A day in Vienna

The ceiling of the Opera House in Vienna- see the 24 k gold work on the ceiling

June 23, 2011- Vienna

Had a wonderful day today with Rinka.  Though the day started with a shrill alarm at 5 o clock in the morning and we all had to climb the five floors of  stairs,  nothing really was that dangerous.  After half an hour later everything seemed safe and sound (less- no pun intended) and we all climbed up in the elevator (!).  No fire truck really did show up to save the residents in this diplomats’ unit.  Any way it was a weird chance to meet Rinka’s neighbors.

Rinka took us to a nice café and introduced me to a drink which was a mix of coffee, chocolate, lots of whipped cream with a swirl of caramel sauce.  Yummy.  I had a  soft boiled egg and roll with all kinds of jams.

We took the tram and came to Belvedere Museum.  Here I focused on Klimpt.  I love his The Kiss but I did not know so many things about this picture.  Gustave Klimpt chose bold rectangles in the pattern around the male figure, and roundish motifs for the female.  They have their differences but those differences are trying to melt for something soft, loving… the figures are surrounded by flowers and gold dust.  The Kiss is soft and beautiful.

Other pictures worth mentioning are “The Bride”, “Adam and Eve”, “the Meadow “ where he showed how the poppies in the fore ground stood out merging the big tree with oranges in the back ground.  There is a picture by Van Gogh- a landscape.  He shot himself two days after painting this picture.

The garden is fantastic.

Here you see the inside of the stage of the Opera House - A rare thing.  As a holiday there is no rehearsal going.  So we could see the inside of the stage

From here we went to the Opera House and we took a guided tour.  It is a holiday today so there is no rehearsal and we lucked out to see the inside of the stage.

It is magnificent.  The hall, ceilings and the whole place give you goose bumps

The inside of the auditorium

After lunch we had gelato.  It was so good.  Rinka knows all these little nooks and corners of Vienna.  My senses are so stimulated today.

After we came home it started to rain and get cooler.

My Mommy and Me

My Mommy and Me

My Ma and Me - probably my first picture

On this special Mother's Day I was thinking about my Ma. There are so many memories, so many moments to cherish, laugh about and feel serious about.  What message did she leave for me to pass on?  consciously and unconsciously?

She was very beautiful and as a young child I used to get awestruck seeing her getting ready for parties.  She paid attention to beauty .  I remember her saying  to me  one day,( on  one of those morose teenage days) - "Go pretty yourself up" - she even wanted to share her lipstick! "and see your self in the mirror with a big smile"   Phew!  I said that day.  But you know-  I found later on - IT WORKS.

She paid attention to beauty around her too.  Much before green living became vogue, she taught me -  the want less, waste less  mantra and to give away generously. She showed me how to pretty up the surrounding with simple things.

She was a great friend, a good friend, my Ma,  and when I miss her,  deep inside I feel that she is right there inside me.  I have not really lost her.  

The Help - a book that I am reading

I am reading a book named "The Help" .  It is so interesting that I cannot put it down.  It is one of those books that you really don't want to end.  Therefore my beading, business and other house hold  things are at stake.

This is the author's  first book and it is going to be a movie I hear.  I got it as a birthday present from my daughter.

Lately I did not read much.  And I was thinking my concentration is getting poor or some thing.  Why can't I just stick to the one I am reading and just finish it?  I was kind of mad at my self.  I found the answer.  

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung.  Look at our  wisteria  tree and oh, the smell.

I am enthused to create two earring pieces too.  The first one, a knitted piece was when I got inspired by a cob web and the dew on it.

The second one - I name it WISTERIA.

I was motivated to do this from Mystic Pesto's blog.

You can join in the celebration by visiting these participating blogs!

Mystic Pesto

BooBeads

Handcrafted Baubles

My Life Under the Bus

For My Sweet Daughter

Silver Rose Designs

Lois Moon

Create with Moxie

Sue Beads

Alankarshilpa

Nutkitten

What did I do with my buttons?

What did I do with my buttons?

I'm late, I'm late - I feel like that rabbit in Alice in wonderland.  I live in California, so my day starts out a bit later than most of my blog hopping friends.  On top of that I spent a whole lot of the day today thinking about the design, then  creating my bracelet ( yes, I am one of those last minute persons...I don't want to be...but

When I was kind of satisfied I found the day  light is almost gone.  Well, still I took advantage of that slanting last beam of the afternoon sun ray on my window sill and I'll show you in a minute what I did.

I started with the lady.  I name this piece "She- and  her dreams".  This button is  sent by Cat.  It took me a long time to find out what I want to put in here.  Then I thought that keeping it most simple,  knitting it  with   waves and waves of  dreams and thoughts is what this piece should be all about.  I thought of my mom (who has passed away in 2007) as I was making it.

I am so anxious to see what the others have done with their buttons.  Please do hop on their blogs too.  Here is the list and a short notice from Michelle who kindly arranged this whole BUTTON project.

Here is Michelle's note:

You might also want to tell your readers about the giveaway--if readers comment on any (or all) blogs, they can win a set of buttons.  The full rules will be on my blog, but basically, each comment on a different blog gets them one entry.  So if they comment on all posts, that would be 25 entries!  But if they comment 25 times on Lori's blog, that only counts as one entry!  The giveaway is open to everyone.

As always, feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Thanks,

Michelle
www.michellemach.com/blog/

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1. Cat - Boo Beads

2. Cindy - Sweet Bead Studio

3. Cory - Art with Moxie

4. Cyndi - Beading Arts

5. Dita - Alankarshilpa

6. Donna, Marti, and Michelle - Beads & Books

7. Erin - Treasures Found

8. Hope - Crafty Hope

9. Inca - Zerenity Design

10. Katrine - Army of Sock Monsters

11. Krista - French Elegant Jewelry

12. Kristie - Artisan Clay

13. Linda D. - Lutka and Co.

14. Linda L. - Linda's Bead Blog

15. Lody - Lody's Beadworks

16. Lori - Pretty Things

17. Loretta - Loretta's Boutique

18. Malin - Beading by Malin de Koning

19. Mary - MK's Creative Musings

20. Maryanne - Zingala's Workshop

21. Melinda - Melinda Orr Metal & Clay Jewelry Designs

22. Saskia - Perlendistel

23. Shannon - For My Sweet Daughter

24. Shirley - Beads and Bread

25. Stephanie - Confessions of a Bead Hoader

 

Yeh! My Buttons

My Buttons

I was in this button swapping project. I  had to choose some buttons for my partner Cat from boo beads and send it to her.

 

Similarly I received a nice pack of buttons from her too.  Like her, I love buttons made of natural materials too.

Aren't they beautiful?  Cat made the copper one herself and her mom made the one with the letter D.  I am so touched to receive hand made buttons.

O, I forgot to mention that I found some vintage copper buttons from an old jacket.  I discarded the jacket but saved the buttons to share with Cat.

Cat and I both saved one sample piece  of each button for our selves and would share later what we did with them.  In the mean time, my head is working more than my hands and that is the hard part.  Now I just have to carve a couple of quiet hours when I can totally immerse in the creative process.

Well, it is 9:39pm now.  The night is still pretty young to me.  I should rather be beading than blogging.


 

7000 Bracelets For Hope

7000 Bracelets for Hope- What a touching thing to organize.  Every time I visit Lori's blog I get some thing new and enthusiastic.

The project is that we have to make a bracelet with BLUE ( Denim blue is their awareness color).  This bracelet then  has to be sent to the Global Genes Project ( The address is:
7000 Bracelets of Hope /Global Genes Project
24701 La Plaza Suite 201
Dana Point, CA 92629 .

The Global Genes Project, an advocacy group for children's rare disease awareness is going to send it to the seven thousand families having children with rare diseases to show them love and support. You may visit this site to see how you can help.


112 jewelry artists have already joined knowing it from Lori's blog.  You can see their wonderful work if you visit Lori's blog to get the links.

I wanted to be a part of it too.  So what if I am late!  Better late than never.  So, I started thinking about my blue bracelet.


My thoughts took me to Sedona, Arizona where I went last year.  I was pretty sick at that time.  I remembered buying some turquoise beads  from a bead shop and then I  was sitting facing the red monolinths, waiting for my husband.

An interesting feeling came to me.  I had heard about the vortex power of Sedona.  I closed my eyes and prayed that may the beads in my hand have magic power to heal and cure the wearer.  I don't know  who'd get these beads in future, but I had known the healing power of turqoise.

I prayed for myself too, may I be cured soon, so that I can sit and do my beading.  My prayers were answered.  I hope the rest be true too.

 With these thoughts I created this bracelet with tiny turquoise and silver  beads.  They are  individually strung and then I  knitted the silver wire part with a pair of very thin knitting needles to form the half circle part.  At the end  I finished  adding  some oval turquoise beads and silver adornments as you see in the picture. There is an extender to accommodate different wrist sizes.

I'll send it soon to the address given with a note and my prayer.  May it heal a child.