Decay

I am fascinated by decay. Things getting eroded, rusty things, wood or color with patina, really anything that shows the time it has endured. These pictures show one tree stump in various stages of decay.
Aged things are much more interesting than new things. They show wear and tear, you can see what the weather did to them if they are outside. Look at stone eroding - perhaps I am in love with these processes because they show that nothing is really forever. So who am I to complain that my life, too, will come to an end...
Don't get me wrong: I am not morbid. I wasn't just diagnosed - this fascination with decay and old age has been with me for decades. I love the faces of old people: They tell of joy and sorrow and the struggles they had during their life. These faces are by far more beautiful than those of any model.

Easter Monday

Would you believe it? Icicles about 5 inches long! The birds are really in need of a flight controller the way they are flocking about. I have to refill the house at least twice a day.

Happy Easter!

Yes, it is Easter! Although you would not believe it looking at these photos, would you? This was the sight that greeted us this morning. Seems we have now more snow than in the whole previous winter. Oh well, of course Easter is very early this year, but snow at the end of March? Okay, we are not actually snowed under, but.... You can tell that I am looking forward to warmer times, more light, more sun, and yes, less snow!

Inchies swap

These are the inchies from a swap with Janet from the inchies-group. Janet sent me paper inchies which were something new for me. Those I sent back are just plain fabric inchies. It has been some time that I last made these small items and was quite amazed how well it went - seems I didn't forget how to make them :-)

Spring

At last - the almond trees are in blossom! Although my favorite time of the year is autumn I love the almond trees. There are about 15 of them, not very tall, along one of the streets I have to drive through when heading for our neighboring town. These fragile clouds of pink impress me every year. Alas, this beauty can only be admired for a few days. This year, however, they are taking their time. It is rather cool and damp and the blossoms seem to last longer than in other years. At least something to help me ignore that the time for wearing sandals and short sleeves is still in the future.

Driftwood

Tomorrow is my father's birthday. This is the birthday card I made for him. But since I am going to visit him I did not send it *g* but rather framed it. It is a highly three dimensional piece done with silk paper, fabric, silk hankies and silk throwster waste as well as some hand dyed cheesecloth. The embellishments are partially hidden in folds and I couldn't resist putting some UTEE on it. It looks like being washed up on the seashore - okay, apart from the gold thing....

Inspiration

Aspergos was the Hellenistic town in Turkey with the great amphitheater. It was quite a climb up there but worth while - great view of the mountains, too.
I like the carved stones. Perhaps I can turn these into a quilting design.

It's all about structure

Would you believe that these are all details from palm trees? And not even from different sort of palm trees but from one. I saw these in Turkey and wondered how different the trunks looked. It is all defined by the way the leaves are cut off in order to give the tree a nice top. At least that is how I think it is, maybe I am totally wrong. If somebody cares to inform me...

Heart swap

These are the hearts I received during the swap with the art4card group. Isn't it really fascinating what people can do with the heart shape in mind! I love swaps because this way you get an insight into other artists' work; there is such a large variety even if the general idea is the same.

Turkey

Returned from a trip to Turkey. The photos you see here were made in Perge, an ancient town or rather the remains of an ancient town. The time of the year was really perfect for this kind of visit since there are not many tourists around (you should visit there in summer, or rather not!). So I was able to shoot photos without any humans on it. These columns are so awe inspiring - erected several thousand years ago and still so beautiful.