My son - the Artist

I encourage my children to express themselves through drawing. Sometimes they take that for granted and I find myself looking transfixed at prehistoric art on my bedroom door or on the walls around the house. Nevertheless, when the teachers give them back drawing blocks at the end of the year I cannot wait to see what they have been drawing.

This year was not as prolific as I was expecting from my son in terms of tide and weight of feelings and ideas, and many of them are not finished. I hope he didn't have an artistic block ;)

Here are some I selected and I also offer disambiguation of the drawings:

"Our family and the unknown guy"

My favorite! As the title suggests this is our family. You read the captions so you see there is an unknown ...hm ... child/guy/person there. I look a lot like Morticia Addams, don't you think? And black. I hate wearing black and rarely do, to be honest so this is quite puzzling. I must say I love our ears - they make us better listeners! Then there's Dad: he is tall (in reality) but it's the legs that go all the way from his head to his toes that give the man some character!
When I asked why is his sister sad he said it just wasn't her day!!

Update:
Disclaimer! Those round things next to our heads with little lines are actually our hands. Sorry about that! Upon a more detailed description I required, he told me my mistake!

This is a camel and the tent belongs to the camel's master.

This is also a favorite. It is the red dinosaur. My son is crazy about ancient and contemporary creatures (real and imaginary) and animals, including aliens. That says it all.

Jacob and his friends at the park (although they look like aliens to me or Mr. Potato's kids!).

A day out. That's a river coming down from the mountain.

Autumn. I like the combination of colors in this one.
And that's all for today! Hope you enjoyed grandmas!

Statement of the day

Couldn't agree more.
Enjoy your week!

"Suspended in the Air"

(the meaning of Meteora in Greek, or "the heavens above") is the right term of expression when one witnesses the sight of this priceless heirloom treasure. Perched on top of breathtaking dominant and monumental rocks the monasteries look up towards the heavens. They represent a unique artistic achievement and are one of the most powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site into a place of retreat, meditation and prayer.



An extract from UNESCO's description illustrates that: "Built under impossible conditions, with no practicable roads, permanent though precarious human habitations subsist to this day in the Meteora, but have become vulnerable under the impact of time. The net (and basket) in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the 373 m cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction. The monasteries are built on rock pinnacles of deltaic origin, known as Meteora, which rise starkly over 400 m above the Peneas valley and the small town of Kalambaka on the Thessalian plain."

It is said that the hermits and ascetics probably settled here first in the 11th century. The rock community slowly grew and it encompassed 24 monasteries. Each community developed its own resources and by the end of the 14th century, the Grand Meteoron emerged as the dominant community.

Grand Meteoron Courtyard

However, only six of the monasteries remain today.Of these six, five are inhabited by men, one by women. Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants. The monasteries are now tourist attractions. All the pictures shown here I've taken at the Grand Meteoron. It serves as the main museum for tourists.

For me this has really been an amazing and fulfilling experience. The only drawback was that we visited it at the weekend when it was swarming with tourists, while place like this requires a peace of mind for the soul to open. I cannot describe the wonderful energy that fills the place and the unity one feels with the universe. I have to go back there again.
There are more pictures on my flickr page if you want to see more (it's on the right-side bar).

Metéora - Μετέωρα

A flight away and I was witness to this spectacular and breath-taking wonder. More to come.

All free beading

Some time ago I was contacted by the lovely Maggie, editor of the new site Allfreebeadedjewelry regarding the inclusion of my projects - an offer I couldn't dare decline and was quite exuberant to embrace to be honest. And yesterday my designer profile was set up! Here it is!
Check out the site and its sister sites: AllFreeSewing
and FaveCrafts I am certain you'll find many things of interests, a whole bunch of crafty ideas and easy tutorials. Go ahead and click away!


This also coincides with the feature ofthis necklace by the talented Pearl who I have the pleasure to be in company with at the site. Thank you for the wonderful feature Pearl!

The World in My Wardrobe - Turkish Crochet Vest

In 1995 me and my husband went to Turkey on vacation in the lovely resort of Kuşadası. We have many beautiful memories of the time and it was one exceptional adventure we will always remember.
For me - as a crafster- the Turkish bazaars were a paradise. I brought back a heap of supplies and gorgeous fabric. I also bought this vest. Turkish women are known for their remarkable crochet work and I knew I had to buy something handmade. The vest is crocheted in thick cotton yarn in champagne.
Its netted design has an intricate, repeating pattern on the front and the back. It closes with crocheted balls.

I wore it a lot in the past. I remember having a long black cotton dress over which I wore this vest and I loved the contrast they made. I also wore it paired with a tee and jeans. A perfect combination. Sadly, it doesn't fit me any more so now it belongs to Eva. And since it looks as intact as the day it was bought I am sure it will see many long years of wear.

(Front panel detail)

If you missed the first part of the series you can read it here.

White eco leather necklace with crocheted edge

I have been under the weather for a while now being involved both professionally and personally although it was the professional part that took its toll.

Having been making a lot of accessories in the past using faux leather, a couple of months ago I bought some eco-leather in white and burgundy red planning to return to the roots :)

This tender necklace was ready in a dash and I like how the crocheted edge turned out. And it was a super easy project for getting back on the track.

Talk to you soon!
M

Treasuries

Hello again!
Well... Blogger has been acting Gibberish-ly for a while now and they didn't put the missing posts from yesterday back (although they promised), so here is mine in a slightly altered version.

After having a brain draining and body exhausting activities I am back in a slack mood.
However, I hope the operating mode shall completely change during the weekend, so I bid thee farewell my dear friends.

Here is something for your eyes and soul... A treasury I made to celebrate spring ... and it actually got on the front page of etsy. Enjoy!

The World in My Wardrobe - Romanian Blouse

A couple of days ago while rearranging my wardrobe I got an interesting idea. Throughout the years I have collected many pieces of clothing from various parts of the world. 

Some I bought myself others I acquired through family. Each and everyone represents a unique piece of work representing the culture and the tradition of the countries they originated from.

So starting from today I am commencing a short series called "The World in My Wardrobe". The idea is to showcase these magnificent pieces and to emphasize the beauty of the diversity of our world.

The first in the series is this Romanian blouse. As the name suggests it came from Romania (Europe) and was brought as a gift to my mother in law when she was a young girl. When I was a young bride she gave it to me knowing my love for needle point and embroidery and I am eternally happy and thankful about this gift.

The blouse is made of a handmade soft and transparent cotton showing traditional Romanian needle point pattern and style. It is quite big and comfortable. There are three embroidered columns at the center front divided by an intricate white pattern in silk yarn. At the back there are only a few scattered, blue embroidered diamonds.

The sleeves are also quite roomy and densely embroidered. They are tied by tassels.

(Sleeve detail)

It looks great with jeans and denim skirts because of the color of the embroidery. It implies casual and hippie-ish style.
Hope you enjoyed the post.