Cut 'n Paste

Porcelain 'C' shield necklace

Before leaving home for Europe this year, I decided that it was past time that I used some of the treasures I had bought last year while I was in Italy. So, when I was at Terri Brush's Art Camp last month, I designed and put together this simple, neutral necklace. The focal point, the shield with the porcelain 'C' letter were soldered into a 3D shadow box. For the chain, I took mother of pearl beads from a rosary I purchased in Milan and combined it with Pyrite and Labradorite to make a necklace which, with its neutral color scheme, will be a versatile addition to my jewelry wardrobe.

Snapshots from Budapest

(Photos from top: 1) The view of the Danube and Parliament from the Castle Hill. 2) Antiquing at a local flea market 3) A few of my treasures from the local flea market 4) A sweet photo of a baby girl that I found at the market 5) "Shoes on the Danube Bank" is a memorial of bronzed shoes on the bank of the Danube river. It commemorates Jews who were killed by fascist militiamen in Budapest during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank. 6) The Parliment building 7) thoughts... 8) Rick and I in front of Széchenyi bath.)

As I write this, a few days removed from our time in Budapest I can't help but wish I was back there. As a city it completely captivated me. It was beautiful and stately, vibrant and full of personality. We ate fantastic meals, I had one of the most fun days of antiquing I have ever had at one of their local flea markets, and to top it off, we had blue skies and balmy weather each day. I plan to share some of our experiences and favorite places with you once I am back home. In the meantime, to read more about what we are doing and seeing, I invite you to visit me on Facebook. The link to my Facebook page is on the upper right side of this page.

More watercolor explorations...thank you card

This is the final in a series of watercolor thank you cards which I made last fall (You can see the others here, here, and here), but it has taken me a long time to get this final card up on the blog! I stamped this card using a floral stamp from Stampin' Up!, then watercolored it to give a very soft finish. The patterned papers used on the card are from Making Memories (a company whose demise I still mourn), October Afternoon, Anna Griffin, and another line whose name escapes me now (and unfortunately, I am not at home to look in my studio for the paper pad I used).

The 'thank you' is typed with the font called 'Showcase Sans'. I printed it on my computer, then mounted it on chipboard in order to get some depth on the card front.

Thanks for your visit today. I hope you are having a great week!

Snapshots from Prague

(Photos from top: 1) Tyn Church and other buildings to it's left, in the Old Town square. 2) A beautiful doorway in the city. 3) Open faced Celery Root sandwiches tasted during the "Eating Prague Food Tour". 4) A view over the city and the Vltava River from Letenske Park. 5) The warm Apple Strudel served with custard and whipped cream at the Cafe Louvre. 6) The lock bridge. 7) Rick and I in Wenceslas Square.)
 
I'm on the road again! This time Rick and I have headed to Eastern Europe and are enjoying the beautiful city of Prague. This city has enchanted us. I expected it to be stately and beautiful, but I didn't expect the cleanliness, how large the Old City is and the sheer volume of classical architecture. In some ways we picked a bit of an unlucky time to be here in respect to the amount of tourists in the city. We are visiting on the same week that the World Cup of Hockey Tournament started and the Prague Marathon took place. So the city is overrun with more tourists than normal for this time of year. It has made seeing some of the 'must-see' attractions a bit of a challenge. But, if that is the worst thing I have to complain about, then we are doing pretty well, right?

To read more about what we are doing and seeing, I invite you to visit me on facebook. The link to my Facebook page is on the upper right side of this page.