landanna

Celebrating my love for blue

2012-02-10T10:16:00.000+01:00

(click on image to enlarge it)

So far nine pairs of jeans have been separated. A number of you are already worried about my fingers, husband questions my sanity all because it takes long hours to separate the jeans. I also could cut them up and have it done in no time. Today I want to show you why separating is soooo much better than anything else. In the collage you can see some legs which are already sewed together. Later on these long pieces will be weaved into a quilt.

Hope I have convinced you if not than that is too bad since I will not discard of all this beauty to avoid some bruised fingers or the time that disappears into thin air. This is what makes me jump out of bed, this is what makes me smile and let my heart jump a little faster time after time.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Elizabeth

Magicka

2012-02-08T09:28:00.000+01:00

Besides working on Something old, something new, nothing borrowed but still blue I also made a fastelavn-costume for our little one with my sewing machine. Since that is more or less a miracle I thought I'd better make a post about this special event.

Magicka is a computer game he likes to play and lucky him Magicka also provided a free pattern to make this robe. So if you are in need of a costume here is your chance.

Enjoy your day with whatever project you are doing.

Elizabeth

The beauty of the bitter cold

2012-02-07T09:18:00.000+01:00

Winter's winds are cold

chilling to the bone

best to be inside

by fireside at home

underneath the eaves

spiderweb is spun

out of reach of rain

creature's work is done

now it's time to sleep

snug beneath the eider

and watch the silhouette

of a sugar glider

Spring is on the way

with her coloured flowers

select the brightest bunches

for the bridal bowers

This poem is written by Lee Emmett and the pictures are taken last sunday.

Have a wonderful day with warmth in your heart.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2012-02-06T09:02:00.000+01:00

Another edition of Monday's music and since it is so, I am mean soooooo cold in Denmark at the moment that I decided to find some music with this theme.

Over the misty mountains cold. Oh how I love these deep voices.

A fun song by Jewel

Have a great start of your week without the sniffles.

Elizabeth

Valhalla in blue

2012-01-31T07:40:00.000+01:00

(click on the image to enlarge)

Still very busy to deconstruct old, washed jeans. Got 3 blue and 1 black one from a friend last thursday and they are almost done. I'm probably halfway down the pile of jeans I need, to make the quilt I want to make and therefore I need to be in heaven for the next week. Tough job but someone has to do it.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000+01:00

I heard that you've been feeling down and blue,
*But there ain't nothing really wrong with you*,
You just need a little *tendin to*
Let me show you what a little bit of love can do!
It's amazing what a little bit of love can do!

I've been told someone needs a little help,
Having trouble getting *on with* someone else
*I'm here to tell you* everything is gonna be fine!
Yeah I know you're *hurtin, cause* your heart is breaking!
I think that I can *alleviate the situation*
Look in my eyes and listen to me baby, *put your little hand in mine*
Chorus:
*I know* that you've been feeling down and blue,
*But there ain't* nothing really wrong with you!
You just need a little *tendin to*
Let me show you what a little bit of love can do!

Take your time, listen to *all that I'm saying, *
*I've got a hunch that *loving you is worth the waiting
I'm gonna prove it to you before this night is through
There's a way, to turn the* pain right into pleasure*,
Drastic times, seem to call for drastic measures,
You need to know, girl I can fix you *if the remedy is tried and true.*

Chorus: (x3)
I know that you've been feeling down and blue,
*But there ain't* nothing really wrong with you
You just need a little tendin' to
Let me show you what a little bit of love can do!

It's amazing what a little bit of love can do,
Let me show you what a little bit of love can do!

Have a wonderful start of your week.

Elizabeth

Something old, something new, nothing borrowed but still blue (3)

2012-01-26T07:31:00.002+01:00

My days are filled with blue, no matter which form, the clear, sunny blue sky, a shell on the beach or the old, washed and ragged jeans. My blue love isn't new, it is a very old friend. The one that lured me to Denmark and therefore partly responsible for me living on my beautiful peninsula. The one that made me look at stones and shells, the one that makes me needle away all my time just now. My heart sings time and again when seeing, touching or holding my blue. It is hard to explain. Totally absorbed by it, constantly scribbling down new ideas, asking around for old jeans which are on the verge of being thrown out, constantly looking forward to the time I can spend in blue.

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

The collage is of a small, sweet smelling pillow made of scraps needled together with blue, the name of this sweetheart is heartsong. There is nothing more to say; I love my blue.

Have a wonderful day.

Elizabeth

Blue inspiration

2012-01-25T07:53:00.001+01:00

If you have been around lately

and you have seen the start of the serie

Something old, something new, nothing borrowed but still blue.

You probably realize that I spent a lot of time deconstructing old, washed jeans.

and having a grand time with so much blue beauty.

Hope you are having just as much fun.

Elizabeth

Blue inspiration

2012-01-24T07:49:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Jamiroquai sang about Blue skies.

Today I show you a few of the pictures taken last sunday.

While being totally bundled up to keep out the cold wind

more than these few pictures were taken.

Have a beautiful day.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2012-01-23T08:18:00.000+01:00

Monday's music will be totally in tune with what is on my mind these day. The one thing that totally absorbs my attention like never before despite the fact that I know already for years that I am blue girl.

So these are the figurines
Acting out all the scenes before my eyes
I thought I knew them all by name
But they started looking much the same
And it’s no surprise
But I don’t wanna listen
Too much

How can I give up on all the days I know I’ve won
There’s nothing but rainbows
I believe in the shadows
Now honey
Thought I might Be dropping out
But now I am gonna work it out
I am gonna work with me
I am Runnin’ like it …looser

Then I’m Rolling Like sea Rusty Ship On A Stormy Sea
You know that people are saying
Strange things
Talk to the hand ’cause I know you think the face is gone
I don’t wanna listen
Too much

I’m not gonna give up on all the days I know I’ve won
There’s nothing but blue sky
There’s nothing but blue sky
Nothings gonna stop me now
I am skimming like a skipping stone on a silver lake
I take it when the chips are down
But to play the perfect happy clown
You gotta make a mistake (gotta make mistakes)

People are saying
Strange things
And I don’t wanna listen (I don’t wanna listen)
Too much yeah
Nothing but blue sky
Blue Sky
How can I tell you I Know this wont Be the last Song
I don’t wanna listen (I don’t wanna listen)
Too much

Not gonna give up on the days I know I’ve won
That’s where I am going
’cause there is nothing nothing but blue sky
That’s where I am going
Nothing but
Rainbows falling down on me …uh yeah hey
Nothing but blue sky
Can’t you see
That’s where I am going
Got to believe me
That’s where I am going

Blue will be around at least for the week to come. For some, blue is the word of feeling depressed, while for others blue describes the moments of total clarity.

What does blue mean for you?

Have a great start of your week.

Elizabeth

Something old, something new, nothing borrowed but still blue

2012-01-20T10:22:00.000+01:00

My little blue one is ready.

A weaved front and back.

With many small, sweet details.

My blue love

Elizabeth

Swan's song

2012-01-18T09:11:00.001+01:00

Last sunday we went for a walk to a nearby lake and my camera travelled with me. After about twenty minutes there a carcass of a swan on the path we walked on. Look at the picture and you'll know why I had to photograph it.

Sunday night I sent it as a postcard to blogcamp. Than Cyndy wrote: "Beautiful detail...a story in the making...at least a poem...".

A Swan’s Song:
Fates Crossing

the swan graced the lake for many years
his beauty surpassing those of his peers
he stood a head taller than all of the rest
his height augmented by his inflated chest

indeed, he could glide across the water better than most
and the sun seemed to follow just him, he would boast
his song trumpeted louder and longer than the rest
due to the length of his most elegant neck, he guessed

his pumped up ego did not make friends with the others
so he mostly stayed to himself when he had his druthers.
when frigid winds blew he did not miss the warmth of the herd
he would just puff himself bigger and murmur a cursed word

one day a hungry fox slowly found her way to the lake
she ventured out of her lair into the cold for kits' sake
the bitter wind and blinding snow made it hard to see
but she trudged along, her belly empty

the gelid land did not have much to provide
its usual bounty under ice did hide
prospects of something warm-blooded were bleak
since most were underground for a long winter's sleep

the afternoon sun began to dip in the sky
and the fox lowered her head with a heavy sigh
there would be no dinner nor breakfast it seemed
when all of the sudden a bright illusion gleamed

across the lake a glowing white vision appeared
a glimpse of hope ~ or perhaps a mirage she feared
but then a blast of honks launched into a song
and the fox knew her heart and tummy could not be wrong

far in the distance a bevy of swans was assembled
and the prospect of the hunt made the vixen tremble
but there were too many of them to take at one time
until she saw a particular one was ready and prime

he floated by himself, his neck fully extended
gazing down at his reflection in the water, time suspended
he didn't seem to notice anything else but his own being
and the fox slithered towards him, soon off and fleeing

it was over rather quickly, the deed was done
the fox crashed into the water, the swan saw his last sun
his long neck made it easy for the her to carry
and soon thoughts of hunger and cold were contrary

frozen feathers lay upon the grass
a swan met a fox and his end, alas
the white barbs glistened with icy frost
reflecting a tale when fates were crossed

Thanks Cyndy for writing this special song.

Have a wonderful day.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2012-01-16T07:44:00.000+01:00

Not so long ago I saw the movie Chocolat for the first time. Lucky me since there was some really passionate gypsy music in it and therefore I serve you: Chocolat.

Have a sweet start of your week.

Elizabeth

Something old, something new, nothing borrowed but still blue

2012-01-11T22:10:00.000+01:00

You all remember the picture from the Artists' handmade houses, right?!? This picture and the fact that I have two boys around who love to give me some old, worn out jeans means a new project is born. Today the first pictures.

In case you are wondering about the title. Something old, the jeans without a doubt. Something new, the red thread ofcourse. Nothing borrowed since me and taking measurements is not a match made in heaven so I didn't cut squares and sewed them together, I just went on a weaving-trip. The blue, needs no explaination since Blue and me are old friends.

Hope you are having just as much fun as I have since I'm not fighting the moonlight.

See you.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2012-01-09T06:44:00.000+01:00

No special memory today, just a small correction. Up to now you only got male musicians served on these cold, wet and windy monday mornings. Today I serve you some female companionship.

Enjoy the start of a new week.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (12)

2012-01-06T08:02:00.002+01:00

The final post on Richard, Duke of York. The reading of The Sunne in Splendour, the drawing, the hunt for materials, the experimenting, the making of this book and the creation of the video has come to an end. Today the final pictures and the video. Enjoy.

The wrapping cloth with a celtic R.

Another picture of one of the buttons.

The white rose, the symbol of the House of York.

Thank you all for your lovely comments and mails.
Have a great weekend.

Elizabeth

Sam Maloof, the woodmaker

2012-01-05T07:09:00.000+01:00

On the 8th and 9th of December I wrote about the book Artist' handmade houses. In this book the house and work of Sam Maloof was shown and I was totally taken with it. This meant another trip to the library, where I found the book with the title Sam Maloof, woodworker written by himself. Sam is known for his gorgeous furniture especially his rocking chair. Still, when I had to choose what kind of picture I wanted today for you, I decided to photograph all the different latches which are shown in the book and made a collage of it.

(if you click on the picture it will enlarge)

Besides giving you this picture I also want to give you three quotations. The first one is written in the introduction by Jonathan Fairbanks: "In this computer age of mass-produced commodities, mankind suffers from a high degree of professional specialization, which separates rather than binds society together. The loss is especially evident in our depersonalized culture, which seeks information unrelated to feeling and interpersonal exchange. Many years ago, when village life brought diverse people together for daily barter, the artist's and the craftsman's work formed a basic material matrix in the community. In general that does not happen today; buyers almost never meet producers."

The two other quotations are written by Sam.

"Nearly every mass-produced article used in our homes today, regardless of material, was originally handmade by a craftsman, in many cases from the drawings of a designer or staff of designers. A craftsman knew not only how to interpret drawings but also how to use his tools. and the material involved to accomplish what the designers hand in mind. We marvel at the wonders of the machine, but nothing has been designed or made as wonderful as the hands of man. The machine has no human factors. What it produces has none of the elements of surprise or feeling that an object made by hand may have. It leave no room for change."

"I hope that my happiness with what I do is reflected in my furniture, any furniture, tells a story, the story of the person who made it. I do not try consciously to make my pieces reflect their maker, but I hope that my furniture is an outgoing part of my personality and my way of thinking. I hope that it is vibrant, alive, and friendly to the people who use it."

If you would like to read more about Sam you can click here or here. Maybe you would like to see his house and hear his voice that is possible too if you just click here.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I have reading his book.

Have a wonderful day.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (11)

2012-01-04T07:10:00.001+01:00

Some pictures

of details

which you haven't see yet.

My book about Richard is ready and you will be seeing the end result in a video. Please be patient because I haven't started with it yet.

Enjoy yourself.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (10)

2012-01-03T07:57:00.017+01:00

More tutorial pictures for you today. Now that the pages for the book about Richard Plantagenet are done, it is time for the cover and the wrapping. The picture above shows you my material for inspiration taken from pages of the Book of Hours of Richard III which were displayed in books I had from the library.

For the cover I used an old hard cover of a book and wrapped the black velvet around it. To secure it a bit before starting with the wrapping I used two french knots on either side to hold the little middle piece in place.

And here you can see how I stitched the cover and the pages into a book.

Beside this background information on my book I want to tell you also something really exciting. In December I already told you that someone ordered this fabulous book about Richard Plantagenet of Sharon Kay Penman at the library. In the meantime she has started reading, drawing and decided to make also a book. YES!!!! I have no idea, when she will start blogging about it but I can hardly wait to she which angle she takes and how she proceeds. And ofcourse I will tell you about it.

That was all for today. Enjoy yourself.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2012-01-02T07:42:00.001+01:00

2012 has started and today it is monday again. The music today is a thank you-note for a very special man to whom I owe a lot including the present of country music.

Just a short while ago I had another anniversary of the heart, one that made me live without a home. Luckily I never had to sleep on the street since a friend opened his place for me while he stayed at his parents. Still, I had to find something for myself upon his return and I found a great place at mr. P.. His kindness, help, warmth and love was just what I needed. He could make me laugh til my body totally hurted and tears were rolling over my face. We could talk for hours, dance and sing until dropping of exhaustion. He gave me: Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and many more. And therefore I say:'Thank you mr. P. with all my heart. You are the best!

And ofcourse I have a little gift for mr. P. and for you.

Have a fabulous start of your week.

Elizabeth

Colours & patterns

2011-12-29T21:27:00.002+01:00

As you probably realize there was much more to see than just my favorite blue at the beach. Therefore I made two collages for you today. The first one with all kinds of wood, the second one with stones and weeds.

The beach surprises me each time with her large variety of eyecandy. Just wished I could share with you the deep satisfaction I felt while walking around in my own little heaven. Well, I hope this is giving you a glimpse of it.

Elizabeth

My blue love

2011-12-28T21:27:00.000+01:00

Boxing day it was beach day for us. Just longed to be at the beach again, I am seriously addicted to get some fresh air at my favorite place. Last June I did a serie called My blue love which I posted on flickr and when I saw my pictures I realized I was still in love with blue.

And although mrs. Sun wasn't showing her glorious face like she did on the west coast of Denmark, I enjoyed myself immensely for a few hours.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-12-26T07:58:00.003+01:00

A special christmas edition in the monday's music-serie.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Elizabeth

2011-12-23T08:41:00.031+01:00

Today is not a holiday
It isn't even a birthday
But I'd want to send
A special message to my friend

You make me smile
You ease my troubles for a while
When clouds are thick and skies are gray
You put some sunshine in my day

You're sweet and kind
Friends like you are hard to find
I know I've told this once or twice
That I think you are very nice

But friends who are as great as you
Should be told more often than I do
And so I send these words with love
Why did I send them?.....just because

Enjoy the holidays to come

Elizabeth

Can't believe my luck

2011-12-22T23:34:00.001+01:00

Christmas time means surprises. Today I got a big surprise because Anneli sent me a huge parcel with the most amazing goodies.

Can you see that more than gorgeous piece in the middle. She designed and made it, I'm just totally blown away by the enormous talent she has for filting and putting things together. But this wasn't all, oh no.

Do you see that scarf, she made it. It is so soft, so warm and it feels just like a warm embrace. Anneli, thank you so much for your generosity.

Have a fabulous day everyone.

Love for all of you.

Elizabeth

Colours

2011-12-21T08:39:00.000+01:00

A little over a week ago I gave you a pretty bouquet of my favorite flowers, tulips. They were a joy for my eyes but sadly it is time to say goodbye to them. And while they were standing in my kitchen windowsil with the sun shining upon them I got captivated by them one more time. The deep passionate red, the pureness of the white and the clear blue sky, oh what more could I wish for.

Have a wonderful winterday.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (9)

2011-12-20T08:56:00.001+01:00

The picture of today is more of a tutorial picture than a pretty one. Nevertheless here you can see how I sewed the black velvet pages into a book. At the moment I am thinking, planning the cover and I hope I can show it soon to you.

Have a wonderful day with probably lots of christmas preparations but you know my motto: Enjoy yourself.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-12-19T07:57:00.000+01:00

The largest part of last week I have been listening to Irish folkmusic while I was doing the dishes. Yes, no dishwasher for me. The music took me onto memorylane, transported back to the times in the pub in my hometown, the beer, the singing on sunday afternoon but also the concert of the Dubliners. The Dubliners came to town and so I had to be there despite the fact that I thought the venue was a 'little' odd. I wasn't the only one who thought so. The Dubliners agreed wholeheartedly since they opened with the statement, This is the weirdest venue we ever played. Want to know where it was? The concert took place in a public swimmingpool and the stage was build above the pool.

The Dubliners are on the road since forever and they have an enormous collection of songs which left me with the question which song to pick. Luckily Anneli came to the rescue. Don't know if you other bloggers have the same experience but for some reason fellow-bloggers with whom I write regular like to give me nicknames. (have already a nice list!) Now the other day Anneli and I were joking around in our mails and she started to call me Dancing Queen. Nice nickname, true or not, I am a follower of the Lord of the Dance. If you read the lyrics below you know what I mean by this but first I am proud to present: The Dubliners with Lord of the Dance.

I danced in the morning when the world was young
I danced in the moon, and the stars, and the sun
I came down from Heaven and I danced on the Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, then, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance said he
And I lead you all wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance said he

I danced for the Pharoah and the pharisees
They wouldn't dance, they wouldn't follow me
I danced for the fishermen James and John
They came with me so the dance went on

Dance, then, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance said he
And I lead you all wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance said he

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame
They ripped me and they stripped me and they hung me high
Left me there on the cross to die

Dance, then, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance said he
And I lead you all wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance said he

I danced on a Friday when the world turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body; they thought I was gone
But I am the dance, and the dance goes on

Dance, then, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance said he
And I lead you all wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance said he

Have a perfect dancing monday.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (8)

2011-12-16T08:42:00.001+01:00

Today just some pictures to let you see my progress.

In the last picture you can see how things slowly come together.

Enjoy your day with whatever is on your kalender.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (7)

2011-12-15T08:41:00.001+01:00

The last entry in this serie was the making of this medallion and here you can see the result on the black velvet.

Richard motto was Loyaulte me lie which means Loyalty binds me. Throughout the book one can read on how important loyalty is to him. This quality made him who he was but also brought his downfall. He was fiercely loyal and expected that also from his allies and so he was betrayed and paid with his life for it. Loyalty is something I highly value too and this book made me realize that I never questioned my loyalty to others. It is given freely with all my heart despite the fact that it brought a lot of sadness and pain of disappointment in my life. Oh well, maybe I will learn one day to question my loyalty and make wiser decisions in that department. For now I have a beautiful page for a book about a special man.

Have a beautiful day.

Elizabeth

Proud mama

2011-12-14T08:30:00.000+01:00

Our oldest son is learning something new and I'm very proud of his accomplishments.

Have a wonderful day.

Elizabeth

Tulips

2011-12-13T09:34:00.001+01:00

Just a picture with a bouquet of tulips with thyme since I need something pretty to look at because my day didn't have the start I wished for.

Hope the start of your day is a lot better.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-12-12T08:49:00.000+01:00

When I hear this song my memories take me back to a schoolparty. On this particular party I was with my friend Mala. Mala was the sweetest girlfriend and like me very shy. Up until that moment we were just trying to blend in with the other students. Than this song started and it was as if a metamorphosis happend, the two of us started singing and dancing with every bit of intensity we had in our body. We got totally lost for a few minutes. Still see the face of Mala singing her heart and lungs out while we are dancing together. Her smile and the intense sparkling in her eyes still makes me smile even at this very moment.

Thank you Mala for this wonder of a memory.

Enjoy your monday.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (6)

2011-12-10T08:30:00.002+01:00

Now don't think that I just have been drooling over other people's work, I also have been doing my bit. The book for Richard Plantagenet isn't ready yet.

In the book Richard gives his beloved Anne a finely engraved silver medallion. Richard and Anne meet each other as kids, later on they become husband and wife, very romantic story.

As you know I'm no silversmith but I wanted this very important piece of his life into the book. Luckily Anneli came to the rescue with her viking helmet and the way she made it. Although I realize that this crude symbol for their love doesn't come close to whatever the original was, still I hope you can appreciate the way went about it.

My personal connection with this book is that my first boyfriend and my two favorite musicians wear the name Richard and co-incidently my second name is Anna. Another strange accidence is that after I met Richard at the tender age of five and making a very deep impression, I never met another Richard again despite the fact that it is a very common name.

Let you in on a little secret. There is already one person who ordered the book at the library and I hope she also takes the challenge to make her own creative version of it. I keep my fingers cross!!!!

Enjoy the weekend ahead.

Elizabeth

Artists' handmade houses

2011-12-09T08:16:00.000+01:00

In the book you can see 13 different houses of mostly male artists and this is very obvious I have to say. Cement, tiles, stones and wood are available in abundance but textile was scarcely present. But the picture above took my eye, I really like this quilt blanket made of old jeans pieces.

These stairs are taken me to a new height.

And ofcourse this kitchenware is stunning, too bad they used screws to hang them instead of wooden pins. I really would have liked that extra little detail, I'm getting picky!

No matter what I hope you enjoyed this mini-serie of pictures of this interesting book of these two gentlemen. Think I want to order another one from the library.

Elizabeth

Artists' handmade houses

2011-12-08T08:04:00.000+01:00

Recently I saw some pictures of this book on the net and I had to get my hands on it. Still the book took me by surprise since it was totally different than I expected. The book is made by Michael Gotkin and Don Freeman.

As you probably already noticed the theme today is windows and light

but don't forget to look at all the details in wood

because who wouldn't like a floor like this one!

Elizabeth

Koldinghus

2011-12-07T08:48:00.000+01:00

But apart from all the different kinds of light there was more at Koldinghus, in fact there was a christmasmarket as we found out when we arrived.

And an exhibition of the Danish writer Ole Lund Kirkegaard, this was really a fun exhibition.

My visual cravings were met when we went back home through another rain and hailstorm.

Elizabeth

Koldinghus

2011-12-06T08:35:00.000+01:00

Last sunday we went to Koldinghus, one of my favorite castles because of the mix between old and new. On this very dark and wet sunday I got mesmerized by the light in the castle.

Enjoy your day

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-12-05T07:25:00.001+01:00

No secret is told that I love music and dancing and therefore it is time we have a rock & roll-party. To organize this I had to walk around in You-tube-land on sunday evening to find old favorites. A tough job but one that needed to get done.

Roll over Beethoven by Chuck Berry

Don't be cruel by Elvis Presley (ofcourse)

Rock around the clock tonight by the one and only Mr. Bill Haley

Blue suede shoes by the man with moving hips

Tutti Frutti by Little Richard

Jailhouse rock by the one and only King

All black and white video's today and as you noticed every song is not longer than 2 minutes. Do you know why? Because when you are dancing you need time to catch your breath. Oh and one word of advice if you start dancing with your partner, check the height of the ceiling. Why? Otherwise you will hit the ceiling with your heals when you stand upside down on the shoulders of your partner. Yes, this advice from own experience!!!!

So Ladies and gentlemen I wish you lots of fun with the start of a new week. And remember, Don't do anything I wouldn't do!!!!

Elizabeth

(can you tell I had a grand time?)

Richard Plantagenet (5)

2011-12-02T09:21:00.001+01:00

Another page in the book. In the story about Richard Plantagenet religion takes an important part, it is woven into everyday life at that time. Richard is wearing a cross given by his mother which is made especially for him. I have no idea what it would have looked like and therefore I designed this one. It is made with silver embroidery thread in a backstitch variation with needleweaving.

For me a cross is a point of intersection and at that moment one has four opportunities to choose from. With this explanation in mind I weaved in the loops since we never walk a straight line and a flower-like centre to emphasize the four opportunities.

That's all for today. Hope your day will be filled with the opportunities you hoped for.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (4)

2011-12-01T10:43:00.001+01:00

The last few days I have been very busy with mr. Fox. In my post a few days ago I showed you how I embroidered the fox on a piece of cotton. My initial idea was to have the fox standing in a cotton circle. Unfortunately when it was time to needle the piece on the the black velvet I didn't like it.

This meant I had to cut away the cotton fabric around the fox. Sounds easy enough and so I did and needled it on the black velvet.

The result: Horrendous!!!! Not only that but the tail of mr. Fox was much to long and therefore I had to correct that too. I know, why didn't you take any measurements? Just didn't. But there had to be a solution to this problem I created. Dropping mr. Fox wasn't an option since the symbolic meaning of the fox is the essence of the character of Richard Plantagenet as described in the book The Sunne Splendor of Sharon Kay Penman. And you all know how I feel about symbols, so what was I to do?

This is the solution I came up with. Hundreds of small stitches along his little body and in the picture above is how mr. Fox will look like in my new book. What do you think? The picture leaves much to be desired I know but it is 10.00 o'clock and I still need artificial light! Welcome to the first of December.

Now you all know that not everything turns out perfect but a lot can be corrected.

Have fun today and don't mind making some mistakes.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (3)

2011-11-29T08:29:00.001+01:00

The historical novel of Sharon Kay Penman starts more or less with Richard as a child and a fox.
Therefore I decided that there had to be a fox in the book. Oh boy was I in trouble! (Never embroidered any animal before.)

So what did I do? Googled, found the picture above, printed it and the fun could start! Sound straight forward and easy enough and therefore I will not tell you how many hours I have been contemplating and working on the cute fox below.

Keeping my fingers crossed that you can see that it is a fox! Used three different shades of brown of which I took one thread and bundled the three colours together. The stitch is ofcourse the Bayeux-stitch in a variation of my own since I used a fly-stitch to finish it. The eyes and nose is a French knot and a running stitch. The white stitches are also fly-stitches.

This is all for today. Have fun and I'll see you soon.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-11-28T09:08:00.000+01:00

On this monday, after a stormy weekend with a lovely taekwondo afternoon and lots of embroidery, it is time for another song. Today I picked a song that reminded me of the time when I returned to my hometown and lived together with four other young people. We had one ritual I still look back on with great fondness and that was doing the dishes together because this meant very loud ABBA music and everybody was singing along. Not that any of us were ABBA-fans but these songs were so easy to sing along with. It was more than hilarious for us and very annoying to the next door neighbours because the cd-player with big loudspeakers was standing in the attick and we were downstairs in the kitchen ofcourse. Lots of fun than, lots of memories now.

Enjoy your monday while you are creating new memories.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet (2)

2011-11-25T09:01:00.001+01:00

Today in part two I show you the start of two pages. The picture above is a page from the book of Jan Messent, which gave me the idea on how to portray clothes.

In the sampler is inspired by the tablet weaving. The stitches I used are: running stitch variations, backstitch variations, Pekinese backstitch and chain stitch. The last one is called a sneglesting in Danish and is a variation of the Coral stitch. If you happen to know the English name for this one, please share this with me.

Since this is a book about the life of a king it needs also to have so special materials, which are king-worthy. First I drew and cut two of these strings of paper and folded them together to see if it could work.

And as I told you before I have been on the look out for special materials and found the next items on a craftmarket. Cutted two strings and folded them together. In my imagination this could be a braid on a special garment.

That's all for today. Enjoy yourself during the weekend and I'll see you soon.

Elizabeth

Richard Plantagenet

2011-11-24T09:33:00.001+01:00

This new project isn't really new anymore since I started it during early spring of this year. Why did I take so long to share it with all of you? I had just too much fun with the preparations. The start of this endeavor started by reading the historical novel of Sharon Kay Penman called The Sunne in Splendour. The name Richard Plantagenet probably doesn't ring a bell in your head unless you are familiar with the mediaeval history of the England. And yes I admit I got a little bit carried away as you can see in the picture! (and I read the novel 3 times, oops)

Most of you already know that history is one of my weakspots and Richard Plantagenet gave me another chance to use the techniques in one of my favorite books of Jan Messent. Furthermore was there an enormous challenge since I forced myself to work with totally different materials. This meant visiting shops, a lot of them, until I found what I wanted to have for my book about the life of King Richard III of England.

This sounds all very promising I know but today I have just a piece of felt for you with a R, stitched in an open chainstitch.This piece of felt symbolises the blanket Richard left behind when he had to fled England as a child.

Have no idea how long this journey will last since I am still not finished! Maybe I should start finding a good excuse for all my procrastinating.

Enjoy your day.

Elizabeth

Warm feet

2011-11-23T09:41:00.000+01:00

Two weeks ago Anneli showed her houseboots on her blog of reclaimed wool. Since cold feet is one of my mayor problems I was immediately taken by the idea and I still had some leftovers in my stash. Making them took a bit longer than I anticipated, blame my pneumonia, but now they are warm and cosy wrapped around my feet. My feet are now called Happy Feet.

Thank you Anneli for a great idea and my feet are forever in debt with you.

Elizabeth

A sunday stroll

2011-11-22T08:34:00.000+01:00

Last sunday the sun showed herself in abundance at first but later on a fog came in and put our peninsula under a thick blanket. In the pictures you can see the three different lakes Oldenor, Gammeldam and Nordborg lake which all are in walking distance of my house. On a day like this I feel so, so lucky that I live here. The beauty of the landscape can still sweep me of my feet despite the fact that I walk these paths alongside the lakes already for more than five years.

And that is reason enough to make a collage with my quote: "Life is grand but the details are giving it meaning." and show it to you.

Enjoy your day no matter where you live.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-11-21T08:41:00.000+01:00

Time for another Monday's music after a week of silence on my part. Unfortunately I can't write about something very special, exciting or wildly fantastic that happend since I was just sick. Trying to take it easy so my pneumonia would leave asap. Which is frankly impossible task with two kids running around and husband in Barcelona but now that I'm on the mend and it is time for some music.
After my last monday-post I wrote a lovely list with all kinds of songs and memories. This is what I call planning ahead and therefore today I discard the list and give you a song which I only found a week ago. No better logic than mine when it comes to lists and planning!

Now some of you know that I really like to read the lyrics of new finds. One small problem in the whole blogosphere I couldn't find the lyrics of my new favorite!!!! That is a sure sign for me to get to work.

Don't count me out just yet

That's never been a good bet

Just when you think I'm gone

That's when I come back strong

I have learned how to survive

to bite the wind of change and stay alive

I keep my feet on sunny ground

and like some relentless summer I keep coming back around.

Don't you wander

if you can't depend on me

'cause I am surer than any bet you see

I come out stronger and I come out wiser

Don't you know by now I'm a survivor, survivor.

You ain't seen the likes of me

I burn my down and I rise up relentlessly

I have been knocked out and have been kicked into the curb

Have been left for death and so for what is might be worth

Don't you wander

if you can't depend on me

'cause I am surer than any bet you see

I come out stronger and I come out wiser

Don't you know by now I'm a survivor.

Well, you can't shake a strong faith

nothing in the world can't take away the faith I got in me.

Don't you wander

if you can't depend on me

'cause I am surer than any bet I bet you see

I come out stronger and I come out wiser

Don't you know by now I'm a survivor, I'm a survivor

So don't count me out just yet

That's never been a good bet.

Survivor is a demo. The recordingdate is unknown to me but it is before nov. 2008 since that is the first time this song was posted on YouTube. Keith Urban sings it and plays the guitar and therefore I assume he wrote it but I'm not sure about this last fact. One thing I do know: I love it.

So let's hear it.

Hope this will give you a fabulous start of your week. Happy Monday!

Elizabeth

Blue spirit

2011-11-10T08:16:00.000+01:00

Some days you gotta dance

Live it up when you get the chance

When the world doesn't make no sense

And you're feeling just a little too tense

Gotta loosen up those chains and dance

(chorus of a song)

I know it's hard holdin on
Even harder trying to let it go
And so you're frozen like a stone
But you are not alone

(part of another song)

(a photograph of me)

Elizabeth

Jan Messent

2011-11-09T06:55:00.024+01:00

A few weeks back Julie told about this book of Jan Messent which she found in the Danish library. The books of Jan are often very inspirational and so I couln't resist to order the book as well. While reading it I realized how much I liked her work because we both have a soft spot for history and old craftmanship.

This book is a perfect addition to my list of vintage books and I hope that you can get hold of a copy at your library. I promise, you will have some lovely hours filled with all the inspiration you can handle.

Have a day filled with joy.

Elizabeth

By co-incidence

2011-11-08T07:52:00.001+01:00

Last satuday the weather was just perfect to be outside. Unfortunately a sick little boy made it impossible to go anywhere and therefore I decided to work in the garden. You know, battling with the autumn leafs and making another attempt to get some control of the weeds in the garden. After a few hours I was ready to do something different but I didn't want to go inside just yet.

Luckily I remembered some piece of driftwood laying under the carport. Right there and than I decided to make my moment of total clarity-symbol and used more or less the same technique as I did with the frame for the Magnificent windows. Making it took just a few minutes but ofcourse I wanted to make a picture of it. For me this means walking around to find the best spot. Tried all kinds of backgrounds with plants, on the grass, with large piece of driftwood, etc.. At some point I walked over to the hazelnut-trees with the small stones under them. There I took the picture above. It felt like an ok picture but it didn't excite me.

At that moment I noticed a stack of stones laying in the same area. Looked at the stones and noticed this large grey stone with its two orange lines. Put my symbol on top of the stone and it fitted perfectly. Two lines, two people, meeting or having a conversation which is giving them a moment of total clarity. Now the picture had meaning for me, now it felt perfect.

All that time I had been walking with a large piece of driftwood around because I thought/felt that had to be in the picture. Since I made my perfect picture without it, I took the piece back to its place on the terrace. While putting down this gorgeous piece of wood I saw a spider sitting quietly. Now maybe some of you will remember that a cute spider also crawled on Soul Food. It is therefore that a smile appeared on my face since the spider always tells the beautiful story of creating.

A perfect end for another saturday in the garden.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-11-07T08:24:00.000+01:00

Since I like this serie of Monday's music you get another episode served today. Now despite the fact that I am already for a zillion years totally nuts about guitars in songs, this wasn't always the case. Like everyone else I went through different fases in my life with different music to accompany me. Today I take you back to my early teenage years. Back to the days were the words cd or internet had not entered my dictionary, let alone satisfy my cravings for music. So I collected lp's from my favorite band the Bee Gees. Movies like Staying Alive and Grease got me started but very soon I found a much better lp from them. It is called Bee Gees 1st, released in 1967 and the song I selected is called I can't see nobody, which was just an albumtrack.

And although I nowadays only hear the Bee Gees so now and again on the radio, the lyrics are still coming out of my mouth as if I heard the song yesterday. (My boys look in amazement whenever they witness such an event!)

What kind of music kept you company during your teenage years?

Elizabeth

Blue spirit

2011-11-04T08:32:00.000+01:00

Today I have just a sneak peak for you. This is part of a circle I am making in French knots, so far I used three shades of blue and white on a woollen background. At the moment this is my doodle, to give myself the chance to let my thoughts fly around while some wonderful voices and amazing guitars holding me company.

Have a great weekend.

Elizabeth

Mapping the maps

2011-11-01T07:50:00.000+01:00

Last friday night Kathryn Clark mentioned the book of Manuel Lima called Visual complexity, mapping patterns of information. Never heard about this project before and therefore I went on a google-hunt and I found a treasure for everyone who likes maps.

Do you have an interest in maps or mapping than you really need to click here because it will give you access to 769 different project which are mapped.

Enjoy yourself.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-10-31T07:27:00.000+01:00

Today an experience that was really testing my patience. Several years ago, still living in the Netherlands, I went to a concert of BonJovi. As you all know a stadion concert always starts with a support-act and that night the support-act was Slash. Since I liked and still like guitars I was looking forward to it. But Oh boy what a turn off, I got so irretated that I even couldn't listen to his music anymore. What happend? He couldn't say a sentence with at least twice saying the word: Fuck.

Yes, I can hear some laughter but really try to listen to a grown guy for about 45 minutes who's favorite word is FUCK. Sorry, that was asked too much of my patience. Nevertheless here is a live version of Patience played by .... Guns N' Roses with mr. ....

Enjoy your monday.

Elizabeth

Pictures from ...

2011-10-30T08:11:00.001+01:00

The colours,

the places one can call home

are different for every little one,

and large one,

for the tight family,

or those who just want some back-up.

The woods a special place

with some gorgeous hollow bones to tell us their story.

Elizabeth

Pictures from ...

2011-10-29T08:09:00.002+02:00

And while their shapes

are different time and again

one can only say they are gorgeous,

just like the light on a sunny day in the fall.

Have a great sunday.

Elizabeth

Pictures from ....

2011-10-28T08:07:00.000+02:00

the picture-walk through the woods.

There was a large variety of these little ones,

not that I have any knowledge

which to leave alone and which to take home.

But they have a special place in my heart.

Enjoy your wednesday.

Elizabeth

Pictures from ...

2011-10-27T08:08:00.004+02:00

My eye loves to see the different textures,

the different ways of building a community

or the one's who stand proudly by themselves

without being afraid to show their truly colours

reflecting on mother earth.

Enjoy your thursday.

Elizabeth

Pictures from .....

2011-10-26T08:05:00.000+02:00

Just got back from a holiday

in the Netherlands,

The sun was shining,

which meant plenty of opportunity to get into the woods.

Tomorrow I will continue ....

Elizabeth

New milestone

2011-10-25T08:27:00.000+02:00

Today I want to welcome all my fellow Husflid-members. Yes, I got a piece in the magazine for the first time. Husflid is a creative magazine in Denmark and they had asked their subscribers to enter their knitting work. That is why I chose the Changing the landscape-project, the strawberry-x and the Shoebox-project.

Hurry for first times!!!!

Enjoy your day with smile.

Elizabeth

Monday's music

2011-10-24T07:42:00.002+02:00

Since music is one of my major crushes I decided to create Monday's music to start the week off in a different way. Today I have a live video from The Coast with Duncan Chisholm for you. A song with a celtic feeling, the song is called The beat of you.

Did you enjoy yourself?

Have a fabulous monday with lots of sunshine.

Elizabeth

Making one to see VII

2011-10-17T21:37:00.003+02:00

The end of Making one to see marks also the end of the summer for me. This string of symbols are reminders and memories of special moments of a summer gone by. Nothing was planned, each time I held my needle I just felt the need to share a part of this special time on a piece of cloth. The moments of the wind made me listen more intensely. The hikes taught me to pay more attention to the beauty of my surroundings. And than there were the conversations with friends who made me see the connection. Nothing is separate but seeing what binds can be tough at times. The way I work is differently now, my need to meet people got another perspective and my love for life got a new dimension. All in all I have to say: "The summer was good"

The filming of my new video brought a number of surprises but everything fitted just perfectly together and I couldn't have done the job without the help of mother nature and the whispers of the wind.

If one surrenders completely to the moments as they pass,

one lives more richly in those precious particles of time.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Have a fabulous day with whatever you do.

Elizabeth

Making one to see VI

2011-10-16T22:45:00.002+02:00

In the first post of this serie I already mentioned that the eye-painting of Scott Marr as a source of inspiration. Since this picture is capturing my eye each day I decided to make my own version of it. While the other symbols are small this one is relatively large.

Again I used driftwood, the weave technique used in dreamcatchers and the copper nails which were found a couple of years ago on the beach close to Ærø. And again I used the bayeux-stitch but this time I made my own variations with the stitch. In the variations I used the chain-stitch, french knots and buttonhole stitch. Together the stitches are giving a rich texture to the symbol.

Making one to see is a serie to remind myself how rich life is with beautiful experiences, friends just an email away and that no matter, new adventures always lay ahead.

To finish todays post I have a song for you from Nina Simon.

No matter what you do today, Enjoy yourself.

Elizabeth

Making one to see V

2011-10-14T08:46:00.003+02:00

During my absence in blogosphere our house also got a new roof, this led to a whole range of new experiences. Never before had I been standing on a scaffolding and it was an awesome. Don't worry I didn't put the roof on, I just painted the new woodwork. My love for the wind isn't a secret for you since I blogged about it time and again. You probably remember this booklet. But while standing high up, smelling the fresh wood, the paint and the wind blowing so fiercely at times I just felt free. I remembered my dad, who was a carpenter, I thought about my dreamhouse in the magazine and in the evening I sat down browsing through my encyclopedia on wood. Yes, I admit I have such a book. (blushing).

So this little roof in bayeux-stitch is a reminder of my time on the roof because the experience made me see how much I love to try new things and how past, present and future are weaved together.

Have a fabulous day and smile because life is so beautiful.

Elizabeth

Making one to see IV

2011-10-13T12:29:00.001+02:00

That inner voice has both gentleness and clarity. So to get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty, and the inevitability of something.

Meredith Monk

A moment of perfect clarity comes always unexpected. At times one need to be knocked over the head before seeing what is right in front of us. This is what happend to me, luckily Zuzana stopped by and floored me totally. Therefore I decided to embroider this symbol once more and nail it to a piece of driftwood with an eye, lets hope it will make me see what I have to face next time.

Have a fabulous day and I hope you aren't falling over something that is right in front of you.

Elizabeth

Making one to see III

2011-10-12T08:19:00.001+02:00

But by the time you get there and you get home, it winds up being a lot of time out. So I'm getting the itch to build, I know that. I keep looking at my stacks of wood and what I can do with it.

Guy Clark

While being on my walkabout I reminisced about the material wood, memories were and still coming back to me since I'm still working on this project. It might be strange but for some reason I consider stones like libraries and wood as the nurturer of mother nature.
Some time ago I found a small piece of driftwood at the beach which felt perfect as a symbolic base for lives to start on, the knitted parts the roads of life and the four small wooden beads on each road stand for the four directions of the wind. It is a meditative piece and while photographing it the wind made the two roads touch each other, which made perfect sense to me. It made me see that life is all about touch and being touched, a smile appeared in my heart and on my face.

Have a lovely day with a smile on your face.

Elizabeth

Making one to see II

2011-10-11T08:42:00.002+02:00

This little pink shell I found the other day on the road in front of my house, which is kinda odd because despite the fact that I live on an beautiful peninsula, the beach is a few kilometers away. It raises the question how did it land almost on my doorstep?

The shell is one of the symbols on Soul Food. The explanation I gave was:
A shell is a home, a place of shelter for a little animal. He doesn't want to be spotted but is still seen in all it's beauty because of his unique shell. The shell is strong, the weakness is the small opening which needs to be there in order to live. Being open is a neccesity for us human beings too but how often don't we want to hide?
Those who followed the making of Soul Food know that the color pink means carries all the facets of love to me. So why do I tell you all this. Well at the moment that I found this little one I was angry with myself for making a mess of things and when I feel that way I tend to shy away from the world. Normally Anneli, Karen or Zuzana try to make me see the beauty of life again with their wisdom and talent to make me laugh. This time a perfect little pink shell was delivered at my doorstep and the sun inside myself started shining again. To make sure that I remember this co-incidence I made this.

Have a great day with your own little miracle.

Elizabeth

Making one to see I

2011-10-10T11:01:00.001+02:00

As you can see in the picture above the first piece of this serie is a leaf in a frame of pieces of wood that I found on the beach. This leaf brings back a lot of memories. Lets see if I can write it down in such a way that it also makes sense to you.

First of all it reminds me of my eye-haemorrhage early february 2010. It was a scary time, losing my eyesight partly, an eye-operation and the aftermath without knowing if things would turn out ok. You, my blogfriends, kept me company while I was sitting with my head down following the instructions of the doctor. Edit sent me Nothing I've ever known from Brian. And although it is a love song the lines:

Right now I feel - just like a leaf on a breeze
Who knows where it's blowin'
Who knows where it's goin'
I find myself somewhere I - I never thought I'd be
Going round in circles

are engraved in my memory, I will never forget them because that's how I felt and they made me see how fragile one is. Now after 18 months, three eye-surgeries and no second haemorrhage, which was a fear of the doctors, I am ok again. Despite the fact that I lost part of my eye-sight I still can do what I love to do and this leaf shows you that.

The frame has also a special message. If you look closely you can see that the frame isn't totally closed. The reason for that lies in the conversations I have with Judith from time to time while sitting down with our Chai tea in some cafe in Sønderborg. No matter which topic we are discussing the conclusion is often the same. That conclusion is that a lot of problems come into this world because we, human beings, stick to a box of rules without questioning if these rules are there for our benefit or to stop us from being ourselves and expressing us accordingly. So my leaf isn't boxed in, it is blowing in the wind and who knows where it is going. To protect the leaf a little bit I used the weaving technique as I used in What you see is what get-envelope and in my little dreamcatcher.

This is all for today, hope you like the little leaf in bayeux-stitch and the meaning it has for me.

Have a wonderful day and remember to smile, you never know who's heart you touch.

Elizabeth

Making one to see

2011-10-10T08:20:00.001+02:00

This is the first post for my new project Making one to see. Started this project just before I started to blog again and have been working steadily on it. Todays post is about the sources of inspiration.

Eyes, the miracle of miracles.

Scott's beautiful eye, this beautiful photo of his artwork is catching my eye daily and still I'm amazed by all the details he has put in it.
A magazine on wooden houses, which holds a description of my dreamhouse, of 1998.
A card I made, inspired by the work of Karen.
A pink shell that I found on the road in front of our house despite the fact that the beach is a couple of kilometers away.
The painting Beth gave me together with her beautiful butterfly card.
My luck that the eye-haemorrhage didn't stop me from what I love to do.
And the last one, but certainly not the least one, is my bubbling fountain of conversations with friends, what would I do without them.

Interesting enough?

Have a fabulous day and we meet again soon.

Elizabeth

Just because

2011-10-07T08:59:00.001+02:00

Almost a month ago I published my first video Just because. At that time I didn't tell anything about the new artwork or why I created this serie. So that is going to be corrected today. The serie Just because is a combination of old and new pieces and each of them tell a part of a not written story.

This celtic drawing in purple for me is about life. It tells how we move from one situation to the next, how we meet happiness and sorrow while travelling around through our time.

Some of you have already seen this symbol a couple of times since I am so happy with it. First of all this symbol has nothing to do with religion. The two crosses-symbol stand for two people, who never met, standing at crossroads. They sense connection and as soon as they meet the two crosses will become one cross. If you think in soulmate terms, you probably understand what I mean.

This clothposter is from the serie Courtship, for the love of it. The words describe the way people courted through the centuries and I'm fascinated by the diverse ways in how people meet, not only in a romantic way.

This symbol has been with me forever and you can even see it in my very first post, just as the two crosses. This circular form can be seen as the path the soul needs to travel. But every now and than the soul wanders off the circle by choice or an experience. Later on when things don't feel good anymore it has to find it's way back too the circle in order to feel I'm on the right track again.

The connection symbol has been seen on this blog in all it stages but somehow I managed to keep the inspiration for this one hidden. The name of the symbol is connection and again it is about two people and how their energy and openess create another circle for life. The origin of this symbol lies an interview I saw with Keith, specificly the timeframe of 3.14 til 4.00.

This last symbol is one I created while being on my walkabout. The sentence: "Whether we meet next weekend, next month or never again, it doesn't matter, it's only time." Comes from the american TV-serie called Queer as folk, final episode of season 5 in the timeframe 00.45.00 til 00.46.05. What this symbol means to me is that time and again we say goodbye to people for various reasons. Still the separation, the time we spend apart, is only physical and that doesn't really matter since the energy shared, the memories stay with us forever.

To end this very personal serie I have made another video with not only pictures but also video-footage. I chose to make Just because this way because life is filled with debris and only love and care between people makes this world beautiful. The music is from Alvin Lee, another man who knows how to touch a guitar.

Have a great weekend with lots of inspiration.

Elizabeth

New source of inspiration

2011-10-05T09:04:00.000+02:00

Some time ago I opened an account on You Tube. At first I just used it as an archive for music video's I liked. Now that I also have started to make my own video's it is becoming a source of inspiration. Why? Because musicians have started to sent me their material and I have to tell you I received some gems.

The first song Smile again is from Brian.

The second song for you today is Take ur country home from Rick.

The third video is Sleeping on the interstate from Granger.

The fourth song is from Ricardo with his song Imagine.

And the last one for today is from Sean and John with Let me go down.

Have to admit the last one is my favorite but I know not all of you are just as crazy about loud guitars as I am and therefore I give you also some music in which the guitar is gently touched. Hope you will have as much fun with these guys as I already had.

Enjoy yourself today.

Elizabeth

Some eyecandy for the weekend

2011-09-30T20:58:00.000+02:00

The first video is about Soul Food, a quilt like embroidery-project with 187 carthographic symbols from my life. Friends, milestones, crossroads, hopes and dreams caught in one project.

A project from Kids Company with mixed media shoeboxes was the source of inspiration for this project. Their exhibition didn't include a textile shoebox and I felt the challenge to make one for myself.

Have a fabulous weekend filled with lots of sunshine, memories of the past and dreams for the future.

Elizabeth

What, when, why, how?

2011-09-26T10:41:00.001+02:00

How is life in Denmark?

What is on your mind?

What is your source of inspiration at the moment?

How do you find your stories?

Why is the beach such a special place for you?

Are you developing a new serie?

When can I see it?

In this serie of photographs I answered all of the questions except one.

Soon you will be able to see my new work.

Just remember embroidery is like slow food, it needs time!

Have a fabulous day.
Elizabeth

Swedisch helleristninger

2011-09-23T07:34:00.001+02:00

Last year I visited a site with Norwegian helleristninger, rock carvings and thought they were very special. But you can imagine my surprise when I found this site which was lying just beside the road.

For me it was a mind blowing experience. Art made in the Bronze age, this beautiful was just beside the road, totally unprotected. A Native American Indians proverb says that the consequences of ones action will affect 7 generations. In this case a lot longer because tourists, like me, still visit this place every day.

Have a beautiful day filled with inspiration.

Elizabeth

The and some of blogging

2011-09-20T08:43:00.000+02:00

Besides travelling to Sweden, with which I will bore you more later, I also took the train and went to Århus during my walkabout. I won't tell you about the itinerary that that required neither since the person I visited is much more interesting. When I started blogging, I had read blogs for some time alraedy and each time the writers wrote about their friends. My reaction was: HA, you want me to believe that. (the cynical me)

But I started anyway and after some time this whirlwind started visiting. (Although the truth has to be told I found her post on Sletterhage fyr and made a comment.) Now almost three years later we are still writing each other each day. Some days just some scribbles. Other days the mails consist out of smileys and we acting more like teenage girls than back in the days when we were teenage girls. In a number of mails we gave each other a written handkerchief to dry our tears or make each other dance in front of the computer on the latest music of our heart. And than there were these discussions in which she did her best to pursuade me to blog about that particular subject. You want to meet this gemstone?

(Two giggling girls trying to stand in front of a camera with a life of its own.)

So my dear Zuzana this post is for you and to make the surprise even bigger I added one of the pieces you wanted to see on my blog called: The three things I truly own.

The first one is my soul, the energy that makes me who I am, the energy that communicates with my environment, the energy that gives me the possibility of sharing my love with the world.

The second one, which is also my very own, is my body. My body, the house of my soul, the storage place of my memories, the workshop of my talents, the only piece of my ownership that is palable. My body is the first merit I am judged upon by others since that is the first they lay their eyes on.

The third piece I own is time. This commodity is one everybody has but no one knows how much time they have on this planet. Each minute can be our last one and still we feel immortal. How we spend our time is very important. Not to reach the highest economical goal but to reach the most forfillment for ones soul.

It is of little importance what other people think of the way you or I live but how we think and feel about it is. Nevertheless we are very influenced by our environment since we have the need to fit in. This need is in us since we cannot survive alone. Each person we meet can be a learning tool. He or she is making choices and the way we view them defines us.

Our inability to survive on our own and the need to define ourselves makes that we want to belong to a group of people with similar traits. If we don't find such a group we feel vulnerable. Does this mean that if you find a group your worries are over? No, groups and agendas change constantly and we always have to make constant adjustments to keep on fitting in. These alterations may cause a problem since the agenda of the group may not be your personal agenda.

Knowing what you want and need but most of all give the world is uniquely yours to give, that is what is most important. But how much are we willing to sacrifice everyday to do just that?

Dear Zuzana, I know you are sitting behind your computer at the office and this surprise is my gift to you since you are just Sweety.

I wish everybody a day filled with friends who encourage you to step out and be yourself.

Elizabeth

Changing the landscape, the epilogue of the epilogue

2011-09-15T21:23:00.000+02:00

Last year the serie of Changing the landscape started and I have to confess I had no idea I would totally become hooked on the subject. The vikings, the helleristninger and the way history is influenced by it all is the red thread throughout this project. By telling you about a number of documentaries, taking you with me to a Viking weekend and making a large serie of textile paintings with these old rockcarvings we came a little closer to these fierce warriors, skillful craftsmen and talented traders.

But my fascination wasn't satisfied yet and during my walkabout I got the chance to visit a magical place in Sweden. The helleristninger, which you are about to see, were made during the Bronze age but recently painted again. That makes photographing them a lot easier and so I ended up with tons of pictures. Therefore I have for you today a video with footage I made in Sweden combined with the textile paintings I made, despite the fact that I already wrote an epilogue some months ago.

Have a magical day.

Elizabeth

Eyecandy from Sweden

2011-09-13T08:44:00.001+02:00

Sometimes I felt like I was climbing towards the sky

although earth bound

Dreaming of a workplace for myself

while seeing artwork of others

in detail

Being on the coast means: boats,

shells,

and beautiful sunsets displayed in front of our tent in the evening.

A small impression of my time in Sweden.

Have a wonderful day with memories of a summer gone by in your heart.

Elizabeth

Just because

2011-09-09T08:49:00.004+02:00

My last post is already five months old, time is going so fast when one is on a walkabout. It was marvellous and I can recommand it to anyone. Now it time to hear your voices again and share with you the wonderful things life brings to my table.

The title of this post is Just because. While I was wandering around I made a lot of pictures and one of the new things I learned is how to make video. The embroidery installation consist of 6 pieces, a combination of textile paintings and a clothposter, words combined with symbolism, from running stitches to bayeux stitches but purple is taking the lead. Curious?

What do you think? Is it easier this way to understand the story I'm telling or would you rather just have pictures? You can share your thoughts and ideas here or on my youtube channel. Thanks.

Enjoy your weekend.

Elizabeth

Crossroads

2011-04-04T09:44:00.000+02:00

(found on the internet)

Like you and the rest of humanity my daily life is formed by a number of habits. Habits are just routines we learned over time and which are beneficial to our every day. For some time already I have been aware that I was heading for a crossroad. A crossroad where I needed to decide how and where I want my life to take me.

(found on the internet)

The last two years I spent a lot of time on finding a way to mix my creative excursions with blogging. I loved every minute of it. Got the chance to meet some awesome people, new friendships were formed, created some really nice artwork, learned to blog and a whole lot more. Still I feel strongely about taking a long break from blogging. I want to start hiking again in new territory, scubadive in another sea of creativity, I just long to go on a walkabout by myself.

Therefore it is time to say goodbye dear friends. You are always welcome to travel around in Landanna and to leave a postcard in my mailbox. As soon as I am back at Landanna I let you know, if you want to.

Bye and remember what a difference a smile can make.

Elizabeth

happy girl at the beach

2011-04-01T08:27:00.003+02:00

Lost for words

Lost in time

Lost in....

Just remember her smile.

Courtship, for the love of it XX

2011-03-31T08:21:00.001+02:00

Today I have the final result for you of the embroidery part of the connection symbol. Many hours I laid the embroidery silk on the cotton. The result is just lovely. Now I have to find myself some yarn and start knitting. Four panels of 40 x 40 cm need to get a cover. Since I haven't started knitting yet, it will take some time before it will be ready, so you'll have to be patient. After that I will cut the cotton and sew the embroidery piece on the knitted panels.

Time to say good bye to the theme Courtship, for the love of it.

An epilogue is in the making but I hope you enjoyed this journey so far.

Have a beautiful day with a loving smile.

Elizabeth

Patterns at the beach

2011-03-30T07:22:00.001+02:00

Patterns on the beach.

Have a wonderful wednesday.

Elizabeth

A new challenge

2011-03-29T07:58:00.000+02:00

Most of you know that I also participate in the blog A sustainable life. On that blog I wrote a piece called Clothes anyone? The research for this story was a lot of fun and led me to all kinds of blogs and flickr-accounts. The flickr-account of Melanie was the most attractive one for me because it gave me a sense of hé I can do this too.

Now the thought was a lot easier than the process I have to admit even though we are just talking about a scarf. Anyway, in the picture above you can see how I cut the sleeves into rectangles and stitched them with a running stitch together again.

Than came the hard part. I had to use my sewing machine. This sounds probably ridiculous and it is ridiculous. I have a sewing machine for about 8 years I guess and if it has been outside its box twice than that is a lot. This gives you some indication of my skills!!!! But I did manage to get it all stitched together, don't ask about the amount of time I used, and this is the result so far.

What is left is that I have to put the cuff on the scarf and sewing the black linen backside on it. With a little bit of luck, just one day of work. Keep your fingers crossed and you may see a machine sewed piece made by me after all.

Have a great day with a learning smile.

Elizabeth

Patterns in the street

2011-03-28T07:53:00.001+02:00

If there is a need to blame anyone for this slight pattern addiction it is Karen of Stitching life. Since she started writing about patterns I see them everywhere.

You already got a large dose of patterns in the snow.

Today I have a small serie of patterns on the street.

Enjoy your day with patterns that make you smile.

Elizabeth

The fourth and final installment of post 500

2011-03-25T07:56:00.001+01:00

(this is the backside)

For the 500th post give-away I made something especially for Spud. Spud asked for a small piece with the colours yellow, orange, turqoise and bright greens. She wanted some embroidery, knitting and crochet.
Luckily I had all colours in my stash of embroidery threads except for turqoise. So instead of turqoise I incorporated 3 different blue's.

(overview)

The first four rows are variations of the running stitch done in 4 different shades of green and 4 different colours from yellow to bright orange. The fifth row is a green french knot. The sixth row is bullion knot, the seventh row in the dark green is a knippesting. (danish name) The eight row is a chainstitch. The nineth row in orange is a split stitch, in row no. 10 you'll find a coral stitch. The bright orange is a millefleur stitch (danish name) and the last two rows are made in a blanket stitch. Had a little extra fun with these two rows because I took from each colour on piece of thread and combined it to a new thread.
If you happen to know the english names for knippesting and millefleur stitch, please let me know.

(detail picture)

Here you see a detailed picture with all the different stitches. It was great fun for me to make this little one, some golden oldies and some new stitches combined in colours I don't use that often. It looks like a garden to me.

Since Spud is a very talented photographer and you can see her pictures here, they are just perfect. If you would like to see what Anneli, Julie and Karen won, just click on their names.

The celebration of this milestone have come to an end. Time to start working to the next one: no. 750!!!!

Have a fantastic day with a colourful smile.

Elizabeth

Courtship, for the love of it XIX

2011-03-24T07:54:00.002+01:00

There are so many projects laying around to be finished, oh my, oh my. This is one of them but I'm almost there. In the next post I will show you a finished embroidery piece. Promise.

But for now it is just an update of the work I did while burning the midnight oil at my office!!!!

Have a fabulous start of your day. Enjoy yourself, share your beautiful smile and the world becomes a better place.

Elizabeth

An almost wordless spring wednesday

2011-03-23T07:52:00.002+01:00

Have a lovely day with a sweet smile.

Elizabeth

The longest post ever: The interview

2011-03-21T08:23:00.000+01:00

Today will be the third installment on the celebration of post 500 with the forfillment of Julie's wish. Julie gave me 5 questions to answer. Now since this will, without a doubt, be the longest post ever I suggest you first get a cup of tea or coffee and sit down comfortably. Julie's instructions: i'll only give you five, but i want you to give good, long answers to them! Here are the questions:

1. you make so many lovely things all the time, why don't you have an etsy or big cartel shop?

2. what is your favorite thing about living in denmark? and your least favorite thing?

3. if you were going to start a revolution, what would be your cause?

4. you do a lot of embroidery series to explore a theme. how does this work for you and your creativity?

5. you read blogs widely and explore the vast expanse of the internet - how do you process all of that information/inspiration and how does it manifest itself in your work?

Now I could just answer each question and move on to the next one but I chose to take a slightly different approach. Here we go:

As a young girl I started knitting, crochet and embroidery like any other girl at school. This caused my teacher some grey hair because I didn't stick to the instructions but she didn't complain too much because I always made my assignments in my own way. For a very long time most of the things I made were for others. If I considered someone a friend they were very likely to get a handmade present on their birthday or at other special occasions. The making process was always a very special time for me but I realized that my efforts weren't always noticed by the receiver.

(a reproduction of some of my crochet mistakes)

Now most of you know that I'm Dutch and moved to Denmark 5 years ago. Denmark wasn't a stranger to me. I lived on another danish peninsula before and spent many holidays here. Each time it was the landscape that attracted me. Both times I ended up on an island because I love the beach, it is my favorite place because of all its movement and peace at the same time. Clean air, the blue skies, a friendly landscape, the four seasons (although at the moment I am done with King Winter), the sense of having space without feeling lost in the landscape. All of this attracts me time and again.

My isle in spring

Unfortunately the landscape and the natives have not that much in common, seen from my perspective. My least favorite encounters are the large blocked doors I keep knocking on. Like others, I find it very difficult to make contact with Danes. My danish isn't perfect, I'm probably a bit too outgoing for danish standards and I don't fit in with the latest boxes of cool. All of this and their closed nature doesn't lead to a happy social environment but I don't wish to become a Dane and therefore have to accept that I am on the outside.

found on the internet

Still I am a social human being in need of some social interaction. Luckily I met the very talented and kind-hearted Elsita online. She talked me into starting a creative blog after seeing some of my work. I didn't want to make just presents for others anymore. I wanted something that was even more meaningful and over time my perspective on my creative endeavours changed. This time I wanted to make objects for me, special momentums that held more meaning for me than anyone else.

Red thread

My inspiration can be almost anything, I read a lot, visit blogs on all kinds of subjects, feed my visual beast on flickr, visit musea and train my mind and body with taekwondo. I am interested in all kinds of subjects. The fact that I read about embroidery doesn't dismiss my interest in the new social structure made by people in Detroit or my need to listen to the different topics on Tedtalks or to read about how a person creates a lifestyle that fits him or her. I am passionate about music in all its forms but want to learn more about sustainability too because we only have one planet to live on. Communication, co-incidences, synchronicity, beliefsystems, poetry, following my interests, I crave it because that is, for me, the way to become all the woman I can be. The best offerings are given by surprise. I am just a happy girl if the world offers me something that I didn't know I needed.

At the church on the vikingmarket

Some of you already asked a few times how do you process all of this? That isn't too difficult. An open your mind and heart and a desire to feed myself are the basic ingredients. By sharing my links I get feedback and the learning process continues in that way. Human beings have a large capacity to absorb information. What I do is trying only to absorb the information which is beneficial to me. So I might not know about the latest trend in fashion or the insides on the wars around the world. On the other hand I did stumble on and got as one of the first the new book of Jan Messent Celtic, Viking &Anglo-Saxon embroidery and a chance to discuss the science essay Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience peak emotion to music with a friend. It is just a choice, like so many we make each day.

(Think)

As soon as a topic keeps showing up, I'm drawn to it or it simply keeps me pre-occupied it is a sign to start travelling with it. For instance with the project Changing the landscape. Over the years I have visit numerous burial grounds, read about them, helleristninger kept on appearing and than after our visit to Norway and seeing so many of rockcarvings it becomes more or less a natural thing to do.

(helleristninger/rock carvings in Norway)

At a certain point I got such an overload of stories about Detroit and the ideas behind the various aspects that it resulted in a new collaborative blog on sustainable living. This blog gives me a chance to travel a different path and a new outlook, a different way to explore.

courtesy of Mother Earth News

The shoebox I made after seeing an fundraise exhibition in which there were beautiful shoeboxes in mixed media but none were made with textile. I took it as a challenge and made my blue shoebox. And than ofcourse there are these thoughts/ideas which keep swirling around which can lead to a project like the Book of Worlds.

The project Magnificent windows was started by a few seconds in a documentary. Since there is wide variety of ways to start a project it is fair to say that almost anything can become a project. In each project I need to explore and I want to add something to my creative toolbox. A stitch, a way of drawing, different fabrics, a symbol, ... In that way my skills expand and therefore my next project might turn out even better. I love to think about communication and all the different aspects and layers in this, if anything that is the red thread in my work.

Now if someone would like to pay me to do my creative work I would accept it with the largest smile on my face and I don't mind sharing the yield of my time. A shop is probably the most obvious way to travel. What is needed to start a shop on-line with the potential to become succesful? A large following on-line or network, a blog that serves as a shopwindow and an account on Etsy, Big Cartel or .... Now do I have a large following? No. Why not? Probably because my work isn't controversial and I don't wish it to be either. I'd rather start a revolution on accepting and being in peace with oneself as a step to peace in the world than to start another controversy.
What more attracts a lot of people? Well, sex sells and I do like the variety the Karma Sutra is offering, unfortunately I have absolutely no desire to embroider the different positions. In other words I haven't found the instant winner topic which has the interest of a large group of people and me. Ofcourse I could start a shop anyway and spend a lot of time forcing a breakthrough with a variety of marketingtools but I'd rather do what I love and tell you about it.

One of the things I would like to tell you is that in a few weeks I will be on a fleamarket with Jude & Julie in Sønderborg. I agreed to do this because I love to hang out with these two ladies. Would you like to meet us? Come to the Forårsmarked at fiskerihavnen in Sønderborg on the 9th of April. It starts around 9.00 in the morning til about 12.00 o'clock. (Lets's hope for some sunshine and no wind otherwise we become three icecones.)

In case you can't come to the market but you're licking your lips, there is a lump in your throat and you're not able to swallow it or your heart can't stop racing, your knees feel wobbly and you notice a pair of sweaty palms when you see a piece of art you longed for but didn't know it until this moment, just write me. Tell me why this particular piece is the one you want and need to give a new home. It is very likely to become yours after all and if I ever start a shop, you will be the first to know. I promise.

Now time to wrap up this interview. Thank you for visiting and reading this long post. Julie thank you for your questions and friendship. Have fun today while starting a new week filled with smiles.

Elizabeth

Meandering through natural patterns

2011-03-18T07:42:00.001+01:00

Since the series on Courtship, for the love of it is slowing coming to its end I started to see what kind of story I would like tell in the weeks to come. Therefore I picked up my art-journal and started with some ripped paper and pasted them in my art-journal. Just a first small step in deciding where I want to go to, in which way to travel.

Do you have some inspirational destinations? Please let me know.

Have a lovely start of your weekend and let the ripped paper make you smile.

Elizabeth

Courtship, for the love of it XVIII

2011-03-17T08:09:00.034+01:00

Time flies when you are having fun and since my evenings flying by with the speed of a Stealth you know I am having fun. Today I can report that the first layer on the second part of the symbol is almost done with the Bayeux stitch as you can see in the picture. Can you see all my smiles?

What makes you smile these days?

Elizabeth

An almost wordless wednesday

2011-03-16T08:00:00.002+01:00

A conversation stuck in my head.

Enjoy the silence with a knowing smile.

Elizabeth

Courtship, for the love of it XVII

2011-03-15T07:42:00.001+01:00

Yes, the second part of the connection symbol is coming along nicely. Last night I finished the most difficult part of it, putting the long threads on the cloth is a bit tricky if you ask me. Still the finishing of this part leaves me only with a few more nights of embroidery on this symbol, sigh, while I am writing this I wished it was embroidery time.

First I need to shorten my to do list for today and run a number of errands. My love has to wait and be patient just a little bit longer.

Have a fantastic day and show the world your beautiful smile.

Elizabeth

Forfilling a wishlist

2011-03-14T08:53:00.000+01:00

Last monday my post no. 500 was written and I asked: ''Why don't you tell me this week what you would like to have, what you would like to know or what you would like to see and I'll see how many wishes I can forfill. A beautiful wishlist was created and I decided to forfill every wish.

Zuzana and Mary wanted me to continue blogging. This wish is very easy to grant since I have no plan of stopping.

Karen and Anneli both asked for stones in a jacket or a dress. Since I made plenty of them as a part of the serie Changing the landscape no worries there either. These stones will be sent to their new homes later this week.

Spud asked for a piece that had knitting, crochet and embroidery in it with the colours yellow, orange, bright greens and turqoise. A new piece is made just for Spud and I finished last night, since I don't want to spoil the surprise I'm not gonna show it before it arrived at its new home but I have to say I'm quite taken by it.
The last wish came from Julie. Julie wanted an opportunity to interview me. Now I have no idea what kind of questions I haven't answered so far on my blog in one way or the other and therefore I play along since I want to know her questions.

Have a great start of your week and thank you all for playing along.

Elizabeth

Courtship, for the love of it XVIII

2011-03-11T07:40:00.101+01:00

The clothposter is finished. I made an attempt to photograph it in the style of the famous Spud, the generous lady who photographed Soul Food at Blog Camp. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Have a fabulous day while you court life with your loving smile.

Elizabeth

The last leg of winter

2011-03-10T07:39:00.002+01:00

Spring Will Come

Spring will come despite the rain—
wild mustard and garlic a tangled skein
of yellow and white; forget-me-nots
on hillsides and in puddling ruts
misting in drifts of blue.

Mothwing petals sift past quince,
blooming bare-branched beneath
the plumed plum. Despite the rain,
despite the pain—or is it from,
or through? Prepositions don’t matter;
spring will come.

Rebecca Foust

Have a great day with a new smile filled with promise of renewal.

Elizabeth

Courtship, for the love of it XVI

2011-03-09T07:40:00.000+01:00

The other night, when I was finishing up my night at the office, I decided to put my hoop around the word smile on the clothposter. The next morning, after another walk to school while the wind was blowing icy and the snow still piled up, I found my own smile message while holding my cup of tea when I sat myself down at the computer to visit you and to read the lovely messages you sent me. You know what, I smiled!!!!

Have a fabulous start of your day with your joyful smile.

Elizabeth

Changing the landscape epilogue

2011-03-08T08:26:00.001+01:00

Yesterday morning, 10.00 am, 3 degree celcius and a lovely breeze to keep me company at the beach.

It was time to make the epilogue of Changing the landscape.

Changing the landscape is about vikings,

the way they made their mark on the world.

But also about how creativity is giving me a new path to walk,

Just have to click my heels like Dorothy and .....

Enjoy your day and give the world your bright smile.

Elizabeth

500th

2011-03-07T08:10:00.005+01:00

Just another day in blogosphere but the unbelieveable has happend, today I write post no. 500. Looking back fills me with gratitude for all the new friends I met while travelling through Landanna. All the beautiful artwork that fell into my lap of good fortune at the give-aways. All the laughter, tears and music that I shared with strangers I have come to know and love. All the hours of holding my needle or pencil but above all the kindness that was shown to me.

This needs to be celebrated but how? Why don't you tell me this week what you would like to have, what you would like to know or what you would like to see and I'll see how many wishes I can forfill.

With a smile of happiness.

Elizabeth