SuzeBlogz

Blog Happy Again !

well...whatever the problem was with blogging in Portugal it's all cleared up now that we're in Barcelona, Spain (an amazing airport btw) !

We are staying with my friend Lisa Mitchell ( a 2010 Ranger 'U' grad!) & her wonderful family (Cisco & Annie,6) in their spacious apartment in town. Lunchtime on the patio. Food in Spain & Portugal is so much healthier than what we're used to in most of America...they eat so wisely. The really honest & true Mediterrean diet.

More on Barcelona tomorrow...

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But, first we MUST say GoodBye to Margarida who put together the MOST fabulous, amazing and creative week for the workshop with Michael

She organized an outstanding week with tours of the area and food up the wazoo (that was not to be believed). She is the lovliest lady with a heart of gold!

 

Last night we all went to a delicious farewell dinner

Obrigado Margarida & friends..I will miss all of you !!!

I'll share some of the last day of workshops

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Good Job Deb !

Yaana is checking out the books

Palmas amazing creation

Michael  made this while passing time in class...LOL!

Andrea did this one

Love You Guys

tomorrow SHOPPING !!! AND touring...and meeting up with friends of our from Joisey!!!

 

BONA NIT (in Catalan...its own language)

 

 

 

Problms with typepad

I have no idea why typepad has been giving me such a hard time but it suddenly stopped allowing me to upload pix starting yesterday...so...my blogging passion has been accutely disrupted !

Boo Hoo...

whoever follows me on facebook will just have to catch up with everything there...

tra la !!

Keep the faith....I'll figure it out !

trying to catch up...

Okay bloggers...now its getting harder....we did so much today I can't keep up...you'll have to settle for a real quickie...

Up early...passed the dog show again, off to the local train station (all tiled...amazing) which is on the beach

caught the train into Lisbon...lots of graffiti on trains and walls...very artsy, but Portugal itself...super clean!

jumped on the 'Hop On Hop Off' bus....one of our favorite ways to see any major city quickly...we've done it in Paris & other cities as well...even in NY.

passed some amazing sights...here are some fast Hi-Lites

 

OPENING THIS WEEK.....they'll love it !!

yes...I have 200 more pictures...BUT...we'll skip ahead to this evening...

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The group taking Michael DeMengs class met up at Margaridas studio for a fabulous welcome and Portugese dinner & wine

Michael & fiance Andrea toasted us all and Margarida peeked over...

I brought Michael one of his favorite treats from home...Pop Tarts...he got an enormous kick out of it !!!

then we all went inside to make our own tiles (Michael too!) which will be fired tomorrow

I have so much more to show you in pictures, but I have to be up super early tomorrow so I'll just have to share a little at a time...it's time to get to sleep.!

Ola Estoril

Guess what? We have arrived in Estoril, Portugal....and right across the street from our GORGEOUS hotel

(just a small part of Hotel lobby)

is the Casino de Estoril, which was the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s “Casino Royale”....you know...ala James Bond ! Oh la la !

We began by leaving Seville, grabbing the train out of Faro

(I love train travel especially when I have my Ipad to keep me occupied!)

and 3 hrs later, a wonderful smooth ride, and we are here.

The view from our room terrace

so, we take a little walk and lo and behold, right down the road theres a dog show going on

I'm not by any means a dog person, but this was terrific...

and across from that we stumbled on an arcade

everything from face painting

to test driving an electric motorcycle!

The Lenster was a VERY happy camper and spent a loooong time making inquiries as to where the bike is sold in the US. Uh Oh!

then...right across the street was a craft show...all homemade goods...great local food (always with yum yum olives)

and a live opera show...it was amazing

 







well..thats todays highlights in a nutshell...tomorrow night is the get together at Margaridas studio where Michael DeMengs class finally gets together to meet one another..

we've come from all over the world.....so...there will be a lot more to write about!

xxxooo

Hey Macarena...!

today we walked to the Macarena section of Seville

 Well friends, it hit a whopping 106 degrees today and I was just about flattened !

But..I came prepared...

It was lovely to have my Spanish fan. I saw lots and lots of ladies walking round with them...however, a spritz fan would have probably been better today !

We saw some spectacular churches today

 

 

Lets face it...Seville, which is the the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain owes a lot of its history to a variety of cultures  It has a strong medieval, renaissance and baroque heritage but, the city received the most heavy influences from the Arabic culture. 

Seville also has the only inland port of Spain AND The action comedy Knight and Day featuring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz also filmed several action sequences in Seville.

you can see the Moor influence everywhere.

and, you can peddle your own way around or

as we did...take the horse drawn carriage...or the Hop On, Hop Off bus

or, like The Lenster...stop and ask directions every 5 minutes !!!

Lest you should think finding your way in and around the maze of winding narrow streets is a breeze....THINK AGAIN...you could easily get lost no matter how many landmarks you see !

This is the Metropol Parasol

Old Seville at one time had a large Jewish population.

siesta time again

well, for sure we're not in Casablanca, but who knows...it might be a whole lot cooler there !

I have a zillion more pix folks....Just wanted to give you the daily update !!

For more on Seville...click HERE.

tomorrow...on a choo-choo train to Lisbon!!

Ah, Seville

  
Crossing the bridge from Faro into Seville

Yes....we hired a driver. It was recommended and it turned out easier and cheaper than booking flights and schlepping. We dont want to be schleppers on this vacation!

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I took 249 photos in just the first few hours....Lordy, Lordy...am I obsessive compulsive with a camera or what!

Firstly...they believe in siestas here...honest to God. From like 3-5 pm they close all the shops and take a nap. Most go to their homes !!

Perfect time for The Lenster and me to go sightseeing and window shopping.

I am NOT going to post 249 pix here....you'd kill me but...here is a (LOL) 'summarized' view of the area. We took a horse and carriage which was a brilliant move...saw tons.

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firstly....we are staying at a FAAAAHBULOUS BOUTIQUE HOTEL

The Hospes, Las Casas del Rey de Baeza

 

outside every door..help yourself, there's lemons too

and a lovely courtyard

and here is more of the wonderful area...churches, statues, palaces, winding ways...just amazing..

In case "Dancing With The Stars" ever invites me to do a Flamenco!

Yes...it as almost 100 degrees here today..AND HUMID !

Now, dont panic....once the shops opened I did have a little spree...found this WONDERFUL jewelry shop

one of a kind pieces...

and they come in this little zip bag...

all Spanish coins....

I am a happy little camper....

more tomorrow !!! Yes indeedy!

boa tarde !

Hi friends....well...we prayed to the WiFi Gods and did some serious sacrificing and bravo...we're on....

Of course..leave it to Firefox to crash 5 minutes from when I was ready to push the send button and post this blog. Lotsa great commentary BUT.... after much loud cursing on my end I threw up my hands and said....

Screw the commentary...just give um the pix....

we're in Faro Portugal as we speak...tomorrow we're off to Seville, Spain. Right now we're minus 3 bags as TAP airlines didn't get them on the transfer plane in time.

This happened the last time I came to Faro...they must not like small redheads, but, what have they got against The Lenster.!!

So...

here's what's right here in the neighborhod..

 

Dinner


NOT dinner

the streets

So friends...goodnight from Faro Portugal. If all goes well, tomorrow I'll have my clothes back ...otherwise I'll be just a tad crazy and for me...as some friends say..

that's just a short drive !!!

xxxxoooo

Dangles

In just 2 days The Lenster and I will be jetting off to Faro Portugal, followed by Seville Spain, back over to Lisbon Portugal, then Barcelona and Madrid. Sounds like quite an itinerary, huh!

I got out the big ole suitcase today and began the process...it's a joke....I have traveled all over the world and can never get it right...pack less Suze...it's gonna be 100 degrees where you're going !

Am I gonna blog? Say prayers to the WiFi God...if he/she exists I'll be blogging!!

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In the meantime...what's a few last minute pieces of jewelry

I found this bracelet blank and filled it with Apoxie Clay. I made the marks in it using an exacto knife. I pressed in the little charm that says 'search'

and stuck in a bead and a beadcap on a wrapped wire

after everything hardened overnight (I love this stuff....no baking involved) I dusted it with various colors of Rangers Perfect Pearls and spritzed it with Perfect Pearls Mist to set it. Then I added the dangles.

I let some of the mists settle onto the metal bracelet and it looked like patina the next day.

WELL...I must have been on a dangle roll....

 

I filled some Amate deep well rings with Apoxie Clay too....following the same formula as the cuff...

now...a pendant..

I set the crown charm in last night and let everything harden

today it became a necklace

It might even find its way to ETSY....whadd'ya think??

of all the gin joints....

well...so begins the famous movie line from Casablanca...the inspiration for this beeswax piece

I had a fairly nice sized dimensional wood board in my craft stash and decided it was time to use it

Found a b/w print of Bogart and Bergman (as Rick & Lisa) and used that as the theme.

PREheated the wood board on my wax palette. I got the palette from WAXWORKSWEST

The reason for preheating is that wax likes to adhere to a warmed surface. You can also use a heat gun.

then I brushed the wax on, one layer at a time, fusing with a heat gun in between layers.

After approx 4 layers of wax I dipped the photocopy into the wax, coated it thoroughly and placed it on the surface. This little 'tip' from my friend Leandra Franich is probably one of the best I've ever gotten when it comes to laying down paper imagry on wax.

After you pull it out of the Melting pot you IMMEDIATELY place it down and scrape over it with the Ranger Craft Scraper or a Credit Card.

It gets it down really flat and takes off the excess wax that makes imagry cloudy.

Next....

Used the new Ranger Distress Stains on some nice sayings I'd found...printed on plain ole copy paper.

Pressed an uninked rubber stamp into the warm wax

repeated stamping in a few different places.

layed down the two sayings the same way as I did the image.
Got out my PERFECT PEARLS and my PAN PASTELS and just let go. I had no plan..I rarely have a plan! Plans are too anal for me.

 inked up a stamp with a great saying using Ranger Black Archival

It stamped beautifully on the wax because I found a really flat spot. Then I dripped some wax on the top.

 

I'm super happy with it

did it just for fun. I was needing a wax fix !

Puleeze stop raining already

I really looked forward to lunch today...beside the fact that I was getting sushi, it has been a while since I ate out with my gal pals from Ranger...

I came by car....they walked across the street from work

sisters Jackie and Patti

and Cindy (far l), Bonnie and Deb

and moi (with Deb)

and lunch was grand...absolutely terrific...lots of laughing and sharing apps on our iphones and ipads and giggling over how much we love the undercover hot guy Augie Anderson on 'Covert Affairs'

I dont know how long we spent laughing it up but when it came time to go back it was POURING...no it was TEAMING...it was a torrential DOWNPOUR !!

I had the car...only 2 could fit..the rest...well....

they had to walk....they got hilariously wet

and if you've ever seen 8 hundred pounds of super hair spray diluged with water...well..you have a fair idea..

drenched to the bone...

 

and I dont mean a little water...Jackie could have been lactating !!!

and Cindy...well..she was hilarious altogether...


thank you guys for that swell laugh !!!

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If you havent seen the new packaging for the Melt Art Line check it out...

if you're concerned cause it's not purple any more or that my picture is missing...DONT BE...remember...I retired...the product reverted back to Ranger...it's still the same wonderful pot and UTEE...in a little more artistic packaging.

and here's a cool idea if you have an extra project pan you're not using for UTEE or wax....fill it with Claudines Multi Medium for all your gluing needs...

shame we can't get Multi Medium in this GIANT container cause its such great stuff...HINT...HINT !!

the staff at Ranger is busy preparing for Tims next big event. Lotsa cutting and gluing

loving the new Distress Stains

and, as always over at Ranger...busy..busy...busy

This IS the year for bright colors !!!

OMG...I think the sun is peeking out now...