Have you ever noticed the super cute animation I have for the intro + finale of my Friday Video Time episodes? Are you curious to know how it was made? Thinking about having something wicked like that made for your very own videos?

Oh boy, if you're nodding your head up + down + saying to yourself "helz yeah", then you're in for a treat, cuz today my dear friend Arturo de la Guardia, artistic genius + master animator, is stopping for a visit to share the behind the scenes action that went into making this Pixar quality animation.

We truly hope you enjoy the back stage pass + supercalifragilisticexpialidocious collaboration.

Ohh + if you totally dig Arturo's animation wizardry skills here's how to connect with him:

Website: www.flandelacasa.com

You Tube: www.youtube.com/user/Flandelacasa

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Twitter: @Flandelacasa

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Flan-de-la-Casa/168415696408

xo,

Mayi Carles

Our magical wedding video finally arrived!

I can't even count how many times we've watched it already. And of course, I've cried every single time. It's impossible not to.

Today, I wanted to share with you this little glimpse inside my eternal happiness, cuz I have a feeling it will make your heart twinkle + I'm all about twinkling. 

I would just grab a hanky before watching if I were you. Just in case. You never know.

Now, I'll let the film do it's thing. It's time for me to hit replay, yet again.

xo,

Mayi Carles

Well hello hello first post of 2012!

And howdy new you!

Aren't you excited about all the abundance + potential that's coming your way in 2012? It sure feels freaking-amazing to have a calendar-catalyzed opportunity to pause + recharge + start over, isn't it?

Control + Alt + Delete. Let's try again.

I like the sound of that every 365 days.

But before restarting the engine, I want to give 2011 it's proper Hasta La Vista Baby ceremony.

Here I go! 

I want to say goodbye to worrying about the future, knowing that worrying is as effective as trying to drive while twitting + applying lip gloss + eating a cupcake all at once. 

I say hello to the beautiful messiness that results from letting go + becoming vulnerable + accepting change. 

I want to say goodbye to giving haters the time of day, knowing that they're just secretly oh so jealous. Buahaha ha!

I say hello to deliberately choosing to focus all of my energy on staying creative + positive + focused on the projects that make me happy.

I want to say goodbye to jealousy, knowing that jealousy is only a reflection of my own insecurities.

I say hello to my own personal race. Sometimes I'm ahead. Sometimes I'm behind. The race is long, but at the end the competition it's only with myself.

I want to say goodbye to whining, knowing that it’s easy to get overwhelmed + feel victimized by a crazy schedule. 

I say hello to being an artist + embracing the career path I’ve chosen. 

I want to say goodbye to suffering, knowing that suffering is completely optional.

I say hello to happiness instead + want to choose it every time.

With that being said + the ceremonial orchestra cueing my finale, I'll share sneak bits of what's coming your way this first month of 2012:

1. A T-Rex size project that goes by the names of Life is Messy Bootcamp, inspired by my famous Life is Messy Planners (ahem ahem, with more than 5 thousand copies sold to date + counting) designed to take your for your 2012 goals from "to do more" to "action gear". The official launch is in just a few days, so please hold on tight! In the meantime, Life is Messy Planners 2.0 are temporarily available through this link for your organizational obsessive compulsive pleasures.

2. A brand new Mayi Carles e-commerce website. No more commission fees hip hip hooray! 

3. A new line of personalized stationary with characters lovingly hand-drawn + painted by yours truly. This project has officially departed to the moon as we speak. Stay tuned as I gradually introduce more products in the coming weeks.

4. A design studio, where I'll get to work with you one-on-one to make your super duper special projects a reality. A custom invitation + a personalized whimsical illustration + a one of a kind hair piece + or heck, your entire wedding court accessories, your pick. I'm so happy I finally made some space in my calendar to take on more elaborate + unique adventures.

5. Organizational note pads (that you can actually hug, I mean touch) are also making a grand entrance, just cuz I have so much fun making em'. Watch closely.

It's all happening + I'm so excited to be sharing it all with you!

What projects, big or small have your heart racing like a speed car on turbo? What do you feel super inspired to create this year? Oh I'm dying to know. Tell me everything in the comments below!

xo,

Mayi Carles

As promised I'm sharing a little scoop of my surprise honeymoon. I still can't believe David was able to pull this off + keep it a secret for so so long. Makes me want to kiss him like there's no tomorrow.

Wanna know the surprise destination? Take a look at the pictures + take a wild guess.

Yes, it's an island in the Caribbean.

No, it's not Jamaica.

We actually went to Saint Martin!!!

I loved the pristine beaches that we basically had all to ourselves. So romantic!

I loved cuddling all morning with no alarm clock to snooze.

I loved the food, specially the "nocciola" (hazelnut) authentic Italian gelatos + freshly baked pastries. Yummy! With the island being half French-half Dutch, it was really a gastronomic paradise in the middle of the Caribbean. 

I loved our pocket size road trip car.

I loved getting lost + finding our way.

I loved listing to Christmas songs with a reggae twist on the radio. Except Frosty the Snow Man, that was just weird.

I loved losing track of time + not ever having to worry about what day of the week it was.

I loved being able to wear bathing suit all day, everyday.

I loved having wine at noon, without ever feeling guilty.

I loved waking up each day with no plan on my to do list + winging it all the way to dinner's dessert.

Honeymoon, you'll be missed. A lot!

Luckily for me, I have such a happy place to come home too + Friday Video Time episodes to look forward to sharing. I think I'll survive LOL.

xo,

Mayi Carles 

While I decend from the happy clouds + gradually make the transition from oh so relaxing gadget-free wedding la la land to I mean business Mayi mode, I wanted to share a few pictures of the big day.

Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, for all of your genuinely kind words + blessings throughout this entire wedding period. I'm also so grateful for your patience + understanding with the blog programing pause. You rock.

On Thursday I will be back to share some fun pictures of our honeymoon + the sweetest highlights.

Till then much missed friend.

xo,

Mayi Carles

Photos by Ruben Parra / Monsignor Jose Domingo Ulloa / Decoration + Planning by Rolando Domingo / Food by Chef Cuquita Arias de Calvo / Stylist by Armando Quintero / Wedding Cake by Melissa Chen / Wedding Cake Topper by Milk Tea Co. / Wedding Dress by Rosa Clara / Wedding Hair Piece by Twigs & Honey / Bridesmaid Dresses by Lana Stepul / Party Props by Enna de Carles (aka my mom) / Music by Truenos y Relampagos.

Post Update: Honeymoon pictures + highlights will have to wait till next Thusday cuz hubby is helping me put it together + the collaboration is taking a little longer than anticipating. Hold on tight. It will be awesome. Pinky promise.

It's finally here. This is the week when I get married WOOHOOOO!

By doctor's orders (and by doctor I really mean my mom), I'm taking a mini sabbatical to truly soak in every nanosecond of this once in a life time magical moment.

As promised, I will do no e-mail + no blog + no Etsy shop + no MacBookPro + no Twitter parties + no BlackBerry. I'm a bit nervous to follow through, but oh so excited to not let anything distract this wonderful memory in the making.

Now, I'm anticipating some withdrawal symptoms coming both ways LOL, so during my absence I will be broadcasting two very special Friday Video Time editions, exclusive to subscribers. It's a little bit like cheating but not really, right? Here's the sneak peek:

On Friday December 2, I will share some insanely practical action steps to streamline your holiday's + give you some creative chaos-free gift gifting ideas.

On Friday December 9, I will teach you how to manage the new + perhaps unexpected demands on your work schedule due to end-of-the-year business madness.

Sign up + get creative biz goodies. It's a piece of cupcake, no brainer really!

So, I guess I'll see you soon.

I wish I could tell you the exact date, but David is keeping our honeymoon a secret. So much so that he's blindfolding me at the airport + having me wear some ugly looking ginormous headphones so that I won't find out where we're going until we land at our destination. Gotta love him!

Oh man! I hate good-byes. Even short + sweet ones.

So, to make this less painful, I'll just strip off the band-aid quickly by saying: I pinky promise to show you lots of pictures of our handmade wedding + the surprise honeymoon + of course the stories upon arrival.

I will be back before you can say heartmade (wink) + I know I'll return even happier + more energized to be of even greater service to you.

Until then my friend!

xo,

Mayi Carles

My heart is exploding with love + enthusiasm for this magical weekend.

It'll probably take a while for me to soak in the Rich Happy & Hotness + get back to planet Earth. I guess that's what happens when you mix NY City + Marie Forleo + 300 plus inspiring women + a wheel of dance + Whole Foods + birthday presents in one bite. It's explosive. Do not try at home.

So, while I attempt to get my palpitations back in check, I thought I'd share some pictures, for fun sake.

Enjoy!

xo,

Mayi Carles

PS: I'll be sharing my top takeaways from Rich Happy & Hot LIVE in this week's Friday Video Time epidose, so don't forget to tune in to get the goods.

I originally planned to show these after all invitations were delivered, plus a little bit of wiggle room, but I just couldn't hold it any longer. Funny how suspense works in reverse sometimes, LOL.

Anyhow, here they are... ta daaa! Do you like them?

They're designed + hand illustrated by yours truly + heavily inspired by Mr. Heartmade's fantastic ideas, like the oh so cute personalized heart carved in the tree. He's a total genius, my man.

But I think my favorite part has to be the inclusion of Pablo Neruda's XVII Sonnet. The English translation goes something like this:

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

How was that for goosebumps? I know right?

It's perfectly romantic.

Eek… gotta get back to shipping these puppies. I wanna get as many as I can properly dispatched before I leave to New York tomorrow to attend RHH LIVE + finally be able to hug my dear friend April Bowles in person.

Don't worry, Friday Video Time has been pre-recorded for your end of the week pleasures. And that's not all. I've got a juicy surprise lined up for you then as well to celebrate my twentieth-something birthday.

I suddenly forgot to count. Oppsy daisy! (wink).

xo,

Mayi Carles

Broadcasting from the clouds to show you our first picture as Mr. + Mrs. Larrinaga.

Thanks from the bottom of my oh so happy heart for all your sweet wishes + blessings.

See you tomorrow for one of my favorite Friday Video Time episodes ever!

xo,

Mayi Carles

I woke up hula hooping my way out of bed. Know why? Because today's my Anniversary with Mr. Heartmade. But that ain't all. Today it's also the day Miss Mayi turnes Mrs.

Say what? Yes. Today, I'm marrying to the love of my life, David Larrinaga. (Envision me doing happy cart wheels + wearing all my party props at once).

Now before you get the idea I lied about my wedding date being on November 26, let me clarify.

The religious ceremony + white gown affair + Thriller dancing + 22 bridesmaids + big wedding cake eating event is still schedule according to plan. Today is, what we call here in Panama, our "Matrimonio Civil" - the legal wedding. Ya' know? The court + the papers + the signing + the birth of Mayi Carles de Larrinaga? And my heart can't stop smiling.

Before I head out to get pretty for this afternoon's big moment + paint my nails bubblegum pink or something cute like that, I wanted to show you a little last minute treat I whipped out for our friends + family as favors.

It's my fave homemade granola recipe. Hooray!

And you can do it too.

ingredients

3 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cups pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup cranberries

1/4 cup golden raisins

preparation

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: Chop all the nuts in the food processor.

Step 3: Toss oats + chopped nuts + cinnamon + salt + coconut in a large bowl.

Step 4: Pour the honey + oil over the mixter + stir with a wooden spoon, until everything gets coated.

Step 5: Pour granola mixture into a large sheet pan.

Step 6: Bake + stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula for about 45 minutes.

Step 7: Remove the granola from the oven + let cool.

Step 8: Add the dried fruit.

Step 9: Voila! Easy + healthy + so super duper delicious. Guaranteed.

just an idea

Try it with greek yogurt + fresh strawberries. OMG, just do it, please. Thank me later.

pretty packaging

To make things extra special, I packed my granola in small clear bags + added a personalized handmade tag made by yours truly + closed it with a tiny clothespin. Isn't it darling?

Thanks for letting me share bits of love-wedding-versary-happiness time.

Okay, now comes the part where I might die of happiness overload.

If I'm not here for Friday Video Time, get worried.

xo,

Mayi Carles