If you want to see the work of one of the most influential artist of the Art Nouveau movement they have a Mucha`s Museum.

Mucha`s Museum

It is an intimate and tiny museum that displays a good collection of his work, draws, sketches and other designs and elements influenced by Mucha`s work.

Window outside Mucha`s Museum

Mucha`s print art

As in many museums you cannot take pictures but i can show you these postcards i got of the models he used for his work.

Models posing in Mucha`s studio, Rue du Val-de-Grace, Paris, 1899

Also these postcards of Sara Bernhardt prints he made for her theater presentations.

La dame aux camélias 1896, Hamlet 1899, Gismonda 1894.

But one thing i must to say about the museum... the staff who works there is unbelievable rude, i witnessed speechless how they literally yelled at tourist because they do not had change for the tickets or just the incorrect tickets or just demanding information... incredible... i left the place with an uneasy feeling.

Sara Bernhardt, French stage and early film actress.

You will find small galleries around the center not so much as in Berlin but some and i had the chance to see this interesting exhibition in the street hall of a building.

Michal Trpák, Free Cative.

Michal Trpák, Free Cative.

 Michal Trpák, Free Cative.

Michal Trpák, Dialogues of Space.

Michal Trpák, In the strap.

Michal Trpák, In the strap.

Zuzana Beránková

Uff enough for today, take care.

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...

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!

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

_____________________________________________________________

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...

____________________________________________________________

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.

___________________________________________________________

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.

In one of the shops i got in they even show you a video of how they work in their workshops and how important they considerate this craft as well as the crafter who makes it.

Of course i got the typical Dutch shoe it is just very cute!!.

In this image below you can click and read a short text about the Old Dutch Tiles, it is interesting to know how everything started in the 16th c.

They also work very well the wood and you can find a big variety of wooden shoes and even plain wooden shoes which you can paint and decorate yourself, sorry i do not have pictures but, i can show you this video, it is suuuuuuper cool please watch.

And i brought you these Tulips wich cannot be more typical and i do find them very sympatical to decorate any corner at home or office.

In general i found their local craft very cute especially the ceramic, it is not often that souvenir shops have nice things you can bring home, in fact just a couple of cities i visited this time had decent souvenirs in their shops, the rest have just this "made in china things" that it is not really something you want to have as a memory of your visit but in amsterdam you can find really nice objects made in Holland or Netherlands.

Oh in the Rijksmuseum website you can find two interesting web-exhibition here and here of the Dutch work with the ceramic that you will find beautiful if you are into this craft or just enjoy art in general.

That`s it for today, take care.

Come on!! what kind of person takes the time in a cold day to make such a pretty thing at the house door?

Just little details that charm your day...

Just for be cute

This i found it at the flea market in Waterlooplein.

Some people call this vandalism but i like it, it is like a mixed-media wall it makes me think of whom have been the persons adding all that things to those walls, definitely you can find beauty where you want.

And because it was Christmas time they made these Christmas trees from different recycle elements, clothes, umbrellas and even bicycles, how nice is that?

Well last Amsterdam post will be about local craft and magical shops, see you soon...