SuzeBlogz

Paper paper everywhere

I know you're all anxiously waiting for Tims 12 days of Xmas tags...but, in the meantime...I zipped over to West Elm today (which for me is an hour away) because they always have the nicest, most beautiful decorative items. I was in search of a fabulous Menorah I saw in their ads....you'll see that tomorrow...

Meanwhile....these pix can provide some cool ideas to do with paper...once again I credit my sneaky iPhone camera....

(Birdie can home with me !!)

 

 

 

and, as I said...they have wonderful displays

I love it when a store uses books in their displays

a fun prezzie

well...tomorrow night Chanukah begins....you can read the blog I did about Chanukah HERE.

Tomorrow you get the REAL Menorah lighting !!!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

nah....that's not true...it's still sun shiny here...just coooooold and windy

but I did bring a little of the winter spirit in when I created a seasonal project for the Ranger blog.

directions are on the Ranger blog, but I'll just give you a little bit more info.

The words 'happy holidays' were hand written on cardstock using a plain ole gel pen. I used store bought sticky back jewel embellishments on the four corners & the snowman. (looks like holly with berries)

All the UTEE on the snowman is affixed using Wonder Tape. Wonder Tape makes a fantastic backing for sprinkling ANY embossing powder over. It is heat resistant, won't warp or lift and is archival. So, once you sprinkle UTEE on it you can heat it with your heat tool. I heated mine just till it got bumpy. If I kept heating it would have gone smooth.

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Just some thoughts on what you can get your artsy friends for the holidays...I own Carmi's Art Girls Guide to Paris and I think everyone should. Carmi knows and understands Paris like no one else I know.

I also own Susan Williamsons "Creating from the Inside Out", fabulous...

two DVD's that are worth every single penny and then some

and

just contact WaxWorksWest

and speaking of WWW...join them at their Holiday Open House, 133 Hames Road, Corralitos, CA  95076 on Dec 7 & 8 from noon till 8 pm. Trust me..it's a gift you give to yourself !!!

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one of my favorite gifts is a subscription to Audible.com. I've had one for years and I can't live without my downloaded audio books.

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or, you know what....The Lenster and I always love getting a book of movie passes to our local theater. Tonight in fact we saw Burlesque and it was dynamite..such high energy and great music and dancing.

Now if Cher would just STOP injecting her face with all those fillers....

but...dont let that stop you....it was a wonderful evenings entertainment.

 

and dont forget to peek in on my Chanukah blog....Chanukah is coming in 2 days !!! Be there or be square !!

so, when you're stuck in

dont ask me how, but a couple of days ago I did SOMETHING !

Moved the wrong way- bent the wrong way- coughed the wrong way...not a clue...just know I threw out my back and it was a BITCH !

First day, couldn't even walk. TIVO and my big screen TV became my best friend...along with pain patches, Ibuprofen, Icy Hot rub, Mollie the cat and my comfy bed...oh yes...and my comfy Lenster who took wonderful care of me !

I contemplated all the money I saved on Black Friday by not being able to walk the mall !!!

Yesterday I made it to my massage therapist...that helped a lot. I smell from wintergreen, peppermint and other concoctions.It's not a pretty sight.

Last night I felt bendable enough to do some beading. Sat in a really comfy chair at a good height for me and worked away.

and you know me...once you get on a roll... pain be damned !

well, maybe not damned...but....

Obsessed at this point I forge onward.....I owe it all to the drugs !!! The Lenster is losing his mind over the wintergreen rub smell...he hates it !!! LOL

Now I think I am moderately numb to any pain. SuperBeader !!

This is way cool....it's a device to hang your eyeglasses on.

The darling Lenster brings food to me....he hopes the Tuna Tataki, onions and Broccoli will over come the wintergreen he is forced to share a bed with !!!

I have sustainence now...I can keep going...I don't dare stand up..I'll be a cripple again....

OKay..now no one out there has any more sympathy for me...I can feel it...you all think I'm a nut...well..you are right !

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I feel I owe this obsession to two good friends....Angela in Florida and Carmi in Toronto....they inspire me....every day.

Carmi sent me another of her FAAAAAAABULOUS hand made Chanukah cards (I have a collection !) and I will take the little charm and add it to a necklace.

Carmis' attention to detail goes unsurpassed. The stitching, the glitter....

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If you want to learn more about Chanukah I did a blog HERE that you can check out !!!

now...back to bed...nothing like overdoing it !

stuff to buy...YES !

Many of you know that I love the beeswax encaustic paints (yes they are called paints) that come from the number one manufacturer of pigment wax...R & F.

I use them in my wax classes but until now they have been hard for us average people to find...well..now I have a super solution for you...

CHECK THIS OUT

40 ML size, all opaque colors

 

$40

$40

the all metallics set $48

$40

plus $5 flat rate shipping in the US.

How do you get them.???..well, simply send an email to WaxWorks or call them at 831-254-3900 (CA) .  

THESE SETS ARE NOT ONLINE !!!!

FYI: Wax Works West is a state of the art encaustic learning center where Wendy Aikin, Judy Stabile and Daniella Woolf teach Encaustic! They are all trained by R and F Paints, and love to teach. You will love their classes. They also provide encaustic supplies and DVDs.

check out their schedule and try to get to one of their workshops.

You will go bonkers over their classes AND these paints. These are the creme de le creme of pigment waxes.

***and also...if you recall I also like to use Encaustic Medium. The BEST I found can be ordered from Clairvoyant Encaustics.

when you mix some really good medium with some of these pigments paints...oh boy !!!!! You can stretch the paints a loooooong way when you dilute them with medium.

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I have fun watching Julia Andrus do her 1 minute technique videos

click HERE to see the latest....she has a whole series of them.

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and also on sale this week from another friend, Susan Pickering Rothamel at US Art Quest

Lumiere - Textile Paint (Back to product)

On Sale this week for $2.60 - 50% OFF. (reg. $5.19) While Supplies Last! Lumiere acrylic colors are dense, vibrant, brilliant metallic paints. Neopaque acrylic colors are bold, concentrated, flat opaque paints. Both are made especially for fabrics, from lightweight silk to denim and leather. They can also be used as any other acrylic paint on paper, wood or canvas. Permanent, washable, dry-cleanable and lightfast. ************ I caught this snap of the moon tonight a spontaneous shot...cool, huh?

OK...off to vote for Jennifer Gray on Dancing With The Stars.

Tried watching Skating with the Stars....bored to tears !

Sunday Sunday

Winters a-comin'. Brisk wind, stunning blue sky. 

This morning The Lenster and I attended a most unique event.

Rabbi Brooks Susman introduced us to
Helen Terris.

We came to hear her speak about her survival as a victim of the Holocaust. Helen was born in Lida, Poland.

In June of 1941 when she was just 6 years old the Germans invaded her town. They were all forced to board a cattle car. Helen, at age 6, managed to escape to safety by crawling UNDER the car on the tracks. All the others perished. After the war ended Helen languished in DP camps in Austria for 3 years

She lived the horror stories as well in the forest,  as told in the movie "Defiance" and the book "The Bielski Brothers"

it was a remarkable morning and an honor to be in this ladys company.

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then we were going to meet Jen and Jared for lunch about an hour north.... when suddenly I saw a tweet on my iphone from Michelle Bernard.....CUE THE MUSIC.... detour...detour....there was a bead expo not too far from where we planned to eat.....Oh Boy ! My Luck !

Go Lenny, Go Lenny, Go Go Go....about face

bumped into Michelle

went shopping.....

 
saw old friend Priscilla Marban

who always has such neat stuff...all made from sawdust

and then I fell apon another wonderful booth

Bead My Love

right next to their booth was a favorite of mine.

Kabela Design

Beth and Tom have some wonderful, unusual componants

if you like vintage then you'll like these

I especially love their rhinestone chains !

VERY vintage..one of a kind..when they run out, there's no more of these below

some samples

and they have this waaaaay cool Swarovski crystal "ribbon'...and here's now it works

a little expensive at $5 an inch BUT...BUT...BUT...listen

you cut a tiny piece, place it where you want it on your jewelry (I hear tell it's GORGEOUS ON PEARLS), tack it down with a teeny weeny bit of glue and put your heat gun to it.....

see those spots that look like tiny glistening stones...they are actual Swarovskis .....that's the 'ribbon'. After heating it you use your finger to spread it out. A little goes a very long way.

Interested..call them (in PA)  610-459-5816..tell them I mentioned it on my blog !

and more from around the show....

then we were passing through the beautiful collage town of Princeton, New Jersey on our way elsewhere.

I love these shots cause they prove, once again, how great the camera on the new iPhone is !!

oh...and did we ever see Jen and Jared...of course..sushi for lunch and then the mall !!!

it was a V-E-R-Y busy day.

 

I know..I know...

you all thought I'd disappeared. That's what happens when you blog daily...you get that guilt cause you missed a few days. Nah...no guilt for me and no disappearing, just taking it slow and easy and relaxing. Had sushi lunch with my beautiful friend Debbie Tlach (from Ranger) the other day

we needed to go over an art project & lunch is always the best way ! And, speaking of Ranger...here's whats going on over there....

Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday Inspirations

Join Ranger beginning next Friday, 11/26 and throughout the holiday weekend for festive and fun-filled holiday project ideas!

Get inspired each day with a special project created by one of their Signature Designers: 

Claudine Hellmuth, Jenni Bowlin, Tim Holtz and Suze Weinberg,

to jumpstart your holiday crafting! 

And Ranger is showing gratitude for your support by having a daily prize drawing, so stop by all weekend long!! You don't want to miss it!

Fri 11/26-Claudine
Sat 11/27-Jenni
Sun 11/28-Tim
Mon 11/29-Suze
Tues 11/30-All Winners announced-(FYI-they are picking three winners from each day and the prize won will be specific to the post.)

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Now, speaking of designers...My long time friend Kathy Nycz makes the most incredible jewelry using UTEE as her focal point. I have to share these. The celtic knot is all UTEE

if you need even more inspiration to create...look at this one

not only are the butterfies UTEE but Kathy has stamped on them as well. For more insight into her brilliant mind you can email her here

and, for more great Ranger projects click here

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Last night all the people who traveled to Israel went to services at Temple and were blessed for having made a safe return...

This will be a quiet weekend...so...no apologies for this simple post..just to let you all know I haven't disappeared !

tidbits

I still have a bit more to share...

I'm so glad that you guys have enjoyed the posts. Your emails and comments were the first thing I would wake up to every day.

I have to say I completely cracked up over this one..... Connie McGinnis ...the best ever..

My husband wondered what I was up to. I've been glued to my computer for days. I've ooohed and aaahed, I've gasped, and I've giggled. There were many Wow's!. I think he was a bit afraid I had discovered porn sites! When I showed him your latest pics and told him about your trip, he pulled up his chair and enjoyed your journey from beginning to end. Thanks again for sharing with us. Connie in TN

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As part of our last day in Luxor we had an opportunity to visit some factories. Yes...I suppose this is the typical tourist thing (and the guides do get a cut), but, without them you'd walk into some weird places.

this worker is cutting alabaster.

Alabaster, as I've mentioned before, dates back to the times of the Pharoahs. Today they still use traditional hand carving tools so no two pieces are alike.

long ago they used alabaster for household items, ritual objects, and for funeral related things like canopic jars which stored the body parts after the royals died.

Below are hand made alabaster vases.

Alabaster is a fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum, a hydrous calcium sulphate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown.

There is machine made alabaster (polished looking on L) and hand made alabaster on the right

I loved the hand made but seriously folks I didn't need any more jugs or jars or plates or statues in my already crowded with artifacts house ! However Carol got herself a lovely piece

The neat thing about hand made albaster is that light passes through it

no machine can get this look...it has to be hand done. Most of the hand made alabaster is found in Luxor.

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and now... a few more jewelry & fashion highlights from the trip...in no particular order

The Ankh.  The symbol that is the "key of Life" for the ancient Egyptians. Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their chest.

a cool looking asymetrical piece

The Cartouche: In ancient Egypt, kings  encircled their name hieroglyphs with a design that we now call a cartouche. A cartouche is an oval ring that is a hieroglyph representation of a length of rope folded and tied at one end. It symbolized everything that the sun encircled and that was an indication of the king's rule of the cosmos. 

 

I got myself one too

and you might recall I was in LOVE wth Marianas jewelry in Israel. I'd like to try and find her stuff in NYC.

but, in the meantime, I did find her website

I also loved this sterling silver necklace and bought it for myself. The Hebrew word is "Chai" which means "To life"

There are lots of good books for the areas you visit but I actually discovered this series (I have one on Israel as well) which is the simplest to understand. It has transparent overlays showing the areas 'then and now'.

and we bought this piece of art done on parchment.

flying back from Luxor to Cairo

we could faintly see the pyramids from the plane window

(On line info) "The ancient Egyptians built more than 90 royal pyramids, from about 2630 BC until about 1530 BC. During that time, the pyramid shape evolved from a series of stepped terraces to sloped pyramidal shape. The first pyramid, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, was constructed during the reign of King Djoser (Zoser) (2630 BC-2611 BC). The largest pyramid in Egypt is the one built for King Khufu, in Giza. Khufu’s pyramid, known as the Great Pyramid, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that still exists."

(Ramses II)

Once the Pharoah was buried in his tomb Egyptian artists carved hieroglyphs on the walls of the burial chamber, designed to safeguard the dead monarch’s passage into the afterlife. These hieroglyphic writings, which include hymns, magical spells, instructions on how to act in front of the gods, and other pieces of useful knowledge, are known as the Pyramid Texts.

This is 'who' can be found in the Valley of the Kings

I sincerely hope that you guys get the opportunity to go one day if you haven't already. I would go back to Israel in a heartbeat tomorrow if I could. There was just something so magical about this biblical homeland.

and, Egypt was all I ever hoped for.

Now...help me plan where the Lenster and I should go for the next big trip....got ideas???

 

 

 

and they rise up to greet you

so, we are...home....

the first class cabin of Egypt Air was pretty cool I must say.  The seats were the full bed types

and The Lenster practiced being a sleeping Pharoah. Also...when they turned the lights out in the cabin the ceiling had twinkling "stars' that were so cool

it was ambiance to the fullest even if the food was just so-so!!

we are happy to be home now. My cold is still hanging in and we're tired and confused about the time but boy did we ever have the BEST trip. So...let's get back to it...

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those fabulous ruins and temples...

Luxor was once called Thebes

It is the City of a Thousand Names

and...they have a sense of humor there

however...we're doing history now....

These pix are in no particular order. I'm not out to give you the Weinberg abbreivated history lexicon all in one blog..you must go there for yourself....I just want you to see and experience a small portion of what we saw...

The signatures on this hieroplyphic is from the last persons who excavated there.

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now, how did they get up so high...

...well, they made these piles of adobe brick (see below) and climbed up. They used mostly limestone, granite and sandstone to build their pilars and columns which they retrieved from stone quarries. They had great head smarts because they used NO mortar yet they managed to fit all those stones together.

 

The City is so indescrible because everything in it is so extraordinary. You are immediately drawn back into history the second you walk into it.

This is TUT and his wife. She needs to see a good plastic surgeon about that nose though !!

closeup on little statue between feet of bigger statue (on top photo)

columns show the varying architecture from different dynasties. A dynasty can also be thought of as the era in which a person & his family reigned. Sometimes it's called a house as in "House of Windsor".

There is an entire section dedicated to items that are currently being excavated. They are all carefully labeled.

we found one such gal doing a restorative project and she was painstakingly chisling and blowing away the dust

she said she'd been coming here to work every summer for the last 15 years. She lives in NY.

these were her tools

Islamic Water jugs

there were other workers as well

when a new Pharoah would come into power his tomb was immediately started.

The building of a Pharoahs tomb took his entire lifetime and so if he reigned a long time he probably had a big elaborate tomb.

 

the granite is clearly visable here (below).

Hey it matches my kitchen counter..think they might have let me take it home ???

This is the entrance into the Temple of Karnak

The reason TUT's tomb is famous is not because it was so big or elaborate but because it was the only one found intact...nothing had been robbed or removed.

Here are some shots taken on the Avenue of the Sphinxes

 

they plan to keep excavating here so the rows of Sphinxes can connect the grand temples of Luxor and Karnack to the east bank of the River Nile. Many are still buried under thousands of years of evolutionary sands.

and I freakin' stood here and touched them !!!!!

 

why do civilations collapse?  first we had the Egyptians. Then along came the Greeks. Egyptian civilation was 'primative' according to the Greeks. They felt they were the ones who had culture and they conquered.

then the Romans conquered, and eventually the Muslim faith spread through the Eastern world. Egypt today is mostly Muslim. Cairo is the capitol of Egypt and the word means "victorious".

During the time the Romans came they tried to erase the walls and decorate them with their own imagry

this was really historically fascinating to me.

as time has also taken much of that away....

lastly...for todays blog (yes..there will be more)

A live statue...yes..honestly...there he was...

and now..I am off to....

or was that Too Much Information......!!!!!

 

 

Absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

and, once again we awake to the sun God

a new dawn...a new day...I'm tellin' you...it's unbelievable..

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our hotel in Luxor is really gorgeous and the sights are divine

like these herons at the River Nile.

and these other views over the Nile

hot air balloons

in the lobby

a table cloth at the pool area

near the pool

outside

then we get into our van with our guide Mahmud & we're good to go

Luxor is much cleaner than Cairo. Much more of a resort town. Traffic is sparse. The only thing that can be said of the country that is common everywhere is that the beggers and street people try to get'cha everywhere you go...you have to learn to say "la la la" it means No..No..No...

AND ALWAYS CARRY TOILET PAPER WITH YOU EVERYWHERE OR YOU HAVE TO PAY THEM TO HAND IT TO YOU !!!!

la la la la la

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so...let's start with yesterday...what I have waited for my whole life...to actually SEE the tombs of the Pharoahs and the hieroglyphics.

HOLY MOSES !!!

now...let me be clear...it's a no no to take pix in the underground tombs....'nuff said...You have to turn in your camera before you go in..but..alas..I always have my cell phone hidden.....well...I am bad....I almost got thrown out & was accosted by a guard....& here I thought I was being so, so, so careful....I was thinking of my friend Connie at home just dying for more pictures....

so...how could I not share this...I had to try

after all....This is the REAL thing...and...they are HUGE !

the guard chased me around the sarcophagus ..I handed off my cell phone to Carol who fielded me.....& round and round we went...Connie...Are you paying attention...!!??

If Rabbi is reading this I know he is having the last laugh because he knows me.....I do not even go in a rest room without my camera !!!

shame on me...I know. Rules !!!

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here's part of a tomb not yet fully excavated

then...we go on to the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut..(which mean Foremost of Noble Ladies) on the west bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings. She was the Pharoah for about 22 years they believe. They say she was one of the most prolific builders in Egypt.

following most of Egypts greats she too had monuments constructed in Karnak. Here is some wonderful history on her.

just imagine this if you will...this temple is built into a rock...it is dedicated to the sun God Amun-Ra.

  you often ee her wearing a 'false beard'. This is a symbol of her rank as Pharoah

and, speaking previously of Karnak....we were there too..during the day AND for a night light show...which was terrific

but..I will cover that in much more detail tomorrow....actually after I get home...you didn't think I'd leave you hangin' did ya?? The daytime pictures will blow you away....

 

now.....here is a bit more of the local flavor...

Yes there is always either a McDonalds, Pizza Hut or a KFC somewhere

they even serve pancake syrup that reminds us of home cause we have Shop Rite where we live !!

so stay with me and you'll get to see more of THIS

Cock-a-doodle-do....!!

 

I am going to begin with these shots taken at 6 am from my hotel balcony at the Sheraton Luxor. I heard the cock crowing...I kid you not....(ths is not a sound I would ever hear in Jackson, New Jersey), and I forced myself out of bed.

what a fabulous way to begin the day. Where in God's big world am I gonna see the bright golden sun coming up over a mosque!!! Now I understand why the ancient Egyptians worshipped it.

Good morning RA !

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BUT...I digress....before I get to Luxor I must make up for the missed post yesterday. I am nurturing a bad head cold...the worst kind...starts in your nose, goes into your ears and makes its way to the chest. So I am a bit tired....well...actually a LOT tired & run down....but..there's too much to see and do. Pumped up full of cold medicine....

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yesterday, with our 1/2 day left in Cairo we were able to get into the Rambam Sha'ar Shamayim synagogue.

It had been closed due to "an incident'..whatever that means and we were very fortunate to get in.

The Hebrew words mean "Gate of Heaven. There are only a mere 200-350 Jews in all of the land of Egypt. Security at this synagogue was very tight..we had to hand over our passports to get inside. Rabbi read from the old Torah...a huge honor for him.

 

and we said Kaddish as a group..that is the prayer for the dead.

we also got in to see the Ben Ezra Synagogue and Saint Barbara Church

as you can see...soldiers and guards are everywhere you go and each time you enter any establishment, like a hotel or church or museum, you go through security. Believe me..it's VERY safe here.

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then...lunch..a native meal Kushary....delicious ! The Egyptian comfort food.

Our wonderful guide Mohammed Samy enjoys some relaxing "tobacco"...yes..tobacco..not HASH !!! He asked me if I wanted to try it...! NO THANK YOU !!! I gave up smoking 30 years ago !

and a walk in the market place next door ( The Souq) where you can buy anything your little heart desires..probably all made in China...LOL. It's the largest marketplace in the Arab world.

 

This wonderful man (l) was Jewish...one of only a handful in Cairo. He and Rabbi made fast friends. !

don't be shocked....I did NOT buy anything....there was nothing I had to have. !

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now..here are more of the sights of Cairo as I caught them either driving in our bus or walking by...hope you enjoy..

they are building a subway due to be finished in 2012

Cairo is a very big city. Yes...dirty, yes major dust...

The Lenster opened a chest cabinet  in one of the stores and wrote "Clean Me " !!!

..yes major traffic.. BUT...what a joy to be able to have visited here and seen this amazing culture.

 

The people here have been EXCEPTIONAL to us...very warm and friendly...thrilled that we are here visiting.

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Now...I am holding off Luxor till tomorrow....it blew me away like nothing in my life...even better than the Pyramids...

Just a taste....

it was an OMG moment.....

a VERY BIG OMG moment !!!