The Voter

My Mosaic Sun Temple is in the Voter this week on etsy! Wow! It's the first time I've been included. I was nominated by Dawn of LaTouchables. Thanks Dawn! The theme is the Autumn Equinox and there are lots of lovely entries. If you like my Sun Temple, please vote for it!

And We Have a Winner!

I can now announce the winner of the European Street Team's weekly challenge, the theme of which was "The Enchanted Forest." Alatvian, the creator of this magical Turquoise and Jasper Necklace, has been chosen! BIG CONGRATULATIONS to her!

Thank you all so much for letting me host the challenge; it has been lots of fun!

The Entries

And here are the magical entries!


Enchanted Forest - Long Blue Cloak/Jacket with XL Pixie Hood and Sleeves by Vaisto.

Untitled Bracelet by Gr8jewellery.

Enchanted Forest - Necklace made of Filigree and Glass Beads on Brass Chain by Vadjutka.

Enchanted Forest, Brown Monochrome - A4 Print 1/10 by Serpentaires.

Wooden Acorn Necklace by DeerLola.

Enchanted Palm Frond Pouch by Kraplap.


Enchanted Forest Felted Triangle Wrap by Ingermaaike.

Turquoise and Jasper Necklace - OOAK - Natural Beauty Series by Alatvian.

The Enchanted Forest Necklace by Star of the East.

The Enchanted Forest 2 in1 Necklace - The Princess and the Frog by Amoronia.

In the Middle of the Forest - Canvas Wristlet by Happybee.

Frame Handbag in Chocolate Brown by Karuski.

Enchanted Forest - Fancy Fiber Necklace by Antigoni.

This is the Enchanted Forest Leather Journal in Suede by Kreativlink.

Sweet Leaves Earrings by Fleurfatale.


The Key to the Forest earrings by Allabala.


Enchanted Forest Leaf Necklace by Sumikoshop.

This is the Enchanted Butterfly Necklace by Happyment.

This Enchanted Forest Bracelet is by LeelaBijou.

OOAK Drop Cut Raw Amethyst Pendant with a Flower and a Pearl by Toosis.

Green Flower Bouquet Headband by Queenece.



Felted Magical Romantic Magnolia OOAK brooch or hair clip by ayawedding.

This is Le Hibou - The Owl Acrylic Painting by Chichiboulie.

This lovely creation by Binkaminka is the Storyteller necklace. Look at the lovely linen pendant!

The European Street Team Challenge

Wow! I won the European Street Team weekly challenge! The theme was Fall is coming and I was chosen by Sumikoshop. You can see all the entries on her blog here. I'm so honored to have won! What a great way to begin September.

This means that I am hosting the challenge this week with the theme "The Enchanted Forest". This theme evokes fairy tale settings, elves, fairies, unicorns, in fact all manner of magical creatures, objects and events. It's a place where anything can happen and often does!

I'm expecting wonderfully enchanting entries from the amazingly talented members of the European Street Team, who have, as the French would say, "des doigts de fée" which means they quite literally work magic with their fingers!

I'll be posting the entries here, so keep looking!

Egyptian inspired

Visits to museums can be so inspiring. I get so many ideas, see so many possibilities; I feel somehow (no matter how remotely) connected to artists who lived long ago. I feel encouraged to make something really beautiful!

However, more and more, museum visits are photo opportunites and you spend your time trying to stay out of other people's photos, making an effort not to block their view. I guess most people take photos to look at later or show their friends, so they see a lot of the art through the lens.

At the Met I noticed most photos being taken of the huge impressive sculptures and paintings, often with friends and family standing next to them. This was true in my favorite collection: Egyptian art. Everyone loves the huge stone carvings of animal-headed gods, the temples and of course the colorfully painted sarcophagi, and so do I. But I prefer the small objects, in the rooms off to the sides; those are the things that inspire me. So I too was guilty of photo-taking, so that I would be able to see these lovely things again and again.

And when I got back, I wanted to make something really beautiful from my little bag of fabric remnants. Okay, it's a rather big bag. Anyway, these are Egyptian inspired.

Back from the US

We got back a couple of days ago from our five week trip to the US. We spent a few days in New York, and this was the first time I'd been there with my kids. They were amazed by the tall buildings, of course...by all the taxis, the distances they had to walk and the resulting sore feet and legs! So, although these are really typical photos of New York, they remind me of the dazzle in my children's eyes when they saw these places for the first time.

We went past the Dakota, mainly for my sister, who didn't come with us to New York, because she absolutey wanted photos of the place where Rosemary's Baby was filmed.

I couldn't resist taking this photo of the work of one of my long-time favorite sculptors, Claes Oldenberg at the Museum of Modern Art.

The place I love most in New York is the Met, where I could stay for hours roaming around the Egyptian exhibits. I was very happy to find that my children liked the Egyptian art as well, taking lots of photos of their favorite pieces, and genuinely enjoying our time there.

Summer Vacation

It's official! It's summer vacation, the weather is hot, the pools are open, people are heading to the ocean, school is out. For me it means being able to fly...to visit my family on the other side of the Atlantic. The bags are packed, hopefully weighing in at an eco-friendly less-than-twenty-three kilos each. A few gifts for the family, beachwear, a camera and we're all set!

Here's my latest mosaic, a gift for a wonderful aunt who requested a cross. I had never made one, but I wanted to make it for her since she's a fantastic aunt to have! I had a few doubts about tesserae, colors, images to use; I thought it wouldn't come out right.

But I decided to keep to my own style, broken plates, some Roman tile bits, a lace printed bird, some pewter word charms and I think it came out okay. She likes the photos; I only hope she likes the real thing!