A walk in Rosengarten

After two days with so awful weather (I almost took pictures to show the dark, dusty, dirty fog, but refrained) today was so lovely with the sun above just a tiny layer of fog I had to jump out of my car after work. It fitted well, because after a month of more or less sickness I'm training to get into shape as fast as possible. My plan is brisk walking for 30 min. almost every day unless I go climbing.

This walk took place in the so called Rosengarten, which, as you might guess, means rose garden. All one can see are fields, wood, villages, streets,... but nevertheless the name is beautiful and it is the one spot I would like to live at here up north with all my longing for the south. It would also be bicycle distance to my work, which would be great.

The pictures I took in December while trying out my camera. The countryside on that day reminded my a bit of Provence with its whine fields. Sorry, Provence connosseurs, but "homesickness" (or travel-fever) takes its toll. Of course those are trees belonging into a tree school.

Birthday present from Ute

No, it's not my birthday.
My birthday is exactly one week from now:
February 25


Last sunday I finally had the chance to take out for a walk the present my friend Ute gave me for my last years birthday.
The weekend sparkled with perfect winter weather: cold and crispy and blue sky.

She knitted those in an interesting diagonal pattern and in perfect Project Spectrum colors.

***Thanks, Ute ***

Spring is in the Air

Last weekend shone in fantastic weather. In expectation of sun for photos I took my springshawl with me on my weekend trip to friends in Hannover. How happy I was when I saw all those spring flowers already blooming in their yard. It was a real surprise because up here I haven't seen them so far. For sure not in my north-side wooden covered garden.

The beautiful bead pattern.

The alignment.



The solitary crocus.

spring inside

I'm sad that we didn't have winter here in North Germany so far. Even my planned cross-country-ski-weekend in the Harz, the most Northern mountainrange, will be become a walk around Hannover. No snow.
But I shouldn't complain - at least there will be a lot of sun, what a nice sight after always grey-grey-grey.
I cheer myself up with my colorfull dishes that got added a new color and a lot of springflowers lately.

H A P P Y W E E K E N D

Fire in Photoshop

My first project for Project Spectrum Elements is done, yeah! It was not on my yesterday's list, but has been in my head.
It went much faster than I thought thanks to a very easy tutorial.

The picture in the letters is from the most spectacular sunrise I ever experienced in the mountains of the Anti-Atlas in Marokko.
The fire and the heat we definitely appreciated because the night has been shivering cold.

Project Spectrum: Elements

Already in the third year Lolly (Lauren) with her worth visiting blog is putting up Project Spectrum.

This means that 2 months of 2008 are dedicated to certain colors and/or a combination of all three. This year they are combined with one of the four (western) elements.

FEBRUARY / MARCH - FIRE- orange, red, pink

APRIL / MAY - EARTH - green, brown, metallics

JUNE / JULY - AIR - gray, white, yellow

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER - WATER - blue, black, purple

There is no enrolling, no pressure. You can indulge in all kind of material, in all kind of craft and creations. The purpose is getting to know some colors better, working maybe with untypical colors, noticing those colors in one's enviroment more, trying out new arts ..........

You can post whatever you feel right for the topic on your blog, in a flickr groupravelry. and on

What caught me most is the Artist Trading Card Swap that also takes place, each separately for each element. I don't know why I feel so attracted to this now. Not at all have I been inspired by mixed media, by art postcards, by swaps so far.
I would guess it's a mixture of my interests in colors, my everlasting interest in the elements and the ideas and skills I got through the months of BeadJournalProject I have participated. (I signed out, because I couldn't follow my ideas and the topic. I'm more of an allrounder in all kinds.)
So far I have not enrolled in the Swap because I want to be sure to manage and the next weeks will be very busy with all sorts of nice adventures on the weekends. But I sneaked out half an hour here, twenty minutes there and worked on one of these tiny cards. I was so surprised when I actually knew it (6,5 x 8,5 cm). Fine for me, I like to do it on a small scale.
My material I take out of my drawers as the ideas fall out of my head. So far I've used felt, silk, cotton, beads and knitted a bit, .

I wonder where my craft creation craziness I'm more and more experiencing will lead to.

What else do I think of:

• - Buying myself Michael Freemans book on color for photographers.(german, english) Studying the according chapters.
  
  
• - Reading the chapters on red and orange in Victoria Finlay's book on colors that has been with me (unread) for a year now. (german, english)
  
  
• - Checking out and learning about color levels and curves for red etc. in Photoshop.
  
  
• - Going through my digital photos for pictures of sunsets/sunrises. I love both and the sun is the fire in the sky.
  
  
• - I already got color cards for coloring walls and furniture last weekend and put them in my studio. Need to take a picture and post it.
  
  
• - Same goes for the socks I knitted a while ago. I don't wear self-knitted socks and I don't want to post a lot about socks, but I like to knit them and this yarn is special. More later.
  
  
• - Red and orange are not "my" colors, so I won't create anything for myself. In the pink hue I worked a lot in 2007. In lack of new photos I show you some old pictures I've posted already before on my flickr.

As for the fire element itself it is not the very right season. When I think of fire I think of the tiny ones we made out of scrub in front of our tent in the cold desert nights or I think of summer campfires with friends. I'll keep my eyes and other senses open for fire around me in the next weeks. There has been a terrible fire yesterday in Germany that killed and injured many people. Yes, that is the destructive side of fire. So sorry for the people.

I would be more than happy if you drop me a short note, a mail, a comment if you are interested in Project Spectrum Elements or are already taking part in it.
I'm writing my blog as kind of a diary for myself but internet is on the same side all about international communication for me. If you don't want to write in English please feel free to use other languages.

Happy creating!

So many ideas

The last weeks I have been flooded with so many ideas for creating - it has now gotten so much that my sleep gets quite influenced. Not only that I don't sleep enough hours, my mind is rambling.
For sure it has to do with the relaxing christmas vacations after a fall full of problems and is due to the fact that I had more time than usual due to physical causes. I was on sick leave for a week and couldn't do any sport at all for some weeks.
Most of my ideas are still ideas, or are in the planning state or have become works in progress in the different states of completion. Probably most of you, my dear readers, know what I'm talking about.
Many hours I spent at my notebook, dwelling in all your beautiful blogs, marveling at all those pictures on flickr or I go through the staple of books I brought from the library when I knew I was home-bound for some time.

One of the non-private blogs I discovered in January is from the lovely french mag Marie Claire Idees. This magazine is one of my favorite souveniers from France. I don't like all that's in it, same for the blog. Sometimes it's a bit too sweet for my taste. But before blogland it was THE eye-candy for me - and candy is allowed to be sweet. :-)
Having a MCI in my hand meant I'm in vaction, I'm in the French Alps, I'm in the Provence, I'm at the most beautiful ocean and climbing spots or other parts of South France. (Could be there maybe forever.)

Finally here is the picture of a treat to myself blogged. After a doctor appointment in Hamburg I had a quick trip to a bead shop and found the most beautiful beads I can think of in the moment (and are affordable for a quick treat). They are from Svarowski and called crystal pearls. I like their non-obtrusive shine and their subtle hues. Some displayed necklaces inspired me to make myself a flying-pearl-necklace and so I did right after coming home. Good, otherwise this project might have gotten buried with all my so many ideas.
It looks lovely in real and matches most of my clothes perfect. The stones are from the gorgious beach where we spent most of our Analusion vacations.

I planned to write a tutorial for this blog, because it is an appropriate piece if one wants to begin with making jewelry. But later I found super tutorials online already so here are the links:
Perlenpaula shows exactly the way my necklace is done. On this page you find all the basics with very clear pictures. Both are in German but the pictures should be self explaining, I hope. "Quetschperlen" are crimps. If you have a question you are most welcome to mail me.

Besides crafting there is my everlasting wish to improve my little Photoshop and DTP- skills. For this and other reasons I deseperately need a new notebook (my good old one is bursting!!!) but I can't find any that I like. Just in case you have an idea: I want a non-glare display, a pretty case (not this shining black that is in fashion here right now), it must be very quite and has to be for Windows (no, I'm not a MS-fan, but I'm working with Windows in my job and can't separate between job and private a lot of times). I won't use it for games, but has to have a lot of ram for the graphic tasks.


(PS. I have a question-mark in my brain and maybe somebody can take it away: In my eyes the letters in the first paragraph are more apart, so that the words are better to read. All other paragraphs are slightly different. I can't find any difference in the html-code though. ????)