The World Of Wezz

Creative Spaces!

2011-08-12T15:12:00.001+02:00

Don't you love seeing what's on other people's tables? The creative things they are working on? How they organise things? The work in progress? Personally, I'm addicted to this site I think.... LOL!

Today I would like to share with you one of those infamous patchwork projects I'm working on. It's constantly on my table so I can just grab it and work on it whenever I feel like it. The majority of the project is in a box, but working on one of the log cabin blocks doesn't take much of material, it all fits in one small pouch. I even take it with me on little trips! Take a peek at my work in progress...

This first picture shows how I tried to see how all the strips of fabric would look by just pinning them together in the order they would be sewn.

This second picture shows this same block all sewn together.

As you can see, the base of my block is an astrology sign and I have all twelve. So I will be busy for a while stitching all twelve log cabin blocks and then making it into one large wall hanging. At least, that's what I have in mind for it at this moment. You never know of course... haha!

Go see more creative spaces right here!

Hugs,
Wezz

What's on my table?

2011-07-21T22:29:00.000+02:00

Time to get back into the blogging groove and what better way than to show you what is on my table right now! I'm working on some scarves, and this one is with some pompom yarn. I love the color, and really like the structure of how it turns out when knitted. The pompoms make it oh so soft too!

Let me know what you think, okay?? Always love to hear what you guys think! :-))

I wrote this as part of the "creative spaces" and you can find more of those right here.

Hugs,
Wezz

2011-05-29T23:58:00.001+02:00

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've shown you some of my scrapbook pages, so please take a trip with me! Let's go to Crete, Greece!!

I know the pictures of the pages are not the best, but it's all I have at the moment. Taking pictures of a double spread is definitely no easy task! I do hope you can still see the beauty of the place though. (click on the pics to see them a little bigger)
Coz my new Monday plans?? I'm taking the airplane to go there!! It's our paradise, our sanctuary place. :-))
See you soon!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Step by step...

2011-05-16T22:53:00.000+02:00

... I'll get there. At finishing all my UFOs. It may take years, coz who knows what's lurking in the cupboards. But whatever I can find, I'm finishing, slowly but surely. If I come across something older, I need to make the decision to either finish it and do something with it, whatever that is, or to get rid of it in one way or the other. Not easy for a packrat like me!! I see potential in just about every little bit!! There's a reason why I kept things, although I may not remember that exact reason any more, I can think of several new ones every time! LOL
But, I've come to the conclusion that I can't keep everything. I can't wear everything I make even though I love it, I already have jewelry for every outfit I own! I can't keep every little piece of thread coz I think it will come in handy for a crochet project. I can't keep every little bitty piece of fabric, even though that will be like a dagger through my heart, especially since I've now.... wait for it.... taken up patchwork and quilting! Hahaha!
Just finished my second class but I can already see that this is gonna be another addiction. That's why some other things will have to go. Like maybe some fabric that I once bought for making clothes but it hasn't materialized yet and I need to check each and every piece and see if it still holds that promise or not. If not, it's gotta go. I am still going to my sewing group every week, so some things will still get made, or finished. :-))

As far as my last Monday Plans go, I finished the crochet bonnets! The tails are now neatly worked in and they look very cool, even if I do say so myself. I even worked in the tails of a scarf that was also waiting for those finishing touches.

See?? All finished!!

I'm still contemplating opening a new category in my etsy store with crochet and knitwear. One thing is for sure, I'll definitely have enough to fill that new category! :-))

I'm gonna take a stab at my new Monday Plans...

If the weather cooperates, I want to photograph everything I have for that new category, so that when I've finally decided, I'll be ready to fill it. Preventing a backlog or a reason not to follow through there. LOL

I don't have quilting class this week, but I do next week and only two classes left before the summer holidays so I want to finish my first panel AND a second one. Yup, the fabric for the second panel has already been cut and is ready to work with! Woohoo!! :-D

Hugs,

Wezz

Monday Plans

2011-05-02T12:21:00.001+02:00

Well with the unbelievable nice weather and Easter weekend in between, I'm now ready for new Monday Plans. I even managed to get results for my last plans. I finished 10, count 'em, TEN, of my bead crochet ropes. They all got caps and clasps now! Yay me!! Wanna take a peek??

And in more detail....

I even managed to do my (unblogged) Monday Plans of last week, which was to get the finished necklaces all photographed and ready for my etsy shop. I've even started to list them too! Even more Yay Me! :-))

I've got plenty more of these ropes, so I'll be busy for a while trying to get those finished too. Then I need to get them photographed and uploaded to the store. But if I wanna do something completely different this week, I just may tackle some of my crochet bonnets and work the threads in.
Huh, my UFO's are slowly becoming FO's after all this time!

Monday Plans do get my butt in gear it seems. And that's not just the Monday Plan, but the Big Plan! LOL :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Monday Plans

2011-04-18T15:19:00.001+02:00

Apparently I can create create create and create. Come up with 10 new designs when I just started a new one and still have to see how THAT one will turn out. My hands can't follow my mind. I crochet and knit and while doing so I'm already thinking of the changes I'll make to the next one. My crochet and knit patterns come into effect as I go, sometimes I'll write something on the back of a beermat or on a post it note so I don't forget what it is I want to change in the next one. Crocheting bonnets just come to life while fitting or just simply DOING.
But finishing off, now THAT is something completely different! I need a serious kick in the butt for that it seems. I have piles, literally piles, of finished crocheted bead ropes, all they need is the finishing touches like caps and a clasp. I'm dragging my feet on that one, I can't seem to bring myself to actually finish them. I have a pile of crocheted bonnets but the tails are not worked in yet... What's wrong with me???
Maybe I should pretend I only have one crochet hook, then maybe I wouldn't be working on 3 vests at the same time. All different of course, but the same type of yarn is used.
Maybe I should pretend that I have only one pair of knitting needles so I wouldn't be working on a vest, a scarf, socks and more all at the same time. Okay, not *exactly* the same time of course, but they're all in various stages of completion.
Maybe I should pretend I only have one beading needle so I would work on that one project until it's finished completely, instead of the gazillion projects I have laying around.
Maybe I should pretend I only have one box of scrapbook papers and use those up first before I can use something from another box (and those with Club Scrap will know exactly what I'm talking about!).
But I just got another idea for a new ring design that I need to try out before I forget what it looks like in my mind!!! I'm terrible at drawing something like that, so I need to make it to see if it's doable or not.
Sigh.
Maybe I just need to DO it.
Finishing something I mean. That will be my plan for this week. I want to have something to show by the end of the week. Something that's been laying around here for ages without getting to the finished state. I really need to do this, it's time.
Now that it's in writing and out there for the world to see, maybe, just maybe, I can do it.
Yes, I can!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Long time no see!

2011-04-03T20:26:00.000+02:00

Right. But I'm back! Again. Don't know how long it'll last this time before I need a long blog break again. Life just happens and when it does, we all gotta deal with whatever it throws our way. Right? Right. I'm here again.

Reading my last few blog posts, it made me remember a promise that I haven't kept. Yet. So I gotta make good on that. I promised to show you some of the beads I bought in Venice, so here are a few pictures of the gorgeous yummy beauties! Remember, I got to see how they made these too! Hot of the press so to speak... Because of the handmade nature, they are not identical either, and some are not completely round.

I must admit, I love looking at them, seeing the light play in them, fondling them... and yet, I find it hard to come up with a good idea on how to use them. I mean, a REALLY good idea that would bring out their beauty the best way possible. Gotta think some more about this... hmmm.... ;-))
Until next time, hopefully you won't have to wait a couple of months.... heheheh....

Hugs,
Wezz

Calling all Paper Lovers!

2010-06-15T13:22:00.002+02:00

oh boy do I have some cool links for you today! I was totally blown away by some of these, and I can only dream of such creativity with "just" paper. The paper in itself are just art pieces in some of these!

First, take a good look at this one. Playing with paper just has something magical to it, and these artworks show just that in The Beauty of Paper Art. And Art it is, with a capital A.

Now, let me blow your mind by this one. It's called "Patience" and you'll see why.... My jaw just dropped when I saw this. There is an interview with the artist Randi Parkhurst right here that you can listen to. It's about the making of Patience. I loved hearing her talk about the process and how the video finally came to be. Isn't this just amazing???

Isabelle de Borchgrave is a belgian artist who, for one thing, makes replicas of dresses that are shown on old paintings. You know the renaissance ones with the great details? She reproduces them in PAPER. I was told that she mainly uses pattern paper (like what you use for dress making) and then paints it and decorates it to look like what is in the paintings. When you hold the pictures of the paintings next to what she makes, the resemblance is uncanny. It's like they walked of the painting and are there, life size. Here's a video of one of her expositions called "I Medici - A renaissance in paper", this one was held in Florence and is now in Brussels. I sure hope to go see that one! Oh and don't be afraid to click on the other links too! Here's another video of her work. It's in French, but you'll get the idea. It's called "Dreams in Paper". Oh yeah, I can only dream of such things! Some more info about this great artist can be found here. You can even take a peak into her Brussels based studio! More pictures of her work can be seen here but let me tell you, if you ever get the chance to see her work up close, don't hesitate! It's sooo much better in real life! I haven't seen it yet, but did see my mom's pics and they are better than what I can point out to you here. Really.

Oh and I have a really neat little project for you that I found on YouTube. Imagine this with some little pictures on it, like a brag book or something.... It's small enough to keep on your coffee table and for sure a great conversation starter! If you make it and have pics of it, let me know, I'd love to see it! :-))

For now, I have a card to show you that just pales against these artists' work. But, I still do like it. It's made following the DWYT sketch 24. Yeah, I'm a little behind there, but I don't always make them immediately and what can I say? Some sketches just don't appeal to me at all, so I'll look for an older one that will work with the image and scraps of papers I have at hand. Enjoy!

Sorry, no idea where that rubber stamp image came from. I got it in an image swap and there were no specifics with this one. The butterfly image was painted with water paint colors, the cheap kid stuff. Who says crafting is expensive??? LOL :-))
I hope you had fun following all the links in today's post! Let me know your thoughts about all this, okay?
Have a nice day!

Hugs,
Wezz

A Winner! and a bit of a travel story too...

2010-05-28T14:28:00.002+02:00

We have a winner for the contest on our latest traveling!! The answer was... Venice! :-))
And the winner of the snail mail card is.... drum roll please....

cockney blonde said...I'm guessing it could be Venice. Love that City.
How wonderful having a little kitty in the house. I love all our animals but its great when they're babies, so cute and funny, x

Congratulations, Cockney Blonde! Please let me know when I can mail the card, okay?? I don't want it sitting in your mailbox for too long if you should be traveling yourself...

We got a chance to travel to Venice coz Jan had to be there for his job. But boy, that's one heck of an expensive city!! I'm pretty sure this will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Everything is expensive there! And I do mean everything: food, drinks, taking the bus boats, even using the public restrooms! No kidding. And before you flip out over this, they are kept very clean and in really good condition. Kinda important. LOL
Since I had time on my hands while Jan was working I was able to explore the city. I got lost in the little back streets and alleys, found wonderful shops, great little tucked away squares were it wasn't as busy as St Mark's Square, got totally soaked in the rain on several occasions, took boat rides, and visited the walhalla of glass, the island of Murano..... I'm still lost for words on what I got to see in the workshops, demos and the Glass Museum. No wonder this is expensive stuff, some are really affordable though you have to search for those. They only use particular kinds of sand, are very specific on what they'll use to get the colors, etc. This is not your run-of-the-mill glass, even though the chinese knock-offs really do a good job at imitating them. I learned how to tell the difference on some of the items, especially some of the inside coloring (like swirls and some other types) and the glass itself. Hard to explain in a text if you can't hold the two next to each other to see the difference for yourself though. Of courste I came home with bunches of Murano glass beads from the island as well as some pendants and they all are the real deal. (ouch, my poor poor credit card!) I'll take a picture of them soon so you can see how gorgeous these really are. I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun working with these in my jewelry!!
Strolling through the little streets of Venice I also got to see a few artisan people working on the famous masks in their workshops. They preferred not to have their picture taken though so I respected that. One of them was making them with papier maché, while another one was making them in leather. That's right, real leather, coz it's nicer to wear on your face. Of course, you don't get these for a bargain price. For low prices you can buy a made in China mask from the street vendors. Another person was working on bookbinding, also with leather, she had the hides hanging in her shop. Very cool to see these people at work. I also found a book store that had books that had the covers of some famous books like Alice in Wonderland, Robinson Crusoe, etc. done by an "artist" and when I saw the price tags I almost fainted. Books ranged from 3000 to 8000 euros. For sure, the covers were nicely done, but the whole time I was thinking "I could do that". Well I could if I had the materials and more importantly, the outlet for it! Doesn't it strike you sometimes when you see some artist's work, that you think you could do this too? I think we creative people should all move to Venice and go make a fortune there. A bunch of us together and with all that creative talent I see amongst my online friends, what could be better? LOL
I saw a guy in his workshop who made everything out of wood. Nothing special? Wait, he had a folded shirt that looked so real, a shirt hanging from a clothes line, a biker's jacket, shoes, western boots and the list goes on and on. All done in wood. Now there's something where I think "I can not do this". I was impressed to say the least. :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

What is your favorite necklace length?

2010-05-27T13:25:00.002+02:00

Mine is about 18 to 22 inches, depending on the thickness and whether or not it has a pendant on it. How 'bout your favorite length? Please fill out the poll on the top right of this page! I'm very interested to see the end results of this little poll. Thanks for voting!

Speaking of voting, we here in Belgium have been asked to go cast our votes for a new government on June 13th. Our civil duty. Yes, it's a duty here, not just a right to vote. That's why it's on a Sunday. I just got the draft letters we'll have to present at the office where we'll need to go. Thank goodness our city is one of those where you can now vote electronically so no more "situations" with pencils without a tip and immensely huge papers with lists of candidates for us anymore. LOL
You gotta see the humor in a not so humorous situation, right?

And speaking of another not so humorous situation, something is definitely wrong with my Outlook program, and we're trying hard to get it to work again, but so far nothing worked. We fear that my laptop may slowly be dying though and we're doing everything we can to keep it alive and kicking... But, if you don't hear from me, you'll know why. Always something, huh? *sigh*

Hugs,
Wezz

Poll

2010-05-20T23:56:00.002+02:00

I'm happy to report that the little kitten is doing pretty well. In fact, she's asleep right now next to me here on the couch. So sweet and innocent looking. Until she wakes again. Then, she's a lot less innocent!! LOL

I'm having trouble adjusting at home again, it's hay fever season for me. Being near the water last week was a lot better for me, that's for sure! I feel like my head is filled with cotton balls, my thinking isn't straight, my throat hurts like hell, and I'm coughing my lungs out. Especially laying down, so I'm not getting my necessary portion of sleep either.
Sooo, I thought I might as well try out something new on my blog, and I added a poll. There's a first for everything, and I've always wanted to do this... so now, there you are. Please please would you cast your vote?? It would be a great indicator for me when finishing off a few necklaces. Thanks so much!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Back home

2010-05-17T23:20:00.004+02:00

well we got back home about 6 hours ago, we went to get our cats at the cat hotel, and came home with one more... LOL
Yup, they had found a little abandoned kitten somewhere and have not found the rightful owners yet. They do have some candidates to adopt her, but right now she's too young to eat on her own, so I was asked to care for the little one until she's old enough and eats on her own. I did tell them I wouldn't do it without the agreement of our two other cats, but so far they seem to be okay with the new addition to the household. Wonder how they'll react when it's time for the little one to go on to a new home... We'll see how it goes the next few days, if it doesn't work out they will ask someone else to train the kitten. She's very playful, exploring her new temporary home and definitely not shy at all!! She's on my lap as I'm typing this! Forgive me for any typos I don't catch... The cat did it. LOL

Nobody tried to guess where we were??? Maybe you need more hints, huh?? Or maybe this blog just doesn't have enough readers?? ahum!!! You can always share the link with your friends of course...
So, here are a few extra hints... oh err, kitty is finding my fingers dancing over the keyboard very interesting and is trying to catch them! (grin) It's funny to have a little one in the house again. :-))
Okay, more hints to where we've been... Let me think, I don't want to make it too easy either of course...
- it's a world famous city in Europe
- very touristy
- there's a Hard Rock Café which made Jan very happy
- they have a long tradition of craftsmanship and handmade items which made me very happy
- if we had gone by bus or train we would still need to have taken the boat to get to the hotel and the city center
- to get there we had to cross Germany and Austria
and I'm not gonna say anymore or I'm gonna give it away! LOL
Okay, I'll make it a contest. Out of all the correct answers I'll draw a name and I'll send you a real snail mail card if you give me your address. Deal??? Deadline of the contest is one week from now -Monday 24th, so I'll draw the name on the 25th. Have fun! It's really not all that difficult!! I promise! :-))

I wonder if kitty is ever gonna go to sleep... She hasn't sat still for a minute yet since she got here, has eaten pretty well with some help from me and is still playing... pheww, I had forgotten how tiring this can be!! But it's just impossible not to like her!!

Hugs,
Wezz

On the road again!

2010-05-13T23:37:00.002+02:00

well, we are here by car (came in 2 days since we live in Belgium); have parked the car at the airport, and took a boat to reach our hotel.... Who can guess where we are now???
(and no, those that I've told cannot play in this game!)
Traveling can be such an adventure, Jan almost fell off his chair when I told him the boat ride would be at least 40 minutes if not longer.... LOL!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Don't Waste Your Thursdays!

2010-05-05T23:57:00.003+02:00

Okay, I know... It's Wednesday. But tomorrow is Thursday, and that means there will be a new sketch on the Don't Waste Your Thursdays! blog. It's fun to get a new sketch every week, and though I don't always play along, when my muse decides to leave for a while it's good to have some of these sketches handy to get started again... :-))
Here are my two cards I made with sketch 31!

See? It can be anything really and as simple or as complicated as you want. Even a herringbone background. Not complicated, just a little different. And I'm very pleased with the stamped text I added in the herringbone strips too. I changed the circle for some flowers. How do you like it?? On to the next one tomorrow! Yay!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Where is spring???

2010-05-03T16:47:00.004+02:00

I thought it was coming, especially with last week's good weather, but it has turned back to gloomy dark and most of all, very rainy weather now. I want spring to come!! Like yesterday. Pretty please?? I miss being able to sit outside and have my coffee after lunch there. We are lucky enough to have a south west facing garden, but right now, there's not too much to enjoy there.... Hello spring??? Can you come please?
This card I made following a sketch on one of the yahoogroups I belong to. I was soooo in the mood for bold colors! The text at the bottom means "congratulations" so it's a card for many occasions. Also, a challenge on another group was to use the new things you bought at the ArtSpecially show, and that's where I scored the flower brush stamp from Hero Arts.

The printed papers on the card both come from one of those little 6x6 pattern paper pads that I just had to have, just coz it was so cheap. You know? I know you know!! LOL
But now I find myself struggling finding a good use for most of the papers. They look...umm, how should I put this? Some are just ugly, some are strange colors and difficult to match with other things. So I decided to dive in anyway and use some of it. The text paper is from the same pad, and by cutting the vertical strips in 2x6 and cutting text strips, I had enough to make 3 of these cards. :-))
And actually, I quite like the result. The colors are bright and remind me of how my garden should look soon if the weather clears up. I've used a new acquisition. I've used some older papers that I found hard to work with. All in all, I'm pretty pleased.
What do you think of it? And how's the weather where you are??

Hugs,
Wezz

I haven't stopped

2010-04-26T23:55:00.003+02:00

...making jewelry!!! LOL!!
Don't worry, I couldn't stop even if I wanted to, I like it way too much!
Here are two of my bead crochet necklaces, both have been given as gifts already.

I'm sure I'll have more soon, different designs too, and they'll be available in my etsy store.... ;-))
Please let me know what you think about these! I would love to hear your comments!

Hugs,
Wezz

Crafty links

2010-04-20T11:21:00.003+02:00

Hey everyone, it's about time I surfaced again in Blog Land!
International mail has pretty much come to a halt due to all the vulcanic action in Iceland, don't know about you but our summer travel plans are very unsure at this point, so I thought I'd entertain you with a few links to keep you guys busy... :-))

First, my friend Joanne has now ventured into designing stamps for a french stamp company! Since I'm in the flemish part of Belgium I never get to see any (or very very little anyway) advertising for french stamp companies so I was glad to see this one! Click here to see her stamps. So, what do you think??? I just love them! I just may need to order a couple of them.... LOL ;-))

Last weekend I visited the ArtSpecially Event in the Netherlands and got to meet Michael Strong again. He made a little instruction video together with my friend Hetty, using his stamps to create an interesting card. Go here to see the 2-part video class. (oh and turn up the volume!)

If you like chunky distressed interactive mini books you really need to take a look at this video! It's not a how-to, but that little book is just soooo cool!! Makes me itch to have a go at making one myself, even though I know it's totally not my style and I won't use it... A gift perhaps???

Enjoy following the links!!
Do let me know what you think, okay? I love sharing my finds with others... :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

More about our last US trip

2010-02-23T17:58:00.002+01:00

...that has found its way to my scrapbook pages. It's cool to see all these pictures again, they bring back so many memories of good times!
These pages are about New York City mostly.

Times Square was so much smaller than what we expected!! You see it in the movies, you see it in the news, you see it on New Year's Eve... it was a must-see for us! Just a little advice, don't go to the MacD's there, we've never ever seen one that was this dirty and unsafe. I couldn't believe my eyes and even Jan refused to use the bathroom there. We went around the corner, there's a little Irish pub, and boy, that was a nice place!

The "fashion district" was high on my list of places to shop at, so I did. It was incredibly hard to choose though! My eyes nearly popped out when I saw the vast choice they had!! Beads, buttons, fabrics, oh and did I mention beads???

But take the subway just a few blocks west and it looks like you are in a different city altogether. Lots of green, less high tall buildings, just a feeling of more open air and umm, a somewhat relaxing feeling. Of course I visited The Ink Pad, the one and only rubber stamp store in Manhattan!! This was where I was meeting up with another online friend and it was soooo much fun to see each other in real life! We had a good chat, and she drove us around in NYC to see some highlights. Or maybe she wanted to let us feel what New York traffic was like... Mission accomplished I'd say!! LOL! :-))

I just like taking pictures, and bridges somehow have a special draw to me and my camera. :-))

That was it for today, folks!! I hope you enjoyed it!!

Yes, I am in the US again at this moment, and when I'm all over and done with the jetlag I hope to find the time and energy to blog about the new adventures!! :-))

Hugs,

Wezz

The USA trip

2010-02-04T23:52:00.003+01:00

The blast from the past. Remember our trip to the USA from way back in 2006?? I've never really finished the story of that trip, did I? Well, at least I'm back at scrapping more of it! This year I wanted to get back into scrapping and since I got a LOT of scrapping done during the Pro Scrapbook League organized by Club Scrap in 2008, I decided to sign up again this year! Yay!! I'm slowly finding my way back to the scrapworld. LOL
Here are two layouts I did about the graduation of a friend's daughter in Washington, D.C. It was so special for us to be invited to that ceremony as we don't have that here in Belgium.

There is no way I can explain how special this was to be able to be there for the graduation together with her family. I just wish the speakers were not so boring as they were.... ahem... we all agreed on that!! LOL

It was great to see a sign language translator working her way throughout the whole ceremony too. We had never seen that before either! The whole experience was just very impressive and we'll never forget it. We loved being part of that special day. :-))

Hugs,

Wezz

A new year...

2010-01-15T16:06:00.000+01:00

...a new beginning. We hope that this year will be a bit kinder to us, we've been through so much the past year.
I have long stopped making new year resolutions coz I find I can never keep them anyway. Loose weight? Yep, did that, it lasts for about a week and then it's out the window. Organize my craft stuff better? Yep, done that, I start, make an even bigger mess and put it all back as it was. At least that way I can still find my stuff. LOL
So what now? No more resolutions? Then how can it be a new beginning?
A week or so ago I came across this blog post and somehow it got stuck in my head. I decided to try it, and my word for this year is "release". There, now I've publicly shared it and I can keep you updated on how it's going. I want let go of some things I no longer need. It's tearing my heart out to let go of some old magazines as I'm a true magazine junkie. But, I've torn out what I want to keep, will file that, and the magazines will go to a friend for inspiration for her. Sort of get the maximum use out of them, so it's not like *I* am throwing them away really... LOL
I'm just building up the courage to actually let go of them, we'll be going there tonight, and I'll take them. It's a start. :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Across the canal

2010-01-12T23:59:00.002+01:00

Two weeks ago today, we took the plunge and went across the North Sea Canal, from Belgium to the United Kingdom by ferry. Roads were icy so we anticipated we had to leave extra early to be on time for the ferry check-in. We left home at around 4:45am... ugh!! That's in the middle of the night for me!! But, all went well and we arrived safely in Ostend. There, I completely forgot that while the UK is a member of the european union, it is not one of the Schengen group. We got checked inside and out, passport controls, etc. Unbelievable for a country that's part of the EU. Oh well. We find ourselves a good comfy seat on board and stand outside when we leave the port. It's beautiful. The lights on land that slowly disappear, then the sunrise a bit later. Just plain gorgeous.

I've been with the ferry to the UK before, I think I was 10 years old. Lots to do on that boat, there were different places to get something to eat, several bars, shops, kid's corner, movie theatres (albeit very small ones), etc. Of course, these were the times there was still tax free shopping on board and those were the days before the high speed trains. Now, there was absolutely nothing on that boat. Kid's corner? Yep, but closed. For goodness' sake, give kids something to do on a 4 hour ferry ride!!! Heck, give the grown ups something to do! I don't *need* the tax free shop, but a shop nonetheless. Ya know, it would have been nice, with some magazines, newspapers, souvenirs, just something to do while crossing the canal. I wouldn't have been so bored!!! Good to know if we ever do this again that I need to take something with me so I don't go completely nuts. Good also that this was very early in the morning, and I still needed to catch up on some sleep. LOL

ohhhh, I see land!! there it is! There is good ol' England!! We get off the ferry in Ramsgate and drive to Margate for lunch. Hmm, not much there it seems. We end up going to a KFC coz we were looking for something fast too.
Across the street is a W.H.Smith and I *know* the new Craft Stamper issue is out, so I go look for that. I find a new bead magazine that I've never seen before, but not what I came in for. I ask the young girl at the register... and this is what the conversation went like...
"Hi, I'm looking for The Craft Stamper. Do you have that?"
"No, we don't have Stampers" huh? kind of a strange answer I thought, but I'm not easily deterred...
"Do you know where I could get it?"
She rambles something about a couple of stores, some of which are at least a 2 hour drive from there. HUH?
Me again:
"Strange that you don't have it, coz I checked and you carry all the other cardmaking magazines."
"Oh, it's a magazine??" errr, say what????
THUD----> the sound of me falling over in amazement to this utterly crazy response.

It starts to rain (what else in Britain, right?) so we head back to the car and drive all the way up to Southend-on-Sea where we will spend our first night on UK soil. I'm quite tired, so I take my afternoon nap. In the mean time, Jan goes out for a walk and exploring where we might have dinner. Of course we are way too far from the Pier, unlike what it said on the website where I booked the little hotel. He couldn't find much he said. "Well, did you go down to the Pier?" "Nope, too far" "I agree, but did you go down near the sea?" "Nope, I couldn't see any lights so there's nothing down there." Okay, so we walk around in the pouring rain, both having a big umbrella and still managed to get soaking wet, and finally we find this chinese place that has buffet. Yumm! We go in... where's the buffet?? Hmm, strange. I get a menu and the only thing on it is the buffet. Jan has a menu that's totally different from mine. Again, hmm, strange. As it turns out it's a buffet "on order". Huh? yep, you can order up to 4 starters and if you want more you can order other starters or more of the same, but only if you ate everything. Same procedure for the main course. How funny!! But clever too, I must admit. Not so much wasted food this way, right?
The next morning we take a drive along the seaside to pass the Pier too. And what do we see??? Riiight!!! All kinds of neat little places that serve food! The look on my face when I turn to Jan.....

Hugs,
Wezz

Be The Best!

2010-01-08T23:54:00.004+01:00

That's it. Just be the best. Okay, maybe not THE best, but just be the very best YOU can be. That's all anyone can ask, right? If you strive to be the best you can be, it will make you feel good and fulfilled. You should be proud. You have the potential. Live up to it. Reach for the stars!! The sky is the limit. Okay, I'm sure you get it by now.
Here's a card to celebrate that!
Stamps are from StampFrancisco and Stampin' Up.

And speaking of StampFrancisco, we are lining out our new travel plans!! Yay!! :-)))
We'll land in San Francisco on February 17th!! Jan is working on a road book already. heheh. I'll start collecting addresses of the "must-shop" places.... oh err, I mean, the "must-see" places... ahum... and I sure hope there will be some "must-meet" people along the way!! :-))
Now I wanna know who will be the first to react to this and how many of you will leave me a comment.... LOL!!

Hugs,
Wezz

To all my friends

2010-01-07T12:23:00.002+01:00

Online or offline, to all my friends all over the world, I wish you the very best for 2010!! I haven't been able to make many Christmas or even winter cards since my fall, and the few I did manage to make I've already shown here. But I do have another one, to go with my wish for you all.

May 2010 turn out to be a great, happy and healthy year with lots of love and laughter for you all! For those who craft, like me, may your Muse never leave your side this year! :-))

I got a really nice New Year's wish from someone, but it was in dutch, so I'll try to translate it here for you all...

May Peace break into your home and may thieves steal all your debts,

May your pockets become a magnet for $100 bills,

May love stick to your face like a cream and may your lips be attacked by laughter,

May luck slap you in the face and may all tears shed be only from happiness

In other words, have the best and most creative New Year!!

Happy New Year to you all, my dear friends!! :-))

Hugs,

Wezz

And we have a Winner!!

2009-12-07T13:24:00.001+01:00

The eSMarts Treasure Hunt has come to an end and we have a winner!! Yay!!! :-))

Susin Schiff from Canada will receive the whole package and from what I hear, it's all going to a good home! I don't know if she has received it yet, but I'm eagerly waiting to hear what she thinks of the gorgeous prizes she won! Read more about it here.

While you're there visiting the eSMarts blog, please also take a look at our monthly contest and cast your vote! Only two entries this month, none of which are mine, but some day I hope to find the energy and inspiration to participate in this too! :-))

It's only a short blog post this time. I'm knee deep in the digital photo album I'm making as a christmas gift, and that means I need to get it finished soon, or it won't be printed and back here on time! My niece is coming over tomorrow night to check on what I have so far. With matching poem going throughout the album telling the story... It's actually a pretty fun project to do, and I'm learning by leaps and bounds how to use Photoshop (and some other programs), even though it's an older version I have. Gotta go work on that some more now! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

This 'n' That

2009-11-30T15:37:00.003+01:00

You may have noticed that I've been working on the link list on my blog. The list was just getting way too long and it needed splitting up a bit. So, I've now made new link categories, like "Sparkly Beads & Shiny Jewelry", "Digital Scrapbooking", "Oh! The Funny Pages!" and "Crafty Rubber Stamper Blogs". But how do you decide in which category the link should go?? Oh my head just hurts thinking I have to put some kind of label on a certain blog. Where would you put my blog link? Under Rubber Stampers? Jewelry? Or should it be the "Yarns, Fabrics & Patterns" section? Most people I know do more than just one crafty thing, so yeah, these decisions are very difficult for me. I keep plugging away at shortening the list in "My favorite web stops", but I just might need a few more categories. Like "Mixed Media", "Scrapbooking", etc. I fear that just "Papercrafts" or "Cardmaking" would be too general. But then, so was the original list... and it got out of hand. Real bad and real fast. LOL
For those who are just wondering if they should start a blog or not, why don't you check out the links under "Help & Info Sites" in the middle column. You might just find the push you need right there. heheh. And don't forget to tell me if you did start a blog!! Okay? Okay. :-))

To get you a little more confused on where to categorize MY blog, I have some scrapbook pages to show you. ;-))
Some friends of mine will be traveling to this region in the south of France, so I thought I'd give them something to look forward to. They might be interested to know there's an english pub in Valbonne too, not just the good restaurants. haha!! Enjoy the trip!!

Valbonne

Biot

St Paul de Vence

Mougins

I hope you all will let me know what they think of these!
Most materials used are from Club Scrap.

Don't forget, today is CYBER MONDAY! That means the sales aren't over yet! Check out my store, as I've added more items into the sale. :-))
And, I've not only been working on my blog, but also added some new items to the store.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these new pairs of earrings!

Hugs,
Wezz

't is the season...

2009-11-25T23:31:00.011+01:00

...for Shopping!!! Yep, that's right, people! Time to get the best deals and start your Christmas shopping!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I wish my US friends (and anyone else who celebrates this) a happy day and hope you can spend it with your loved ones.
But Thanksgiving, man, it really has become a surreal shopping experience over the past few years. First, all we heard about that over here in Belgium, was the -to us at least- strange "Black Friday" term and we got news flashes on TV about it. It totally amazed us. With the internet, everyone wanted to be part of it, so along came CyberMonday. But that's not enough, oh no! Now we have Black Wednesday too! You can get the best deals on the internet if you shop on Wednesday already, have Thanksgiving dinner with your family, then hit the brick & mortar stores on Black Friday to get the good deals there too! It's a win-win situation of course. :-))
Read all about the newest shopping experience in the full article on this page!

I am joining in this amazing blog roll too, and have put a few items in my store at half price. Whààààt??? Half price??? Why on earth did I do that?? Well, to give you a chance to shop at a reduction. Hmm, okay. Soo, what's in it for me? Happy customers will spread the word!!!! See?? Win-win situation. :-))
Check for the notion "Black Friday SALE" in my etsy store for the items at half price, and lots of other items have free worldwide shipping!! Yay!! I know a good deal when I see it. Do you??

All these above earrings are now in my etsy store at Half Price from Black Wednesday til CyberMonday! That's from November 25 (today!) and will end on Monday November 30 at midnight.

***Edit November 26: The following items are now taking part in the Black Friday Sale at my store too! :-))

There is also the video preview of what you can win in the Treasure Hunt! Okay, first time ever I embed a slide show into my blog so I hope everything will go well. Here goes nothing!!

Full pictures of all the handmade gifties in the basket can be seen here on this blog! Aren't they just gorgeous??

Enjoy the holidays and whatever you do, stay safe! Let me know the good deals you find too! heheh... ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Arrived!

2009-11-23T13:46:00.012+01:00

Yay!! My snow white seed bead item made it to its destination and now I can reveal that it will definitely be in the Big Prize Gift Basket of the Treasure Hunt! That's right, folks, you can win my mystery item!! Here's a few more teaser pics! I sure hope you'll like it, and that you'll come along and play in the Hunt! Go read here for the rules! It's easy to participate but you gotta play to win! Remember there's a special clue here to make it even easier to play the Hunt Game.... ;-))

Here's a picture to give you an idea on the other items that are already in this Gift Basket, and it could be more! Everything has been lovingly handmade be our eSmarts Team members, who are artisans from all over the globe. Imagine finding this under the Christmas tree!

Now, isn't that worth a little Hunt??? Find the Hidden Santa images and you can win this!! :-))

For a dear friend of mine who can use a pick-me-up right about now, I made this very simple and easy card. This really is what you'd call a "Take Ten" card. I hope she likes it.

Text is from Inkerbell. The rest is just a wide ribbon, cardstock and two domed stickers. Easy peasy. :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Socks? Slippers?

2009-11-21T21:40:00.005+01:00

Just a short post for today, as I'm still working on the fringe on my very very large shawl. :-))
Oh, and of course, I couldn't just work on that, oh no, I needed to start the matching socks too. LOL
Trust me to start a new project before the other one is finished. They're not knitted socks though, I'm making crocheted socks. Or would they rather be called slippers? I always have cold feet, so these should keep me warm the coming winter. Imagine me, sitting cuddled up on the couch with my shawl and the matching socks. It may very well be a funny sight to see, but at least I'll be very very warm! Haha!! :-))
Here's a picture and the instructions on how to make them. The instructions are in dutch, but I'm sure that experienced crocheters might be able to make these just by seeing the picture. Okay, let's hope so. Tell me please if you start a set of your own! Would love to hear your crochet adventures! ;-))

I just found an article on our eSMarts Christmas Treasure Hunt. It's really well written, and all the participating members are mentioned with the links. You *need* the links to go find that Santa image. Just a little reminder, this is the image you need to track down... so you don't overlook him by accident... and spoil your chances! We don't want that, now do we???

Remember? You can win the big prize! But, ya gotta play first... heheh... But, participating is really not difficult at all, so go on and have fun! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Take your pick

2009-11-19T23:35:00.009+01:00

...and you decide whether this is a hint or a clue! But it's somewhere in my post... heheheh.... ;-))
Remember, you have to play to win the big jackpot! Make it a family game to go hunting for the Treasure and find the hidden Santa images. Santa needs to come out of hiding to bring gifts this year, won't he? Give him a hand!

I'm still working on my crochet shawl and I have to tell you, it's BIIIIG! I mean, way way big. LOL
I never anticipated it would end up this big, but I just liked the crocheting so much that I just kept going. And going... and going... And now it's really really big. But, I don't care, I actually like how it turned out and am sure I will enjoy cuddling up on the couch on cold winter evenings with this newest addition. :-))

I enjoy the bare works of knitting and crocheting, but the finishing touches... not so much. Anyone else have that problem? I mean, it really is a problem here. I wanted to crochet a bonnet and what do I find in the bag with the yarn? The bonnet I crocheted last winter! The crocheting part is finished, but I never bothered to actually work the end tails in. How stupid of me! I should have been wearing this!
Did you know there's a hidden Santa in my etsy store? Find him, copy the url, find 2 more of these Santas and there's your first chance of winning the big prize! How's that for a clue? ;-))
The newly discovered bonnet is duo toned, in purple, so it's completely in line with all the current fashions. But nooo, I'm the one that keeps things like this unfinished in her bag. Another one of my endless supply of UFOs. I really have to finish this one. And I'd prefer it done before winter starts. Ha!

But I'm working on that. I mean, I'm working on actually finishing what I started. The crochet part of the big shawl is done, I have worked in all the tail ends already (wow!) and now I'm in the process of adding the fringes. Tell me, how does it look so far??

Hugs,
Wezz

Another hint... or is it a clue?

2009-11-14T18:39:00.005+01:00

Hey all, have you been on the Hunt yet?? The Secret Santa Treasure Hunt is on!! Go go go!!
Did you know you can enter as many times as you can find 3 different links with Santa in them? Just follow the rules and increase your chances of winning this fabulous Treasure!

Oh and I just thought of something too! (surprised, huh?? LOL) Now why don't you make this a family thing? Yeah! Wouldn't your kids just *love* to go hunting for Santa images?? Get everyone involved, even your hubby! He could win beautiful gifts for the woman he loves, or the kids could win some really cool gifts for mommy! Enjoy the family time together while going on a Treasure Hunt! Think of it as playing a game with the whole family! The kids will love it! :-))

I have another "teaser picture" for you today! Here's a little detail of my beadwork with the matte and shiny snow white beads.
Let me know how the teasing is working please! Would love to hear about it.... ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Something of everything

2009-11-13T18:41:00.010+01:00

Recently, I colored some stamped images with my Derwent pencils, and this is one of them. I thought the card's theme would be rather fitting for my sister-in-law's birthday and the party we threw her. ;-))

I used pattern paper that came as an extra with a british cardmaking magazine. Some of those papers are actually not so bad. Really. LOL
The text stamp is from Stampin' Up! and the dancing old lady with bunny slippers (love those slippers!!) is from StampFrancisco.

Okay, so I'm gonna tease you some more about those snow white beads. I usually do my beadwork in the kitchen at the big table there. Sometimes, errrr... it happens that I spill some on the floor... and if you see two different types of snow white beads spilled on the floor, matte and shiny.... it's a real sorting nightmare!! I tell ya!! You do not wanna have to go through this, believe me...

Suffice it to say that this "tease piece" went through a lot of trouble to get to where it is now! ;-))
But, I must admit, the result is worth getting my eyes completely crossed while making it. You just wait and see....

Oh, and don't forget the contest!!! Did you know that can enter more than once, so you can increase your chances of winning??? The Treasure Hunt starts tomorrow!

On your mark, get set... and see you tomorrow! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Santa Claus is coming to town....

2009-11-11T23:00:00.002+01:00

...and he's bringing lots and lots of prezzies!! :-))
Okay, so Christmas comes a little early this year, Santa is an old guy and he needs the extra time. Let him, will ya? (grin)

You all know by now that I'm part of the online group eSmarts and we've teamed up to bring you the best! We've organised a Treasure Hunt, and believe me, the treasure is definitely worth it!!
You have to play to win though, but the big prize could be yours! Wouldn't that be fun???? Mark your calendars for the start of the Hunt on November 14th! Go go go, what are you waiting for???

Our great eSMArts team is sharing the love with a handmade bundle to warm your holidays! And YOU can win this! Isn't that just sooo cool?? huh??? :-))

Enter our Hidden Santa Treasure Hunt to WIN a Christmas Gift Bundle of unique handmade creations.

The complete prize package, item photos and detailed descriptions will be announced here shortly.

Our contest begins November 14th so check back here for the full list of Sponsor Shops.

How to Play:

Check this blog for contest details and a list of participating eSMArts Sponsor Shops.
Visit each participating shop to find images of our santa.
Make note of the url where you find our santa pictured!
HINT: santa images are not embedded yet. They won't be online until the contest start date of November 14, 2009.
Here's how to complete each entry: ~find 3 Santa images that you haven't previously submitted. ~Email the urls along with your name & address to esmartspromos [at] yahoo.ca to be entered. ~Find new/unsubmitted Santa image urls and enter as many times as you like! ~Entries will be validated to ensure that contestants are submitting fresh Santa spottings. ~Remember that 3 new Santa image urls equals ONE additional contest entry.
Contest runs November 14-28, 2009 (close is November 28/09 at midnight eastern).
Drawing takes place November 29th
Winner will be announced here November 30th
Prize package ships December 1st, 2009.

check back for hunting hints and tips! The package IS worth it, mark my words! You'll be in for a big big surprise! I know, coz I've seen some of what's in there.... I'll post more about the Treasure as we come closer to the start of the Hunt and the final draw... heheh... Patience, my dears, patience! And keep your eye on this blog!
Happy Hunting everyone! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

You want another one??

2009-11-11T00:32:00.004+01:00

Do you want another one?? What?? Another sneak peek of my new beadwork?? hmmm... let me think for a while....
Okay, you twisted my arm! (good grief, can you believe how easy that was??? LOL!)
Here is another view of the beads I have been working with. Snow white, in both matte and shiny.
Sooo, are you curious yet to know what exactly it is I'm teasing you all about???
Stay tuned, the answer will come to you soon!! Keep an eye on this blog for a surprise! heheh... ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Heartfelt Blog Award and a sneak peek

2009-11-09T11:56:00.008+01:00

This is the Heartfelt Blog Award, and it was given to me by Mary Ann from Starlight Blog. Thanks so much!! It means a lot to me, coz this is a very special award given to blogs that give you a nice warm homey feel, full of heart. I'm so happy that my blog feels like a homey place on the web. That was the intent all along and I'm glad it all worked out that way. :-))

Many many thanks to Mary Ann for this wonderful award! It is truly an honor!

Mary Ann is a writer and loves to read, but has many interests beyond that. Check her post of Oct 31st and take a look at those pictures! For some reason I can't link directly to this post, but please scroll down, it's worth it. She's also a beader, and a member of the infamous eSmarts Team. (grin)

Now as for the people I'm going to pass this on to... Their blogs are all chock full of heart. You feel like they're old friends even if they write about something of little interest to you. You can feel their passion and the heart they pour into their blogs. Sometimes, they'll give you a peek into their real life, but even their online life is interesting. Give yourself a little gift today and go spend some time with them.

Here are the rules:

1. Display the logo.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs that make you feel comfy or warm inside.

3. Link to your nominees.
4. Let them know they have been nominated by commenting.
5. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

OK...Here are the 9 new nominees:

1. Catherine from StampFrancisco, a rubber stamp company, is one of my dearest friends that I've come to know in the past 8 years or so. Generally, we see each other 2 weekends a year when I help her out at shows here in Europe. Her blog shows her love for animals, and for France. She takes wonderful pictures too and doesn't hesitate to share them with all of us!
2. Vanessa from Scrapness is an accomplished scrapbooker, and especially since she turned to digital scrapbooking. I hope to learn lots from her! Her blog gives you a peek into her life with pictures of her family. She loves to create, so anything that will grab her fancy will be tried. Like crochet. Did you see her pear?? I'm also gonna take a closer look at her dare list... Maybe that will be my next blog post... :-))
3. Godelieve from StampingMathilda doesn't need much introduction in the rubber stamping world. She's belgian, and she's famous. She shows a lot of her artistic work, but always with a witty sense of humor. She also has a section of blog help on her site, she knows what she's doing!
4. Mandy called her blog "The Diaries of a craftaholic and demented housewife". Now I ask you, that name alone calls for investigation, no?? She's funny, and I love what she makes and the stories she shares with us.
5. Anna Lee from Ga'hoolTree Designs is passionate about making jewelry (check it out!) but also shares her travel stories and how she feels about our world today. Always interesting to read.
6. Lois from A Beaded Affair also doesn't hesitate to share her feelings about today's world on her blog now and then. She does great wire work, it's just amazing what she does with copper. Both Lois and Anna Lee are a few of the driving forces behind the eSmarts Team which I also belong to. I'm thankful to be a part of that, and that I know these ladies through the internet. I love technology, even though I sometimes fight with it. LOL
7. Jennifer from Life Is Not A Cereal shares a lot about her life, sometimes with blog posts that make you ponder and think about things you never thought about before. She makes you stop and think about your next step. I love her digiscrap stuff too of course, whether it's her layouts or her freebies that she put up for grabs.
8. I love people who have more than one hobby, just like me. And that are not afraid to admit it, and share a lot with the outside world about their life. So I really want to give this award to Joan from the Stamping-Cooking-Knitting-My Life blog too. When I read her blog, she makes me feel like I'm right there with her. That in itself is an art.
9. Elly from My Everyday Things takes you on a tour through her life, her house and her creations. Just by looking at the blog, this is a place that feels like home. The pictures are wonderful to look at and give plenty of inspiration.

Thank you all for making the world wide web a place that feels like an online home! Don't know what I would do without you all.

Have you read this far?? Or just skipped til you reached the part about a sneak peek???? huh??? Tsk tsk, you should visit all the above mentioned blogs. Really, they're worth it.
But without further ado, here it is. The teaser for today. (grin)

Soooo, you were thinking I wasn't beading anymore???? No way!! I love it too much! And as you can see I have been working on something in winter colors. Snow white. Come back soon to see more teasers!! Bwahahahaaa!! ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Dance!

2009-11-07T23:54:00.004+01:00

Yesterday we had a surprise dance party for my sister in law who turns 50 in a couple of days. Her daughter Karen, Jan's niece, who we visited in Galesburg on our trip through the USA (you can read about that here and here), organised it all. Including a surprise act, in appropriate costumes no less, that was based on a dance from a musical. It was an absolutely fantastic dance act, the costumes were gorgeous and very fitting, and everything was kept secret until sister in law walked through the doors! One of Jan's nephews filmed the whole thing but we promised not to put it on YouTube or anything. Too bad, I think it would get a lot of hits!! LOL ;-))
As usual with family get togethers, I was in charge of taking the pictures. I will also be in charge of the digital scrapbook that will tell the story. Hmm, don't have too much time for this, the album is a Christmas present! :-))
And eeeek!! I've never ever done a whole digital album before! This will be a serious and fast learning curve I'm sure.
Two months of devious planning and rehearsing went into this party but it was sooo worth it! Yep, I did do some dancing in the end too, even with my bad and hurt back, but I had sooo much fun, nobody can take that away from me now!
Gotta go now, but don't forget to check back soon! There's a huge surprise coming on this blog very soon!! ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

WOW!!

2009-11-02T15:17:00.005+01:00

I just realized something. The World of Wezz. In short, that's "the WOW"! haha!
I can't believe I never noticed this before!
"Welcome to the WOW."
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Wezz from the WOW."
"Did you get that from the WOW etsy store?"
"WOW!"
Ooooh, I just know I'm gonna have so much fun with this!! LOL ;-))

Yesterday I was hopping from blog to blog and found this link on several of them... and this quote got my attention the most...
"Because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your tombstone."
Okay, I have a weird sense of humor, but to me, this is funny! I will never feel guilty about not blogging again! Maybe I should say sorry for blogging so much lately, huh? Well, blame it on my back. LOL

That's it for today. Oh yeah. Coz I gotta think about that "WOW!" thingie some more. heheh....

Hugs,
Wezz

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T13:06:00.009+01:00

We don't celebrate Halloween as much, but I know this is a big thing for my US friends, so Happy Halloween to you! Celebrate and enjoy! (oh and share the candy, will you?? LOL)

Here's a funny Halloween card I made a while ago with a Frankenstein stamp that I got at the StempelMekka this last September. It's a stamp from StampFrancisco. The text is from Stampin' Up! I thought those two stamps were like made for each other. ;-))

This was the first card ever I made using my Derwent pencils. I love coloring with these and then the blending part. It's far from perfect, but I like the way I did this image. If you have any tips on improving my skills, please do let me know! I'm always all ears to learn new things! :-))

On the DWYTter blog they're already on sketch number 5, but here's my card for sketch number 4. Only one this time, as I was in too much pain this last week to do more.

The bird stamp is from StampAttack, also an acquisition from the StempelMekka this year. It's a stamp with loads of possibilities, and I have more ideas with this so I haven't put it away just yet.

Let me know what you think of my newest creations, okay? The comment section is now open. :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Something I can do

2009-10-30T16:16:00.007+01:00

Well with all my back problems I'm still on a recipe of rest, rest and more rest. I hate it. I can make a card now and then, a simple one, but it has to be done in stages. It's hilarious to see me do this.
Now don't get me wrong, I do not mind being on a rest schedule, but I really resent the fact that it takes more than let's say, 3 days or so. I love making things and being creative, but I can't stand not having much of a choice at the moment. Not that I'd wanna clean the house, but I would like to have that option. You know, just in case.... LOL
I have way too much time on my hands to think about other things I some day would like to make too. Like I don't have enough projects going already. I call them my UFOs. My UnFinished Objects. (grinning)
But if you think making some greeting cards now and then is all I do these days, I'm sooo not! Really. Here's the proof:

I'm in the process of making a large crochet shawl. Now, that should keep me warm this coming winter! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

More challenges

2009-10-22T21:17:00.011+02:00

Besides trying to use up some scraps, I have an extra challenge. Due to a bad fall from the stairs on holiday (on day 2 believe it or not) we had to cut our trip short. Radiology shows shifted disks and a fractured vertabrae. I can't lift anything, I can't bend to pick something up, there's a whole range of movements I just can't do right now. Rest is all that can help me to recover from this. Sooo, that means I can't go through the house looking for special items to put on my cards, or that special ribbon that I know is in the box on the top shelf of the closet. No, I'm limiting myself to what's on the kitchen table. Okay, I do have a choice there as one of the things I have there is my travel stamp box which includes small ink pads of different types in different colors, scissors, brads, ribbons, double sided tape, glue, atc card blanks, waterbrush, gold foil pen, several stamps, acrylic block and lots more. Thank goodness I mostly work with unmounted stamps! I can fit lots of them in there. LOL
Of course all the ordered stuff that comes through the mail now stays on the kitchen table too at this time so I can play with that too if or when I'm feeling up to it. Heheh. I can't work on cards for long though coz I also hurt my tail bone. Bad. Working with sketches and knowing I'm using up some scraps does help to make nice cards when I need to take my mind of all the pain.

This week I worked with sketch number 3 from the DWYTter blog. Here are some of my cards. As usual, some are adapted to suit other sized cards.

For the first cards I stuck pretty much to the original design, except that I didn't make square cards. It was just a minor change really. And hey, look at that! My first Christmas cards for this year!! Woohoo!!

Now I know the intent was to use up scraps, so why on earth did I even feel compelled to use the inside of an envelope that came with yesterday's mail?? Yep, the purple layers under the flower squares are from that envelope. Like I don't have enough paper to use!! Geesh!

This card is a bigger change as I wanted an upright card. So I played around with the different elements until I got a design I liked. I think this is my favorite of this set. :-))

Smaller cards, so less squares. Still pretty though. And if you hadn't noticed yet, I love inking the edges of my papers, especially if they are structured papers. :-))
Stamps used are all from Stampin' Up! (and yes I know, not unmounteds! LOL)
Let me know what you think of my new set of cards!

Hugs,
Wezz

Just One Sheet

2009-10-15T20:55:00.015+02:00

How many cards can you make with just one sheet of patterned paper?
Well, here's my try on my personal challenge to use some of my stash! (again, for the umpteenth time, but that's besides the point... LOL)
For the layouts of the cards I used the first sketch of the new dutch blog "Don't Waste Your Thursdays" or, as we like to call it, the DWYTter blog. It's about using up your scraps while making stamped cards and participating in the sketch challenge at the same time. For now, I still like it and think it's fun. Don't know how long I will keep this up though! They're already on sketch 3 and I'm still stuck on the first! LOL
We'll see.
But, here are my cards with the pattern paper. Using just one sheet. Enjoy. :-))

The sketch was for a square card, but those cost double in postage to mail here in Belgium, so I adapted the sketch to regular sized cards.

Hey, my sheet of patterned paper took me through 4 cards!! Four! Wow, I love this! I may do this more often.
***edit 21 Oct.: actually this one sheet took me through 6 cards and an ATC, but the "others" didn't make the grade to be put on the blog.... Still happy with the results though!***

I did make another square card following sketch number 1, but using another patterned paper.

Stamps used are all from Stampin' Up!
Let me know what you think, okay? I'm always interested to hear your opinions! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Finally, I'm back!

2009-09-30T11:50:00.004+02:00

hmm, reading my last post, it said the new year was off to a good start. Well, not so as it turned out. Shortly after I wrote that, we got the news that my mother in law was very sick and likely not to recover from her breast cancer returning. The past 8 months have been very rough on the whole family, several times the doctors thought she wouldn't make it til morning but somehow she always pulled through. While in the hospital she also got pneumonia, but even that she was able to conquer. Except her cancer. She passed away peacefully on August 14th. On Jan's birthday, his mom died. I can't even begin to imagine how that must feel. All I can do is be there for him and listen to him if he wants to talk about it. Which is not all that often as you would expect from a man. I wish he'd open up a little more, but maybe that will come at a later stage. My mom is taking this hard too, as they were good friends and even traveled together. It will take time to heal and then we'll celebrate all the good times we had together. One thing I'll always remember is how she loved it when I agreed to go to flower arranging classes with her. Her sister, Jan's godmother, was the teacher. As if I didn't have enough crafty hobbies she introduced me to flower arranging! I loved it, and did this for about 5 years. :-))
I'll definitely miss her. Here's to you, mom of Jan!

When I finally was ready to pick up my blog and everything else I let slide for the past months, I discovered I couldn't log in to blogger anymore. It took weeks to get it sorted out again. I wish they would make it easier to get help from them. I got a screen message that said they had sent an e-mail with instructions to my gmail account. Duh, my blog and gmail are from the same account so the login is the same. And since the login didn't work, I couldn't access my gmail account either. I don't know where they get it that this would be logical to send it to my gmail if I can't access it. They should know, right?
Oh well, it's sorted out, and I'm happy to be back!
Talk to you all soon again! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Hello 2009!

2009-01-08T23:52:00.004+01:00

The new year is well on its merry way, it's already 1 week old! Time just flies by, doesn't it?
Did you make any New Year's resulotions? I gotta admit, I used to do that every year, and every year come February, there was nothing left of my resolutions. I had given up. So, the last few years, I haven't made New Year's resolutions. Instead, I try to do as my grandmother used to tell me. "What you do at the beginning of the New Year, you will be doing for the rest of the year."
Well I certainly hope that's true! At the stroke of midnight, I wished my significant other a Happy New Year and cuddled and kissed him. Yeah yeah, I know, mushy and romantic, but hey, that's me! We spent New Year's Eve with friends so I wished them a Happy New Year too, and I sent some text messages with my cell phone to those who were celebrating somewhere else. We talked til late that evening. New Year's Day we went to see the family on both sides, had a good meal, drank champagne and cheered the New Year on. I beaded. Yup yup, I did! I touched my stamps, some cardstock and some ink pads. I didn't actually stamp, but thumbed through a stamping magazine with the intention to do some stamping/cardmaking soon. I flicked through a beading magazine so I will have plenty of inspiration throughout the year. I also spent some time online to send my well wishes to my cyberfriends on the various groups I belong to. I added a new Ruffles necklace to my etsy store. I've also added some earrings to the ESmarts Team Shop. My new tumbler is still tumbling, with stones in one barrel, and jewelry to clean in the other barrel. I've already taken a beading class last Saturday too! It's snowy and cold, for the first time in years we finally have a real winter here again. Let's hope the freezing temperature will keep the sick bugs away this year. They predicted another week of this cold weather. As long as it doesn't rain, I'm happy. Oh and it didn't rain on New Year's Day! I tweeted on Twitter to wish them all a Happy New Year as well! I blogged about our little kitten who just loves playing in the snow and I'm blogging here now.
I'd say the New Year is off to a good start! :-))
How 'bout you? Did you make any resolutions? Tell me, I wanna know!

Hugs,
Wezz

Introducing....

2008-12-31T15:17:00.009+01:00

....a new blog!
Oh I hear you!! What, another blog? You're not even keeping up with this one! But I wanted to give our new little kitten her own blog where she can tell you all about her life in our household. So relax, it's a very different blog from this one. And it still needs a lot of work, but once the basics are done mainly little stories and pictures will be shared there. Hope you like it!
Here's the link, from The World of Wezz to The World of A Cat!

Santa brought me a Lortone tumbler! I'm so excited about that!! It came with a starter kit for tumbling rocks, but I have loads of stones from the beaches on Crete that I wanna make shiny! I just *know* I found some pretties there and I can't wait to see the end result! Think of what pretty pendants they will make! Since these are already pretty round and slick from tumbling in sand and sea for years I skipped the first few steps and put it in with the last type of sanding grit. After that, I can do the polishing cycle. Finally! ooh I can't wait, this is nerve wrecking for me, I want to open up that barrel every 5 minutes to see what it's doing and to check on the results. But... but that has to tumble for 5-7 days!! Per cycle! Ack!! I can't wait that long! I peeked yesterday... hey the instruction manual told me to check after 24 hours of tumbling, so being a good girl as usual, I checked. Of course there was nothing to see yet, not much anyway. Guess I'll have to practice on my patience again! Oy!!!

In the mean time, let me show you the latest Cretan Stone Pendants I have put in the store. These are finished with a single or double crown in Swarovski crystals. Soooo pretty!! :-))

ooooh I'm soooo curious so see how my pendants will look with the tumbled stones! I think that similar stones will not look better but will look different. At least, I hope so!! Otherwise, it's a long process compared to what I do now to treat the stones! LOL

Happy New Year everyone!!!
Party like never before! :-)))

Hugs,
Wezz

An Award!

2008-12-24T15:30:00.004+01:00

A blog award that is! That is the first time ever that someone thinks my blog is good enough to get an award! Wow! Thank you so much, Jill from JewelryElegance, for nominating my blog!
I am soooo proud now, walking around like a peacock! You can bet I'll celebrate!! :-))

The rules for passing this award on are:
1. The winner may put this award on their blog
2. Put a link to the person who sent this award to you
3. Nominate 5 blogs
4. Put links to their blogs
5. Leave a message for your nominees

So, I have put the award on my blog, I have added a link to the blog of the person who nominated me, now I have to nominate 5 blogs. How in the world can I only pick 5 blogs???? There are so many good blogs out there, and from people that I really admire too. Only 5??? Who came up with these rules??? Dang!

I’m very honored to give The Kreativ Award to:

- Kim from Kim De Smet Designs. She is a belgian digital scrapbook kit designer that I admire greatly, and she has some great Photoshop tutorials on her blog, including one to enhance your pictures' lighting! Go and take a look, it's great advice!
- Lois from A Beaded Affair. She is a great wire worker, just look at her designs with cabochons!
- Diane from My Gemstone Box. The jewelry she makes is amazing, and the work she does behind the scenes for our eSmartsteam is incredible. Thank you so much, Diane! It's much appreciated!
- Lin Frye from a View From The Oak. We go waaayyyyy back as cyberfriends, we started out with similar interests, and while I now went in the jewelry direction, I love what she does in regards to sketching and painting! To our friendship, Lin!
- As a rubber stamper, I have to pick at least one stampers' blog. But which one?? I'll go with Kristy Cristopherson. She used to own a stamp company and knows I bought a few (ahum) stamps from her over the years. ;-))
But she's also an accomplished stamper herself as she shows on her blog!

Pheww, this was sooooo incredibly difficult! Please, if you're not on this list, do not think for one minute I overlooked you! You've ALL been on my mind and on the list at one point or another!

Now I can go and let these people know they've won an award! That's the really fun part!! :-))
Thank you so much again for nominating my blog, Jill!

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you!

Hugs,
Wezz

Hop on the train! Choo-Choo!!

2008-12-21T14:48:00.008+01:00

It's December, we're close to the end of the year, and that means a lot of freebies in the world of digital scrapbooking! If I say a lot, I do mean a LOT!! They're having several "blog trains" riding around to do this, and what you do is hop from one blog to another to pick up all the freebies. How fun! Just make sure you have enough free disk space on your hard drive. LOL
For those that don't do digital scrapbooking, you can always print out some of the elements and use them in your regular paper scrapbooks too! Chances are no one else will have used the elements like you have! Talk about unique! :-))

Before I give you the links to some of these wonderful sources though, I'd like to share some of my own digital scrapbook pages. Remember however, I'm really a beginner at this, so some will be better then others. And I've used some what they call "quick pages", that works great for me at this level. Please forgive me this once, but I don't know the sources of most of these anymore. If I find them again or you can tell me, I'll edit to add credit of course. Thanks for understanding.
Here goes nothing!

This was about the bouquet of flowers I gave to my mom for Mother's Day. The flowers were closed when we gave it, and mom sent me pictures of the flowers opening up. Thought I'd surprise her with a scrapbook page with a picture she took! My very first digital page, and I use a quick page for this. (that much I remember)

This one is the first digiscrap page that I made from a papers and elements kit. It's from belgian designer Kim De Smet. She does wonderful work and has some great tutorials on her blog too! This picture was taken in Valbonne, in the south of France. When I saw these chairs I knew this would make a great picture. :-))

These pictures were taken in Biot, a little village in the south of France. I tried working with the different layers in Photoshop here, playing around and starting all over a huge number of times was more like it.... But, this is the result, and while I'm not completely happy with it, I need to see this from time to time to remind me of the progress I can make in digital scrapbooking. I think I used materials from Kim De Smet again for this page.

On a cold but sunny fall day we took a walk in a park near us. The autumn light was just beautiful. I remember I made this page with items that I got from Weeds & Wildflowers and from O'Scraps. Maybe more, but that I don't know anymore. This page is probably one of the more involved ones I made. And I'm pretty proud of this one, I love how it turned out!

I have more digital scrapbook pages to share, but this will do for now. I don't want you to get an "overload" warning when reading my blog!! hahaha! :-))

Okay, enough of that, now on to the part you've been waiting for! Here are some "blog train" links to follow with Christmas themed kits.
The "Christmas Around The World" blog train has over 100 designers participating this year! That's a bunch of blogs to visit, and I always stumble across some really nice surprises when I check them out!
Then there is the "Christmas Convoy", a blog train with more than 40 stops along the way.
And the "Holly Jolly Express" blog train has over 80 designers participating!
Some designers are participating in all 3 of them, as you'll discover when visiting the blogs. There's lots of great digital goodies to download on all of these, so have fun!

Talking about fun, I just came across this on another blog and went to check it out. Which of Santa's reindeer am I?? Well.....

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance.

Why You're Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa's private dancer.

Why You're Nice: You're friendly. Very friendly.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Now you do the quiz. Which of Santa's reindeer are you??? Be sure to let me know in the comments! ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Ahh travel pics!

2008-12-15T20:33:00.007+01:00

As Club Scrap is closing the forum we just came to know a year ago, and where we had so much fun during the Pro Scrapbooking League, I will be transferring my artwork to my blog now that I still have the possibility to do so. I will miss that forum, but ClubScrap has started a new one right here, AND there's another one right here that is not company linked. It's called Paper Artists Online. Or in other words, "PAO to the people"! LOL
Feel free to join me there!!

Now, when transferring my scrapbook pages to this blog, I will try to put them up in an order that makes sense. LOL
I don't necessarily scrap in chronological order, you see. ;-))
Most of my pages will be about our traveling, both through Europe and yes of course, our trip to the States! Enjoy!

These first few pages are about our little visit for a weekend to Heidelberg in Germany. We visited the castle on a cloudy and rainy day, so maybe scrapping it on pink isn't so bad. Makes it look a bit brighter.

Of course, what happens when we walk around the old town center looking for a drink and something to eat for dinner? Yep, we come across a Hard Rock Café! Ten horses couldn't have dragged Jan away from there!! haha!!

Now we have a Heidelberg HRC kitchen clock in a proud place in our home! ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Well Color Me Purple!

2008-10-19T23:49:00.011+02:00

Purple, plum, raspberry, eggplant, all shades of purple are the "it" color for fall/winter 2008-2009 in Europe. So, let's go over our needs/wants for the season....

Purple shoes - Check! Actually, these are my western boots I bought while visiting Nashville during our trip to the US. Heheh, didn't know I would be so ahead of fashion!! LOL
Purple jacket - Check! It's a deep dark eggplant color with a removable collar. It's tailored and gives me some kind of waist. I love that jacket and it looks soooo cool with the purple boots and a black pair of jeans! :-))
Purple scarf - Check! for wearing with my other coat, and hand knitted by lil' ol' me! I have a multi-colored one with purple specks in for wearing with the aforementioned jacket. Of course.
Purple sweater/shirt - Check! More than one that is either purple or goes with purple, so I'm all set in that department.
Purple pants - nah, there is such a thing as too much purple clothes, and I wouldn't look good in them anyway. I'm very much a jeans girl. Though I will wear the occasional dressy pair of pants.
Purple accessories like jewelry - Check! Of course! I probably have a jewelry piece to go with each and every single piece of my wardrobe. And still, I can't stop, I just love purple and have been busy making more the past few days. :-))
Good thing I really REALLY like amethyst, and still have some here to play with! Yay!

Are you ready for the new fashion season??? Take a look at these and GO PURPLE! :-))

More to come soon!! ;-))

Edited on Oct 20: if you want to read about how I got the purple boots in Nashville, go here.... You're welcome to comment on that one too of course!! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

What happened??

2008-10-08T10:19:00.014+02:00

We just got back from a 12-day trip to the south of Crete, and find ourselves to come home to what seems a different world.
First of all, we didn't even know if we were gonna get home at all due to a general strike in all the public transportation systems (amongst other companies and organisations). We also didn't have tickets to come back, even though I did get a confirmation and everything was paid for. Yep, I had the tickets to go there, but not the ones to come back. We knew this was gonna be trouble at the airport in Crete, but we got there early enough to beat the crowds so they had time to sort it all out.
The financial crisis is taking on proportions beyond belief. While we were gone, our number one bank got into so much trouble that only a government intervention and selling most of it to another bank could save it. Pheww! Maybe I should go and clear my account there? I really don't know what to do, coz there is no telling what the other banks will face. Moving it to another bank sounds just as dangerous as leaving it where it is now.

We try to follow the presidential debates from the US, especially when they're talking about the economic & financial situation of the country and international positioning. Like it or not, the US has a big influence on most other countries worldwide and their economic situation. Import and export are big issues for us europeans, so it's important to know where the candidates stand.

Being in the south of Crete is like being on another planet. Some of the news trinkles through, but mostly, you can be oblivious to what's happening in other parts of the world if you really want to. That's what vacation is all about for us. Forget all the worries, the trouble, etc. and just enjoy the good life down there. :-))
We had some friends from the US join us this time and she's a beader and mixed media artist too so we went looking for interesting items to use. Good grief, she could spot beads a mile away! Too bad we didn't find any really interesting ones. I've been looking for years for the "lucky eye" beads to ward off evil, but so far have found nothing but plastic ones. Wish someone would make really nice glass ones in different sizes for a reasonable price....
We went on little trips to some remote beaches (we drove there, the men walked to some), had a whale of a time swimming (yes, pun intended...LOL), had a great greek lunch at a local primitive beach bar and went hunting for some nice beach stones. I came home with a bunch of them to get me through winter. It'll be fun working on some more Cretan Beach Stone Pendants and remembering the good time we had there when the weather turns dark and cold here. :-))

Yesterday we went to get our kitties from the cat hotel. We've been going there for 11 years now and they too miss the kitty we lost in April. But for the new kitten, it was a new experience. Well, for the owners it was a new experience too. No cat ever broke out of the cages, but our kitten managed to do just that. Of course. The lady owner nearly had a heart attack when she discovered that! The kitten disappeared for 4 days, the owners tore up the whole place to find her, but she was hidden pretty well. They found her hiding under the roof tiles, but she still didn't want to come out. They were ready to have a company come over to get her out of there, when she finally felt hungry enough to sneak back into the cage behind their back. Our other kitty sat in the cage waiting patiently to see how this all would end. Guess she knew she didn't have to worry about the little one getting out and lost. She must have known where she was and that she'd come back. I'm sure this ordeal has cost the owners 10 years of their lives!! LOL
Believe it or not, the kitten is purring on my lap right now, and looking very innocent. How can we be mad at a little one that looks so cute??? Aaaahhh, at least she's back, and all is well again. Pheww!!
I'm sure next time we call the cat hotel they'll say "we're full, so sorry"..... I wouldn't blame them.... LOL

Hugs,
Wezz

True or False?

2008-09-17T21:13:00.004+02:00

Ha, I just found a site where they tell you what your name truly means. This is always fun to do, so here it goes. I entered my real name, and those who know me or have met me can freely comment on how much of this would be true or false! LOL :-))

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.

Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.

Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.

You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.

Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row.

You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace.

People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

Just for the fun of it, I entered my online name too. See, I'm the curious kind and just wanted to know how much the true meaning of my cybername differs from my real one.... heheh...

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.

You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.

A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.

You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.

You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous.

You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things.

Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.

You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.

You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are very charming... dangerously so. You have the potential to break a lot of hearts.

You know how what you want, how to get it, and that you will get it.

You have the power to rule the world. Let's hope you're a benevolent dictator!

You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience.

You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along.

But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

hmm, I like it that my kind of trouble is the fun kind!!! LOL ;-))

Now go try this for yourself, it's so much fun to read this! And btw, you can do this for anyone in your family or for all your friends.... Find out their hidden meaning.... hahaha!! Enjoy!!

Hugs,
Wezz

A Treasure

2008-09-09T15:14:00.006+02:00

Do you know what a treasure is? I guess you do. It's anything that is of any value to you. Whether it's monetary or emotional, if it has value to you, you treasure it, so it's by definition a treasure. To you anyway. I've got a house full of little treasures, like beads and rubber stamps. LOL And you??? ;-D
But do you also know what a treasury is?? And then more specifically, an etsy treasury? Ive only been on Etsy a few short months and I have no clue (yet!) how to make a treasury or how to get it showcased, but apparently it's a real good thing if you are featured in one of them!! And aren't we so lucky that we have people on our team that know how this works! (I'll learn eventually, meanwhile just go practice on your patience. heheh) I was in one a while ago, and they don't last long so I had to be quick about capturing the screen of it! Here it is!

The beaded stone pendant is mine, the other items are all of handmade items by other members of the eSMArtsteam. Nice huh??

And what to think of the new banner Anna Lee put up on the eSMArtsteam yahoogroup??

I love it!! Shame on me, I didn't even know someone of our group was such an accomplished painter!! Just look at that indian! Handpainted by one of our members. And yes! One of my cretan stone pendants is on there too!! Cool huh?? I really like how this was done, and now I wanna know how to do this too of course. As if I don't have enough on my to do list.... LOL

Hugs,
Wezz

Patience, patience...

2008-08-29T12:19:00.006+02:00

They say it's a virtue. But I don't know... I love the anticipation of something to happen long time before it actually does as well! How 'bout you?
In exactly two weeks I'll be leaving again for Germany to attend one of the largest rubber stamp conventions on the european mainland. StempelMekka. And I'm going for the whole weekend again! I can't wait to meet my stamping buddies from surrounding countries again! And from Belgium of course, this hobby is finally starting to get off the ground here and attracts new people all the time! heheh.... Plus all the US vendors that come to this convention! Last year I demo'd for StampFrancisco, and hopefully I'll get to do that again this year. Otherwise, I'll be helping out at their booth, so you make sure you come and say hi there if you are going to the Mekka! ;-))
But two weeks??? That means I really should start to get cracking on stamping a bunch of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) for swapping with the other attendees. Ooh, time, where is more time?? I need you!! Badly.... LOL
Traditionally we go with a bunch of stamping buddies to a nearby chinese restaurant on Saturday evening, and last year we were with a group of 14 people I believe! No, "quiet" is not exactly something we have in our dictionary at times like that. Hey, we only get to see each other once a year too! Of course everyone wanted to have their picture taken with everyone else, and then there's all the group photos too. One with every camera... Hilarious!!
Here's a digital scrapbook page I did with a digital ALSB page from the A Study In Red digikit by ClubScrap.

It's great to look forward to this event again, and this year I think we'll be close to 20 people attending the Saturday evening dinner!! Waahoooooo!!! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Post Olympic ramblings

2008-08-25T20:12:00.015+02:00

...or should I say "post about the Olympics" or "after the Olympics"? Whatever. I've enjoyed watching them, but glad they're over again. An Olympic tv frenzy is not something to have every month. I bet my eyes will go square. Oh no, we have a wide screen. Hmm, they'll go rectangle I guess... LOL :-D
Anyway, they're over and I'm very proud of what the belgian athletes did! We got a number of top 10 places, got into several finals, broke several personal and national records, and... we got a silver and a gold medal! For a small country, that's not too bad, and we've seen lots of young athletes with potential for the coming years. There's hope after the 2008 Olympics.

We got a silver medal on the 4x100m relay for women!! Kim Gevaert is our leading lady of the running team and gets to cross the finish line.

Pics from HLN

Then, in the High Jumping for Women, Tia Hellebaut comes into the arena, and she takes the gold medal for Belgium! Way to go! And look at that jump!!

Pics from HLN

In all her excitement, she got the flag on upside down. She's forgiven. LOL

Watching these events live, even if it's "just" on tv, there is something magical about it. I sat on the edge of my chair and probably cheered as loud as those in the stadium! Ha! This was definitely a highlight of the Olympics for us! A warm welcome back home with parties and receptions will await these athletes. And they deserve it! Go Belgium! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Note to self...

2008-08-21T20:25:00.004+02:00

When waking up from your afternoon nap, and you're still a bit groggy, do not attempt to start a new bead project. NO, not even one you've already done before. Also, do not attempt to work on a bead work that requires counting beads. You're no good at that at a time like that. Math is not your thing anyway. Period. Instead, work on something that has already been started and may be tedious but doesn't require too much thinking. Automatic pilot, okay?? Oh, and get coffee first. Seriously. Or you'll stab yourself with the beading needle multiple times. Duh!

Hugs,
Wezz

Game revealed!

2008-08-19T18:14:00.007+02:00

A week ago I posted my own little game here called "what's this?" and I had so much fun reading all the possible answers! In fact, some of you gave me a few ideas that I may want to explore further!
But, without further ado, the correct answer....

....was indeed the Sky Blue Ruffles Necklace all scrunched up!
So what did you win if you got it correct?? A big virtual belgian hug with the 3 accompanying kisses! Always 3 in Belgium... :-))
And, the think-outside-the-box answer was.... that it was my very first picture uploaded to my blog posts!! Yay! I did it!
Nobody guessed that one, but that's okay!! I had fun with it, and I may do this again some day if you are all in for another game of guessing! ;-))
Thanks for playing along!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Hope. Dream. Live.

2008-08-12T16:16:00.003+02:00

Today, while blog hopping (again, instead of doing something really useful, ahum) I came across this quote and it immediately hit home with me. I need to stop trying to do good for everyone else, trying to be as perfect as possible. It's time to be me. Just me.
Here's the quote I found, and I hope you like it as much as I do!

I wanted to be you.
Better.
More.
Until I learned that I am not done.
Each of us is a Masterpiece.
Be Yourself.
Aspire.
Dream.
Create.
Be.

I leave you with these thoughts for now. Comments welcome of course!

Hugs,
Wezz

New game!

2008-08-10T23:39:00.004+02:00

After the tag game I thought I'd come up with one of my own, just for me and my blog readers. No tagging here. How's that? LOL
Sooooo, here it is. The game. It's called... "what is this?".... oh and don't just think about the obvious, think "outside of the box" as they say! Well, what's your answer? What do YOU think it is? Come on, take a stab at it !

I'll be sure to let you all know the correct answer to the question soon!! ;-))
Looking forward to reading your ideas!

Hugs,
Wezz

Victim of the Tag! You're it!

2008-08-05T20:31:00.003+02:00

Well, for the very first time ever I got tagged. What? umm, yeah, remember that game we played when we were kids?? In the backyard, hiding and running and just plain having fun without the need for electronic games, computers or even tv? Now in the cyberworld we can play the blog tag game! The world has truly become a village now. I can play Tag! You're it! with people from the other side of our planet! Imagine! :-))

I got tagged by Lois from A Beaded Affair. Have you seen her wire wraps?? I'm sooo jealous! I need to learn this too! The earrings are to die for, and that blue chainmaille bracelet!! OMG!! Lois, are there instructions for this somewhere??? I wanna try this toooooo!!! Puleeeezze! (grovel grovel)

And I also got tagged by ChezChani! Scroll down a bit to see her wonderful beaded rings! Wish I knew more about ring sizes, but I can't even remember my own european size, let alone convert it to the US size. I'm not sure what size other countries use....

Here are the rules of the tagging game:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

So, time to move on to the 6 random things about me...
1. I'm terrified of wasps. Really.
2. For me, every single day is a "bad hair day". Wish I could get a good cut for my type of hair. Sigh.
3. I got a sun stroke once while on ski holiday. Seriously. I never liked skiing.
4. I get sidetracked real easy, but am a multi-tasker at heart.
5. Because of #4, I always have about a gazillion projects in various stages of completion.
6. Some of them never get finished.... shhhh..... don't tell anyone!

Here are the next 6 victims!
1. Michele Cook
2. Kimberly from Creative Eye Studio
3. Joella the Always Wired Bead Lady
4. Our other Kimberly from Embellishing You
5. Stefani
6. Diane from My GemStone Box

Consider yourselves TAGGED!! bwahahaha!!!!

Hugs,
Wezz

The fur babies

2008-08-01T11:29:00.007+02:00

Hello dear friends!

Those that have been reading my blog from the early days will remember my tales about one of our cats that had to undergo an operation and took out all the stitches. Over and over....
The same one had to have major surgery early last November and it took almost til Christmas when we finally could let her run around without the dreaded collar. Yeah she managed to scratch the stitches out even with the stocking and the collar on. But, we were very pleased that after it all had healed, she was back to her old self, acting very playful, much like a younger cat, after all she was well over 9 yo already. This April though she suddenly added on weight (over 600 grams in less than one week) while she ate less and less, and looked really really tired. We took her to the vet where they did tests to see if it was her liver or maybe the kidneys, but all tests came back negative. The vet suggested we get her heart checked, but that meant driving to a vet in another town coz ours didn't have the equipment. So what do you do? You go. There, while we were in the vet's waiting room, she sighed, looked at me, and passed peacefully while we were stroking her. I miss her terribly. She always kept me company during my afternoon naps too. Sigh. She would have been 10 in June. In many ways she really was my cat. The way she kept me company when I was not feeling well, sleeping with me on the couch when I was tired, the way she let me carry her while doing other stuff. DH would never get away with that. Oh and you know a cat picks you, right? Not the other way around. When we went to get her we were just going to "look" at a few kittens and decide later. Yeah right. We came in, and she jumped and clawed her way up on my sweater and never let go. So, that was it. We walked out with her still clutched to my sweater. She picked me, I had no choice or say in the matter. LOL
After she was gone, our other cat missed her too, and kept looking for her. When we mentioned her name her eyes got this sad look. It suprised us, coz they had never been best friends. In fact, they fought quite a lot. She must miss her terribly coz she even lets neighbouring cats just come in the house and eat out of her own bowl! And that while she's always been very territorial! After a week or 2 we decided to add a new kitten to the household when we got back from our holidays in June. But first, the other cat needed to have the same extensive surgery the other one had. We were terrified, and I still am. But so far so good. So we got a new kitten. But OMG!! What were we thinking getting a new kitten in the house! We had forgotten all about how tiring this can be and how they need so much attention! Luckily I'm at home most of the time, but it's eating all my energy for now. She makes a mess, climbs up our house plants, teases our older cat and in general behaves like what you'd expect from a little kitten. Somehow, however, she must have picked up on my need for a companion. She keeps me company during my afternoon naps, sits on my lap when I'm on the computer, she purrs when I'm feeling down and cheers me up. Ah, life is good again. :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Featured!

2008-07-11T23:52:00.003+02:00

I hear ya, I hear ya! "When are you gonna write more about the trip?" I will, I will! Promise! Just not today, coz I have other news!!...
I'm one of the featured artists on the eSmarts Team Blog today!! Woohoo!! I'm just tickled pink that they chose on of my etsy items to show on the blog! The Blue Ruffles bracelet! Okay, I'm doing the happy dance here, along with all the others that are featured today I imagine! Group dance!! LOL
I'm working on the matching necklace which will show up soon in my etsy store. ;-))
The eSmarts Team is really getting it all "out there" and I love being a part of such a great group, where everyone helps the others out. It's an amazing community, and I'm proud to be a member.
Now, back to the happy dance...... LOL

Hugs,
Wezz

New things in the World of Wezz

2008-07-08T13:29:00.007+02:00

It's about time I tried something new.... well, besides my crafty endeavors that is. I mean something online, something with the computer, and let me tell you up front I'm no computer wizz-kid, so this is all a test, a dip-your-toe-in-the-water-to-see-how-cold-it-really-is kinda thing...
I've already managed to upgrade my blog and didn't wreck it completely in the process, so that's a success! Yay! Ready to move on to something newer than that.... I have more handmade items than I will ever use or wear in my lifetime, especially greeting cards, mini albums, and jewelry, and I always find something new I want to try, something else I love to make, it just never stops when you have a creative mind (that does come across a "block" occasionally, you are not alone in that!).
So maybe I should try selling online? Yeah, that's it! That's a good idea! With the money I make from that, I can buy new crafty stuff, right?? heheh...
Okay, so I wanna sell online. But how? What's a good site? Ebay? Nah. Not for handmade or artisan items I think, to me it seems that's more a place people will check out to get a great bargain. Setting up my own website with a store? hmm, nice idea, but I don't have a clue how to go about that. I would have to ask DH and he's busy remodeling the attic. No, it has to be something easy that I can do all by myself, and maintain it too! Setting it up is not enough, you have to maintain it and add new items on a regular basis. Now what? Then, oooh, I came across this eSMarts yahoogroup, it's all about helping each other setting up an Etsy store and getting traffic to your blog, website and store. hmm, maybe I should sign up, huh? I signed up. I got confused with all the etsy lingo, and even more confused when they started talking about squidoo and lenses and more of that! Maybe I'm in the wrong place after all. oh, but wait a minute! There are other etsy newbies on this group! Maybe we can help each other out and get the expertise knowledge from those that have been on etsy for a while? Hmm. Let's hang around for a while longer and see how it goes. After all, I got my blog going again after a loooooooong hiatus. The next step is to set up an etsy store. Let's see.... Hey, that's not difficult at all! I just need to think and re-think the intro and the policies and such. And presto, I now have my very own etsy store!! Granted, I know nothing about all the other options that etsy offers, but I'll learn it as we grow with the eSmarts group I guess. And of course, just like any website or blog, it's a work in progress. A status quo is the worst thing you can do on the internet I think, so we gotta work on our sites. All of us, and on all of them. Including the group blog. Yep, we have an eSmarts group blog too, with various members contributing to it! It's quite interesting so go check it out, and it has of course all the links to the members' websites and stores. This is gonna be a fun ride!! Can't wait to see what's next!! :-))

Hugs,
Wezz

New blog style!

2008-07-07T16:11:00.003+02:00

I've always been wondering how other people got such nice looking blogs, with lists of links to their favorite sites included in a column either left or right of their main posts. Then there's the little banner ads, the blinkies, the links with pictures to their stores or websites, even video. Well, I found it. Apparently, all I had to do was upgrade to the newer version of Blogger!! Who knew?? LOL
Now I can easily add links, play around with the layout, fiddle with the settings and have a blog that's more than just my stories! Hope you all enjoy the newly added features too! :-))
I'm still learning, but I'm learning new stuff every day! So check back often!

Hugs,
Wezz

Blue Ridge Parkway

2008-06-27T13:45:00.002+02:00

Hey all,

okay, I'm not sure I haven't skipped a part now, but here it goes. If I did skip something, I'll make sure to blog about it later, okay??
I'm pretty determined to finish blogging about this 2006 trip, coz DH is now talking about going to the US again in 2009 or 2010.... This time we'd probably fly to Seattle and tour around that part, maybe even over the canadian border for a bit, and he wants to see the Rocky Mountains. Any great ideas on where to go and what to see?? Including shopping opportunities of course... heheh ;-))
Now, I'm wondering how many people still check up on my blog here.... LOL

So, are ya ready for the next part of our trip?? :-))

So, after our belgian waffle experience we hit the road to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway till Asheville, at least. In Asheville we were supposed to meet Anne around noon, for lunch and shopping (of course - heheh). ;-)
The biggest problem of the Blue Ridge Parkway is of course that you absolutely NEED to stop about every 10 minutes because there is yet another fabulous scenery to see at a viewpoint!! Btw, the road is very well maintained and the viewpoints are well organized. Anyway, it also became clear why this was called the Great SMOKY Mountains as well as the BLUE Ridge Parkway. The hills were almost constantly covered with a kind of smoke (could be just water evaporating, but still...) and the further you look the more it turns into shades of blue. What an amazing scenery, even with not so good weather conditions!!
Despite all the pulling over for taking pictures we still managed to get to Asheville at about noon. I had to call Anne on the cell phone and she guided us to where she was. Too bad her husband Roger couldn't make it, she told us he had wanted to meet us too, coz apparently he had been following our trip through the blog too!! She was now under strict orders to report back to him in great detail!! LOL
Oh gosh! It's so much fun to meet cyberfriends!!! We hugged of course and then she guided us to a large paper store with really pretty and specialty papers. Very very nice store! I even saw that chinese black and white printed paper that Karen's friend had used to wrap her present for us!! Remember, the one that needed to be opened so careful that I could use it later?? LOL
But being as good a girl as I can be, I didn't even buy one sheet of paper there even though there was that little twitch. ;-)
I realized that the paper would get totally crushed and maybe even damaged in the luggage before we got it home. What a pity!!! So I resisted the urge to buy some of their wonderful selection of papers... With pain in my heart we left the store... ;-)
Then, Anne took us to a huge bead store where my eyeballs nearly popped out as I was so amazed by the large selection of beads and silver clasps!! While Jan and Anne were sitting on a side bench and talked for a while, I could shop and shop and shop!! Since I didn't get anything at the paper store I figured I could do some extra damage here. LOL :-))
During lunch with Anne at a Mexican style restaurant we talked about the huge quantities of food you usually get and the famous doggy bag! You should have seen Ann's face when we told her that in Europe you normally don't ask for a doggy bag. It is not widely used in Europe. Although restaurant owners here would *PROBABLY* not be offended (really depending on what type of restaurant you're in), it is just not done in Europe. If you do ask for a doggie bag, changes are you'll get everything thrown together in a simple plastic bag, coz they'll assume it really IS for the dog. Anyway in Europe you usually get manageable portions so we don't need doggy bags. That's the really smart way, isn't it? ;-))
As we've tried the american staple peanut butter earlier, we weren't gonna be put off by that and I wanted to try another typical american thing, rootbeer. OH MY GOSH!!! It tastes just like our cough medicine!!! How on earth can you people drink this stuff???? YUCK!!!
Lucky for me, Jan had already suspicions that it might be something we wouldn't like too much, so he ordered a Corona beer. I quickly switched the drinks. ;-))
But his idea about the rootbeer was identical to mine. Sorry guys!!

I do wanna come back to my earlier point of a lawsuit-happy America. There is this one story that we kept hearing over and over, and to us europeans, it sounds absolutely ridiculous. It was about a lady that ordered a coffee at a McDonalds (or the likes), and clumsy enough she spilled the hot coffee over herself, resulting in burn marks. She sued the company coz of the burns and coz it didn't say the coffee might be hot. HUH???? I would expect nothing less than that my coffee is hot!! I'd probably complain if it wasn't!! So you KNOW the coffee is hot, and you need to be careful. Isn't that what we teach our kids?? Stay away from the stove coz it's hot?? Be careful with hot soup? So why on earth would someone sue the company for getting a hot coffee when they ordered a hot coffee?!?!?! What happens after she gets the coffee is totally her own responsibility I would think. I hear lots about the declining economy (and that's not only in the US) but people, by attacking your own companies, aren't you in fact destroying that very economy?? I'm just wondering what foreign company would want to invest in a plant in the US and provide jobs locally if they know that they're in a lawsuit-happy place??? None, I would think. People really gotta stop trying to get a few bucks out of something that they themselves have brought upon them and start taking responsibility for their own actions. Just think what kind of example they are setting for their kids, our future leaders. How can we expect them to even wanna take the risk of owning their own company??
Okay, this is enough food for thought on this subject. Back to the trip now.

After lunch we continued on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with a small sidestep to Mount Mitchell (highest point east of the Mississipi), which I completely missed because I fell asleep in the car because of all the excitement of the last couple of days. I'd rather die before admitting it, but by then my energy was really running low. The trip has been simply amazing already and of course I want to see and do as much as possible. So yeah, by then I was so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I asked Jan if he needed me to look at the map, he told me he'd manage and I should get some sleep. Hmm, he usually can tell if I'm really tired and need sleep. :-))
Jan tried to take some pictures of the scenery while driving (does he have 5 hands or what?) and they're not half bad either!! He didn't want to stop too often in order not to wake me up (snoarrrr snoarrrr snoarrrr). heheh :-)
Originally we planned to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway all the way to Boone, but because of time constraints we left the Parkway at Little Switzerland. Err, we are still in the USA, aren't we??? Besides the fact that it was indeed little, it didn't really look like Switzerland. Well, maybe some of the houses did resemble the housing in Switzerland from afar, but the mountains are very very different. We caught the I40 again at Marion and continued till Statesville, where we got a room at the EconoLodge. Believe it or not, but Jan had to debug the hotel's wireless internet first, with some help from the hotel manager, who was very helpful because he felt that internet access was one of our prime requirements, and if it didn't work we would go somewhere else.
Tired of a long day of driving we decided to have dinner the REAL american way: chinese takeway while watching television in our pajamas in the room! Very relaxing indeed!!!
In the mean time I logged on to the internet to read my mails and work on the blog some more. Can you imagine my surprise when I read to my horror that Ann's husband had been taken to the hospital???? I couldn't believe what I was reading and made a note to call her the next day. We certainly would have liked to meet him too!!

Hugs,
Wezz

The "more" blog

2006-07-23T23:55:00.000+02:00

Hi all,

today by special request more blog!!! ;-))
Get ready, set, go!!!
We proudly announce this "more" blog as requested by a special friend.
More more more MORE more More more more more MORE more more More more more more More more more More More more more MORE more More more more More more BLOG BLOG BLOG!!!
Bwaahahahaha!!!!
Hope you enjoyed it!!! LOL

Hugs,
Wezz

Great Smoky Mountains, here we come!

2006-07-22T20:45:00.000+02:00

Hi all,

Sorry it took so long to work on the blog, but I'm back now!!!
So here you can now read our story of traveling through the Great Smoky Mountains!

A little before Knoxville we left the I40 to catch the US321 to go to Maryville, and further to Pigeon Forge. This was marked on our map as scenic road, and woooow!! Scenic it was !!! This seemed to be a great start of our trip through the Great Smoky Mountains.
Pigeon Forge looked quite touristic, and it looked a bit like one huge amusement park. From Pigeon Forge we continued to Gatlinburg. Entering Gatlinburg, this is what happened:
Me, yelling: "Stop! Stop! Stop the car!! I saw a Hard Rock Cafe!!"
Jan, very calm: "No, that can't be, you're starting to see Hard Rock Cafes everywhere now???? Besides, I checked all Hard Rock Cafe addresses on our road on the website and there is no Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg."
Me, screaming now: "Yes yes yes I saw one!! Just pull over and you'll see. I have to go to the bathroom anyway!!!"

And guess what,... of course I was right. There was an Hard Rock Cafe right around the corner from where we parked the car. This was Jans lucky day!
I asked him if he would point out a craft store to me next time he saw one, even if I didn't expect it, now that I had found an extra Hard Rock Cafe for him to visit. He told me very calm: "don't push your luck". HEY!!!! No fair!!

After a bite and drink in the Hard Rock Cafe and buying another T-shirt very unexpectedly, we walked down the main street of Gatlinburg.
It was also touristic, but in a nice way. Crazy as we are about doing this trip "the american way" we decided to have our picture taken dressed in wildwest outfits. Hilarious! The "dressing room" was so small, we were laughing our heads off before we even got dressed. Strangely enough we didn't even need to take of our 21st century clothes coz all the clothes were cut open at the back and had ribbons to close them long enough to have the picture taken. Because it is a brown/white picture (sepia for the intelligent ones) we didn't have to care about matching colors :-) My dress and hat absolutely didn't match, but you don't see that in the picture. Jan looked very though with a long coat, a western hat and a big gun in his hands. He was told to look "dangerous and angry"... LOL
I looked very "rich" with a bag of "gold dust" in my hands. hihi...
If people beg long enough (and if they sponsor a bit for our next trip to the USA... that's what Jan says anyway.... heheh) we might scan the picture and send it via e-mail.

Too bad that we didn't know beforehand that Gatlinburg was worth spending more time, so we had to leave too early. No time to have a walk along the 11 mile "loop", or to take the "téléferique" to go to ski area above Gatlinburg.

Driving through the Great Smoke mountains to Cherokee (didn't see any indians though) and further to Maggie Valley to find a place to stay the night was very nice. We stopped a few minutes on the top to enjoy the view and take a few picture (of course).

Due to our unplanned stay in Gatlinburg, it was getting late when we stopped at a Ramada Inn in Maggie Valley. The nice lady told us that to find a bite we should do that first, before getting settled in the room, because there were not so many restaurants and they close early. Coming from Belgium we are of course spoiled when it comes to that sort of thing.... LOLOL
And indeed, the first pizza place we tried, was already closed, the second plase was a bar that was still open, but the kitchen just closed. Grrrrrr. (this was the sound of our stomachs by that time). The third one we tried saved our lives. Bar Saratoga's kitchen was about to close, but they made the cook stay for another couple of minutes to prepare something for us. The only things we could choose were fried stuff, because the rest of the kitchen was already cleaned.

Because of the late hour, we didn't want to eat too much! Try this in the USA!!! I ordered a nachos plate and Jan ordered chicken wings, both listed as starters. Oh boy, starters were they???? Yeah, for a whole regiment maybe....
About one third through my nachos I was totally stuffed. But Jan made me eat some more because it wasn't polite towards the cook (who stayed later to cook it for us, remember?). Jan couldn't help me out much because his chicken wings plate contained the wings of a large chicken family!! Or were they ostriches perhaps, judging by the size of the wings?? LOL

Our room was at the back side of the hotel and there was a little stream passing by. Nice view! But no way you could get there from the rooms. All the outside areas at the room had iron fences so you couldn't go from there to the water. Maybe scared that something might happen to little ones and a lawsuit would follow?? That's something that strikes us as particularly typical for the US way of life so far.
Warnings that seem obvious are repeated over and over in the most strange places. We laughed so hard at a warning on a pop bottle that it was under pressure and the cap flying off could harm someone!! DUH!! Most of the funny or strange lawsuits that I've heard about would not even be possible in Belgium. No lawyer would ever be willing to take the case, and no court would put it on the roll. Plus if they did, you'd probably be up to your eyeballs in debt coz of the fees. Eventually it would be a loose-loose situation which is why no one would take such a case. Sometimes I get the feeling that in the US everyone will try to start a lawsuit in hopes to get some money from it, even though they themselves are actually responsible for what happened to them. If you get harmed by a bottle cap flying off, shouldn't you sue the person that most likely shook the bottle, and not the company?? I mean, as kids of course we did that too, shaking a coke can and hand it over to your friend. It's a joke and nobody got harmed. A lawsuit against sigarette companies is such another stupid thing. You know smoking is harmful, and if you choose to smoke, don't sue the company. You're the only one to blame, just coz you decide to smoke. And there's probably hundreds more of such examples. Just seems very strange to us europeans, that's all.

Well, back to the business of the trip! The next morning we were ready to attack the Blue Ridge Parkway, but not before having a "REAL Belgian waffles" breakfast. We are still wondering which piece exactly was belgian!! In no way it came even near a belgian waffle, not in looks and not in taste. Poor americans, you all should come to Belgium to taste the real thing. (ggg)

Many hugs,
Wezz

Nashville Countryville

2006-06-06T21:27:00.000+02:00

When we were driving south on the IL 127 from Galesburg to Paducah, we had to stop for gas and pulled over at JR's Minimart. JR???? Wasn't he in Texas?? Oh well... LOL
The sign was very tattered and paint peeled off the wood, I just needed to take a picture of that!! :-))
On the parking lot they were having a flea market. Well, flea yeah, market I'm not so sure. There were only 3 booths... I guess the not-so-nice weather had a great deal to do with that, after all it was a Sunday, the perfect flea market day!!
I did have a look around of course, and what did my eye spot almost immediately there???? A car emblem!! And just any car, nooooo... The car emblem of a Blazer!!! OMG!!! I sooo wanted to get that, but Jan insisted on "no" once again... Maybe for the best, coz I probably wouldn't have a use for it anyway. But it would have been FUN to get that, right???? LOL

While on the road I got a small bottle of cranberry juice at one of the gas stations since I had liked that so much at Aleta's place. But to my horror this one tasted like sugared water with a flavor added to it!! Yuck!!! This was no cranberry juice, this was jsut sugar water with a flavor and color added to it, no matter what the label said!! It was horrible and nothing like the juice I had tasted in Galesburg! Now I know, I need to look for the unsweetened stuff... ugh...

For our first evening in Nashville we ordered a cab to pick us up at the hotel that was just outside the beltline of the city. We had no clue how parking would be in the city, and Jan was pretty tired of driving for such a long time anyway.
Mr Cab Driver for the night was a black guy named Fritz. I thought that was a funny name for an american but didn't comment on it. Being the good girl again. LOL
He was very interested in how life was in Belgium and we talked about health care, food, housing, cost of living, etc. When we told him that a pair of Levi's jeans would set us back around $100, he laughed and insisted that we go to Walmart or Target the very next day and check out the jeans department, where we could get a pair of jeans for just $10!! Or so he claimed.
We went to a place that had BBQ chicken and they had a stage too, but no band seemed to be around. We sat down and ordered, the people at the table next to us greeted us and wanted to know where we were from. People are just sooo friendly!! Or is it curiosity???? Ah, who knows, and who cares?? They're NICE and that's all that matters!! Suddenly the lights dimmed and the stage lights went on. The band came on stage! Yay! Music Maestro!! :-))
Oooh!! That were those nice people sitting at that table next to us!! Coincidence??? No idea. LOL
After having listened to the band in the restaurant for a while, I guess until their break time came up, we were really tired. Do you even call such a place a real restaurant?? It's a bar that also serves food really. Great fun though, whatever it's called!! :-))
Fritz the cab driver had given us his card to call again when we were ready to go back to the hotel. So we called the dispatch and insisted on having Fritz drive us again. They were a bit stunned I guess, but hey, he was a nice guy, so why not let him get our business?? We were ready to hit the sack. Fritz picked us up and wanted to hear more about Belgium so talked some more on the way back. Wonderful guy.

The next day it was raining again of course, and since we didn't HAVE to be somewhere specific and didn't have a long drive ahead of us, we didn't get up as early as some of the other days. YAY!! I'm sooo much NOT a morning person, so this was a real good thing!! For the both of us, coz I can possibly get a little grumpy when I have to get up way early. LOL
We took the car for a drive around the city, and finally parked it somewhere safe (or at least it looked safe). We had lunch at the Hard Rock café, of course, and Jan got to buy a t-shirt and a guitar pin. He doesn't want any other, only the guitar pins. Sometimes with a design that suits the local area, but always the guitar. LOL
We found out that after 6pm the Hard Rock Café didn't mind parking the car in their parking lot, so that's our plan for the night. Free parking, and it saves us the cab fare. Though I wouldn't have mind if we could have Fritz drive us again. :-))
We walked through the town in the rain that got worse and worse. Did you know that Nashville has its very own Broadway??? oh yeah!! And a Walk of Fame too!! I took some pics of the stars' names on the pavement!! ;-))
Do any of you remember that we intended to buy jeans, boots, and maybe some sportswear?? That was on our shopping list anyway! Apart from the Hard Rock café stuff and my crafty things of course. LOL
While walking through downtown Nashville and checking out the shopping streets, we went into every store that had boots and hats!! But my oh my were they expensive!! Even the hats were so far out of our budget that we started thinking we'd go home without new boots. But then, I spotted a sign of a store that had a discount thing going on. The sign said "buy 1 pair, get 2 pair". I thought for sure that was a mistake and should read "get 2nd pair" which would still be a nice sale. So I went in and asked and sure enough the lady said "no you get what the sign says, you buy one pair and you get to pick two extra pair. You'll pay the most expensive pair, and that's it for all three pair." Oh boy oh boy, what a sale was that!!!!
The next two hours or so we spent trying on boots after boots in that store!! LOL
Hey, what else can you do when it's raining anyway?? We had fun!! hahaha!!!
There was a girl asking something at the lady running the store, and we looked at each other and immediately said "she's dutch". They know english well enough, but can't hide their accent. Sure enough, she was dutch. (ggg)
After trying several boots and in all colors of the rainbow (I didn't even know they made these boots so fashionable!!) we made up our minds. And I guess you know what happened next, right?? Yep, we went back to the car with three brand new pair of western boots!!! LOLOL
This sure rates high on my list of "best buys" so far!!! :-))

So far our outfit to blend in with the local american lifestyle was jeans, t-shirt, sneakers and a baseball cap. But not just any baseball cap, no no no!! Jan had found a Pink Floyd - his all time favorite band - baseball cap when walking around in Galesburg while Marylou and I were out shopping. He was sooo happy with it that he didn't even ask what we had been up to. Heck, what could he have said?? He had been out shopping too!! LOLOL
And I usually wore the glitzy rock 'n' roll cap that I got at the Rock Museum in Cleveland. It just had a few rhinestones on the "Rock" design, so not too glitzy. I alternated this one with the one I got at the Harley Davidson store on the "land between two waters" just south of Paducah. Looking like a real babe!! Hahaha!!! ;-))
After buying the boots and before hitting the town for dinner and a live band, we changed the sneakers for a pair of boots. Blends in better in that city...
There were live bands playing in just about any bar that was open, so we went bar hopping that night. Never stayed too long in one place, coz we wanted to see/hear several bands if possible. Most of the stages were located next to the entrance and they all say "hi" when you walk in. Real nice, and a bit strange to us. Nobody would do that here, unless they know you personally. Darn, we don't wanna attract any more attention, people will see that we're not local anyway. But I tell ya, that's pretty hard to do when they say "hi" to you in their microphones!!!!
Most bands also sold their own recordings on a CD, so we bought two of those. That will make a nice lasting memory of this trip too!! Besides, I really like country music anyway. Jan is not so much into that, so I might have to listen to these when he's not around. Although we did play them in the car the next day!! LOL

When driving away from Nashville in the direction of the Great Smoky Mountains and Asheville where we were gonna meet yet another cyberfriend, we came across this Target store. Bearing Fritz' advice in mind, we decided to stop and check out the jeans department there. Before we got to that there was the t-shirt department. You know, the ones that have all these funny sayings on them?? We laughed and laughed!! I should have written some of the funny things down, coz now I can't remember any of them anymore of course!!
Then we went to the men's jeans, and sure enough, Jan found himself a pair of jeans for just $10!! Wow, what a bargain!! Well, I guess Fritz was right on this one!! Of course this was NOT a true Levi's, I think that maybe jeans in general are called Levi's in the States. Over to the ladies' department then, but all I could find were the low waste types, and that's sooo not me!! LOL
I'm pretty sure if we had explored the store more we might have found more regular jeans for ladies too, but we had a long drive ahead of us, so we decided not to waste more time. Jan had his jeans, and I got something to clean my new boots and new eye contact fluid (for a third of the price back home!) and we headed back to the car.

It was in Cumberland County, Rockwood, that we had to pull over for gas and a "pit stop" if you know what I mean.... Right before Knoxville. Outside there was a police car, you know, the sheriff's type like we so often see in the movies. Of course Jan was bold enough to walk up to the guy and ask if we could take a picture of his car. No problem. He did laugh about it though, you know, he had never been a tourist attraction before!! LOL
Told you we'd do off the beaten track stuff... Hahaha!!
Well, he started talking to us (or maybe we to him, I don't remember) and we talked about the weather, our trip through the US and his county. He explained what a county actually was, and how many counties there were in his district, and the whole she-bang! Nice explanation too. He was actually not the sheriff, but his deputy (and no, we shot neither of them... We know that song too!! LOL) but he did wear the star shield like we see on the TV all the time. He had a black ribbon around his badge though, and while I did guess what it was for, I asked him about it. Wanted to know if it was one for his colleagues in his county. No, it was in honor of a colleague cop from a neighbouring county who got ambushed and got shot 43 times!! YIKES!! The year of living dangerously, ey???? Good grief! They would all wear the black ribbon for a week and then it was time for the funeral. The official ceremony was taking place in a few days, that's where they would give him a salute and fold the US flag to give to his widow. Just like you see in the movies. Jan thought they wouldn't do that in real life, but they do. And now we know why they sell these triangular wooden cases with a glass front in several large stores. We had wondered what they were for, even though it said "flag case". We just didn't get it until talking to that deputy. Nice guy.

About two miles further we crossed the time zone. Ack!! We were loosing an hour now!
But we're on our way to the Great Smoky Mountains, sure looking forward to that!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Rock Road to Nashville

2006-06-05T12:29:00.000+02:00

Leaving Galesburg our plan was to go straight south towards Kentucky and Tennessee, to go to Nashville. Since this is a long way to drive we were planning to stop for the night somewhere near Paducah (KY). We started of on the interstate to Peoria and Bloomington, to catch th I55 again towards St-Louis. A little while after Springfield we left the I55 in order to follow some smaller routes like the IL 129 through nice little villages and nice landscape. Farms farms and farms as far as you can see, with sometimes a few trees in between.
On the CD player we had the 2 Belgian (Rock) Hits CDs some of you received also. I hope you like it, it's a sample of 25 years of rock music in Belgium. Yes, some songs are really that old!! (Am I dating myself now??? LOL)
As we know the lyrics we were singing along with and pretty loud too. Some of these songs are even in our local dialect... Some of them were recorded in a bar in our town, and some were recorded during a yearly rock festival in summer held in the historic city center where we live. We were actually present at one of the recorded concerts, so maybe you can even hear us on the CD!! hihi :-))
We had no choice but to entertain ourselves because the rain kept following us. Again!! Jan even checked whether some lunatic attached the dark rain clouds to the back of our car!!

We always thought Metropolis was a made up town for the Superman movie, but no... it really exists!! A sign welcomed us to the hometown of Superman, hahaha!!! We are now also Superman and Supergirl, and I've got the pictures to prove it too!!! LOL
At the local gas station there were these bigger than life cardboard images specifically for this purpose and we couldn't resist the urge... The pictures really are hilarious!! LOLOL

Talking of town names, we get the impression we are on a worldtrip rather than a USA trip. We saw signs for Ravenna, Rome, Ghent, Cairo, Vienna, Sparta, Little switzerland, Geneva, and more!!
And talking of signs along the raod... we keep on seeing this weird sign "Shoulder closed" or "no parking on shoulder". I sure hope people won't even try to park on my shoulder!! And I certainly don't have a clue how I should close my shoulder!! Haha!!
More funny signs: "Fines for moving violations"... HUH??? So what are we supposed to do there?? Not move??? But we're driving down the road to our next destination!!
Oh, you crazy americans!! LOL

I'm sure you'll remember how we laughed at the sign that said "FOOD - McDonalds", and to tell the truth we did stop at a McDonalds several times, but only to use the restrooms, never to eat. I'm sure you'll all agree that those restrooms are probably much more hygenic than most restrooms in a gas station!! These, unfortunately, sometimes require you to do "the stance" and I hope someone still has that story on file somewhere, coz it's hilarious but oh so true!! LOL
The self flushing toilets really scare the heck outta me, especially when you decide to "hover" over them instead of actually sitting down. Geesh!!! And why do most restrooms NOT have a coat hanger, or at least something where you can put your handbag??? I most certainly do not have any intention of putting my bag on the floor in such places!! So what am I supposed to do with it?? Put it on my head???? And my bag is such a large one too!! In one place there was a sign that said to use the coat hanger... but it was right next to the door handle!! That's too low even for my handbag (it's got a long shoulder strap), it would still sit on the floor, so let alone that you could hang your coat properly on that without it touching the floor!! Ugh!!! This is not really a typical US thing, it seems to me that this is a worldwide problem. Just one of my pet peeves.

To give you an idea of the kind of places we love to stop for a drink and a bite, there was this one place just before Dubois where we stopped. The car (yes, the Suzuki) was thirsty, and so were we and we could use a little bite too. So we pulled over at a really small gas station that was next to a kind of mini mart which also had some hot food and tables to sit at. It looked like we were back in time and Fonzie would come in any minute and slap the jukebox!! a real blast from the past!! They served a really good home made pizza slice too! Wonderful, places like this, that's what we wanted on this trip!! The real 'mom & pop' type of places instead of the big chains. :-))

Since the weather wasn't playing nice again, we didn't make as many detours from the interstate as we had planned first, so we made good time and passed Paducah in the early afternoon. We decided to skip staying there for the night. We drove all the way to Nashville that same day so we would now have 2 nights in Nashville instead of just one. And that turned out to be a good plan. :-))
We stopped at the Knight's Inn first, but the reception guy was really not friendly and wouldn't let us see the room first. We usually want to see it first and try if the wireless internet they advertise really works. He kept saying "yes it works in every room" but when we insisted "are you sure??" he didn't seem so convinced any more. And the fact that he didn't want to let us see the room and try the internet made us very suspicious. So we went across the street to the Days Inn, which was just a little bit more expensive, but sooooo much nicer!! The reception desk clerk was really friendly, it was no problem to see the room first and try the internet. So that's where we settled for the next two nights.
Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!!

Hugs,
Wezz

Shoppin' & Stampin'

2006-06-04T16:09:00.000+02:00

That Saturday morning Marylou and me set out for a shopping spree. And shop we did!! I had never been to a real dollar store yet, so that's where we went first. Marylou told me that the different dollar stores have different types of things and took me to the Dollar Tree. Oh my!!! Everything is just one dollar, and they have some NICE stuff too! I got some stamps (for just $1 each!! I couldn't believe it!!), papers, small scrapbooks (or were they photo albums? I'd have to check), we each got a few skeins (only $1 each!!!) of nice fibers that we split (that's the sensible thing to do, right? LOL), also got some travel themed stickers and probably more. It was fun shopping at the dollar store!! LOL
We also stopped at the local Walmart where I stocked up on ziplock bags as they are very hard to find in Belgium. I can get the really strong quality kind, but they cost a fortune. I wanted what we can't find here, the regular fridge or freezer kind, and in every size available of course. heheh....
After that, Marylou took me to a Joann's. oooooooh wow!!!! All this interesting stuff under one roof!!! You guys are so lucky to have these types of stores!! Everything crafty over here costs big bucks and you have this big chain stores where you can get a lot of stuff for very little money!! They had this scrapping set that included an album, stickers, sheets, ribbons and more for only $15!!!! Nice color scheme too. Of course I got one of these!! heehee...
After that we needed something to drink and a bite, so we stopped at a little bar and asked for a coffee. "We just tossed the coffee" huh?? "okay, how long will it take before the new pot is ready?" "um, we're not making new coffee for today" HUH??? "but it's just before lunch time!!" "um yeah, we close at noon" Duh!! That doesn't make much sense for a place that sells drinks and donuts, does it??? oh well, got a bottle of water and a donut and had to eat it in the car. Crazy americans.... LOL

And THEN Marylou took me to Rubber Rainbow, a real stamp store right there in Galesburg!! Well, when we arrived there, we looked at each other and thought yeah right, like she's gonna have 5000 stamps as she advertises. There was only a tiny sign in the front yard with the name of the store and if you don't know there is a store there, you'd drive right by and think it was gone. But no, we went in and were quite surprised!! The store was actually in this lady's basement and FILLED with stamps, cardstock, ribbons, markers and samples!! WOW!! We were blown away by the variety of stamps she had!! Owner Marge showed us around and told us all kinds of stories about the samples, the stamps she carried, etc.
While we were there she got a call from a lady from Tennessee that wanted to come to the store and a lady from Alabama walked in!! Boy, this store must be well known all over the country!! And dear Marge was not gonna let us go without having a cup of coffee or soda and a piece of cake!! So there we all stood, with a drink and cake in our hands!!!! How nice, but how funny!!! LOL
This would absolutely be unthinkable in any store in Belgium, not coz of the law, but coz the store owners would never allow this for fear of getting their wares dirty or spoiled.
Too bad she didn't take credit card or I would have bought more there. Now I just got a few of those flower stamps for the faux watercolor technique (that I still don't know how to do... LOL) and some ribbon and nice cardstock. I didn't shop til I dropped there, now did I??? I did that at the other stores.... besides, it was time to get back to the hotel where Karen and Aleta were waiting on us for a stamp session in Marylou's hotel room!! We were running late already. aiaiai....
We got back to the hotel, rushed in and left all the goodies we bought in the trunk of Marylou's car. She was gonna empty that when Jan wasn't around... like all good stampers do... heheh...

They were waiting in the lobby when we arrived where Jan had been entertaining them, showing them the digital pictures of our trip so far that were saved onto his laptop computer. Pheww!! We quickly went up to Marylou's room, I got the necessary bits 'n' pieces, and we started. At some point in my haste to help out Aleta who was very new at stamping I completely forgot to put my latex gloves on, so I ended up with my hands dyed in bright pink ink!! No way to get this off with the hotel soap! After trying that, I just commented "oh well, at least it matches the shirt I'm wearing" and they all laughed their heads off!! LOL
We had a ball and even Karen and Aleta had a lot of fun, as first time stampers!
I have to keep it a secret though, coz Karen's project will be a gift for her mom when she gets back home. So now you still don't know what it is, uh???? (ggg)

Late afternoon Jan and I were invited for dinner at the guest parents' house and a few of Karen's fellow exchange student friends joined us too. Rick had been busy in the kitchen making us a slimmed down version of a Thanksgiving dinner, as we don't have that holiday in Belgium, so that really was a treat with turkey and all!! :-))
First time I tasted cranberry juice too, yummy!!!
Karen's friend Annie from Korea had asked for a set of euro coins so we brought her that. In return she gave us some typical korean drinking cups. Imagine this being wrapped in lovely black and white paper with an asian print on it. So I said to Jan "be careful opening the gift, don't tear the paper!" Everybody looks at us funny, and he replies "oh yeah, she needs that so she and Marylou can play with it later. They will probably tear this in two so they each have a piece!" They all look even more puzzled now, but couldn't care less. LOL
But maybe Jan is catching on now, after meeting so many of my cyberfriends and seeing that I'm most certainly not the only insanely obsessed one??? LOLOL

Later that evening I joined Marylou in her hotel room again for some stamping. And of course to collect my goodies bought that morning... LOL
But we got so much into talking and sharing life stories that we completely forgot about stamping! Imagine that!!! LOL
We still had so much fun and a wonderful time together! I couldn't have asked for more on this trip! Meeting Marylou was definitely one of the highlights since we have been "e-mail friends" for an incredibly long time already!! :-))
Jan and I were leaving early the next morning so before going to my own room again, we hugged and hugged again and said our goodbyes, in hopes we might get to see each other again some day!

Oh man! It's been a wonderful journey so far!! :-)))

Hugs,
Wezz

Meeting Karen and Marylou

2006-05-29T21:08:00.000+02:00

Well, as most of you already know, we have made it back safely to Belgium by now.
I will however, still continue to work on this blog, if for nothing else, then to have our personal memories of a trip of a lifetime recorded somewhere. I might even print the whole thing once it's done. Or maybe over time some little things will still pop into my head that I think are worth writing down so I won't forget them.
Plus, if I ever do get started on the scrapbook or at least a regular photo album of this trip, I will have some ideas to work with and won't have to re-write everything or trying to remember and realize how much I've forgotten already. I already think that I've forgotten so much now... It's been such an amazing experience and we've seen and done so much that I fear I won't remember it all. Maybe it'll all come back in bits and pieces. I do have a little journal with notes in from which I can work for now though. Lucky I did at least that while we were driving!!

When we got to Galesburg, finding the house of the host family of Jan's niece was very easy, again thanks to the road book he made of course. But also coz of the way a lot of american towns are laid out. Very straight streets, it looks like they've been drawn right there with a ruler. Streets in one direction (like maybe west) are called "streets", the other direction (like north) has "avenues". Mostly they are numbered, sometimes they go by a name. Like a street that's called "Rail Road Street".... Isn't that funny???? LOLOLOL
It's real easy to get around because of that straight layout. Well, if you have a good sense of direction that is. You do need to know at all times where north, east, south and west are, or you're just plain lost. the getting lost part is definitely what happens to me alllll the time of course. Unlike Jan, he always knows exactly where we are, or almost anyway. Close enough to get us back on track. LOL
Most cities in Europe have a center and the town has been build around that. And I mean aROUND that, no street is really straight, most will have funny curves. On the other hand, as Jan says, that makes for more interesting driving, straight lanes can get a bit boring after a while. Especially when you drive an automatic... LOL

Well, onto the business of the day now. We got to the house, and Karen was already outside as I had called her about half an hour before to let her know that we were close, very close. Hugs all around, and she immediately commented on my weight loss, which none of the rest of the family members had done so far... hmm...
We went in and were greeted by her host parents Rick and Aleta, and the dog. Lovely people, I'm happy that she found such a great home-away-from-home. You need some support when you are away from your own friends and family for such a long time, and we're very happy that she had that, even though we could stay in touch by e-mail and phone calls. Of course we didn't arrive empty handed, and gave them some belgian chocolates. Karen just jumped up and down with a smile from ear to ear, coz she couldn't find the brand she wanted anywhere over there!! LOL
We agreed to go out for dinner together at a local Asian Buffet that was a fairly new place in town. In the mean time, we went to check in to our hotel, which was right in the center of Galesburg, at the town square. I had already called my friend Marylou several times, so we wouldn't miss each other there. She had come all the way from Nebraska just to meet us, and we all stayed in the same hotel!!! How cool is that??? :-)
The receptionist of the hotel was very friendly and when he saw on our ID that we were from Belgium, he asked if we might have some euro coins for him. He'd pay for them. Turns out he's a collector. LOL
I can understand that most americans are very interested in seeing what the euro coins look like, with one side all the same, and a different side for each country. I bet most of you won't get to see these coins easily in real life. But why didn't anyone tell us that your quarters have the different states on the back side???? Of course now I want them all!!! I know I'll have to wait to get a complete set, coz apparently it's a program that runs over a couple of years and coins with other states are being released from time to time. I just wish someone had told us sooner!!! I had to find that out all by myself!! By then it was already too late to collect most of them I guess. Or not? I don't even know which ones have been released already, and which ones are still on the waiting list.

Then the reception guy made us taste PEANUT BUTTER!!!! Now what can I say about that american staple??? hmm, let's see... Yuck??? UGH???? Blèch??? I'm running out of descriptive words for this icky mushy thing that you all seem to like so much. But I'm not a quitter and will try anything twice. Some things you just need to get used to. So I tried it again. But to no avail. Sorry, not our taste I'm afraid!!

Marylou and the two of us met in the hotel bar, which was actually a quite nice and cosy bar. Apparently very popular with the local folk too, it also had a door to the outside so you didn't always have to pass the hotel reception. They organized karaoke and bingo on a regular basis it seemed. Some of the guests that stayed in the hotel were kinda... weird... to say the least. LOL
Marylou and I have known each other through e-mail probably since the first month I joined the yahoo internet community, which I guess is now around 6 or 7 years or so. So when we finally met in real life, we hugged and hugged!! Then onto talking and chatting and exchanging gifties. I hope Jan wasn't too bored, he enjoyed his american beer while we were chatting... LOL
Marylou joined us for the dinner at the Asian Buffet and so did Jason, Karen's US boyfriend (I think). So, suddenly, there were 7 of us going out to dinner!!
I just loved that asian buffet, so much CHOICE!!! And the PRICE!! What we paid for all 7 of us would be at least the price that we'd pay for the two of us back in Belgium!! And then we even wouldn't have had as much choice as we had here! I just love chinese food. I wanna go baaaack!!! Whaaa!!!!!

Before saying goodbye for the night, Marylou and I made arrangements to go shopping the next morning and then in the afternoon we were gonna have a stamp session in her hotel room for which Karen and her guest mom Aleta would join us. In the mean time, Jan was gonna find a shoe repairer, coz I had lost a piece of the heel of one of my shoes, and I really needed those later on the trip!!! They fitted the outfit I had foreseen to wear to the graduation we were invited to in Washington DC. So I NEEDED them... I'm guessing part of that shoe got left in Manda's car or something, or maybe at Ruby Tuesdays... LOL

Okay, that's it for now, you'll get to read about the rest later!! LOL

Hugs,
Wezz

Get your kicks...

2006-05-28T22:53:00.005+02:00

Driving from Chicago to Galesburg gives you the opportunity to follow a part of the legendary Route 66, which starts at Jackson Boulevard. We found a turn by turn description of the whole Route 66 on the internet. This is awesome because it tells you exactly where to drive in order to follow the Route 66. It even specifies all the different alignments where applicable. Jan printed out both the sections that were applicable to our trip; from Chicago to Bloomington, where we would have to leave the Route 66 to head for Peoria and added the whole she-bang to his famous road book. :-))
So, there we were, ready to hit the Route 66, with some nice belgian rock music in the CD player. This was going to be great fun, if it wasn't for the pouring rain that has followed us all the way from Chicago. :-(((
And the temperatures were like the winters in Belgium!!
Why??? Why us??? I've never seen the Route 66 in the rain in any movie!! It's always blazing hot when we get to see it on the screen!! Oh well...
I guess we must be just about the only people on the globe that have been sailing the Route 66 instead of driving. Get your kicks... yeah, right. I'd put a LOL here, but it wasn't that funny at the time really. Now I guess we'll just have to go back so we can see the Route 66 in sunlight one day, right??? Heheh.
Most of the directions were really accurate, except at one point where we couldn't find the right turn. But we caught the Route 66 back again only a few miles further.
Our little side excursion to find the right route drove us through a neighborhood with really really really big big big houses. Almost like the ones Manda showed us in Dubois! Wonder who can afford them in areas where there is just nothing???
I was sitting next to Jan and reading aloud the directions from the road book to him. At one point it said to look for old telephone poles... as if we know what old telephone poles look like! There wasn't a description or picture of them and they probably won't look like european ones, will they?? So, these old poles, how do we recognize them?? Do they have grey hair, or what? When we finally saw the old telephone poles, we kinda knew what it meant!! :-)
They were all crooked and none of them stood straight. And yes, they looked OLD too. They were very short as well. No wonder the indians could cut the "singing wires of the pale faces" in earlier times. (ggg)
Maybe that is why the new telphone poles are a lot higher now. Haha!!
Because of the terrible weather, the many turns, some really small and narrow streets to be followed, and the inevitable road works at various spots, we didn't progress as fast as we thought we would be. We abandoned the Route 66 a little earlier then foreseen to hit the I-55 to Bloomington, and then another interstate route to Peoria and Galesburg. Where the rain followed us the whole time.
Get some rain on Route 66.... LOLOL

Hugs,
Wezz

The rainy city

2006-05-23T04:59:00.004+02:00

On our way from Shipshewana to Chicago we caught the I-80/I-90 tollway again in order to regain some of the extra time spent in Shipshewana. Jan's time schedule gets screwed up easily when we stay longer than he planned. It's just that he never tells me his time schedule... LOL

When entering the tollway there was only one (yes, one!) toll booth open to take a toll ticket. To our surprise the ticket was distributed manually (usually you have to push a button to get the ticket) by a very funny red haired and moustashed guy. The conversation went something like this:

"Hi there,thank you so much for choosing my toll booth. Where are you folks heading?"
"We're going to Chicago"
"Ooh, have a nice trip. Will I see you again tomorrow?"
"We seriously doubt that! We're only for 2 nights in Chicago and will then be heading for Galesburg after that."
"Oh what a pitty ! But have a nice trip anyway. And thanks again for using my tollway!"

Or how you can turn a dull boring job in the pouring rain into something funny!

Some people warned us about heavy and difficult traffic to get to downtown Chicago. What was that supposed to mean???? Even the massive roadworks don't make the rush hour stop. Traffic was slow, but still we advanced. You should see this in Brussels!!! This is regular traffic there, so you can imagine the rush hour!!
So finding the hotel downtown Chicago was just a piece of cake, thanks to Jan's very good roadbook of course :-)

Once settled in in the hotel we had a short nap and then went for a drink at the hotel bar, then we went out for dinner to the Hard Rock Cafe (Jan's favorite, you know, and he's even got a membership card now!! LOL). The Hard Rock Café was right across the hotel so Jan was a happy camper!
Right across on the other side of the HRC there was that all american FOOD chain McDonalds. The biggest one we ever saw. It sure was funny to see several limousines pull up there.... LOL
After dinner we went to the "Blue Chicago", a blues bar just around the corner of the hotel. The live music was fabulous, if you like blues, but we didn't stay till late because we were kind of tired. An extra hour in the day will do that to you I guess. It was kinda neat though to cross the time zone near South Bend and gain an hour that day, so that meant that the time spent in Shipshewana wasn't too much after all (all according to Jan's schedule of course). But I know that even if it had meant we would only have arrived at the hotel at midnight or so, we still wouldn't wanna have missed any of the laughter while meeting Sallyann and her friend!! He told me so. Oh and I wouldn't wanna have missed the local stamp store where I could shop and shop without him complaining!!!! LOLOLOL

The next morning I called Judy to see if she was gonna come and meet us for lunch or dinner somewhere as we had been making undefined plans in that direction way before. We had been looking forward to meeting each other for a long time now! But unfortunately she had a family emergency that day, so she couldn't make it, but at least we talked on the phone!! She sounded like a NICE lady!!
In fact, all those that I've talked to on the phone or met in real life are really NICE people!! :-))

Our plans to visit Chicago that day literally fell into the water. First it was just raining but that turned soon in real showering. :-(((
And strong wind!! We experienced in real life why they call Chicago the "Windy City"!! Another one of my weird pictures: a broken umbrella in a trash can. LOL :-)
After all this picture kinda sums up our big day out in Chicago. hahaha!!!
We walked along the Magnificent Mile for a while, before sheltering in a large mall somewhere near the John Hancock building.
Then we went to see the lobby of the Drake hotel. Wooow! Jan had stayed here for a
whole week for his job some years ago. Wooooow again! By then we needed some warming up and went for a cup of hot coffee at... you guessed it.... a Starbuck's of course!!
Then we walked some more along the Magnificent Mile. Hey, we weren't gonna let the bad weather beat us!!! We were there to visit the city, and by golly, that's what we were gonna do!! We got soaked to the bone, but there was no stopping us!! Oh no!! LOL
We wanted to see the city, not the insides of a museum, or the Shedd Aquarium. Besides, Jan had already been to the Shedd so I wanted to do something that was new to him too, and not bore him with old stuff. Although I bet he would have liked to show me all the things he had seen back then. :-))

Finally we did get tired of walking in the rain and we were freezing (it was only 35 degrees, I don't know what that converts to in Celsius, but it's COLD; let me tell you that!!) so we took a taxi to the city hall, and from there went to have lunch at the famous Giordano's, near Sears Tower. Apparently THE pizza place in Chicago. But it doesn't even come close to Luis' pizza at the Il Fornello pizzeria in our home town. Janet knows how good THAT pizza is from several occasions already. She even invited Luis to come to Texas!

Because you couldn't see even half of Sears Tower, the clouds covered the top completely, and we wouldn't get a nice view of the city in the rain anyway, we decided NOT to go to the top. Instead we took a ride with the "EL" train which we know from films and TV series like ER. Told you we were gonna do something that most tourists wouldn't do, and by the looks of some of the people that used the "EL" I can see why too.... We still had fun though!! (grin)
After that we took the bus to see some sightseeing while staying dry. Boy, that
was a phenomenal mistake! First we waited like FOREVER at three different bus stops as it wasn't very clear to us which bus would stop where. Some were passing by the numbers, others (the one we think we needed) we didn't get to see even once. Finally we did catch a bus that would take us at least close to the hotel. But sightseeing on the bus???? Noooooooo.... We couldn't see anything through the windows because of the humidity, so we returned to the hotel.
Oh yes, btw, I took a picture of a USPS truck as a tribute for all the swaps these guys carry around for us! Guess that's another one of my "weird" pictures!! Jan saw me run out in the rain to take a picture and wondered what I was doing. But he got it fast when I explained it to him. He said "of course you need that picture!" LOL

That evening we went for dinner in a nearby mexican restaurant. Very nearby, coz it was still pouring. When we entered two staff members were chatting and just before us a family of 5 had entered. Neither of them got up to show them or us to our tables. Up til now we've always been treated in a really nice way in any place we went to eat. Not this time.
When we finally were seated and got the menu, we got our waitress for that evening. We jokingly said to each other they must have forgotten to give her laugh muscles in her face at birth. Even the littlest of smiles seemed too much. For someone living of tips, that seemed very strange to us. Usually waiters/waitresses are very conscious of "their" tables and will make sure everything is okay. This time we had to ask for just about everything, usually calling another waiter, coz our waitress seemed to have disappeared. Then I went to the restrooms and passed the last table in the row. There she was!! Chatting with her colleagues and not paying attention to any of her customers anymore. I very well know that when you start chatting time seems to fly, heck, I'll be the first to admit that. But I expect them to do that in their own free time, not on the job, not while customers are waiting on the check to come, which we had to ask for by calling yet another one of the waiters. Well, her non-service attitude showed in the tip of course. We aren't even used to the tipping system, so this was even more strange. We don't have the tipping system in Belgium, the prices on the menu are tax AND service included. Doesn't mean you can't leave a tip, but it's not common practice.
Ohhhh and then something else that got us puzzled in most of the eating places we had gone to already on our trip. When you see the menu you first get the list of the appetizers or starters, right? And then they mention a list of "entrees"??????
Bwahahahaha!!!! "Entree" is the french word for starter, and that is what you'll find on most menus in Belgium for the starters!!! I thought they would call the bigger plates the main course or something like that. Imagine us flipping through the menu several times trying to find these. It sure gives us a giggle each time we see this!! LOLOL

Hugs,
Wezz

The most recommended place

2006-05-18T04:49:00.001+02:00

Hi all,

After staying at Fremont for the night we drove to Shipshewana. This was the place that was most recommended by my online friends, AND I got a chance at meeting one of them there too!!
We took the toll way on the I80 and in Jamestown, Indiana, we left the interstate to go a bit to the south to catch the US20 until we reached Shipshewana. It struck us as very odd to see so many big trucks on this road while the Interstate is almost next to it. We would think that heavy traffic like that would take the bigger road.
Before we had left home, we had made arrangements to meet Sallyann and a friend (called Jan btw, so to avoid any confusion I won't mention her name again... LOL... If I remember correctly it was short for Janice) at Yoder's in Shipshewana. At Yoder's we waited for half an hour wondering who could be Sallyann. Neither of us knew what the other looked like. I only knew she was coming with a friend. I had gone up to one of the store owners to ask if there was a way to page her, but no such luck. Paging in Shipshewana amongst the Amish?? I should have known better of course. They were extremely helpful though and within the mall they walked us from one place to another to say that we were "the belgian couple" just in case someone would mention something like that to them. Then they'd know who we were and could point us out. Finally a light bulb went off in my head!! I got out a marker and piece of paper and wrote my name on it and pinned it on my shirt in hopes that Sallyann would see it. I started walking around through all the stores and making sure everyone saw the sign. In the mean time Jan was getting very bored of the waiting and started studying the city map of Shipshewana. And guess what??? He found that right across the street, there was another mall called Yoder's!!!! So we went to check that out. Oh yeah, of course we had been waiting at the wrong Yoder's!! We had a kind of déja vu feeling with this incident. Many many years ago we had a rendez-vous with some dutch friends in a small belgian village at the church entrance. We couldn't possibly miss each other that way. But guess what?? There were TWO churches in that small village!! It looks like are born for this kind of funny situations, doesn't it?? LOL
When we came in to the other Yoder's we immediately saw a sign saying "hi Wezz" so we knew we were in the right place this time. :-))
Me standing there with a large sign with my name on it, and Sallyann and her friend sitting on a bench with a big sign too immediately broke the ice. We laughed from minute one and didn't stop anymore, right up until the end of our visit there!! They told us they had been so worried we might have been caught in a very bad traffic accident on the I80 which resulted in both directions being closed. So, THAT explained all the big trucks and heavy traffic on the US20!!! Guess we were lucky to get off the I80 when we did!!!
We had lunch with Sallyann and her friend at a local restaurant where we exchanged goodies. Of course, what else, right??? LOL
She gave me the nicest small scrapbook for putting in some of my best pictures of this trip and also a folder with a bunch of pre-stamped images for me to color in. Plus a magazine or two, and a stamp or two....
After lunch we almost ran to the local stamp store run by Amish. Yet another big mistake according to Jan. Our bellies were already aching from all the laughter and it only got worse, but we just had soooo much fun!! The stamp store didn't look like I would have expected a stamp store to look like on the outside. But since there are no stamp stores in Belgium, of course, I wouldn't even know what a stamp store should look like anyway. hahaha!!
Inside, the store was very well organized with the bargains right in front... (ggg)
The amish guy jokingly told us we could get bigger baskets if needed, and I was the good girl saying "no thanks, I can't, my husband is here with me"... ROTFLOL!!
I found some Ancient Page inks on the bargain table. Regular price was already less than half the price in Belgium and they were 50% off!!! Wow!!
The stamps were very neatly organized, with the mounted ones categorized and the unmounted ones right next to their mounted counterpart, so you could immediately see the image. No fooling around with a mirror or guessing what it might look like. Also very easy to see if they were out of some unmounted images. I got just a few... LOL
One of them was a squirrel, I was so happy to find that one!! :-))
Jan didn't even complain about my shopping there, and when I later asked him about that, he said "well, I could see things were cheaper there, so it didn't really bother me". HUH????? Is this MY Jan???? I couldn't believe my ears!!
I then proceeded to explain that most craft things are cheaper here than at home, if I can even get them at all. He said I shouldn't push my luck.... hmmm... LOL
The Amish people at the store were really interested to know what life is like in Belgium, how come we speak so many languages, and how come I could understand his "Amish talk" too. I believe he said it was Pennsylvania Dutch, but I could be mistaken. It sounded like german to me. But because he said "dutch" I thought he might understand me too as that is my mothertongue. But alas, he didn't, though his wife kinda did. Probably the Pennsylvania Dutch is actually "deutsch" which is german and would explain why he spoke some form of german to me.
When we were done shopping, Sallyann drove us back with her real american Cadillac car to where our real american Suzuki was parked and it was time to say our goodbyes. With lots of pictures, more laughs and hugs of course!! Sallyann tried real hard to convince Jan to come back again to visit soon!!
Well, I wouldn't mind at all!! (ggg)
When we left Shipshewana it had just started to rain. Blèch, feels too much like belgian weather!! I like a lot of things belgian, like chocolates for instance, but I'm not that fond of the rain!! LOL
We had spent a lot more time in Shipshewana than planned (more Jan's plans than mine, I never mind staying longer... LOL), but had so much fun that we didn't really mind. Especially since driving to Chicago that day we crossed a time zone and gained an extra hour that way!! Ain't that nice??? LOL

hugs,
Wezz

Crafts 'n' Rock

2006-05-16T07:08:00.004+02:00

We're still very amazed at the amount of road kill we see along our route. And not just the amount but the SIZE of these things!!!! If you'd hit these head on your car would be total loss!! Or at least in Belgium it would be...
In Belgium we'd have the occasional cat or small dog run over, but nothing
like what we see here. Of course, there's a lot more wildlife here
than in the denser populated Belgium. You'd have to go to the Ardennes
to find some more wildlife, not where we live.
And then the signs that say "FOOD - McDonalds"!! They still crack us up!!
You know, people in Belgium just think good things of you guys??? Everybody there believes americans alllll stick to the speed limits, whether that's on the interstates or on the secundary roads. But not so!!!! Another desillusion... Darn!!

After a good drive we arrived in Akron and I called Debi-Ellen and Stephanie (you know, I gotta use that US phone now!!) to meet them at Hollo's Papercraft in Brunswick, Ohio. Stephanie was already there with her little boy when we arrived
and we started exchanging goodies on a bench outside, so Debi-Ellen could see us when she'd arrive. Of course she drove right past us and had to turn back... LOL

Hugs all around, coz we've known each other for years without ever meeting before!
The fun of exchanging goodies is just indescribable. I know some have mentioned this about me, but it really goes for everyone!! People's faces light up when you give them something nice that may be hard to get for them and even more so when you present them with something handmade. That excitement alone makes this trip worthwhile. Sending goodies is just not the same, coz you can't see their face when they open the package.

But then!!! We went inside the Papercraft Store!! Man, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!!! What an amazing array of cardstock, paper, envelopes, precut cards, and more!! Jan thought this was just yet another one of my biiiiig mistakes. I'm pretty sure this will end up in his top 10 of the big mistakes of this trips... LOL
Back to the paperstore now. I got me some 12x12 cardstock for a scrapbook. I needed black background cardstock for that "crazy" picture of the black truck that I took in the rear side car mirror!!
See, I do plan ahead and know what I'm doing... ahemmmm....
Got just a little bit of sheet sized cardstock, patterned, structured, and whatever I KNOW I won't be able to find back home. Stephanie had to leave early, and her boy didn't think the cardstock was all that exciting, even if we did think so.
I also got some stickers, well, actually they were some kind of photo corners, sooo
pretty!!! And won't they come in handy when I finally get down to actually start scrapping?? LOL
Got some patterned vellum too, just the "had to have" kind. Not my fault!!! LOL
Debi-Ellen just exaggerated on my shopping spree! ;-)
Meanwhile, Jan had gone to a bar next door. No way he was gonna come in with
us for looking at paper. Where's the fun in that, huh?? LOL
He was already waiting for us when we came out the store... Seemed to last like enternity to him, or at least that's what he says. Hmmm....
The plan was to have lunch with Debi-Ellen but we were kinda running short of time (though we agree that we did NOT stay too long in that store, regardless what Jan says!! LOL), so we had to say our goodbyes and head for Cleveland where we visited the Rock 'n' Roll Museum. That was fun!! They also had a section where you could see the development of the equipment used over the years. How the first radio started up until the development of the I-Pod!!Very interesting!! Then of course we hit the museum's store. LOL

Jan was not gonna leave Cleveland without having gone to the Hard Rock Café of course so that's where we went for dinner. Happy me from meeting Debi-Ellen and Stephanie and going to the paper store, happy Jan from visiting the Rock Museum and eating at the Hard Rock Café (and of course buying another t-shirt. See, I'm not the only one with shopping on my mind!!! haha!!). Perfect day for everyone!! :-))

We hit the road again, and around 9:15pm we stopped at Fremont, Ohio, to find some place to sleep. Most places do seem to have wireless internet, so that's nice coz I like to check some e-mails before going to bed. :-)
Addicted?? Who, me???? Naah....

Hugs to all,
Wezz

Hit the road Jack... err, Jan...

2006-05-15T07:22:00.002+02:00

When we left Jennifer's place we drove through the nice scenery of Connecticut, stopping once in a while to take some pictures. Not as often as I wanted though (and this goes for the whole trip), as I can't expect Jan to stop every time I see a good photo opportunity. Kodak moments just happen way too often. LOL
I should have taken a picture of a sign that said "Adopt a Highway Program" while driving through Connecticut. But hopefully I'll get a chance to do that in another state where they have this program too. It's definitely something we don't see in Belgium!! Maybe this has got something to do with the condition of the roads here.
It's just such a smooth drive, nothing like in Belgium. There's got to be a reason for the good condition of the roads here!! In Belgium I could never type on the laptop while on the road, here that's no problem at all. I could never do any crafty stuff of any kind in the car in belgium, here that's no problem at all.
As we were continuing our trip along the Interstate 80 we really enjoyed the views. We can't believe how GREEN this country is!!! Someone had said this might be a boring piece on our road trip but nothing could be further from the thruth. Jan just loves to drive and is now really getting used to driving an automatic. I jokingly
said that once we get home after three weeks he'll need lessons again to learn how to use the manual gear box again of our own car. LOL
We both enjoy looking outside as the world passes us by. The sun is out and everything just looks so much nicer then!! I can imagine this could be a boring part when the weather is not playing nice though. But lucky for us it is!!
Even the ton of roadworks we pass along just about every route we take don't bother us as the traffic is still moving nicely. I took a wonderful picture (okay some may think this is just weird) of a truck that was behind us in the next lane. I took the picture from the truck using the rear side mirror of the car. It was black and all shiny in the sunshine. Very american. :-)
We had booked a room in a bed&breakfast type of place in DuBois, Pennsylvania.
I actually got the address from Manda, one of my many cyberfriends, and I can't thank her enough for pointing us in the direction of that place. If you ever want to go on a short break or little getaway, this is definitely THE place to go to!! Wonderful people run the Narrows Creek Inn, the rooms are absolutely gorgeous, the garden is amazing, and the breakfast... well, what can I say. It was of course home cooked and absolutely de-li-cious!!! Owner Linda brought it to our room even.
And it's only about a mile away from the Interstate 80 too, very easy to find!!!
Check it out here: http://www.narrowscreek.com/

We're just sorry that we didn't get to meet Linda's husband Henry. We were told that he's quite a character!!
After we settled in and I had shopped at their wonderful store (okay I'm running out of more different words to describe this place!!) for some gifts for the family back home, we met up with Manda, a british lady living in Dubois. She took us out for a meal at the local Ruby Tuesdays, we talked and talked like we had known each other for years and years!! Then she took us for a ride and showed us where the rich people live in that area ("Treasure something" - sorry, can't remember the full name of the place). Man, such nice houses!!!!! But not so nice prices.... LOL
Wow, and the deer just walk out on the street and in the front lawns. They're not afraid of people walking by or cars passing on the roads. They just wanted their dinner I guess, they ate all the flowers from the rich folk's gardens. I tried taking a few pictures but by then it was already too dark for that. Of course I had some belgian chocolates for Manda and a british stamping magazine. I don't know if you guys can get these over here or not (I haven't seen them yet), but I hope she likes it anyway. It even comes with a small stamp too!!
After we said our goodbyes we took a long relaxing bath and had a really good night's sleep. First time really since I got here. Guess the first three nights the jetlag and excitement still got the best of me. LOL
Btw, the sleeping is getting better and better with each day now. :-)
In the morning before we left I took loads of pictures of the garden, I already had taken some picture of the room we stayed in, and the amazing shop too!! Heheh, yep, photography happens to be another hobby of mine. (ggg)
I'm sure gonna try to keep in touch with everyone I meet on this trip!! They're just the nicest people!! Or is that just coz they're stampers?? I'm really such a lucky gal to be able to meet them!! :-))

Many hugs,
Wezz

Our first US weekend

2006-05-12T13:54:00.005+02:00

Hi all,

well we got settled in, with alllll of our bags, and it was a lot. Jennifer can testify to that. I'm not exactly known as a "light" traveler. LOL
Besides, one of my suitcases looked like I had robbed the chocolate store and the local craft store. No, it didn't look like a stamp store. We don't have dedicated stamp stores over there.... But I did bring loads of belgian chocolate, dutch and UK craft magazines and local craft stuff to swap or as gifts for the people I'd get to meet along the way.
We freshened up, I found out that they have a polish type of shower, you know, where the C stands for Hot and the H stands for Cold... LOL... and then it was time for dinner. The fish Jennifer had prepared was just slightly overseasoned, guess that was a polish thing too, but if husband Bruce hadn't made a comment, we would never have known it wasn't supposed to be like that!! Who are we to know what life is like in an american household?? On this trip we were specifically looking for totally submerging in the american life style if possible, and if that's what they are used to, well, we'll go along with that!! So we didn't even blink and ate that fish. But I think Bruce gave her a restraining order for any further cooking that weekend since he did the cooking for the next two days. LOLOLOL
Bruce's cooking was very good, btw. More on that later. First things first.
While sitting at the dinner table we talked the night away so to speak. There were no awkward silences at all. We were all very interested in each other's life styles and compared how things worked in both countries. It was like we'd known each other for years. Which is true for Jennifer and me, but through e-mail only and that's still something entirely different than spending hours on end together in real life!!
Trust me, the real life experience is waaayyyy better than e-mailing each other!!!
Jan and Bruce got on well too, so that's a bonus for when Jennifer and I started swapping goodies and talking stamps. Heheh.

Am I going to much into detail?? I'm just trying to remember as much details as possible from this trip, and I'll probably read these stories for years to come! Hope it's not too boring for you guys though!!

Anyway, we had been up for quite some time and finally went to bed. Usually I am soooo not a morning person and I even warned the family about that, just in case, but of course I was wide awake by 6am. I blame it on the jetlag. LOL
Though maybe the excitement of going on this trip and the prospect of meeting so many of my online friends might have played a slight role in that too of course... hmmm....
But Bruce was already up too, and we just chatted and chatted and chatted over a cup of coffee... It's amazing that almost perfect strangers would find so much to talk about!!! And it wasn't even about stamping or crafting either!! LOLOLOL

For a three week car trip I wanted to get me a nice large sleeping pillow so I could rest/sleep during the longer parts of the driving, or whenever I'd get real tired. We also needed a cooler box if we wanted the chocolate to survive this trip at least until we'd reach the place where Jan's niece is staying. We have some belgian chocolates for her and her guest family of course. So on Saturday morning Jennifer took us out shopping (another big mistake according to Jan!) for the pillow and the cooler box. I was totally blown away by the cost of some things here!! I had just bought me a large bottle of contacts fluid for this trip and lo and behold, they had the exact same brand and bottle size here!! For less than one third of the price in Belgium. Duh. Of course I'd never leave on a trip without this and I didn't buy one here coz I just got one back home. But I might get one before we head back home though!! Oh, and remind me again why we spent over 50 euros on a battery recharger back home?? Oh yeah, because we needed one to recharge the batteries for the digital camera and the MP3 player, and coz we didn't know we could get that recharger here at Walmart for 7 dollars!!!!!! More duh!!!
There are some plans on getting started on a scrapbook, but I needed something to put the pages and cardstock in so I could get it home without it all getting wrinkly. So Jennifer took us to an AC Moore's. Third big mistake according to Jan. I really felt like a kid in a candy store and was again really amazed at the prices!
The 12" Fiskars cutter was on sale for $9.99; this little baby costs about 35 euros in Belgium. I have one, but was still tempted. I was good though, coz I saw that the stamps were 40% off, so I wanted to spend my money on those!!! LOLOLOL
Also saw a three pack of 3M double sided tape for the price of just one back home.
The price differences are truly mind boggling. Jennifer asked us if we would like to go to a flea market on Sunday morning. Would I LIKE to go??? What a question!! OF COURSE, I'd LOVE to go to one!!! And we invited them for lunch afterwards, as a way of thank you for taking us in for three days. Of course since we didn't know anything there we relied on her to pick a nice place. Suddenly she got all excited and started jumping up and down with twinkles in her eyes saying she knew the perfect spot. A restaurant with a stamp store inside!!! It doesn't get any better than that, does it?? Jan just rolled his eyes... LOL
Bruce's roasted chicken for dinner was like we were out in a restaurant, soooo good!!! And coz Jennifer and me were still busy exchanging more stuff and explaining it to each other, he was on his own for the veggies too that evening. Hahaha!!
The next morning I was up again very early, around 7am this time. Still waaayyy early for me, but hey, it's getting better!! :-)
We went to the flea market with Jennifer and Bruce, and browsed around. It was held at the grounds of a drive-in movie theater, and I hoped I would get to see one. Well at least I got to see it during the day, with the big screen up and the speakers in the parking lot next to the cars. At the flea market I found a leather baseball glove and a baseball as a real american souvenir. Also found the bat, but Jan insisted on "no!".... hmm.....
Jennifer and I found some interesting old books from the forties with nice ads. Some local old business directory book or so from Waterbury. Then we stumbled across some very old handwritten letters from the thirties. When I took my nap in the afternoon they all spent some time reading them, even Jan. Never thought he'd be interested in anything like that, as they turned out to be love letters from a gal named Fran to a certain guy Raymond. Fun to read and what a nice handwriting!!! At one point I was browsing through some stuff at one of the booths when I suddenly saw Jen waving with a stamp in her hand!! Wow!! I almost tripped over in my haste to get to her! Actually husband Bruce had found them, and there were several large boxes to rummage through! I got a few and asked the lady if she would make a deal on those. She took them out of my hands, held them lovingly and kept fondling them while saying to me "oh I so hate to let them go"... Duh, you're selling them!! If you don't want to let go of them, don't put them up for sale, and if you are selling them for whatever reason at a flea market, you gotta be prepared to make some kind of deal on them. Didn't get much off the price, but I still got the stamps... Hahaha!!
I know that one of the stamps I got there would cost around 22euros in Belgium, so I actually never had bought one of that company before. Sad, isn't it??? LOL

Then to top it all off Jennifer showed us the place where we would have lunch, a local restaurant that also has a stamp store inside! There's no words to describe how I felt going in there. It's so different from anything I've every seen before! I was completely overwhelmed! Jan and Bruce got bored and went outside, chatting while they were waiting on Jennifer and me to finish up the shopping. (ggg)
That evening we got a treat: Bruce's famous ribs!! Man, they were sooo good!! I should have asked him to make us some for take away lunch the next day when we would leave. Jennifer and I kept busy swapping treasures with each other until after dinner and FINALLY, we got down to stamping. It's funny how you think you have all the time in the world, after all we were gonna be there the whole weekend, but then time seems to start running away from you and suddenly you realize there's so much more you wanted to have done or said!!

Well, anyway, our first weekend in the US was a complete success and I wouldn't have minded staying longer if we hadn't had all these other plans!!
Thank you so much Jennifer and family, it was a great time together!! :-))

Hugs to all,
Wezz

Close encounter of the US kind

2006-05-11T07:14:00.004+02:00

Hi all,

bet you are all getting really anxious to read about the rest of the trip!! Well, let me tell you, it has been a hectic few days!! And would you believe it, we're already 7 (seven!!!! that's a whole week!!) days into our holiday???? Wow, this is just going waaaayyy too fast!! Instead of 3 weeks I wish we could be here for 3 months!! LOL!!

When we got our car (yes, the suzuki...) we went straight ahead to tackle the NYC Friday afternoon traffic. Ya know, when they all head up north to "upstate NY"... Just the direction we were heading of course. But Jan had really done his homework and printed out a whole road book with maps and everything, and wrote down all the numbers/names of streets and highways and expressways we needed. Traffic was heavy, but not worse than rush hour in Brussels. Once we had New York behind us we were quickly on our way to head to Connecticut. The first stop we made along the way was to get us a cell phone so we would be able to call everyone we were gonna meet and maybe for hotel reservations along the way and stuff like that. My cell phone actually works in the US, but for some strange stupid reason I couldn't get the card alone. Noooo, of course not, I needed to buy a phone too, even though the card works in my phone. Duh!! Isn't that stupid?? The shop owner of the Radio Shack tried it in my phone. And he and his co-workers kept checking out my european phone. "oh, look, they did this another way than we're used to".... Well, to us at least it was funny, since we both work for telephone operators. LOL
We went to the Starbucks next door. I had heard so much about these already that I REALLY couldn't pass up the chance to go to one and so soon too!! LOL
But then, I made a mistake, probably the first of many. Since we had almost nothing in the car to drink, I ordered two large coffees. Oh man!! I shouldn't have done that!! I should have remembered that US portions are a LOT bigger than european ones!! This was at least the size of two regular cups for us, so we had to take them with us in the car coz they were just too big to drink right away. Lucky they do have good cups that really keep it warm for a long long time! While we were there I had to try out the cell phone and called Jennifer, the first one we were gonna meet on our trip. Hey, I had to try the phone right then and there, what if something didn't work? I'd have to be able to take it back to the store I bought it to get it sorted! But no worries, it worked perfectly, talked to Jennifer, tried calling Christi and we arrived at Jennifer's house that evening. The dog came running out to greet us. She showed us the room that would be our home for the next 3 nights and had dinner just about ready to serve. We met her wonderful husband Bruce and son Zach (sp?) plus dog Petey and a few cats. They all made us feel right at home!! :-))
Driving up there we really enjoyed the landscape and were totally amazed at the amount of roadkill alongside the interstate roads. We just about cracked up when we saw a sign that said "FOOD - McDONALDS"... We looked at each other and laughed "since when is McDonalds a synonym for food????? LOLOLOL
And funny enough, we passed that same sign at almost every exit on our way. (ggg)

More later guys!! Hopefully soon!

Hugs,
Wezz

And the cat came back...

2006-05-09T05:11:00.002+02:00

Okay, so the cat had to wear a collar she didn't like. We just didn't realize how bad she didn't like that.... We had brought her home on Monday evening from the vet, and she was wearing her new collar. On Wednesday I needed to go out for an hour or two and had checked the cat before leaving. You already KNOW where this is going, right????? Riiiighhhht..... when I came home she was proudly awaiting me with a look on her face "look what I got off!! Isn't that great?!" oooohhhhhh noooo, she had managed to get rid of the collar and got the stitches out again too!!! aaaarrrghhh!!
Back to the vet with her!!! She figured she needed to take drastic measures with a cat like that, and gave her a white netted stocking with holes to put her legs and tail through. Now that's a fashionable cat!!! White net stocking on black fur, and white legs!! I know it wasn't funny for the cat, but boy, that sure was a sight to see!!! Right before taking her to the cat hotel on Thursday we had her checked up on again by the vet on Wednesday evening, and thank goodness, she could take off that stocking. Happy cat, if it weren't for the collar that she still had to wear....
On Thursday evening we dropped off both our cats at the cat hotel they have been going to for the past 9 years and finished our packing for our big trip to the US.
The vet will check up on the cat at the cat hotel (it's actually the vet they always work with so that's no problem) and will hopefully remove the stitches on Monday (that's today!! I hope it went alright!).

We had made arrangements for an airport service to pick us up at home at 7:30am. So I put away my last minute things and poured myself a nice cup of coffee. The doorbell rang. Airport service?? It was only 6:50am?? Yep, airport service, we needed to leave as soon as possible coz there was a big fire at Brussels airport and who knows how busy it was gonna be. The road to the airport had been blocked for a few hours coz the building on fire was too close to the road and it was a maintenance place for airplanes. There were 4 planes in the building and because of the kerosine there was danger of explosion. By the time we got there the road was open again, the fires were out but the building had collapsed. Phew!!! Lucky our flight wasn't scheduled any sooner!!
Since 9/11 airport security has gotten a lot tighter, and especially for flights to the US. I don't mind, better be safe than sorry. They just do what needs to be done.
So when we went to check in we already got a bunch of security questions to answer.
One of them being what the address is of your first night's stay. Man, I can't believe how many times I had to give that address!! On the plane we got several forms to fill out, and don't make any mistakes coz you gotta start over!! Of course, I scratched out something, and that was no good, so "here's a new form to fill out, please". Thank you. I'll do that. LOL
At least the plane wasn't full, so I had some extra space to lay down for a nap. I could pick a better spot to watch the movie if I wanted that. Except where the US marshal was with his prisoner. Chains on his feet, and handcuffed. Creepy guy, btw.
When we arrived at JFK ariport in NYC we had to give the address again, have our picture taken and fingerprints too. Electronically, not the old fashioned way with ink. No, this was a tiny scanner, just big enough for your fingertips. Impressive.
We were all waiting in line to get this done, and out comes the US marshal, his prisoner and the marshal's deputy (?). They bypass the whole line, get yelled at by the guy at the counter to stay behind the yellow line and wait their turn. HUH?? That's a prisoner!! Surely you don't want a guy like that hanging around at a big airport any longer than strictly necessary??? And wouldn't they have known that he was coming? The crew was informed, so why wasn't there someone waiting to escort him off the airport?? I thought security was so important? That struck me as odd, to say the least.
By the time we got through customs and claimed our bags I wanted something to drink, a soda, or some water. But no such luck, not in that part of that large airport. Not even a vending machine. So we took the airtrain (never thought something like that would exist!! An airtrain!! How funny!) that took us to the other side of the airport where the rental car companies were located. We were all excited coz we had booked an "all american car", a Chevrolet Blazer (or equal), to travel in true US style. And we got the "or equal", and they gave us a Suzuki. Duh!!! Our dream of driving in US style shattered!! It's still a nice car though and it won't spoil our holiday one bit. It may even have added to the fun, coz now when we see a Blazer, we point at it and go "that's our car!!" and laugh.... LOLOL
The staff at the rental company was so kind to let me buy some water from their vending machine in the back for the employees, coz there was no other way to get something to drink. And off we were!!! Our 3 week trip in a car had started!!
Wooohooo!!
It's getting late now, and I'll have to catch up with the past few days and our experiences some other time. Hope you all enjoy reading it though!

Hugs,
Wezz

Cat's meow

2006-04-25T22:45:00.001+02:00

Well, I took our cat back to the vet yesterday morning, and she needed restitching (of course) and therefore, another anaestesia session. Not as deep this time though, so she recovered a lot quicker than last time. Hubby went to get her in the evening, and she's now wearing a collar. She doesn't like it. Who would, huh?? She can't eat or drink properly with that thing (we have to feed her), let alone give herself a nice cleanup. She's a very proud cat and even manicures her nails on a regular basis. Now with that collar she's bumping into everything, and trying to get it stuck somewhere in hopes of pulling it off of her head. Or even trying to scratch it off. No such luck, lady!! You're gonna wear that until your stitches can come out!! Officially, this time!! That does mean of course, that we have to wipe her butt every time she goes potty. I can think of more pleasant tasks than that!! But heck, she's our little fur baby and we'll do what it takes to help her out. Even that. LOL

Hugs,
Wezz

ah where to start??

2006-04-24T00:05:00.005+02:00

It's been quite a while since I wrote something here but with good reason. Or maybe not. I'm still recovering from being sick for quite some time. Why have only one infection when you can have 4 at the same time to battle, huh??? First thought it was only 3, but noooo, it was 4 and also at "that time of the month", all at the same time. I wasn't the nicest company to be around then. LOL
Never take the easy road seems like a good slogan for my life these days. I'm trying out new meds as well to take with me on our big trip to the USA, and they're not doing what they're supposed to do. I seem to be even more awake after taking sleeping meds than during my regular waking hours, duh... Is this normal or is it just me being weird again??

Well, in the mean time we have started our final preparations for our trip, which means the funky bag has been put on the back burner for the time being. Hopefully I can finish it before we leave, but I'm not holding my breath for that. We leave in less than two weeks, and we still got a million things to do and take care of before that. Checking the clothes we want to take, bought a couple of trousers for each of us, but they needed some shortening. That's done now. Still need to fix some other little things like putting new buttons on a shirt, etc. Nothing like going on a long trip to get your butt into gear and fix everything that has been left aside for too long!! LOL
And since I've lost over 12kg, some things are now too wide and need fixing too. :-))
Not that I like the extra work it's given me, but I do like the feeling of having clothes that are too big for a change. So far I needed a new wardrobe coz I grew out of the old one, now I'll need a new one coz I can't fix everything so that it fits me again. (grinning from ear to ear!)
One of those million to do things was going to the hairdresser's too. And if you know that on a scale from 1 to 10 the dentist scores a high 9 (and I have to go for check up on Tuesday!! ack!), the hairdresser still comes in at a 7 or 8. I really don't like having my hair done. It takes too long for my taste, and while it looks good when he's done, once it's up to me... ugh!! I can never seem to make it look good again.

At least the cupboards have now been placed in our front room (still in remodeling stage, but shaping up now). Yay!! We have storage space there now, and a space to put the washing machine and the washing products a household needs. I'll probably claim part of it for crafty stuff... LOL

Two weeks ago, we found two lumps on one of our cats on her tummy, so she had an operation for that last Thursday. It took a lot longer than the vet anticipated coz they were bigger than she thought and more turned to the inside. So during the op she had to up the anestethics (sp?) coz the cat was starting to wake.
When I picked her up Friday afternoon she was still drowsy and couldn't stand on her feet. The poor thing kept falling over trying to put one paw in front of the other. It broke my heart to see her like that. She wanted to eat too, but couldn't even move her mouth, so I took away the food for a while so she wouldn't keep trying.
Saturday morning she needed to eat at least a little bit with the antibiotics but she threw it up again (she did eat that evening so she got the meds she needed). Later that day I found a little bit of blood on the floor so I thought I should check her wounds. And yep, she had managed to take part of the stitches out all by herself, leaving a partly open wound again. Aaarrrgghhh!!
Okay, she has no idea what she's putting us through, but those stitches weren't supposed to come out yet!! Ten days at least is what the vet said! Yeah, I know, that would be right before we leave on our trip, and right before we take the cats to the cat hotel. But we thought the operation was done better sooner than later. You never know with things like this, do you?
I'll probably take her to the vet again tomorrow, and right now this is not her best friend, but she should have left those stitches in!! We tried putting some kind of protection over the wounds but they're all over her tummy and she finds a way to get rid of it within less than 30 seconds anyway. Cats will be cats I guess... LOL
Hopefully this will all work out okay for her.
Send your good thoughts, she might need them. Thanks!

Hugs,
Wezz

Funky bag

2006-04-03T13:20:00.003+02:00

Felted bags seem to be all the new rage nowadays, so I really can't stay behind, can I??? I just HAVE to give this a try too!! Just so I can say "I did that too"... LOL
Well, it just so happens that I have had this wool sweater like forever and have practically never worn it, and after living in my closet for maybe 15 years, I decided it was time to let go. But let go of such a good quality sweater?? A wool one, with a jacquard pattern?? Hmm, maybe I should just give it a second life?? As a funky felted bag!! Yeah!!
But then the questions started pouring into my little brain... Should I just felt the whole sweater and then cut it up and sew the bag, or should I finish the sewing first and then felt it??? Wouldn't the front and back get stuck together, or a sleeve stuck where it's not supposed to be?? I'm sure I can do the felting in the washing machine, right?? It's one of those handwash type sweaters. How much would the shrinkage be, on average?? I could try with a little piece of the collar first to try that out maybe. I have only one of these type of sweaters that is 100% wool, suitable for felting (I guess?), and I don't wanna mess up my one chance at a felted bag.... LOL
I'll use the body of the sweater for the bag, and the sleeves for the handles. Should work, right? Of course I'll be taking pics of every step and upload them when I'm done. But only if it's worth it, okay?? LOL
So, I thought I'd start with the felting of the sweater last weekend. Figured I'd see at least *some* result after a cycle or two, and then it would still be easy to sew. After the sewing, I would continue the felting. Before I put it in I checked the label again, and saw to my horror that it was only 60% pure wool!!! Aaarrgghhh!! Was it not gonna work?? I figured I could give it a try anyway, since I was definitely not gonna wear that sweater anymore anyway, so just for the fun of it, I went ahead. Of course, after just one cycle I was really curious to see if there was any change yet. heh....
Hmm, it appears it only took one cycle for the felting!! I did run the machine on the hottest and longest cycle (and that is NOT a gentle cycle, but the roughest I have!!). I put the sweater in one of those netted zippered bags, and added a plastic cup with some laundry soap (not the gentle wool type though) IN the washing machine on top of the bagged sweater. Must have helped with the beating. Because of the hot water and the type of soap I used, the bright colors of the sweater have now faded, but that's okay, I wasn't too fond of the colors anyway, and they're much more muted now. And apparently cold water rinsing in between wasn't a problem for the felting process either. :-)
The sweater has shrunk so that it now may fit a 6 yo, and the fabric has gotten very thick!! I wasn't too sure how I'm was sew that, but my machine can handle jeans if I use a special needle, so I figure it would work out okay. And it did. I took it to sewing class with me on Wednesday evening. The teacher was very intrigued and helpful. I was curious to see/hear my fellow student's reactions though. I didn't tell them about my plans. (ggg) They were all very interested in what I was doing, cutting up an old sweater that I had washed the wrong way... LOL
But now, I bet they'll raid their closets for old wool sweaters after seeing this though!! LOL
I told DH what I was gonna do before putting the sweater in the washing machine, and he thought I was nuts. After the little sweater came out of the washing machine he just couldn't stop laughing. He still thinks I'm nuts.... LOLOLOL
The bag should be finished this week, and I'll upload some pics if it turns out okay.
I can't wait to see the final result!! This is exciting! ;-))

Hugs,
Wezz

Starting a blog?

2006-03-24T14:35:00.002+01:00

Okay, so now I've created my own blog. Wow. This is daunting, a totally new experience for me!! But I'm sure I'll learn the ropes pretty quickly and hope I can keep up with journaling. I type faster than I write, so I know I won't do it the old fashioned way, except for making a few notes that will be worked in my blog somehow. Hopefully. I don't know how long I can make this happen, but for sure I will share our experiences as a couple of Euros on a road trip through the States. The good, the bad and the ugly.
See ya!