Cut 'n Paste

The Safed Inn - Upper Galilee

 Overlooking part of Safed

After teaching just outside Tel Aviv, Rick and I decided that we would spend a few days in the North of Israel in the Sea of Galilee area. We would rent a car, find a centrally located hotel to base out of and then drive around the North of the country deciding on our itinerary as we went along.

Unfortunately, moderately priced hotels were incredibly difficult to find in Israel. My usual booking tools such as Hotwire and Priceline did not offer accommodation in the country, and the reviews for most hotels were either hit (with a BIG price tag), or miss (with horrible reviews). It was really difficult to find lodging which had consistently high reviews and fit our budget. However, during my trip research I stumbled upon the Safed Inn which is located in Safed in the Upper Galilee region.

We decided to book a room with them and, after having stayed there, would highly recommend it as a great base for anyone looking to see what the North has to offer. The bed was comfortable, the breakfast filling and our hosts were so helpful in helping us chose our daily itinerary. The Inn had several different kinds of lodging available, from deluxe rooms to dormitory. And the property grounds reminded me a little bit of a camp with little paths and visiting areas. Check it out:
 And each day the proprietor would hang the flags of his visiting guests by the front door.
 
 

Home from CHA Summer

 (Left to Right: Me, Brian, Melissa and Kim)

Last week saw me in Chicago with the Melissa Frances team for the Craft & Hobby Association Summer Trade show. Although attendance at these shows continues to drop, we were really pleased with the response to our new collection "Deck the Halls". As soon as the catalog featuring our new goodies goes live on the Melissa Frances website, I will post the link here so that you can check it out. I made a few projects for the show, most of which I no longer have as they were packed away with the booth. But I do have one here, so I will try to get it photographed to show you soon.

In the meantime, I do have more photos from our time in Israel to show you, so will try to get those posted as well ☺ I hope you've been enjoying your summer.

As I close, I want to send a big cyber hug to my sweet friends in Norway. I know that as a country you are going through such a difficult time right now. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

The long and the short of it...

 
Last week, within minutes of coming in the door to my house from the airport, I was on the phone with my hair dresser to book an appointment. A few weeks ago I had my hair cut into an inverted bob. It worked out OK, but took more time to style than I typically like. The photo on the left here was taken in Israel, after a day of teaching and the humidity in the teaching location made my hair totally frizzy. And because of the frizz and the heat, I ended up tucking it behind my ears, which, then messes up the line of the inverted bob, so you can't even really see it here. Anyways, the hair was driving me crazy. So, it was time to cut it short again. I typically go back and forth between short and chin length hair but it has been about 4 years since I have been this short. Super fun and light for summer!

Pink Aqua Weekend Teaching recap

I arrived home last Thursday after our fabulous time in Israel and I finally have a recap of the teaching portion of the trip to share with you.

The Pink-Aqua Weekend took place at the Shefayim Kibbutz Hotel, close to Tel Aviv and the sea shore.


 Each of the event attendees stayed at the hotel, which really helped build the sense of community at the weekend.

Natasja Verbeek and I were the instructors and the students were split into two groups for the duration of the weekend. When I was teaching group "A", Natasja was with group "B" and vice versa. I had been warned by my host before teaching that the Israeli girls were a loud, boisterous group, and not to be alarmed if they wanted to do their own thing in class as they are also highly creative and love to divert from the class project. I can happily report that even though the above is certainly true, we got along swimmingly. I don't mind loud and boisterous as long as everyone is having fun, and indeed I think fun was the key thing the girls had all weekend.

 Here is the whole gang....or at least most of them ☺
 Me teaching - thanks Tsila for the photo!
 The girls hard at work during class.
 Here is group B (I think) and I after the mini album workshop.

Beyond the classes, the ladies were all really kind and gracious to both myself and Rick all weekend. I could not have asked for a better experience. For those who attended the weekend and are reading here, thank you SO much for your positive energy. It was a pleasure to meet you, and witness your awesome creativity!

I would also like to take a moment to thank my host, Netanella. She gave me so much freedom in designing and teaching the workshops and trusted me to bring her customers something special. Thank you so much Netanella. It was a joy to spend time with you, your family and customers. HUGS!
 
Natasja, Netanella and I.

I have more photos from our time in Israel to share with you, hopefully I'll get them up soon. Have a great day!!

Akko

 Scenes from Akko
 Part of the wall around the city
 The port
 Rick by the sea wall
 Beside the entrance to a mosque
 Rick and I
On July 3rd, after our lunch with Netanella, Rick and I drove into Akko. After Jerusalem, it has the most well preserved old town in Israel. While the heat and humidity was high, we found the town really interesting. It is definitely one that we hope one day to return to in order to explore more thoroughly.

As you read this, I will be on a plane headed back home...So I will update with more photos from our last few days in the country later. Rick and I can hardly believe that our time here in Israel is over. To say that this country has captivated us is an understatement. It has such a rich history and there is so much to discover here. We hope to return for another visit soon!

Lunch in the North...

 The eating/seating area
Some details from the table 
 A door on the property
 Our lunch group - minus Rick who took the photo.
It's been a few days since I've shared photos with you as I only had a very slow internet connection for the past few days. I have finished teaching in Israel, and had a fabulous time - the girls were awesome...I will be sharing photos from that later, but for now, I have photos from a fabulous lunch on July 3rd, which my host, Netanella, hosted for Rick and I and Natasha, the other instructor at the event. She took us to a restaurant on a farm in the North of Israel and we had a beautiful outdoor eating/seating area in which to visit, chat, eat and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. The food was yummy, but it was the experience was what made the whole thing so very special and treasured.