata, a small agricultural town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.  I felt he would be proud to see me there tearing up over green beans.  And then I thought of my mom and the gift she gave me; the gift of knowing my heritage and, inadvertently, where food comes from, the joy of connecting with nature.


Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru

 





I want to remember that feeling so I can share it with my son and anchor him to something real no matter how far he roams from home.



My son gazing at the setting sun on
 Hillsborough River, Tampa

Giveaway!!

You might be an Urban Inca if...

You want to win this cookbook of delicious and diverse Peruvian recipes AND a colorful, handmade chumpi (belt)!

Simple recipes of Peru's favorite dishes with a detailed history of Peru.

 

Handwoven, beaded wool belt may be worn on the hips, hair or to adorn your home.

Welcome to www.UrbanInca.com! Today is our grand opening!

Urban Inca strives to be "sustainably hip" in all we do by supporting small businesses, artist cooperatives, environmental education and fair trade.

To celebrate my rich Peruvian heritage and to share the textiles, people and destinations of Peru, I am giving away two items that represent the varied dishes and the ancient textile tradition of this beautiful country which I have had the privilege of frequenting throughout my life. 

Soon, we will offer custom-made trips too so perhaps these will whet your appetite for an adventure!

Thank you for sharing this joyful day with me!

Ways to Enter:  You have up to four (4) chances to enter.

1. “Like” Urban Inca on Facebook.
 
2. Visit www.UrbanInca.com. Post your favorite boot color on the Urban Inca Facebook page.
 
3. Follow the Urban Inca Blog by entering your address under “Follow by E-mail, clicking “Join this Site” or subscribing to the RSS Feed.
 
4. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page, Twitter or Blog and post link with your comment.

Please leave one comment here on the blog for each step taken to claim your entries.  You will have up to four (4) posts here.
All entries due on May 8 by midnight.

I, Urban Inca, do hereby pinky-swear not to clutter your e-mail or Facebook page with a million messages. You are safe with me!

And, because I LOVE my fellow Urban Incas (you), I happily offer you a 10% discount on any order placed after you complete the 4 steps above whether or not you win!

Good Luck! Buena Suerte!

Luisella, Your Urban Inca

You might be an Urban Inca if...

You might be an Urban Inca if...

1. You look for ways to repurpose used objects. 

   Here's one I did for my kitchen recently. I took my son's   
   lesser-loved figures and hot glued them to the top of spray
   painted lids from apple sauce and spaghetti sauce glass jars
   (Urban Inca does her own stunts but does not make her own
   spaghetti sauce, yet.) 

   Easy and adorable!

   Don't have a child of your own? No problem. Your friends and
   family who do will be thrilled to give these away to you.
   Seriously!

In just a few days, the giveaway will be ready for you to win! 

(Maybe I'll throw in some of these cute figures for your project...Please take them
before I step on another one! :) )

Luisella, Your Urban Inca

Grand Opening and Exciting Give Away Coming Soon!

Stay tuned for more details soon to come!  And...

We now carry handmade, one-of-a-kind sandals too, straight from Cusco, Peru!!

Luisella, Your Urban Inca