Happy Halloween

Think you have seen it before on my blog: we do not really celebrate Halloween in little old Denmark. But our newspapers are baffled by the vast number of carved pumpkins everywhere, writing that we might have to add it to our list of customs now.

 

Even Fanta has special Halloween edition of their soda can....

Happy Halloween

October 2012 Tea Swap - Part 2

Shoulder doing much better - in fact so good, that I can participate in Fran's tea swaps again :o) With the following Optional Theme will be: "Sugar and spice and everything nice!" (your own interpretation!) and Optional Colors are: Pink, green, orange, blue (See picture below) I was all set to go:

I have pondered with an idea for a long time, and was just waiting for the right moment to execute it :o) Well being unable to craft for a ling time does not stop the creative thoughts from which ideas are spun. OK, know that the stamp is actually called Coffee Break (Lilly of the Valley Ltd Stamp), but it could also be a tea break.

Had saved an idea plus a digistamp from Beyond the Fringe for some time now - that could really help with the sweet theme .... design paper is Quilted Garden - Pink Butterfly (Angela Hoffman Design) from Dream Street Papers LLLC.

 

Decided for another boxcard to hold the two tea samples for Mary - size adjusted to fit two tea samples.

 

Crafts Fair 2012

 

Almost two months ago, the annual Crafts Fair was held in Copenhagen - saw the artists that WOWed me last year and encountered two new ones, that I found very interesting. Had not plan to visit the fair the day I ended up doing it, so did not bring my camera, but follow the links and you will se examples of theit art.

 

1+1 Textil

There was a bag, that I really loved (still on the lookout for a replacement of the bag that was ruined when I had the accident this summer) - but unfortunately there is a BUT - the handles were made of something that resembles a bicycle tire......

 

Circus Clay

Ceramics with a photographic twist. Loving photography these pieces of art were a breath of fresh air - was tempted to buy a few of them. But let's face it - until I get a bigger appartment, I really should not be buying too much new stuff, unless I get rid of something first.

Danish Halloween

Did you know that we are actually not celebrating Halloween in Denmark? And yet, there is Halloween stuff anywhere and even Time Magazine had an online article about it. I am house sitting again, and knowing that the owners of the house likes to visit Tivoli during their Halloween weeks, I decided to go with the theme and came up with this:

The image is a freebie from Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps coloured with COPICs, sentiment from Hero Arts, design paper from Panduro Hobby and DCWV and finally silver pumpkin from Panduro Hobby.

Entering it to:
Panduro Hobby's: Halloween/uhygge

Fall Birthday

I just love fall colours and the leaves welcoming winter with their beautifull colors. Birdie Brown (Torico) has a fall gnome freebie in this month's challenge. One of my friends celebrated her birthday this week so made this card for her using the freebie, as she is fond of autumn leafs too:

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

Albert Camus

 

Must admit, that I smiled when reading Karen's post earlier this week, as she quoted the same words that I used when creating this card last weekend. But yet again what is more fitting than those words describing the beautiful autumn leafs?

Entering it to:
Live & Love Crafts Challenge #4 Halloween and/or Autumn Colours
Birdie Brown October Freebie Challenge

October 2012 Tea Swap - Part 1

At this month at Fran's tea swap, Mary is my partner:

A little bit scary, that Mary chose a Halloween theme, and that it arrived the day after Time wrote an article about Halloween the Danish way -  Halloween is actually not a traditional Danish tradition :o) But even before the Danes started doing Halloween, I had always been fascinated by the Pumpkin Jacks and decorations. The texture of the card's front makes the image "pop out".

The inside of the card held two BIGELOW teabags, that I can not wait to brew - know the spiced chai from previous swaps (yum!) and looking forward to try the raspberry flavour... spotting the spider I smile - if one of my former colleagues had opened this card, she would have screamed and thrown the card away as she is scared of anything reminding her of spiders.

Got an additional crafty treat from Mary - think I have to find some orange tic-tacs and fill up the glass tubes and place on my desk at work.

 

Thanks Mary for your creative treats :o)

Marie Krøyer

If you are Danish you know that the Krøyer couple was one of the most respected Skagen Painters during the 1880's. Skagen, or Skaw in Englist, is the northermost spot in Denmark, where the North Sea and the Baltic sea meets, and there is a pecial light, that attracted the Skagen Painters.

P.S. Krøyer had a name both in Denmark but also in France, where Marie was struggling to be a painter while being a wife and a mother. The two paintings shown are some of P.S. Krøyer's most famous works.

Like other artists, P.S. Krøyer was insane, and had to be treated occasionally for the insanity, while Marie was trying to keep their family together. It tears her apart, and while she is resting in Sweden a Swedish composer sweeps her off her feet. How does she avoid being thorn apart and at the same time shielding her's and P.S. Krøyer's daughter, Vibeke, from being the biggest emotionall looser of them all?

 

I am missing an epilogue to the movie, as most people do not know what happens to Marie at the time, where the movie ends. I grew up with a mother obsessed with Danish painters, so I know what happens afterwards, but could see a lot of confused moviegoers leaving the cinema.

Love Is All you Need

 

Danish movie (original title: Den skaldede frisør) you might not recognize the acress, Trine Dyrholm, but think you have all heard of Pierce Brosnan, and yes, he does speak a little Danish in the movie. Actually it is not the first time, that Pierce Brosnan tries to speak a little Danish in a movie, as he has done it in a James Bond movie.

 

Ida completes her cancer chemo treatment and is looking forward to a trip to Italy, where her daughter is getting married. Her happiness is spoiled when she walks in on her husband having sex with a girl his daughter's age. Distressed by her discovery, she runs into the father of the groom (car accident) a man she dislikes in every possible way. The trip to Italy seems to become very challenging and it is not helping that the husband decides to bring his mistress to the wedding.

 

A romantic comedy that just makes you feel good, dispite dealing with cancer, adultery, broken hearts, etc. :o)

 

 

 

A Little At The Time

 

I overlooked a crafty friend's birthday - Big WHOOPS!

 

 

The birthday girl has a blog she calls More Please - as she is a true Oliver (it is part of her name) - so what would be more fitting than using the digi stamp More? from Mo's Digital Pencil.....?? Tried to find some paper that would add to the time era of Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist.

 

Made a little extra to match the card - an idea that I got from here, though I added some small punched holes for the ribbon to go through.

The little extra is a box card, that was hiding some tea samples. Probably not was Oliver is asking for when standing with his bowl, but I happen to know that the recieving Oliver enjoys a cup of tea.

 

As you might have noticed, I am crafting a little more every week - arm still gets tired quickly, but at least the basic functions are now 98% normal :o) It feels really good to be crafting again, though I would really like to create more, but have to obey the arm, when it gets tired.