Friday
05Mar2010

Prague... walking around

Prague is a city of tales , there are castles, cathedrals big and antique clocks and a lot of history, the whole center is like walking inside a huge art nouveau museum the buildings are covered with details, figures and gold.

There are landscapes that you will stare just to check if they are real, it is really a "once upon a time" place. Just walking around the center of Praga is a good place for inspiration.

The doors and entrances are much more than that...

And of course you will find modern signs, everywhere around.

Curiosities...

And real vintage and antique shops, I mean REAL like they have been there for ever.

For my surprise they have an incredible art & craft side very strong and well done i`ll show you that in the next post.

Love, take care...

 

Wednesday
24Feb2010

Learning to Take Pictures

Well, i started the year full of inspiration, ideas and projects. I am working in opening my Madame Craft online shop and other shop that is a surprise. Part of my "To do list" for these two projects was to learn how to take pictures so i can take nice pictures of my pieces and products for the shop.

So i've found a perfect... just perfect online course with a very sensitive and talented teacher who taught me (between many things) how to see with different eyes and how to take these pictures.

Learning Portraits... This was so much fun.

Click the picture to enlarge

Click the picture to enlarge

My city nowadays... I learn that observe is very important.

Click the picture to enlarge

Composition... Definitely one of my favorite excercises, but still too much to learn.

Click the picture to enlarge

Still Life... Still having fun.

Click the picture to enlarge

You can find more about my teacher Jackie Rueda`s work you can visit Her blog (spanish only) and if you want to buy some of Her beautiful photos visit her Etsy shop.

It is a well worth a visit.

Bye Bye!

Monday
15Feb2010

Saying good bye to Berlin

Leaving from Berlin to Praga i found this in the train station, it was an exhibition of bears from more than 30 different countries, for what i could understand they were painted by artist from each country and were exposed all around the train station.

I was running like crazy through the whole station with my camera in hand and my husband and the suitcase behind me just taking pictures of these "care bears".

I do not undestand very well what was the exhibition all about because i could not found information on internet or any where else... it was... i do not know... peculiar?.

End of Berlin... Next time i will show you what i have been learning.

See you.

Saturday
13Feb2010

Berlin... just walking around

In this nowdays art capital city Berlin, people say it is full of museum, galleries, and many other forms of art expresions, i have no doubt about it, however i did not have the chance to visit the ones with art inside. but i can show you this today.

From the moment you wake-up this is what you can find in the front page of a paper.

In a very regular neighbourhood this is what you found the first 50 meters of the block just galleries, galleries and galleries... and more galleries.

Small and independent galleries everywhere

You can easily note that it is not a special occasion or place for them to give a chance or space to  art.

In this same block i found this Jewlery shop a real treasure place.

There is not website, blog or any online acces so, i'm showing you the business card here in case you want to get there.

I talked with the owner a little bit, in italian (i do not why or how because i do not speak italian but He said "Oh you speak spanish ok so we can speak in italian"). 

He told me that the place has being here for 40 years and he get all the objects from differents places, people and even worlds.

Is is a place to come back over and over again.

Crazy cool one of those shops that make me nuts.

 

 Unorganize where you have to find your own way 

And if you do not found what are you looking for, just ask he will have it for sure

What you see in these pictures (i did what i could) it just the tip of the iceberg, inside it is madness good. 

This shop is well worth it the visit.

Tomorrow i've finished with Berlin, see you then.

Tuesday
09Feb2010

Second stop... Berlin.

I dedicated the Berlin trip to visiting all these historic things that we all know exist there but if you are not from Europe is kind of unreal.

However you know that if you like art & craft you can find beautiful and interesting things anywhere.

I will show you here the textures and ambience of a very interesting place where i stayed and another couple of pretty things i was able of catch with my camera.

A Start Residence to Stay

Pension Funk where i stayed was the former residence of Asta Nielsen star of the silent film who lived in this belétage between 1931 and 1937.

Oh please! you have to watch this video of Her

The building was completed in 1895, you can observe the influence of Art Nouveau on numerous architectural details.

I took some pictures for the blog, sorry!! for the bad quality it was the best i could with the ilumination.

Former house of the Silent film star Asta Nielsen

And the walls.... one day i will have my own place and i want beautiful wall paper like this one with textures and flowers, it remembers me the place where i lived when i was a child.

This place was like being in a theater something that again brings me a lot of memories from my childhood.

I have one or two more post of Berlin to show you, i´ll be back soon, take care.

Tuesday
09Feb2010

In the middle time...more Venice Masks

A couple of Venice Masks`s videos... for the begining of the week.

A link, in case you want to know more about this peculiar craft and their history...

And here more about the Carnival of Venice.

In fact the Carnival is happening right now from february 06, 2010 until february 16, 2010. You can check the schedule events in this website.

If you happen to be there or planning to go please let me know about your experience.

I hope you have a nice week...

Monday
01Feb2010

Amsterdam... magical shops

Today we are closing the Amsterdam series showing you a few peculiar shops i've found while walking around.

I am going to start with a "très chic" shop i found just touching the Red Light District, a Magical shop full of history that brought me to my new obsession and collection Mask Shop Venice.

www.maskshopvenice.com/

It is just not that the shop is so glamorous and cosy, i was lucky enough to meet Ger a gentleman that was very kind, who took the time to explain me a bit of the masks stories, the curiosities about them and the right way to wear them.

I felt so in love with the whole story and the magic of this item that i've decided to give it a try for my Madame Craft pieces and research about all this Venice Masks and so, i brought three blank masks with me and have been working in a few ideas to decorate them.

blank masks without decoraton

Besides the beautiful masks you find in the shop you can also buy capes, costumes even plain blank masks and play with your imagination to decorate them because these are high quality masks made of papier maché, which means they have incredible possibilities to apply different materials and decorative techniques because they are very resistant.

I have a super good news for you, they have an online shop, they do have world wide shipping and a low price guarantee.

After i arrived in Tokyo i've decided to start a whole new collection with the masks and other head pieces inspired in the stories surrounding all these masks.

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Russian Treasures Amsterdam

You can find this store in the center of Amsterdam in a street corner just like falling from the sky.

Mozes en Äaronstraat 8 - 1012 XZ Amsterdam

Russian Treasures Amsterdam is subsidiary of the Inna Kaufman Gallery Amsterdam. All the products in this shop are handpainted and made in Russia. You can learn more about their work in this website.

I found this treasure there, it is a beautiful needle point work brooch, it just broke my heart when i saw it and i could not help but got it.

Next shop...

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Juffrouw Splinter

This is a shop of home goodies, it is kind of assorted things, some look old, some vintage and some look new but it is more like one of a kind things, full of super cute objects to decorate your home from cups to napkins including furnitures.

www.juffrouwsplinter.nlI could not spend much time in this shop, as it was late and i could not go back later, so it is a "must to do" for my next visit to Amsterdam, they do have an online shop.

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My impression of Amterdam shop is that it is plenty of chic and unique shops of any kind, from ateliers and galleries to art & craft, jewlery and accessories, clothes and more but very one of a kind oriented more like independent artist kind of shops.

I've left you more pictures of other shops i saw around but did not get in, because i did not have enough time.

That´s it for today and from Amterdam, it is time to see another city.

Take care.