My thoughts for this ‘journal’ space is to share my travels and the inspiration it brings for the love of artisanal crafts. AMA VIDA is both a place where you can purchase your florals but also a site to come find unique pieces thoughtfully and sustainably made. Every trip I go on I try to collect something local that is functional for myself, loved ones and my home. I love finding ceramic napkin rings or handwoven cotton blankets. I also love supporting artists who are doing what they love every day while supporting their families and communities with their unique ability and expertise.

One of the most inspirational trips I have ever been on was to Morocco with my husband, Kyle in 2019 for my 30^th birthday. We stayed and enjoyed Marrakech for a few days which was an amazing shock to the system. For just about everything, from all the scents of the spices to the deep colors all around us and all the shouting of people making exchanges in the marketplace. It really was an awesome experience, but what I loved most was the two-day trip to the desert. We had a driver pick us up at our Riad in the medina and take us to the Sahara. It was all booked through Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp and it was honestly the most incredible experience! It's a long drive but well worth it! It was all the stops in the many different villages that did it for me. You can always experience a country by going to a major city, but I prefer going to the little towns and getting a sense for the people and the commerce that keeps it running which in turn fuels my love for diverse cultures.

 We visited so many different villages on our trek through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara. Included was a village famous for Moroccan pottery, we had a tour through the small alley ways that connected all the little houses. We got to peek inside and see how these locals lived. These generations and generations of families dedicating their life to the craft of pottery. The way they dig the holes right in front of their village so far deep into the ground to get the right clay. It was fascinating. All the men of the community work together here, some digging the holes, others wetting the clay from the well, someone spreading it out to dry, a couple potters sitting in the ground in shaded areas making the pots, some in charge of laying the ceramics in the sun to dry, others overseeing the dying or adding the artwork and then those running the 6 or 7 manmade kilns on the side of a cliff. It was a remarkable production. I wish I could have purchased everything there! I bought two tajins, some candle holders and salt and pepper cellar. They took pride in their work, and it showed and if I had extra luggage space, I would have purchased more.

We also stopped in the valley of dates where there are over 3 million date trees. I don’t usually gravitate towards dates, but these were exceptionally delicious. We were able to see how they harvested, and quality controlled all the dates to package and send out all over the world. We later stopped in at a hotel nearby and made it to the desert late afternoon the following day. This camp was so nice, it had it all and we just loved being there. The sunsets over the dunes were breathtaking. We hiked, we went on camel rides, we read our books in the hammocks. One night we went up on a dune and watched over 1500 camels graze on wild arugula. I never knew Camels ate arugula. It was a real pinch me moment being out there in the middle of nowhere with only Camels. I need to do a better job of remembering that feeling of peace every once in a while, back here in Dallas.

After two nights in the quiet desert, we started the journey back to Marrakech where we stopped at another village famous for their weaving abilities. We had another tour of their village and were shown by the local women how they spun the yarn from sheep wool. They also showed us how they dyed the yarn naturally from eucalyptus, pomegranate, turmeric, henna etc. They worked a bit on their looms and showed us how they made rugs, pillowcases and even boots. I bought some beautiful pillowcase. I feel like we really got to see the country this way, our driver Ayub was not only our chauffer but our translator and human Moroccan encyclopedia. He was so patient with our many questions and even got us hooked on Algerian Blues music. Highly recommend – both Ayub & Algerian Blues.

I didn’t know it at the time but our trip to Morocco ended up being one of the most influential journeys to starting AMA VIDA. I wanted to take what I knew about Morocco and formulate it to my own ancestral countries of Venezuela and Colombia. Striving to aid in the preservation of the beautiful artwork from my mother’s homeland by bringing awareness to the masterpieces created there.