SuzeBlogz

L'Shana Tova

The Jewish new year 5772 begins tonight

MAY THE COMING YEAR BE FILLED WITH

SWEETNESS, HEALTH AND HAPPINESS 

FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.

L'SHANA TOVAH

LOVE,

Suze & Lenny

I'll be singing in synagogue tonight and tomorrow but some of you will be making art...here's some cool inspiration.

I saw these desks and lockers hanging on the walls of my old High School when I went back to Brooklyn (NY) for the reunion

BTW: Brooklyn also has its own version of the Arc d'Triomphe in the Grand Army Plaza right next to Prospect Park

it's actually the Soldiers and Sailors' Arch at the south end of the traffic oval.

Right nearby is the amazing Brooklyn Public Library

One of these days I'm gonna take a whole weekend and re-explore Brooklyn on a walking tour...camera in hand. It's full of wonderful rich history from my childhood.

xxx ooo

 

going back

50 years seems like an eternity when you actually say it out loud! IMAGINE...going back to your High School after FIFTY years .....FIFTY !

 

thats how long it has been since I last stepped foot in the hallowed halls of my High School in Brooklyn, New York.

MIDWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

Its H-shaped building, with six Ionic columns and a Georgian cupola, was constructed in 1940. I went there because I lived in the district Midwood serviced.

This year marked our 50 year reunion and it was so exciting to go back, see old classmates and re-visit the school.

Midwood has a long tradition of academic excellence. When I went there it was almost 100% white and Jewish...now it is an urban co-ed school that is ranked in the top 150 in the nation, and considered "The School of Excellence" by U.S. News & World Report.

To be able to attend Midwood H.S. these days you have to apply to get in and then test for it.Living in the 'district' has nothing to do with it any more. Now it's a specialzed school consisting of Medical Science, Humanities, and Liberal Arts. WOW !!!!!

*********

So, first we came in and registered

we schmooze around with old friends and classmates

we're all still reading name badges at this time and carrying around our "Epilog" yearbooks so we could identify faces with the badges!

THEN: We're lead into the auditorium by the HS band. The 'new' comfy red seats came from Carnegie Hall when they redecorated.

we sing the old school songs...led by..who else..the people who actually did sing back then...

we were treated to a fantastic STOMP dance presentation by one of the dance groups at the school

the school now offers all types of exercise classes, pilaties, yoga, dance, drama and arts...to name but a few ! 1200 eighth graders applied to get into Midwood this year...only 450 were accepted.

They even have full dance studios (the mirror, the barre) which reminded me of "So You Think You Can Dance"

then we watched a wonderful slide show that hi-lighted everything that happened in 1961, the year we graduated

we were given the most incredible tour of the school so we could see all the latest and greatest things that have developed over the years...

I couldn't believe.....what used to be our home ec classroom (where we learned about cooking (ahem) , sewing and the like,) is now a courtroom for those studying law

the library was all new

with rows & rows of computers

the science lab has all state of the art equiptment

 
all of the classrooms use 'smartboards' now instead of blackboards...technology at its highest! Plug in a flashdrive..up comes the lesson !

There's now a glass overpass that takes you from the main building to the new annex building..The Medical Science Institute (MSI) for students interested in science or the medical field along with mathematical interests. It requires 5 years of science and 5 years of math. 

I was blown away by some of the art these kids have done on old wood desks, seats and lockers

seeing old signage from years past and finding your classmates names

and 'new' signage !!

and laughing at some old things that never got fixed !!!

we were treated to a terrific lunch in the school cafeteria

it was the MOST AMAZING DAY.

It lasted all weekend....I never had so much fun reliving my past..and..

what did I look like back then....WELL...this was from my JUNIOR HIGH YEAR BOOK CLASS OF '58

there I am..right in front..2nd from L, long hair and all.  

I was 15 years old

Still LOL

get out the glue gun ladies !

As a member of the Brandeis Womens group I often get asked to do small workshops.... we've done several sessions making jewelry, 2 sessions on calligraphy and yesterday we made fall themed Topiaries.

the beauty of this type of workshop is how relaxing it is...no one is rushed, everyone just enjoys hot gluing their choice of flowers into the styfofoam ball and seeing the finished results!

what made it even more fun was the fact that some of these wonderful ladies had never used a glue gun before !!

But, they all had imagination and lots of patience.

yes..I did have to help a little....!!

but it was a wonderful day and they're already asking me what else I can teach them....

That's a loaded question !!!

Yes, 48...!!

We got married on Sept 15, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. I was 19 (turning 20 just a month later) and The Lenster was 21..... and here we are...48 years later

WOW....STILL LOOKIN' GOOD !!!

 

Still toasting !!!

and still trying to recapture some of that great Portuguese food like we had a few weeks ago...LOL

we had a beautiful dinner at Moonstruck

which features a lot of Mediterranean-style food.

Its a terrific restaurant with a lot of ambiance and it sits right by the lake. PERFECTO !!!

I know...it's hard even for us to realize it's been FORTY-EIGHT years...we keep imagining what we'll do when it hits the 50 mark!!

I sincerely thank ALL of you loyal friends who sent such nice comments & wishes on FB, Twitter and email

***********

In the meantime

I've been asked to take a table at a fair in October and sell the jewelry I've been making...so..I'm on a roll making stuff but.... I'm not gonna put anything new on ETSY til this fair is over. I have to accumulate !!!

Right now there are two new pieces on ETSY for you to grab up...

Shades of Silver

Most of the componants and the rosary beads come from Spain

and the second piece, which comes with earrings and is called

SIMPLICITY

all these componants (brass) come from my overseas trip as well

I'm in love with some of the new things I've been making using the Apoxie Clay, BUT...you'll just have to wait on that !!

XXXX OOOO

 

 

we remembered

I'm sure those that were able spent yesterday at some type of 9/11 memorial service.

Our local town lost a number of people that day and we attended a very moving outdoor tribute

 
right next to the courthouse a fantastic memorial was built and completed one year after 9/11. Thats an amazing feat unto itself.

our Rabbi, Brooks Susman participated in the service

as did the Lieutenant Govenor of New Jersey, Kim Guadagno, who spoke magnificently.

and many laid flowers and wreaths

and all of us simply remembered

 
there is a beautiful prayer we can recite:

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
we remember them.

In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
we remember them.

In the opening buds and in the rebirth of spring,
we remember them.

In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
 we remember them.

In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
we remember them.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
 we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength,
we remember them.

When we are lost and sick at heart,
we remember them.

When we have joys we yearn to share, we remember them.

So long as we live, they too shall live, as
we remember them:   
                   

Spooky Time

I know...it's not even October yet and here we are taking about spooky time Halloween !

 

My God...they've been DeMeng-a-fied !!!

The Lenster and I boarded the Honda Gold Wing yesterday for a nice 60 minute motorcycle ride, (under sunny calm skies & a balmy temperature), to the artsy town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, to visit my friend LuLu Kellogg who was displaying her amazing art at the SpookyTime Jingles art show.

LuLu and I became fast friends when we met in Dallas earlier this year.

little did we know that due to all the rain we've had many of the major roads were closed and we were detoured through a zilion side roads..which actually made the trip a lot more interesting...but longer.

***********

so...(as is obvious)....we arrived, in one piece, to an amazing array of Halloween related hand made goodies.

LuLu makes delicious jewelry

and, she has even used UTEE after watching some of my UTube videos..check out her rings. YES...UTEE !!!!!

she made a mold of a frozen Charlotte doll (using Mold n' Pour) and filled it with UTEE..then glued it to a Ranger Memory Frame and a ring. C-L-E-V-E-R !!!

and she made these gorgeous faux' cupcakes..decorative, not edible.

and she made the shoes.

here's what else we saw

I'm thinking of all my cool friends from Michaels class in Lisbon when I post these pix..those guys luuuuurv this stuff

Excuse me...but if one of you is Johnny Depp I might be 'in to' it too !!!??!!!

I picked up her eye patch....ewwww...dont ask!

I can see my friends now...dremel in hand..they are about to disect this poor little doll head !! Sue Roddis, I am totally watching you !!!

these were actual lights...not candles.

wonderful FREE snacks

even the artists were cool looking..

plus, the restrooms were also decorated to put you in the mood...

and then came time for us to leave...we were planning on cruising the rest of New Hope and the fantastic shops...shops...aka SHOPPING....but...no sooner did we step outside....

Uh Oh !!!

rain suits...where's d'rain suits... am I glad we bought really GOOD rain suits (not cheap crappy ones)  and remembered to bring them along !! A true fashion statement ! You can laugh..it kept me 100% dry !!

so..that pretty much ended the day...

got home..showered and out to dinner with good friends...

no day is ever wasted around here !!!

XXXXOOOO

*****************

and now for some important last minute info:

Ranger will be having their 2011 Warehouse Sale


One Day Only!

Saturday October 1st -  9AM to 3PM


A wide selection of discontinued and slightly imperfect
Arts & Crafts/Scrapbooking Supplies.


Stamp-Pads * Glitter-Glue * Embossing Powders * Embellishments * and much more!


Many items priced 50% to 75% off wholesale!


Where:  15 Park Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Across from Applebee's Restaurant- off Hope Road.


Please note:  Checks/Cash only.  Credit Cards not accepted.


Storeowners:  Please ask about bulk discounts.  
For more info contact justin@rangerink.com

ART Is.....

YOU...

is being held October 7-11, 2011 at the Danbury Plaza Hotel which is located at 18 Old Ridgebury Road, Danbury Connecticut.

I'm gonna be doing a beeswax class called "A Niche in Time" on Monday October 10.

we'll be working on these amazing canvases from Ten Second Studio that have the niche built right into them. We'll be using beeswax, wax medium, Wonder Tape, UTEE, Perfect Pearls, Pan Pastels and, as you can see from my sample, fun embellishments...so..bring whatever you want to use to class.

then...as if the classes being offered aren't amazing enough, there will be a trunk show on Sunday October 9

a mixed media feast of color, texture, and original art.

This gathering of vendors will be selling finished art such as collages, assemblages, art quilts, steam punk jewelry and altered art. They will also be selling supplies such as art papers, kits, beads, frippery, collage sheets, fibers, yarns, fabrics, unique vintage items and original flea market finds. Entry is free to all, with a donation to Honeycomb Cottage encouraged.

*********

and ART IS also ETSY....

I've been gone for so long I almost forgot I had jewelry for sale on my ETSY site !

drop by cause there are still some amazing pieces left from before I went on vacation

and more coming... especially those made with stuff I bought on my trip.... like this "Woman In The Middle"

99% of the componants came from Portugal & Spain and the chain is like nothing I've ever seen here.

Okay..it's time to get crackin' boys and girls...go shopping !

XXXXOOOO

 

A little hotel tour

Had a little time so I thought I would give you the brief Suze tour of the super interesting hotel we stayed at in Madrid. The Lenster found this hotel online and we 'took a chance',  booking it before we left to go to Europe.

The Hotel Puerta America

spend some time on their site and click on the various designers to see their floors and rooms...it's an amazing feast.

The coolest hotel ever, each floor designed by a different famous designer & each with its own incredible theme!

We stayed on the 8th floor which had an all white spaceship like feel...no kidding...felt like I was gonna 'beam up' at any given moment...maybe even meet Capt. Kirk & Scotty when I got to the transporter ! Being a big Star Trek fan I loved this.

when you got off the elevator this was what you saw. White leather 'couches' to sit on

and when you walked by, the lights moved. In the all white room you pressed a button and a large flat screen LCD TV came down from the ceiling.

The bathtub/shower was in the MIDDLE on the room

another floor had an all black theme when you stepped off the elevator

another had sculpture. Every floor used different colors and fabrics and schemes. It was like visiting a museum.

the lobby and restaurants were stunning

the front reception desk had these dimensional paintings that immediately made me want to go home and wax something !

you have to be adventurous & eclectic to stay in a hotel like this one. This isn't for the 'traditional' folk. We LOVED it. !

Just sharin'

xxxxoooo

Touchdown New Jersey

 
Nice to be home...

so many wonderful pix still to be shared of the last 2 days in Madrid..

and beside...it's 3 AM now and I'm wide awake cause I'm completely time confused and am still on Spanish time !!

I was thinking about cute little Gemma (on R)  and her 'hen party' friends that came from the UK to Madrid to celebrate her last few days as a batchlorette

I was thinking about the fabulous hotel we stayed in where every single floor was designed by a different designer and no two floors were even remotely the same..

and about the cute little Charlie Chaplinesque mime who kept winking at me so I'd give him a Euro for posing in a pix with me

and about the Flamenco dancers we saw in an authentic show

not what I imagined (castenettes and Carmen !)..8 thousand times better !!

and of how everything in Madrid was so 'vertical'

and architecturally beautiful

and about the peaceful protest on our first day there

The Olympic Soccer Stadium

the bead store I found by sheer accident

the gorgeous sky and no humidity

the Prado Museum and it's magnificent art

and the frames on some of the paintings

( I remember LOVING this movie when I was younger)...

and there it was...hanging in the Prado !!

along with Cardinal Borgia...who looked nothing like Jeremy Irons who played him on TV !!)

The very famous "3 Graces"

the Museum cafeteria

the Lobby

 
yes..of course no pix are allowed inside...that is why I always have my Iphone handy and I'm sneaky!!!! Its not easy to fotget the incident in Egypt where I took sneaky pix of the tombs and a guard starting chasing me to grab my phone away!!!

Spanish musician playing outside the Museum selling his CD's


well..perhaps I should TRY to go back to bed and unconfuse myself...

xxxooo

Gaudi and more

 

DATELINE: MADRID: Today is the last day of our 3 week journey. I'll probably still be blogging about it for days after I get home because there are so many pictures to share. I think we'll head over to the Museo de Prado today and get a dose of Spanish artists.

Yesterday we took the "Hop On-Hop Off" bus (note: best way to see ANY major city) to tour Madrid...OMG, what a city. But...I'll be saving that for a later blog...right now we need to finish Barcelona....

especially GAUDI !!!

The Sagrada Familia

Gaudí devoted his last years to this project and at the time of his death in 1926 (from an accident), less than a quarter of the project was complete.

It is ginormous !

I have been to the Vatican in Rome but I have to tell you..I have NEVER seen anything like this church IN MY LIFE !!!

Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly as it relied on private donations (& still does) and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War—only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the mid-point in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026—the centennial of Gaudí's death.

 

The main nave was covered and an organ installed in mid-2010, allowing the still unfinished building to be used for religious services

"Give us this day our daily bread" in a multitude of languages

I Looooove Barcelona

Christopher Columbus

Well...hope you've enjoyed this very brief tour...we are out the door of our very fabulous hotel for another fun day with beautiful (for me that means no humidity !!) warm day

XXXOOO