View of Old San Juan

Think of the world
that you carry inside you

RAINER MARIA WILKE

PAPER BAG

All images courtesy of Ale Roman

OUT of the humblest materials, like newspaper, Ale Roman
fashions handbags that charm with their good design, smart looks,
and attractive graphics.

Not to mention craftmanship.
  
These fashionable bags are so skillfully made they renew your
appreciation of quality. A well-made object, no matter how
humble or simple its component materials, has a way of standing
out and Roman's bags reflect the pleasure she obviously takes in
fashioning an appealing product that users will enjoy wearing and
people will enjoy looking at.

Roman, who loves the environment and recycling, says she is
an avid reader.

 "I always thought, for example, that newspapers publish
spectacular pictures and articles and unfortunately this media,
newspapers, is so ephemeral that by the next day the news is
old. I wanted to preserve some images by doing something related
to fashion and what better than a handbag.

"Besides, by using recycled materials I am making my small
contribution to conserving our Planet."

Her raw material comes from magazines, catalogs, old calendars
 "but I confess that my favorite is newspaper. I like it because of
its size and because I can handle it much better."

Roman uses up to six sheets of paper to confection one bag which
then gets covered with a laminate sheet for a waterproof finish.

Roman said she is in conversation with Echo Verde, the
environmental store in Hato Rey, to carry her bags. In the
meantime, you can get acquainted with her work, which
also includes jewelry, through her Facebook page and her
blog, Moda Eco by Ale Roman.

http://modaecobyaleroman.blogspot.com 

Little Italy, New York City
Photography by Juanita Colombani

The city is a cathedral of possessions;
its scent is dreams.

James Salter,  "Light Years"

➨EYE ON PRODUCTS:
Alvarado St. Bakery's sprouted wheat tortillas

You can't go wrong with a product that has ingredients you can
actually recognize like sprouted organic whole wheat berries,
organic wheat flour, filtered water, unrefined safflower oil, and
sea salt.

On top of having healthy ingredients, Alvarado's wheat tortillas
are very tasty. Once tortilla is pan toasted, add your favorite
filling. One easy filling is a mixture of finely chopped onions,
cabbage, tomatoes, carrots marinaded in olive oil and apple
cider vinegar  (throw in a few morself of cooked chicken for
added protein) and voilá, a simple and appetizing lunch or
dinner.

For more ideas on fillings, check out "10 Ways to Eat a Tortilla"
at Maria's Farm Country Kitchen's website.

Alvarado's tortillas are available in San Juan at Freshmart stores like
the recently opened outlet in Condado. The product retails for $3.89,
and you get six tortillas per package.

(www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com/10-ways-to-eat-a-whole-
grain-tortilla/)

Freshmart Condado Store
#1310 Ave. Ashford Condado
787.999.7800

Photography by Juliette Blasor

How gloriously special
getting through the day
ought to be.

Thornton Wilder

A SIMPLE TIP

Say you have cats and a garden and you wanted to save water...

Washing cat food cans consumes quite a bit of water but here
is a full proof method to clean cans without turning on the faucet.

Just leave the cans out in the garden and those busy ant colonies
that are all over the place will take care of cleaning up your cans,
leaving them spotlessly clean and tidy.

You help out mother nature and mother nature helps you out, an
unbeatable partnership! And it saves a lot of water…


ⓒ 2014 Lorraine Blasor  ✤ all rights reserved ✿