Poppies Galore....

Just prior to going on holiday my new stamps arrived.... I've been ordering some from Simon Says.... very reasonable postage from the States and in the end it worked out cheaper than buying in store....

One that arrived was the Delicate Blossoms by Hero Arts.  It really is a lovely set... two different sized poppies.  I had fun making some cards with them

For the top one, I used watercolour pencils and a Hero Arts sentiment and then matted onto some blue Bazzill.  The second one was stamped with black ink and clear embossed and then painted with Pearlescent paints.  I matted it and then added to the card base which had been dry embossed using my new Scor-buddy.  And the final one is a mini card 2 7/8 x 3 1/2 inches.  I masked off the bottom of the card and then stamped just the top part of the stamp.  I used some Aqua crayons to colour it it.  Sentiment again by Hero Arts. 

I can hardly believe that I've been back at work for 2 1/2 weeks..... seems like only yesterday we were still away.  Now it's only 7 1/2 weeks till Emma's wedding.... I bet that it comes around so quickly.

Now for some blog candy that Deirdre is having....

Pop over to her blog post and visit her.  She makes some wonderful cards.

Well thanks all for stopping by.  Hope you enjoy my flowers...
Take care

Photo cards

This month the technique at Hero Arts blog involves using photos on cards.... particularly for the holidays.... but last month I made a couple of photo cards to say thank you to some people... one who lent me a bag to take away and one to thank the couple who house sat for us.... so I'll have to get organised and make some more....

I started by printing out on my computer a couple of the photos I took at Monet's garden in Giverny in France and then using Stazon added the sentiment.....




I was very pleased with the photos and how they looked as cards.  I took so many photos of the flowers and the pond, that it is hard to choose which ones to use.

So now it's back to normal for me.... and getting a start on the Christmas cards.  I have stamping group this Saturday.... a marathon event this month... 10.00am till Midnight!!!!  Not sure I'll last that long as we are heading to Hamilton the next day ( a 2 hr drive) to visit our SIL Mary....  She is improving and coming along well.  Her tumours were benign but still affected her sight and balance.  Still a long ways to go.... but she is very positive.
Many thanks to all who have been praying for her...

Thanks for visiting.

Holiday instalment #12 - The Final Day...

Turley's tour of England and Europe 2010 was coming to an end..... our last day in Rome was spent re-visiting some of our favourite spots.... the Spanish Steps, the Trevi fountain and of course Pepy's Bar and Cafe - on the corner of the Piazza Barberini ... a great spot to sit and watch the traffic whizzing around and to have that last Bellini.....

The last photo is of an elephant at the base of an obelisk we came across in our walking round the city.... we had not seen it till the last day.... so there really is more for us to see when we go back again.... Don't know when, but I did throw my penny into the Trevi fountain which according to legend ensures a return to Rome.

So at the end of the day, we travelled out to the airport and boarded our plane to head home..... with a touch of sadness that this wonderful 4 weeks was coming to an end.... this really was a trip of a lifetime for us.

thank you to all my followers who have come back day after day to read my journey and leave me such lovely comments.  I appreciate it.

Now back to normality and catching up on my crafting posts in the coming days....

Holiday instalment #11-Naples and Pompeii

We were up bright and early on our second to last day in Rome as we were heading south... doing a tour to Naples and Pompeii.  Our bus set off in early morning traffic heading towards Naples first. 

Along the way we saw Monte Cassino - and the replaced monastery in the distance.  This was special for Peter as his father was there in WWII - and involved in the Battle of Monte Cassino.  We also cross the Appian Way.... this was the original Roman road that led from Rome to Brindisi in the south east of Italy.  Parts of this are still visible and used today.

Once we got to Naples we meet with a local guide who took us on a quick walking tour of the city... we saw the Castle Nuovo, the Piazza del Plebiscito ( Square of the people) and the Opera House (Real Teatro di San Carlo) where famous singers like Caruso, Maria Callas and Pavarotti sang.  Quite spectacular.... as well as the harbour

Next we headed to Pompeii where before having lunch we visited a Cameo factory to watch a demonstration on the hand carving of the sea shells that goes into the making of a true Cameo.  Of course I had to have one.... very expensive as they are all hand carved, but I decided that I would wear it for my daughter's wedding, so got one that can to either a brooch or a pendant.  It is simply gorgeous.

Then it was off to explore the ruins.  Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried by ash during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD...Excavation started in the 1700's and is still going on today. 

Some of the mosaics are incredible... as you can see above... that one looks 3D but is just a single layer of tiny little bits of colour.  On the temple photo you can see Vesuvius in the background.  It was quite stunning how clever the people were - the roads had stepping stones in the middle so you could cross without getting wet feet, but the chariots could still travel down them - the wheels passing each side of the stone. They also had running water - through copper piping...

All in all the day was fabulous.... we finally arrived back in Rome around 8.30 that night and ended up visiting the Trevi Fountain and finding a little restaurant to eat at about 10.00 at night.   The owner of the restaurant had a bit of a party going on with some friends and there was lots of singing and laughing - made for a fun end to a fun day.

And so the holiday was nearly at an end.... just one more day to spend in the city and then the long trip home.... more next post....
thanks for visiting

Holiday instalment #10- Rome - the ancient City

Back again...

Rome is a city of so many contrasts.  Parts of the city are SO old - over 10 centuries BC... can you imagine that!   We did a walking tour around the oldest parts of the city... parts that are still being excavated.  Totally mind blowing... to think I was walking on the same paths that Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and all those other famous Roman's  walked on... yes some of the paths we walked were the original stones....

 We walked through the old city, saw a small stadium where there would have been sporting events, saw the forum where the senate sat, and the final photo shows the shrine where Julius Caesar's body was cremated.   Following on from the ancient city we arrived at the Colosseum.  This is a stunning piece of architecture.  For it's size and the time it was built ( 72AD) it took only about 6-8 years to build, mostly with the assistance of the slaves captured during the Roman conquests.  It was partially destroyed in the middle ages by devastating earthquakes....

You could almost see the gladiators and the wild animals... the atmosphere was incredible.  I thoroughly enjoyed this tour we did... having a great guide helped as she gave us some insight into the lives of the ancient ones.  We did have a few minutes of rain while we were walking.... some thunder as well.... but within 10 minutes it was  all over.

My next instalment will show you some more ruins and another Italian city - Naples and Pompeii.   See you then....

Holiday instalment #9 - Rome part 2

More from Rome

Monday saw us off on the Metro over to the Vatican City again.... this time to visit the Museum and the Sistine Chapel.  - together with what seem hundreds and thousands of other tourists....   we queued for one hour to get into the museum... standing in the hot sun for part of the time.  The water sellers were doing a roaring trade...
Still it was worth it..... the treasures on the way to the Sistine Chapel are stunning... as were the Raphael rooms.... his paintings nearly rival Michelangleo's.  The mosaics on the floor also took my eye.  And then the Sistine Chapel - it was amazing.  It was packed shoulder to shoulder with everyone's turned upwards. 

You weren't allowed to take photos in the Sistine chapel - but is even more incredible than photos show.  We spend a good 30 mins just gazing at it all....

Later in the day we visited Piazza de Papolo - where there are twin churches on one side of the square.   Along one of the other sides are steps up to a terrace and the Pinician Hill where there are lovely gardens.  From the terrace there is a superb view of the city

Managed to score a very cheap knock off Louis Vuitton  handbag for 25Euro.  The guy wanted 80 Euro but Peter only had 25 in his wallet so bargain and got it... It is leather but I'm sure it's not the real version... Looks good though!!!!

As you can see, it was a lovely sunny day.... by 10pm it was still around 24 degrees C... I totally enjoyed the Rome weather.

The next morning I did a lot of window shopping down the street with all the famous shops - Prada, Versace, Chanel etc.  All outside my price range, but oh so lovely to dream.  The day was amazingly hot and humid... at 1pm it hit 32 degrees C, but cooled down shortly after to around 29 degrees.  Which was just as well, as we did a walking tour around Ancient Rome.......

But that's for the next episode... so till tomorrow.... Ciao

Holiday instalment #8 - Rome part 1

Another amazing city... an other amazing 6 days....
We arrived into Rome mid afternoon on a Saturday and once again had an adventure finding our hotel..... We had booked into boutique hotels on this trip, so trying to find them was certainly part of the fun.  We were staying at the Garda in Via Lomardia.   Our travel agent told us it was near the Spanish Steps so we took the Metro to that stop... it gets you to the bottom of the Spanish Steps .... and to get to our hotel you needed to be at the top!!!!  There was no way we were carrying the cases up those stairs.... so a good walk up hill ( about 1/2 kilometre) we found it....

We walked back to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain that afternoon - totally amazing... such tourist spots. Plus the fountain at Piazza Barberini.  We visited a number of times over the days we were there. 

Sunday we took the Hop on Hop off bus around the city.  A great way to get orientated.  We hopped off at he Piazza Novena and walked to the Pantheon... so much bigger and better than the one in Paris..  Totally incredible.  The centre dome is a huge hole and round the edge are amazing chapels.

 We then walked along the river Tiber and made our way to the Vatican City and visited St Peter's Cathedral.  The square was much smaller than I thought it would be, but the cathedral was so special.  Being Catholics, going to St Peter is like a pilgrimage... and to make it even more special, 4 pm Mass was about to be held at the High Altar.  We decided to go....It was in Italian so I couldn't understand the sermon, but knew what to do, when and took Holy Communion.  Very very emotional for me.  

So the start to our stay in Rome was great... plus the weather was perfect... I even got a touch of colour on my shoulders and face.... much much warmer than England or France. 

Come back tomorrow for another episode of the Turley's tour of Europe.