Lyra's World

Winter postcard form Novi Sad

2012-02-16T14:49:00.000+01:00

It is cold and white and it feels like Christmas time. But it's not. It's February. I must say, I'm more in holiday mood now that I was in January. Then there was no snow and I need snow to feel the season.
Well, after complaining how strange and mild this winter has been, there came snow and ice and the winter finally showed us its teeth. One might say everything looks romantic when snow falls and the rooftops are white, but for some the reality is cruel, a total opposite of romantic. Yin and yang of the wintertime...
I've played a bit with my phone camera last few days, and took some shots of my dear Novi Sad covered in white robes. Sadly I missed the moment I've witnessed yesterday when an avalanche of show fell form the Cathedral, but the noise of it still rings in my ears - at first a distant thunder, than stronger and loud as it hit the ground. It made eyes wide and people stop and stare.
Sve je belo i hladno kao pred Novu godinu. Ali nije Nova godina. Februar je. Mada, ja sam sada više u tom novogodišnjem raspoloženju nego što sam bila u januaru. Tada nije bilo snega, a bez snega mi je teško da uđem u taj novogodišnji "filing".
Neko vreme smo se žalili kako je ova zima čudna i blaga, a onda je došao sneg i led i zima nam je konačno pokazala svoje zube. Moglo bi se reći da sve deluje romantično kada pada sneg i zabele se krovovi, ali za nekog je realnost zime surova, potpuna suprotnost od svake romantike. Jin i jang zime...
Prošlih dana sam se malo igrala kamerom na svom telefonu i zabeležila moj dragi Novi Sad u belom ruhu. Nažalost, juče sam propustila momenat kada je lavina snega pala sa Katedrale, ali i dalje čujem taj zvuk u glavi - prvo udaljeno tutanjanje, sve glasnije, a onda jak udarac snega o zemlju. Oči su se širile a ljudi zastali i zurili.

Winter inchies (Monday)

2011-12-19T22:50:00.001+01:00

The final instalment od the story of a crazy creative weekend takes place on Sunday and Monday evening and is all about Winter Inchie Swap organized by Katherine Art Jewelry.
Poslednji deo priše o jednom ludom kreativnom vikendu završava se sa nedeljom i ponedeljkom i za temu ima zimsku trampu inčića koju je organizovala Katherine.

Those days I was in a chaos, million things to do, other million on my mind, another million to get used to, and that's why I did everything at the last possible moment. It took two very late nights to finish everything in time and send it by the deadline, but it was so worth it!
My first inchies swap, my first works with FIMO polymer clay - it was all a great experience. This is how my 20 (don't ask!) inchies looked like before I've sent them.
Tih dana sam bila u haosu, imala sam milion stvari da uradim, milion stvari u glavi, i još milion onih na koje sam morala da se priviknem, i zbog toga sam radila inčiće u posednji čas. Za sve ovo su bile potrebne dve veoma duge noći da bih sve završila na vreme i poslala inčiće u roku, ali definitivno je vredelo!
Moja prva razmena inčića i moji prvi radovi sa FIMO polimerskom glinom bili su jedno sjajno iskustvo. Evo kako je izgledalo mojih 20 (ne pitajte!) inčića pre nego što sam ih poslala.

I really hope that their recipients liked them. I know that I'm no expert in this but I really did my best so that these little guys don't end up ashamed amongst their peers.

And let me tell you, the peers are fantastic! I was ecstatic when they arrived, and I watched them for a very long time enjoying each one of them and admiring the works of other participants. Some of them are simply mind blowing!

Iskreno se nadam da su se dopali njihovim novim vlasnicima. Vrlo sam svesna da nisam ekspert na ovom polju ali potrudila sam se najviše što sam mogla da se ove moje mališe ne bi postidele u društvu svojih drugara.

I da vam kažem, društvo im je bilo i te kakvo! Bila sam van sebe kad su stigli i nisam mogla da prestanem da ih gledam i divim se radovima ostalih učesnika. Neki od njih su da vam stane pamet!

There's no need to say that this is something that I'll definitely do again. Now I have a bit more experience and a lot of drive to participate in the next one!

Ne moram ni da kažem da je ovo nešto što ću svakako da ponovim. Sad imam malo više iskustva i ogromnu želju da učestvujem i u sledećoj trampi!

Little fair of beautiful things (Sunday)

2011-12-08T21:50:00.001+01:00

Sunday continues the tradition of that weekend with the visit to the 15th Mali sajam lepih stvari (Little fair of beautiful things) in Studio M in Novi Sad. The Little fair is one of my favourite events and try not to miss an opportunity to go there, see many crative pepople and their beautiful works all in one place. I took a few pictures, looked around, and went for a coffee with my friends. Here's the sneak peak of the Little fair, and I invite you to come and see it for yourselves if you have a chance!
Taj čuveni kreativni vikend se nastavio sa nedeljom i posetom 15. Malom sajmu lepih stvari u holu Studija M u Novom Sadu. Mali sajam je jedno od mojih omiljenih dešavanja u gradu i trudim se da ne propustim priliku da odem i obiđem ga, vidim kreativce i njihove radove sve na jednom mestu. Uslikala sam nekoliko fotografija, pogledala čega sve ima, i završila sa drugaricama na kafi. Evo da vidite kako je bilo na Malom sajmu, a ako budete u prilici dođite i sami da ga vidite!

On that Sunday I've also started doing my inchies for the inchies swap, but that is a story for Moday too i.t. for the next post.
U tu nedelju sam takođe krenula da pravim svoje inčiće za razmenu, ali to je priča koja se proteže i na ponedeljak, što znači da će imati svoj poseban post. :)

Polymer clay patina effect workshop (Saturday)

2011-11-28T21:27:00.001+01:00

After decoupage in a family circle on Friday, Saturday was the day for the polymer clay.
Posle dekupaža u krugu porodice u petak, subota je bila rezervisana za polimersku glinu.
I've participated in a patina effect on polymer clay workshop organized by Mali Sajam Lepih Stvari i.e. Bilja (from Biljina HOBBY svaštaonica blog) and Ela (her page on Facebook). Bilja was our instructor, while at the same time Ela was teaching Venetian mask decorating, so we had a glimpse at that too. I must say that the masks that they made were beautiful and made me want to explore uncharted lands of plaster and molds. :)
Učestvovala sam na radionici patiniranja polimerske gline koju su organizovale Bilja sa bloga Biljina HOBBY Svaštaonica i Ela koje su i oragnizatorke Malog sajma lepih stvari. Bilja je bila naš instruktor, a istovremeno se odvijala i radionica dekorisanja venecijanskih maski koju je vodila Ela pa smo mogli da bacimo pogled i na njih. Moram da kažem da su napravili tako lepe maske da sam poželela da i ja istražim nove teritorije gipsa i kalupa. :)

It was really great to learn a new technique that I hardly knew anything about. A plus was the fact that I was working with Bilja and Neda who really know their polymer clay, so I had a chance to observe and learn a lot. And last but not least, I've enjoyed it immensely and I love the effect itself! I'll definitely use it often now that I know how to do it!
Bilo mi je super da naučim novu tehniku o kojoj do tada nisam skoro ništa znala. Plus na sve to je bilo to što sam imala priliku da radim sa Biljom i Nedom koje se razumeju u polimersku glinu, tako da sam mogla da vidim i naučim štošta. I za kraj, baš sam uživala, a ovaj efekat mi se jako sviđa! Definitivno ću ga često koristiti sada kad znam kako se radi!

Bilja and Ela will be organizing many more great creative workshops in Novi Sad, so check them out and treat yourself to knowlegde and some good time:
Bilja i Ela organizuju i druge zanimljive radionice u Novom Sadu, pa bacite pogled i počastite se novim znanjem i dobrim provodom:

Decoupage family workshop (Friday)

2011-11-27T19:23:00.001+01:00

Last weekend for me was one hectically creative one. It all started with a small family decoupage workshop with my sister and my aunt on Friday evening.

Decoupage guru in our family is definitely my aunt Marina. Her specialty is napkin decoupage on anything form cardboard boxes to glass vases and textile kitchen cloths. I've mentioned her and Mashtarija in some of my previous posts.

Prošli vikend je za mene bio ludo kreativan, a sve je počelo u petak malom porodičnom dekupaž radionicom sa mojom sestrom i tetkom.

Dobro je poznato da je moja tekta Marina dekupaž guru u našoj porodici. Njena specijalnost je salveta tehnika na svemu i svačemu - od kartonskih kutija do staklenih vazni i kuhinjskih krpa. Nju i njemu kreativnu radionicu Maštarija sam već više puta spominjala u svojim postovima.

***

We had several concepts of what to do on this occasion including decoupage on wooden beads, but we ended up doing napkin decoupage with seasonal motifs on boxes. We used standard things like acrylic paints, napkins, lacquer, but also lots of glitter, crackling, some patina effect paste etc. For my sister, this was the first time she tried napkin decoupage. Fore me, this was the chance to learn how to do shabby chic.
But the highlight of the evening was trying out something none of us has done before - transfer of printed images on polymer clay. That was something Marina was very eager to try and nailed it in the second try.
Imali smo različite ideje šta bismo sve mogle da radimo na radionici, kao recimo dekupaž na drvenim perlama, ali smo na kraju radile dekupaž salveta tehnikom sa sezonskim motivima na kutijicama. Koristile smo standardni materijal kao što su akrilne boje, salvete, lak, ali takođe i puno glitera tj. šljokica, raspucavanje, pastu za patiniranje itd. Mojoj sestri je ovo bio prvi put da radi dekupaž, a ja sam po prvi put imala priliku da uživo vidim kako se radi shabby chic.
Ali glavna atrakcija večeri je bilo nešto što ni jedna od nas nije pokušala do tada - transfer štampane slike na polimersku glinu. Marina je jako želela da to isproba i uspela je savršeno već iz drugog pokušaja.

The results of our work were great and they made me think how differences in personalities are mirrored in the way they perceive certain things, express their creativity and ultimately in the products of their creative work. Another thing I was very conscious during our work is how the starting idea changes and evolves in the process of creating something, and how, until the very finish, you can't really tell what the final outcome will look like.
My sister's box is in the first picture, followed by Marina's (I think that's obvious) and mine.
Rezultati rada su bili odlični i dali su mi priliku da porazmislim o tome kako se razlike u ličnostima ogledaju u načinu kako posmatramo stvari, kako izražavamo svoju kreativnost i, na kraju krajeva, u krajnjem rezultatu našeg kreativnog rada. Još jedna stvar koje sam bila veoma svesna jeste kako se početne ideje menjaju i evoluiraju u toku rada, i kako do samog kraja nije moguće zapravo znati kako će ono štonapravimo izgledati.
Na prvoj slici je kutijica koju je napravila Ivana, zatim Marina (mislim da je to očigledno), i na kraju moja.

All in all, that was one fantastic creative evening for all of us, which we've ended determined to make it a more regular occasion.
Sve u svemu, veče nam je bilo fenomenalno, tako da smo odlučile da moramo češće da organizujemo ovakva druženja.

PS. Did I say we ha LOTS of FUN???
PS. Ne znam da li sam rekla da je bilo SUPER ZABAVNO???

Meet Moca

2011-11-16T14:40:00.001+01:00

Wonderful news: we have a new addition to our family, a furry four-legged baby that's making our lives more cheerful and sunny. His name is Moca. He's adorable and playful and we love him so much already! We adopted this lovely homeless puppy only two weeks ago, and he is already the center of attention and the boss in his yard! :)
Divne vesti: dobili smo novog člana porodice, jednu malu četvoronožnu krznenu lopticu koja nas uveseljava svakim danom. Zove se Moca. Presladak i živahan i već ga totalno obožavamo! Usvojili smo ovo cakano kučence bez doma pre dve nedelje, a već je postao centar pažnje i pravi gazda u svom dvorištu! :)
We are still sad for loosing our pet of 12 years - dear old Meda, the best pet in the world, ever. But now we have someone to console us and cheer us up.
Naravno, i dalje smo tužni zbog gubitka našeg dobrog starog Mede koji je bio sa nama 12 godina, i bio najbolji ljubimac koji je ikada postojao na celom svetu. Ali sada imamo nekog da nas uteši i razveseli.
Meet little Moca (still a bit scared on a first day in his new home):
Upoznajte malog Mocu (koji je na slikama malo poplašen, prvi dan u svojoj novoj kući):

And how did your workweek begin?

2011-10-24T20:08:00.000+02:00

Mine began with this waiting for me on my office desk:
Moj je započeo tako što me je ovo sačekalo na radnom stolu u kancelariji:

Homemade Hello Kitty cookies made by my colleague and her little daughter. Isn't this precious? My heart is so warm that I managed (don't ask how!) not to eat them until I got home and took these pictures! FYI, they taste even better than they look!

Domaći Hello Kitty keksići koje su napravile moja koleginica i njena ćerkica. Zar nije cakano? Toliko sam se raznežila da sam izdržala (ne pitajte kako!) da ih ne pojedem dok nisam došla kući i uslikala ih! Ako se neko pita, ukus im je još bolji od izgleda!

Nena's pressed flowers magic

2011-10-19T22:03:00.001+02:00

I begin this post with the biggest THANK YOU, for the biggest HEART - our Nena. Her beautiful works take breath away, her kindness and her love warm this blog-o-sphere far and wide.
Započinjem ovaj post sa jednim velikim HVALA za jedno veliko SRCE - našu Nenu. Njeni prelepi radovi oduzimaju dah. Njena dobrota i ljubav na daleko oplemenjuju ovu našu bolgosferu.

This is the gift from Nena's giveaway, and I wanted to share both its picture and my gratitude with everyone. Nena, you are one in a million!
Ovo je poklon sa Neninog giveaway-a, čiju sliku želim da podelim sa svima kao i moju zahvalnost. Neno, ti si jedna jedina!

PS. Now I know how difficult is to photograph these laminated beauties!
PS. Sad mi je jasno zašto je tako teško fotografisati ove laminirane lepotane!

Giveaways, giveaways...!

2011-10-17T23:25:00.002+02:00

After the first wave of fall giveaways in September, now comes the flood! Dive in!
(and this is in order of me discovering them, no bias at all)
Posle prvog talasa jesenjih giveaway-a u septembru, sada imamo i pravu poplavu! Ulećite!

(pišem po redosledu kojim sam naišla na njih, totalno nepristrasno)

***

Giveaway at Todays1Offer blog:

***

A... nakit is organizing an international giveaway:

***

Maybe's New start is giving some cool stuff for its birthday:

***

A sledeća je P.J. Gomez who is celebrating her birthday:

***

And last but not least is giveaway at IHeart Organizing for 10.000 (!) Facebook fans:

***

Isn't this fantastic? Well, I have one more fantastic piece of information to give: it's been for a while that I've started planning to have my own first giveaway. I'm waiting for the magical number 50 in my followers count, and than the magic will happen! Keep reading!

Nadam se da je dovoljno razumljivo za sve. Ma zar nije fenomenalno? E, pa, imam i ja jednu fenomenalnu informaciju da podelim sa vama: već neko vreme planiram i ja svoj prvi giveaway. Čeka se 50. pratilac mog bloga koji će da pokrene magiju! Čitamo se!

My first real order of polymer clay goodies

2011-10-10T22:16:00.000+02:00

I am well aware that I have not written much here in September, but I think that I had good reasons. First there was the chocolate swap, than we had several workshops and, finally, I've had a first real customer and a first real order (I have to brag a little)!
Vrlo sam svesna činjenice da nism mnogo pisala u poslednje vreme, ali barem sam za to imala dobre razloge. Prvo, pravila sam radove za čokoladni swap, imali smo nekoliko naših malih dugarskih radionica, i, vrlo bitno, imala sam svog prvog pravog kupca i prvu pravu porudžbinu (moram malo da se hvalim)!

***

My colleague wanted me to make several polymer clay earrings for his girlfriend's birthday. I had some ideas (I love working with the extruder lately), and he also had some ideas of his own. So we combined it all and ended up with plenty of pieces to choose from. Final choice is on the photograph, and let me just say that the gift was a success! :)

Moj kolega sa posla je želeo da napravim nekoliko komada minđuša od polimerske gline kao rođendanski poklon za njegovu devojku. Ja sam imala neke svoje ideje (u poslednje vreme ekstruder je moj favorit), neke ideje je imao i on, pa smo sve to iskombinovali i na kraju je bilo puno stvarčica od kojih je mogao da bira. Krajnji izbor možete videti na slici, i samo još da dodam da je poklon bio odlično prihvaćen! :)

***

So far I was only working for pure pleasure and gave all my works as gifts. It was different now: there was someone to be pleased, there were time boundaries, colour and shape suggestions, more responsibility to be flawless. It was a great experience that I've thoroughly enjoyed, and as a bonus, for the first time I'll have a lot of finished pieces that I might consider selling. I must say that I had great use of Marina's (from craftzeeFactory blog) advice on price forming - that you so much on sharing your wisdom!
Do sada sam uvek radila čisto zadovoljstva radi i poklanjala svoje radove. Ovaj put je bilo drugačije: trebalo je ispuniti nečija očekivanja, imala sam vremensko ograničenje, bile su tu preferencije za boje i oblike koje ću koristiti, takođe i veća odgovornost da radovi budu što kvalitetnije urađeni. Bilo je to sjajno iskustvo u kojem sam zaista uživala, a kao bonus iz cele te priče, imam još puno komada gotovog nakita koji će možda jednog dana biti za prodaju. Moram tako]e da dodam da su mi od velike koristi bili Marinini (blog craftzeeFactory) saveti o formiranju cene - puno ti hvala što deliš svoju mudrost!
If anyone wonders what I'll do with the money I've earned, it will all go on new supplies so that I can work and have fun even more! Do you remember what you did with your first earning from this, or what would you do if you still haven't started selling?
Ako se iko pita šta ću uraditi sa novcem koji sam zaradila, planiram da ga potrošim na materijal pa da mogu i dalje da radim i da uživam! Da li se sećate na čega ste vi potrošili svoju prvu zaradu od ovoga, ili, na čega biste je potrošili ako još niste počeli da prodajete?

Chocolat Swap - the gifts

2011-10-10T12:20:00.003+02:00

Chocolat swap at Medena Wonderland blog is long over, and it is time to show off the gifts that my swap partner Linaa and I have exchanged. This was and exciting swap with a very tasty theme, a theme that gave all the participants plenty of inspiration: CHOCOLAT!
Čokoladni swap kod Medene na blogu je odavno završen i vreme je da se pohvalim sa poklonima koje smo moja swap partnerka Linaa i ja razmenile. Bio je to uzbudljiv swap sa veoma ukusnom temom koja je svim učesnicima dala puno ionspiracije: ČOKOLADA!
My partner for this swap was Linaaa from Linaaa & Nera blog - one friendly and talented girl who does great crafts. She made for me a perfect shabby chic chocolate and gold coloured wooden box, decorated with gold leaf and transfer on glue. It is fabulous! And even more fabulous is the beautiful broch in form of a mask which face is peeling off. Pictures are here to show just how amazing these item are:
Moj partner na ovom swap-u je bila Linaaa sa bloga Linaaa & Nera - jedna sjajna talentovana devojka koja pravi divne stvari. Njen poklon meni je bila jedna savršena shabby chic drvena kutija, dekorisana zlatnom folijom i sa urađenim transferom na lepak. Fantastična je! A još fantastičniji je broš u obliku maske čije se lice ljušti. Slike su tu da još bolje dočaraju koliko su ove stvarčice lepe:

It seems that we basically had a similar idea for the swap: my gift also contained a box and some jewelry! The box I've made is a makeover of a real chocolate box (Mozarttaler) - a bit of recycling form my part. The idea was to make a box of chocolates, only the chocolate parts inside of the box were actually parts of a polymer caly jewelry set done in chocolate colours. There is also a litle card for my partner.
U suštini, izgleda da smo obe imale sličnu ideju jer se i moj poklon takođe sastoji od kutije i nakita! Kutija koju sam napravila je makeover prave kutije od čokolade (Mozarttaler) - moj mali doprinos recikliranju. Ideja mi je bila da napravim kutiju sa čokoladom, samo što unutra neće biti prava čokolada nego delovi seta nakita od polimerske gline u čokoladnim bojama. Tu je i mala karta za moju partnerku.

As usual, I'll write more about my works in separate posts. This one is dedicated to jet another successful swap organized by our dear Medena, whom I want to thank on a great job as organizer. I can't wait to see when the next swap will be and what will be its theme!
Kao što je inače moj običaj, malo više o mojim radovima ću pisati u narednim postovima, a ovaj post je posvećen još jednom uspešnom swap-u koji je organizovala naša draga Medena. Njoj tkaođe želim da zahvalim za odličan posao koji je obavila kao organizator. Jedva čekam sledeći swap i da saznam koja će biti njegova tema!

Nena's Funny Giveaway !

2011-09-19T23:51:00.002+02:00

Our dear Nena is having her first giveaway on her blog My World of Pressed Flowers. Be sure to visit her blog and apply, because the gifts are amazing! AND because it is a lot of FUN!
Naša draga Nena organizuje svoj prvi giveaway na blogu Moj Cvetni Svet. Obavezno ga posetite i prijavite se jer su nagradice sjajne! A i zato što je mnogo ZABAVAN!

Sheep invasion!

2011-09-08T20:30:00.002+02:00

I'm starting this post with these vibrant colors to show how happy I feel. I am one very lucky girl who has won a prize on Biljina Hobby Svaštaonica giveaway! The choice of goodies was fabulous, but my heart was set on some very very cute sheep. Aren't they great?
Današnji post započinjem sa ovim jarkim bojama koje taman lepo opisuju moje veselje. Imala sam puno sreće da osvojim nagradu na giveaway-u na blogu Biljina Hobby Svaštaonica! Ponuda nagrada je bila fantastična, a meni su za srce prirasle slatke najslađe ovčice. Ma zar nisu super?

Today I met with Bilja downtown since we both live in Novi Sad. We had a great chat and a little adventure into the woundy streets of old Podbara and its forgotten shopping center that hides elusive treasures, unknown even to their masters (giggle), in a dark and mysterious shop... It was so great to meet one seasoned craftswoman who does amazing work and co-organizes my favorite event "Mali sajam lepih stvari".

Danas sam se našla sa Biljom u centru, pošto obe živimo u Novom Sadu. Fino smo se ispričale i proživele jednu malu avanturu po krivudavim ulicama Podbare koje skrivaju davno zaboravljeni tržni centar pun tajanstvenog blaga, nedokučivog čak i za njegove gospodare (hihi), u tami misteriozne radnjice... Bilo je sjajno upoznati jednu pravu iskusnu kreativku koja pravi fenomenalne stvari i uz to je jedna od organizatorki mog omiljenog događaja "Malog sajma lepih stvari".

Since Bilja is a photographer I did my best (with some extra help, again) to make her proud and present this unique sheep family in the best light. Only, these two crazy colored balls of yarn kept hopping into each pohoto... ;)

Once again: THANKS Bilja!

Pošto je Bilja fotograf, potrudila sam se (ponovo uz dragocenu pomoć) da osvetlam obraz i prikažem ovu jedinstvenu porodicu ovčica u najboljem mogućem svetlu. Jedino, ove dve lude šarene štrengle vunice su mi se stalno nekako ubacivale na fotke... ;)

Još jednom: HVALA Biljo!

Chocolat Swap @ Medena's

2011-09-03T22:06:00.001+02:00

Medena is organizing her second swap and the theme is extra-tasty! Chocolat Swap has started, so come and join in! Medena's first swap Sweet Summer Swap has been a huge success, so this one is bound to be even bigger one and sweeter one too!
Medena organizuje svoj drugi po redu swap i to swap sa veoma ukusnom temom! Chocolat Swap je počeo - dođite i pridružite se! Medenin prvi swap Sweet Summer Swap je bio sjajan, a ovaj će sigurno biti još bolji i još slađi!

Sweet summer origami box

2011-09-02T23:57:00.002+02:00

This is the box that I have made for Medena's Sweet summer swap. Now I'm writing this post to present the box itself properly.
Ovo je kutija koju sam napravila za Medenin Sweet summer swap. Ovaj post pišem da pretstavim kutiju kako je i red.

***

I chose to make something different, something ME, and the obvious choice was to do something that includes origami. The theme was sweet summer, hence I've chosen to use three origami models: a traditional sailboat, and blue fish and goldfish both models by Rick Beech (more details about these models can be found on my origami blog). For all models I've used one sided origami paper - kami.
Želja mi je bila da napravim nešto drugačije, nešto u mom fazonu, i to je naravno moralo da bude nešto što uključuje origami. Pošto je tema bila sweet summer, izabrala sam tri origami modela: tradicionalnu jedrilicu, i plavu i zlatnu ribicu čiji je kreator Rick Beech (više o ovim modelima može se pročitati na mom origami blogu). Za sve modele sam koristila jednostrani origami papir.
Theme colors were pastels and that troubled me a lot, because for me summer is all about vibrant colors - blues, all flower colors, greens etc. So I had to compromise with myself, allowing only some indigo as a basic color behind crackle medium and with lighter blue on top (sides of the lid and interior of the box).

Bilo je zadato da se koriste pastelne boje i sa time sam imala dosta muke jer za mene leto znači jarke boje - plave, cvetne, zelene itd. Morala sam da napravim kompromis sama sa sobom tako da jesam koristila indigo plavu ali samo kako podlogu za crakcle preko koje je došla sveto plava (ivice poklopca i unutrašnjost kutije).

I did a lot of crackle on this box as you can see, although the quality of it is very questionable. I'm pretty happy how the cracle looks a bit like clouds in the sky on the sides, but not as much how it looks on the inside. I love crackle effect, but that's something I definitely have to work on and become more skillful.

Na ovoj kutiji sam radila jako mnogo crackle-a iako je njegov kvalitet veoma diskutabilan. Recimo, sviđa mi se kako je ispalo na stranicama kutije da gornja bela boja pomalo podseća na oblake, ali sa unutrašnjosti nisam baš toliko zadovoljna. Crackle efekat obožavam ali moraću još dosta da ga vežbam.

***

My idea was: on the water = outside, in the water = inside.

Osnovna ideja za kutiju je bila da spoljašnjost prikazuje površinu vode, a unutrašnjost kutije morske dubine.

So, each side of the box has a sailboat in one pastel colour: pink, green, tan and yellow. I've used these colours on the lid also but as a background to four small white sailboats. There is also a touch of pale purple just to make me happy) on the rim of the lid.

Dakle, na svakoj strani kutije nalazi se jedrilica u jednoj od pastelnih boja: roza, zelena, krem i žuta. Te iste boje sam koristila i na poklopcu, ali kao podlogu za četiri male bele jedrilice. Ima tek malkice svetlo ljubičaste boje na obodu poklopca, da ispunim sebi želju.

For the interior I've used slightly darker base colors, but the same pale blue on top of crackle medium.

Za unutrašnjost kutije sam koristila malo tamnije osnovne boje, ali isu svetlo plavu preko crackle-a.

Four fishes are "swimming" there. Their colors match the colors of the sailboats outside. Since I've used two origami models for fish, two same fishes are positioned across form one another.

Tu plivaju i četiri ribice čije boje se poklapaju sa bojama jedrilica na spoljašnjim stranama kutije. Pošto sam koristila dva modela za ribice, ribice koje su iste sam stavila jednu preko puta druge.

There is also some "sea weed" made of blue and gold glitter glue.

Tu je takođe i "morska trava" koju sam nacrtala sa plavim i zlatnim gliterom.

***

At the end of this post, I want to thank to the photographer who did a fantastic job both taking pictures and handling a bit of nagging from my side!

Na kraju ovog post-a htela bih da se zahvalim fotografu koji je odradio sjajan posao i što se tiče slikanja i što se tiče izdržavanja mog "zvocanja"!

***

How much longer can a person talk about a single box? - Well, I could talk about this one for ages because, despite all its faults, I love it! :)

Ako se pitate koliko čovek može da piše o jednoj jedinoj kutiji - pa, ja bih mogla do beskonačno jer uz sve njene falinke obožavam ovu kutijicu! :)

Giveaways and birthdays

2011-09-01T10:35:00.000+02:00

There are two great giveaways going on at the moment.
Trenutno su u toku dva fenomenalna giveaway-a.

The first one is on Biljina HOBBY svaštaonica blog to celebrate her 50th follower!
Prvi je na blogu Biljina HOBBY svaštaonica povodom 50. čitaoca bloga!

The second one is on Made by Suzana blog. She celebrates her blog's first birthday!

Drugi je na blogu Made by Suzana, koji proslavlja svoj prvi rođendan!

So go ahead and see the pretty gifts they have prepared. Good luck to everyone!!!
Dakle, napred do ovih blogova da vidite kakve lepe nagradice su devojke pripremile . Srećno!!!

An unusual wedding card

2011-08-30T18:03:00.010+02:00

Yup, another wedding I've attended this summer! No more for the time being, which is too bad because I'm just getting warmed up for creating wedding cards.
For this occasion, I've already had a design prepared in my head, material close at hand, BUT that day I took some time to read blogs... So, you see, it is all Sanja's and Tea's fault.
Da, da, još jedna svadba ovog leta! Za sada ih u perspektivi nema više, što mi je jako žao pošto sam se taman zagrejala u pravljenju ovih svadbenih čestitki. Za ovu priliku sam dizajn već imala u glavi i sav materijal pri ruci, ALI onda sam krenula da čitam blogove... Tako da bi se moglo reći da su za sve krive Sanja i Tea.

***

I was thinking to myself how I have to try something that includes rope (which I have somewhere but never use it), and as I went to pour myself a glass of water I saw an empty bottle of soy sauce waving at me... After that it was a frenzy of ideas and possibilities and finally a solution I was really happy about.
Razmišljala sam kako moram da probam da napravim nešto sa kanapom (kojeg imam negde a nikad ne koristim), i kad sam otišla po čašu vode u kuhinju, videla sam kako mi maše jedna prazna flašica od soja sosa... Posle toga su u glavi krenule da se roje ideje i razne kombinacije i na kraju se pojavilo rešenje kojim sam stvarno bila zadovoljna.

***

I've had two great assistants too: my mom ho helped me rolling the card and my Mr. M who was the master of photography and a great helper with dried glue spots that needed to be removed. During our photo session I've noticed that everything around us was in green tones and that the natural surroundings didn't compliment the card properly. An advice I've read on Bilja's blog was most helpful there - hence the white background (it was actually a bed sheet held by me all the time while shooting).
Moram da kažem da sam imala i dva sjajna pomoćnika: moju mamu koja mi je pomogla oko zavijanja čestitke i mog dragog koji je bio glavni za fotografiju ali koji mi je takođe pomogao oko uklanjanja osušenog lepka tu i tamo. Tokom našeg malog foto session-a primetila sam da prirodno okruženje u kom smo slikali nije dopuštalo čestitki da dođe do izražaja. Tu su mi pomogli saveti koje sam pročitala na Biljinom blogu - otud ova bela pozadina (u stvari, čaršav koji sam ja sve vreme držala dok je trajalo fotografisanje).

***

Without any furhter ado, here's the last wedding greeting I've made this summer season. M says I've outdone myself. I don't know about that, but I'm really happy how my first try at rope turned out! :)))
Bez dalje priče, evo poslednje svadbene čestitke za ovo leto. Moj dragi kaže da sam prevazišla samu sebe. Ne znam baš... ali sam jako zadovoljna kako je uspeo moj prvi susret sa kanapom! :)))

Giveaway @ Medena wonderland

2011-08-26T23:49:00.003+02:00

Fantastic giveaway at Medena's blog! Hurry up and apply! Details here:
Fantastičan giveaway kod Medene na blogu. Požurite da se prijavite! Više o tome pročitajte ovde:

Fifth polymer clay workshop

2011-08-13T21:17:00.006+02:00

It's been high time to continue our polymer clay workshop series. I think that a whole year has passed since the last one, which means that we were all very busy otherwise but also very excited to get dirty with the clay again!
Bilo je krajnje vreme da nastavimo naš niz radionica polimerske gline. Od poslednje je, mislim, prošla cela godina, što samo pokazuje koliko smo bile zauzete na drugim stranama i koliko smo bile radosne da ponovo prljamo ruke glinom!
The setting for this workshop was the most beautiful so far - a garden on the beautiful green hill od Popovica near Novi Sad. It was a work day so we started working late in the afternoon which slowly grew into a pleasant evening and a work by lamp and candle light which was very nice and we didn't mind much that the amount of light was not adequate.
Imali smo do sada najlepše okruženje za radionicu - jedan lepi vrt na zelenim obroncima Popovice, brda u blizini Novog Sada. Bio je radni dan pa smo sa radionicom počeli kasno popodne koje je polako preraslo u prijatno veče i rad uz lampe i sveće što je bilo toliko prijatno da nam nije smetalo što nismo imale baš dovoljno osvetljenja.
The company was a pleasant too with plenty of our friends, old ones and new, but only three of us actually working. Who can blame the rest of them - it was an evening perfect for relaxing and not doing anything.
Društvo je takođe bilo odlično sa puno starih i novih prijatelja, mada smo samo nas tri zapravo radile, odnosno, učestvovale u radionici. A ko bi mogao da krivi one ostale kada je veče bilo idealno za opuštanje i ne rađenje ničega.

***

The guest of honour at this workshop was the mister Extruder (Makin's Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder), who just came from faraway Australia to stay with our Ana. I have an extruder myself, although I haven't been using it much because it requires a lot of strength to push the clay out of it. This new extruder that Ana has acquired is much easier to work with since it has a screw-like mechanism. I have to have one of these ASAP!!!
Počasni gost radionice je bio gospodin Ekstruder, koji je tek nedavno pristigao iz daleke Australije i sada boravi kod naše Ane. I ja takođe imam ekstruder, ali ga nisam mnogo koristila jer je potrebno jako puno snage da bi se glina istisnula iz njega. Ovaj novi ekstruder koji je Ana nabavila je mnooogo lakši za korišćenje jer ima mehanizam sa navojem. Čim pre moram da nabavim jedan takav za sebe!

Ana has led us through a process of making a cool pattern (that's what she told us) but actually it was more that that: it was my favourite of all patterns for polymer clay! I never knew that it was made with an extruder and that I could have been making it for ages now!
Ana nas je vodila kroz proces kojim ćemo, kako je rekla, dobiti jednu super šaru. Ali to je zapravo bila moja najomiljena šara sa polimerskom glinom! Nisam imala pojma da se ta šara pravi sa ekstruderom i da sam mogla odavno da počnem da je pravim!

You can guess that for me the workshop was a great success. If you wonder what we have made, you'll have to wait and see when it is all finished and public-ready. We don't pretend to know much (which we don't) and we don't make the coolest stuff (which we will one day, I'm sure), but we are having a lot of fun and that's the greatest thing about these little polymer clay workshops of ours!
I sami možete pretpostaviti da je, ako mene pitate, ovo bila veoma uspešna radionica. A ako se pitate šta smo sve napravile, moraćete da sačekate dok sve ne bude završeno i spremno za javno prikazivanje. Mi se ne pravimo da znamo mnogo o svemu ovome (pošto realno i ne znamo), niti da pravimo fenomenalne stvarčice (što ćemo, nadam se, raditi jednog dana), ali se sigurno odlično zabavljamo i to je zapravo najbolja stvar kada su ove naše male radionice polimerske gline u pitanju!

Elegant wedding card

2011-08-07T02:31:00.001+02:00

This year it is wedding, after wedding, after wedding for me. Third friend turned misses and the third opportunity to make a custom wedding card. I enjoy making wedding cards so much, I wish for even more weddings soon!
Ove godine mi se zaređala venčanja. Danas je treća drugarica postala gospođa i imala sam treću priliku da napravim čestitku za venčanje. Toliko uživam u pravljenju ovih svadbenih čestitki da prosto žeim još puno venčanja što pre to bolje!

For my friend who likes things "fancy" - one elegant wedding card. It was very simple to make with this fabulous ribbon. I'm just sad that I don't have a photo of inside - I was in a big rush today and forgot to take it. I'll have to ask my friend to take the photo for me one of these days.
Za moju drugaricu koja voli da sve bude "fensi" napravila sam jednu elegantnu čestitku. Zahvaljujući ovoj fenomenalnoj "trako-čipki" čestitka je bila vrlo jednostavna za pravljenje. Jedino mi je žao što nemam sliku unutrašnjosti - u žurbi sam zaboravila da je fotografišem. Moraću zamoliti drugaricu ovih dana da to uradi umesto mene.

Loredana

2011-08-04T22:42:00.009+02:00

Loredana... Have you encountered this name before? - I haven't, at least not until I've started blogging and crafting and meeting other crafts people here on this virtual plane.
Loredana... Da li ste ranije čuli za to ime? - Ja nisam, u stvari, ne dok nisam počela da budem aktivnija na blogu i tako upoznala druge kreativce na ovoj našoj virtuelnoj ravni.

Loredana... It sounded mystical, strange and new, yet melodic and enchanting. I thought it to be a made-up nickname, not more. It mesmerized me so that I had to learn more, and here is what I've found out:
Loredana... Zvučalo je mistično, neobično i novo, a takođe melodično i čarobno. Prvo sam mislila da se radi o izmišljenom nadimku, ništa više od toga. Ali opčinjavalo me je toliko da sam morala da istražim o čemu se radi i evo šta sam saznala:
(http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com)

Loredana is a female name of Latin origin, used in Italian and Romanian languages. It means "laurel grove". The name itself is of uncertain origin - the name Loredana seems first invented by the Italian novelist Luciano Zuccoli for his novel 'L'amore de Loredana'. Zuccoli might have based it on the Venetian surname Loredan ("laurel grove"), which was derived from the place name Loreo. It may also be a form of the name Lauretana, title of the Madonna di Loreto, which had its origin in the Latin Lauretum, meaning "small woods of laurel."
Loredana je žensko ime latinskog porekla, a koriste ga Italijani i Rumuni. Njegovo značenje je "lovorov gaj". Poreklo imena nije izvesno - čini se da je ime Loredana prvi put izmislio italijanski romanopisac Luciano Zuccoli za svoj roman "L'amore de Loredana" ("Loredanina ljubav"). Moguće je da ga je Zuccoli zasnovao na venecijanskom prezimenu Loredan (lovorov gaj), koje je izvedeno iz naziva mesta Loreo. Takođe nije isključeno da je ime izvedeno iz imena Lauretana, što je ime za Bogorodicu (Gospu) od Loreta, a koje vodi poreklo od latinske reči Lauretum koja znači "mala lovorova šuma".

Laurel is a symbol for glory, victory, nobility, immortality, intellectual superiority, the gift of prophecy, "big picture" understandings.
Lovor je simbol slave, plemenitosti, besmrtnosti, intelektualne nadmoći, dara proricanja, razumevanja "velike slike".
(http://www.symbolic-meanings.com/2009/11/23/symbolic-laurel-meaning-and-ties-to-name-meaning-of-laura/)

***

Curiosity can be a good thing and lead us to knowledge. Thanks to out blogger-fairy Loredana, I've learned a new beautiful name that's now ranked very high on my list of most beautiful female names.
Radoznalost ponekad može biti zaista dobra i dovesti nas do novih saznanja. Zahvaljujući našoj blogovskoj vili Loredani, saznala sam za jedno prelepo ime koje sada zauzima svoje mesto među najlepšim meni poznatim ženskim imenima.

***

A package from far away is the culprit that I've finally written this post, although I've had it in my head for a while. For me Loredana is a good kind-hearted fairy and I thank her for her gift!
Jedan paket iz daleka je krivac što sam konačno napisala ovaj post, iako sam već neko vreme htela da ha napišem. Za mene je Loredana vila dobrog srca kojoj zahvaljujem na njenom poklonu!

Sweet Summer Swap Finale

2011-07-24T15:42:00.007+02:00

I think that everyone has already wrote this post - a post about gifts they have exchanged with their pairs on Sweet Summer Swap. Well, this is one written by me.
Mislim da su do sada već svi napisali jedan ovakav post - post o poklonima koje su razmenili sa svojim parovima u okviru Sweet Summer Swap-a. E, pa, ovo je moj post na tu temu!
As I have already written, this is the first swap I've participated in, and it has been so much fun! I'll definitely do this more often in the future.
Kao što sam ranije već pisala, ovo je bio prvi swap u kome sam ikada učestvovala, i bio je fenomenalan i jako zabavan! Ubuduće ću definitivno češće učestvovati.
This is why I loved participating in this swap (and, form now on, in swaps in general):
- you get to create work on a specific subject - it is a challenge,
- you also have time constraints - another challenge,
- you know that you're sending your works to another crafts person who will probably see all your mistakes although they'll be nice and say only good things about your work ('cause crafts people are great people) - more challenge,
- your work will be displayed together with the works of others and you want your work to be on their level, or at least close to it - how's that for a challenge,
but best of all:
- you get to know your fellow craftsmen (or, rather, crafts-ladies), great people all of them, as I've already said,
- you get to gain some friends too,
- you have the opportunity to give a gift to someone and make them happy (hopefully),
- and you end up feeling great and happy yourself for this amazing experience!
Evo samo nekih od razloga zbog kojih mi je bilo super ovo učešće u swap-u (a to važi i za sve buduće swap-ove):
- potrebno je napraviti radove na zadatu temu - a to može biti izazov,
- imate postavljeno vremensko ograničenje - što je takođe izazov,
- svesni ste toga da svoj rad šaljete nekom ko je takođe kreativac i čije izvežbano oko će verovatno primetiti sve vaše greške, ako će oni naravno biti fini i ljubazni i reći samo najbolje o njemu (jer kreativci su generalno divni ljudi!) - eto još izazova,
- znate da će vaš rad biti prikazan zajedno sa radovima drugih učesnika, i želećete da on bude na istom (ili baremn približnom) nivou - e, zar to tek nije izazov,
ali najbolje od svega jeste:
- imate priliku da bolje upoznate druge kreativce (ili, možda je bolje reći, kreativke), koji su svi divni ljudi (kao što sam već rekla),
- imate priliku da steknete nove prijatelje,
- takođe imate i priliku da nekom poklonite nešto i da ga obradujete,
- i an kraju i sami možete da se osećate dobro i da budete srećni zbog jednog novog lepog iskustva!
You can see all the works from all participants on Medena's blog. She has been and amazing organizer and coordinator!
Radove svih učesnika možete videti kod Medene na blogu, koja je bila sjajan organizator i koordinator!

***

My partner in the swap was Rea from **Sve moje... Nešto!** blog. I love the gifts she sent me, so creative and cool and useful. The real reason why I haven't written this post earlier is because my gift to Rea was traveling a long time. But now that it has reached its destination, I'm happy to share the pictures of our swap:
Moj partner u ovom swap-u je bila Rea sa bloga **Sve moje... Nеšto!**. Radovi koje je poslala mi se jako dopadaju zato što su kreativni, cool i korisni. Razlog zbog kojeg nisam do sada napisala ovaj post jeste taj što je moj poklon za Rea-u dugo putovao. Ali sada kada je stigao na svoju destinaciju, jako sam srećna da podelim sa svima slike našeg swap-a:

***

I'll write more about my works for this swap in next posts.
Više o svojim radovima koje sam pripremila za ovaj swap pisaću u narednim postovima.

Wedding card - reds and hearts

2011-07-12T22:12:00.005+02:00

I have already showed off the bun cake I've made for my friends' wedding. Now it's turn for their wedding card that I've created.
There's nothing much to talk about: love is love, a wedding is a wedding, a card is a card, and the colour is RED. Pictures will tell everything else! :)
Već sam se hvalila sa kuglofom koji sam napravila za svadbu mojih prijatelja. Sada je došla na red čestitka koju sam im napravila.
Nema tu mnogo šta da se priča: ljubav je ljubav, svadba je svadba, čestitka je čestitka, a boja je CRVENA. Slike će vam reći sve ostalo! :)

Sweet Summer Swap & Fairy Giveaway

2011-06-28T19:34:00.005+02:00

I'm a bit late, but here are the "latest" great news from "blogoland":
Malčice kasnim, ali evo "najnovijih" vesti iz "blogolenda":

***

Medena is organizing the Sweet Summer Swap and there is still plenty of time to apply and join this swap. It will be the first swap I've ever participated so I'm over the moon from excitement! I'm still musing about what to make for the swap, but I must say that the ideas are pouring into my head and I'll do my best to make it nice and pretty for whoever my swap partner's gonna be.
Medena je organizovala Sweet Summer Swap i još uvek imate dovoljno vremena da se prijavite i pridružite na swap-u. Meni će to biti prvi swap na kojem učestvujem pa sam presretna i uzbuđena! Još uvek smišljam šta ću da pravim, ali moram reći i da ideja imam na pretek i da ću se potruditi da napravim nešto slatko i lepo za mog swap partnera, kogod to bio.

***

Vila Loredana, her sweetness, is organizing a Fairy Giveaway. I'm enchanted! I must participate! ;)
Vila Loredana, njeno "slatkičanstvo" (bolje zvuči na engleskom, zar ne?), organizuje Fairy Giveaway. Omađijana sam! Moram da učestvujem! ;)

***

Greetings to Andrea (she'll know why). ;)
Enjoy your blogging! I know I am!
Pozdrav za Andreu (ona zna zašto). ;)
Uživajte u blogovanju, kao što uživam i ja!

Wedding bun cake for my friends

2011-06-23T21:03:00.005+02:00

This year is wedding after wedding after wedding...! Oh, well, that just means that a lot of the people I love and care about are happy and are having the time of their lives, and that makes me happy too! That also makes me create some nice things for them...

***

There was a wedding last Saturday - a very special wedding to me because I was the one who brought these two great people together. One of the things I've done for this occasion was baking a wine (bermet) bun cake. The recipe is from Karlovački kuglof blog (as usual). It tastes great, a little bit like honey cake because of the cinnamon it contains.
Decoration was very important to me this time. I wanted it to be nice for the occasion. I don't know how to make flowers and decorations - I bought them. Honestly, it came out a lot better than I could have ever hoped!

***

And if someone is in the neighbourhood, there is a bun cake festival in Sremski Karlovci this weekend. It is a perfect opportunity to try some fantastic sweets and to see this perfect little town.

Scent of the limewood

2011-06-17T17:07:00.004+02:00

Oh, this is my favourite time of the year! It is so beautiful to be in my dear Novi Sad when the limewood is in bloom. The air is thick with its enchanting smell which fills your head with dreams and romantic thoughts of love. Somehow I feel like I'm in another world and everything seems beautiful, good and harmonious. It means that the summer is near and endless days at Danube shores. Some people say that the Danube is our sea. And although it is not as great as the real deal, I love it just the same!

***

I wrote in my last post that the photo shooting for the love box took place at a special location. Here are some pictures taken there. It was so good to get few days of vacation and relax and enjoy my favourite place at my favourite time of the year. I wish that this season would never pass!

Love box - decoupage

2011-06-16T20:47:00.005+02:00

I wonder how long do other people work on a single cardboard decoupage box? Certainly not as long as I have been working on this one. This is not a case of leaving your work, forgetting about it and then later finishing it. I mean, really working continuously on a single box?
Well, for this one it took me 3 weeks. Why? I always have gazillion things to do. I it just me? How do other people manage? Beats me!

***

This is my first cardboard box made from scratch I did in napkin decoupage. Before this I only did wooden objects. This is also my first "creation" where I've used crackle technique. To be honest, I did crackle once as a test, but it is hardly worth writing about. This is how one semi-decent part looked like.

***

For this box I have used: one not assembled craft cardboard box, acrylic paint (carmine red, matte white and metallic copper), universal glue (for assembling the box), crackling agent (Krakelierlak medium by Rayher), glue for napkin decoupage (Art Potch lacquer and glue in one), a napkin, white glue for wood (Drvofix in this case), thin brown ribbon, and 3D metallic gel pen (reddish).

***

Since I really like this box despite all its flaws, it has had a special photo shoot on a special location:

***

Imperfections are there, believe me! I see them all over. But I choose to look at them as a learning experience. Things that I have learned form this box would be:

Be very careful when gluing and constructing the box - one side of the lid on my box is slightly off and goes "into" so it is very difficult to put the lid on the box AND, which bothers me the most, the lid tends to scratch the surface of the bottom part resulting in a scratch on the bottom and red colour stain on the inside of the lid. I have repaired this once by coloring and lacquering these parts again and by thinning the lid's side form the inside with a craft knife and repairing the damage thus caused. But that was obviously not enough and I have a scratch again that I need to repair. Oh, how to fix this for good?
Don't use too much glue for the ribbon (white glue in this case - Drvofix) because it doesn't look nice when you have a thick layer of semi transparent glue beneath a transparent ribbon.
Metallic acrylic colour is not the perfect top coat for crackle effect because it does not crack very well.
Practice crackle more before doing a serious project - it is not very easy (at least not for me) to paint a surface in nice even brush strokes and that is very important to get a good looking crackle, unlike the white on the lid of my box.
When laying napkin on a darker colour, be careful to colour the entire shape where napkin will come in white or else the napkin you lay on it might not be visible entirely and you won't get the look you intended - just like the hearts on the side of the box.

I hope that this all makes sense. I might be wrong, I'm semi-beginner here. :) I wonder what those more experienced have to say about this...

Parcels, awards and giveaways

2011-06-14T15:00:00.009+02:00

It seems to me lately that I write more about happenings in our creative blog-o-sphere than about stuff that I've been working on. This is yet another such post, but don't worry I wasn't lazy at all so there will be some new pics of my work here very soon.
I think it is very important to be a part of this great community and to share news, experiences and positive energy.

***

Here I'm sharing my joy at what my mailman brought to me from craftzeeFactory giveaway. It made my day. Lovely thingies! Thank you Marina for all of this, it will be used to a good purpose!

And this is how I'm spending some of my little vacation. I'm not traveling anywhere this time, just enjoying these lovely summer days and thinking creatively.

***

I have also received an award for my blog form Suzana. Thank you so much for this!

I give this award to all of you who read my blog. Please don't hesitate to take it and enjoy it!

***

And for the end of this post, I'm sharing info about two fantastic giveaways:

Good luck to everyone!
Enjoy the summer!

Pretty little quartz piece

2011-06-05T20:33:00.004+02:00

I've heard that when buying gemstones you need to get the one which attracts you. I've been looking to buy a clear quartz piece for a while now. I've seen so many of them, all very pretty, but I've never bought one. I was searching for the one that will attract my attention, but could not find it - until now.
The funny thing is, I didn't find it myself. As a matter of fact, it found me!
My friend Kristina recently returned from a trip to London and she brought a handful of gemstones for each of our friends. She spread them on the table and told us to pick whichever stone we liked. There were two pieces of rose quartz (very pretty ones), then some leopardskin jasper (which look truly amazing), a stone full of miniature shells (which, I've just learned, is agatized turritella fossil) and a piece of natural clear quartz. When I saw it, I knew it was the one for me. Perhaps I was a bit childish insisting to choose first... but I'm sure no one will hold a grudge.

I did a special photo shooting session just for it. Pretty little thingy, isn't it?

Blog lifting in progress...

2011-06-04T22:29:00.003+02:00

Bolg lifting by Medena is in progress, and I'm not as good at applying the new design as I have expected. So please don't judge harshly the current look! :) It'll be better soon!

Awards - when it rains, it pours!

2011-06-02T21:44:00.008+02:00

I'm so happy, happy, happy!
This is the day when my blog got its first award AND its second award AND a mini makeover. Can it be any better? Million kisses to Medena (Kreativka) and Nena!

***

I'm happy to present the award from Medena for creative blog:

I'm happy to forward this award to some of my favourite blogs, blogs that I enjoy reading and that offer plenty of beauty, useful information, advice and that spread positive energy. These are just few of those that come first to my mind (and didn't get this reward from Medena together with me):

- Nena and her blog Moj cvetni svet - My world of pressed flowers, she'll always be no.1 for me ;)

- Villa-Loredana's blog, where each post oozes positive energy

- Ivanina Mala Radionica blog, because she's the master of jewelry making and such a great lady

- another Nena and My way to clay blog, when I think of polymer clay, I think of her works

- Krpice i Konci by Lenka, I love her tutorials

- Georgiana and her blog Original Paper Decor, plenty of nice things there

- Arba and Romantic Life blog, for inspiration

- Fimolandija blog, for beautiful and inspiring works

- Sanja's Kreativnost blog, so many beautiful things to see

- Made by Suzana, ah, that fabulous decoupaged chair!

- Princess of Handmade, who creates magic with beads

- Silvija Patak and her original jewelry

All you need to do is:1. write a post about this award including the picture of the award2. nominate and forward this reward to your favourite creative blogs (12 max.)Easy! Enjoy and make many more bloggers happy!

***

The second award came from Nena - the Sunshine Award

I want to share it with:

- Medena for very obvious reasons - kindness and big heart

- ArtDrops blog, just read the last post and you'll be her fan forever

- Marina and CraftzeeFactory, kisses!

- Nadin blog, nice and cute crochet works

- Unikatne zenske torbe, name of the blog says it all :)

I guess, the same rules apply for this award as well.

***

My-oh-my, so many awards to give! :) It's been a pleasure!

Time flies when you're having fun, it's already tomorrow! The story about makeover and notifying winners will have to wait until tomorrow, but that just means that I'll be blogging and browsing great blogs tomorrow too!

Love cards - the story continues...

2011-06-01T22:54:00.006+02:00

Isn't it great when your work gets acknowledged and appreciated? Well, I want to say "thank you" to my dear friend and beautiful bride for this cutest, goofiest photo!
How adorable is this? :))) Kisses, my dear!

My treasure

2011-05-29T23:06:00.008+02:00

Another post, another giveaway!
Thanks to Marina from CraftzeeFactory blog and her generosity, who gave us this great task of posting about craft books we own, I am finally proudly presenting my not so big library of "creative" books. Most of them are origami-related, which is my first and biggest love as I always like to say, but lately I've acquired several other craft books that I enjoy very much. Three of them that are in the picture (some others are not because they are being read elsewhere ;) ) are: Simple glass painting by Cheryl Owen, Stencil source book by Lucinda Ganderton and The polymer clay techniques book by Sue Heaser.
I am a huge book lover and each book in my library is special to me in its special way and has its own story. It is great to live in this modern age and be able to find so many information on the Internet, but nothing can replace her majesty THE BOOK and the joys it brings to one who is reading it!
This is my treasure:

Art Drops: GIVEAWAY

2011-05-26T22:17:00.006+02:00

Art Drops is organizing a giveaway and it is FABULOUS! A set of three beautiful artworks. Lucky will the winner be!

Visit: Art Drops blog HERE.

Love cards

2011-05-22T21:36:00.004+02:00

Happy, happy events this weekend: an engagement party and a wedding. Two lovely pairs who love each other and a great opportunity to do something creative. These are the cards that I've made for them.

I have used a nice pearly cardboard as a base, origami washi paper, corrugated cardboard, ribbons, lace, regular and zigzag scissors, a heart shaped puncher and a corner "empuncher".

It took a couple of very late nights to finish these projects in time, but I am happy with the results, same as the recipients of these cards, which I'm grateful for!

Decoupage - a nice web site

2011-05-15T17:50:00.007+02:00

Today is the day when I'm trying crackle with decoupage for the first time. I didn't want to do any particular project, but to experiment a little. I'm using the information that my dear creative aunt Marina gave me as well as some knowledge gathered online. We'll see what the results will be.

***

But this post is actually inspired by a web site that I've stumbled upon while searching for crackling tutorials. It is a web site by an Italian artist, who not only displays her own work but also offers invaluable advice and guidelines for a variety of art techniques, and all that in English!

I find the articles very clear and very helpful and that is why I want to share it.

Furthermore, there are original decoupage papers that can be seen on the web site and bought online that are just fabulous!

I also recommend looking at the fabulous art works. I know little about art, but I know when I see something that I like and that looks amazing to me.

Arte Kjara

(web site of Chiara Stevanella)

Artists' Guide

(home page of the tutorials)

Flowers in the rain

2011-05-08T17:00:00.008+02:00

Freshly photographed! These are one of my favourite flowers. I've loved them since I was a child. I love these bunches of little flowers in all varieties of pretty colours, the shape of their petals and the way they look perfect both in a garden and in a vase. We call it "turski karanfil" (which translates into "Turkish carnation"), but their name in English is actually "Sweet William" (which is rather unexpected to me and a bit funny and brings to mind, naturally, the Duke of Cambridge, although he's really not my type - giggle), or in Latin: Dianthus barbatus. There are also few peony (božur, lat. paeonia) in the back of the bunch.
The flowers in my garden are really doing great this year. Lilacs (jorgovan, lat. Syringa vulgaris L.) and lilies (lily of the valley, djurdjevak, lat. Convallaria majalis) were especially pretty and abundant, but for one reason or the other I didn't catch them on camera. So now I'm making my amends and posting here these purple beauties.

***

Photographing flowers, apart from obvious reasons, can be great also because they are such a great material for making custom graphics if one has some spare time to play and be creative with a photo editor. Results will always surely be worthwhile: it is fun but it can also be useful. For example, you could use such patterns to enhance you web site or a blog. I think I'll try one of my new patterns as a background here, and hopefully it will look as good as I expect.Thankfully, it is Sunday today, a gloomy and rainy day, so I had some time on my hands and so these pictures and patterns came to be.

A late Easter post

2011-05-08T13:45:00.007+02:00

Although it's been two weeks since Easter, it would be a shame not to share these few Easter photos.

First the Easter eggs - because there's no Easter without them. This year the colours were great and there were lots of happy bunnies hopping from one egg to another!

And then two of my "handiwork": Jaffa bun cake (recipe by Karlovacki kuglof, as usual), and a heart shaped cake which is my own recipe (hurray!) and will appear here on the blog soon. :)

Cards with origami cranes

2011-04-22T21:40:00.008+02:00

This post will be a cross-blog post. It belongs here as a crafts story on card making, but it also belongs to my origami blog as a story about how origami can be used to make other things.

***

I have used origami cranes on cards last year for the first time when I was making wedding cards for my colleagues. This time I've used cranes to decorate smaller tag-like cards that I'm going to send to two special ladies with to accompany their gifts.

***

Cards were made from paper from a note paper block. I've used a 4-in-1 empuncher, one of my favourite tools, which has four different corner punchers that also make embossed shapes all combined in one tool. I've added origami cranes made from beautifully patterned washi paper on the front side. On the back side I only added a sticker to match my colour scheme so that there is enough place for writing. To finish things up, I've added a bit of curled wrapping tape in coordinating colours.As you can see, I like to keep things simple but cute.

front side

back side with smudged text :)

Lyra's Origami blog

2011-04-22T20:43:00.006+02:00

What a shocker: I myself don't know my own blog address! I've only noticed today that the link to my other blog Lyra's Origami on the right was wrong, and it has been there for years. It's pathetic, I can't believe myself! :)

So, info for everyone that the link is good now, and a warm invitation for you to visit the other blog. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

Faulty chocolate buncake

2011-04-17T18:46:00.012+02:00

Everybody knows how I love baking bun cakes and trying out recipes form my favourite bun cake resource Karlovacki kuglof. This time it was my friend Sladja who inspired me to bake this bun cake. She was the one to try it first and it was delicious! The next day, I had some free time, went to a store, got the ingredients and started making this recipe. Well, it obviously wasn't my day. It was one mistake or a misfortune after another. I thought that the bun cake would be a disaster and didn't like it much when I've tried it. BUT, to my great amazement, everybody else LOVED IT! I still think that they are crazy, but I'm happy that the bun cake quickly disappeared into thin air. (giggle)

***

The combination for the Faulty chocolate bun cake is:

use silver Dijamant margarine instead of butter - it won't mix well and there will be lots of grease crumbs in the mixture,
run out of regular flour and use 3/5 rough wheat flour type 400,
the chocolates were all good though: Bambi's white chocolate with Plazma biscuit chunks and their milk chocolate noisette for the dough, and Menaz cooking chocolate (my favourite one) on top,

keep chocolate chunks rater big - slice each chocolate block into 4 pieces
grease the bun cake pan with margarine but forget to sprinkle it with bread crumbs

I just had to write all the details down, because some folks are asking for more...

Spring, sun, joy!

2011-04-11T22:24:00.007+02:00

For this post I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. A beautiful spring in my dear Fruska Gora - can you smell it in the air?

Welcome, Spring!

2011-03-21T19:08:00.014+01:00

First post of this Spring will be (as it should) a green one!

***

Saturday (cold and gloomy day, like in early winter) was the last day of "Spring in Novi Sad" (Novosadsko Proleće) event / exhibit / bazaar, my favourite springtime event, and I went there with my friends to see what's going on. Same as every year, there were stalls after stalls abundant with flowers, plants and seeds, with honey and other home made and organic food, an exhibition of children artwork, and arts and crafts bazaar. For me it is always so much fun to walk around amongst gazillion people, colours and flowers bursting everywhere I look, smiling faces, sounds of a marketplace and above all to see all the creative and beautiful artworks displayed.
I came there with no special intention to buy anything, but I've returned home with full hands. The concentration of beautiful stuff was immense and it affected me deeply, so I wasn't able to leave without bringing some with me. This year I've decided on the go to treat myself with three lovely plants: an arrangement of lucky bamboo, a cute looking haworthia in its so becoming clay pot, and a cineraria in my favourite purple colour for which I have chosen the prettiest green woven basket.

***

Years ago I used to have so many flowers of my own (not to mention all the plants my other family members had around), mostly cactuses and succulents, but I didn't have a good place for keeping them over winter so gradually I've lost almost all of them. And consequently I've lost the will to try... It was in the pre digital camera era so I think I don't even have a picture of my dear long lost plants.

***

Now I've decided that I really miss having greenery around me and that is high time to start over! These three beauties are just the beginning as I hope to have much much more. It must be the spirit of the Spring blooming in my chest - let it stay there all year long!

Cute decoupage box

2011-03-14T19:27:00.004+01:00

The most recent project I've completed (not counting few origami models that are waiting to be photographed) is the oval wooden box done in napkin decoupage. I've used one napkin with several complementing patterns and combined them on different surfaces of the box. Insides are left uncovered but only coated with varnish for protection. The natural colour of the wood has always been appealing to me, so I don't usually cover every surface of an object.

I love working with wooden objects. The outcome always looks great. It usually takes me longer to start these projects because I'm not the biggest fan of sanding, spreading dust allover and breathing it in or wearing the protection mask. If it weren't for dusting, I bet that the drawer full of wooden objects waiting to be "napkined" would have been emptied long long time ago.

In any case, here I present the colorful and cheerful box that I've very much enjoyed making.

Chocolate and rum bun cake by Karlovacki kuglof

2011-03-05T21:10:00.016+01:00

I always knew about bun cakes and there has always been a bun cake pan in my mom's kitchen, but it seems to me that they were somehow banned form our lives with my mom, my aunt and both of my grandmothers always making more fancy sweets, cookies and cakes. I suppose that bun cakes were considered outsiders, too simple, too dry and with no filling. My father still feels this way although I've got some credit from him for baking more "juicier" bun cakes like the one with apples.

Anyway, my love affair with bun cakes goes back few years now to when I've first bought few slices from a stand one hot summer day while walking along Danube with my friends. Since then, bun cakes gained a lot in popularity in this area, mostly thanks to the efforts of the ladies of Sremski Karlovci who are doing fabulous job promoting their baking skills and their brand name bun cakes. In Karlovci there is even the bun cake festival where visitors can enjoy great tasting sweets. And here, in Novi Sad, there is almost no public event or festival without at least one stall with the famous bun cakes. They have become very difficult to avoid even if anyone would tried to - the bun cake stalls are always attracting swarms of visitors.

After eating many pieces bought here and there, mostly from famous Mira Kovacevic from Sremski Karlovci, I've finally had my wish and got a brand new silicone bun cake pan for my birthday. That was exactly what I needed to bring my love to the next level and to start baking bun cakes myself. I was exhilarated to find the greatest site on the Internet for bun cakes - Mira's own blog Karlovacki kuglof where she is kind enough to share her recipes. From that point on, her blog has been and still is my main source of bun cake recipes.

My first choice was to make the chocolate and rum bun cake. It was very easy to make and so tasty that the day after I made the first one, I made it once again! It has remained one of my favourites - almonds, chocolate and rum are really a great combination of tastes! This is how it looked (not bad for the fist try, right?):

After this first bun cake, I've tried many other recipes from Mira's blog, but I'll leave that for some future posts. Right now I'm going to finish off the bun cake I've made tonight - the one with coffee and almonds. Judging from its smell while baking, it will be fabulous too!

Pretty vase made by my Mom

2011-03-02T20:59:00.008+01:00

Long time since my last post. That doesn't mean that I don't have anything to share. Maybe I haven't been working as much as I wish, but I have a few photos up my sleeve. I'm thinking: best thing first, and the best thing is not MY work at all! :)

I proudly present my Mom's piece here. She did it as a present and although she first thought to do some flowers, she decided that the form of the object is better suited for a geometrical pattern. I can't agree more. I think that her work is, although simple, absolutely fabulous. And keep in mind that she has tried this only a few times before. Let's hope this successful project will motivate her to do more creative works in the future.

So here it is: my Mom's beautiful glass vase!
(the vase is pretty big and heavy - about 30cm high)

Especially for this purpose I've made a setting for photographing so that the pictures can be good. We really don't have good light in the house, but with some effort and a couple of lamps I think that this time the photos are good enough to give justice to the object in them.

Books 2010

2011-01-02T22:39:00.003+01:00

Traditionally, here is my reading list for 2010:

"The Crusader" - Michael Alexander Eisner (Serbian translation)
"Remember me?" - Sophie Kinsella (Serbian translation)
"Twenties girl" - Sophie Kinsella (Serbian translation)
"Managing Projects: Pocket Mentor Series" - HBS Press Book (Serbian translation)
"Empire of Ivory" - Naomi Novik (in English)
"Act like a lady think like a man" - Steve Harvey with Denene Millner (Serbian translation)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T20:43:00.003+01:00

New year is here, snow out of my window, let's all be happy and healthy this year, and do our best to make this world a better place!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

(and thanks to www.backgroundcity.com for the beautiful background I used for my greeting)

My first "accidental" gemstone piece

2010-12-19T20:53:00.005+01:00

That day I went downtown with my friend who was shopping for mandarin ducks and gemstones. Needles to say, few beautiful little stones caught my eye and I've returned home with two pieces of citrine and a piece of jasper. I left them by my computer intending to add them later in my beloved gemstone jar on my desk.

***

I was reading some blogs, looking what's new on Facebook, posting a text on jasper for my friend Ana who owns a jasper doughnut but didn't know which stone that was, then I was looking on my ongoing beading project in front of the monitor, than started to look at one of the citrines I bought.
It was so nice and cute an little, and it sure tickled my imagination... and I remembered a piece of copper wire I had somewhere within my compartment boxes AND a piece of brown leather that I never knew with what to use (I'm not so keen on brown colour lately). And so I started to work with a little crystal and the copper wire. Oh, I just love the colour of the copper (despite the fact that some people would call it brown).

***

The outcome is this lovely pendant on a leather string. I simply love it!
The only thing I'm worried about is weather this way of wrapping a gemstone in a wire would affect somehow its energies and make it "feel" trapped... But I don't know much about these things, and I'm looking only at the visual result.
I surely hope that someone who will wear it in the future, whoever that might be, will look at it and love it as much as I do.

Summer decoupage

2010-10-02T18:47:00.009+02:00

Decoupage is one of my favourite crafts, but somehow it seems that I'm doing everything else more than decoupage. The thing is, I prefer not to work with paints and glues and lacquers inside when I can't keep the room well aired because of the cold weather. Moreover, since I don't have a designated working space, a room just for this, I have to think what kind of air am I going to inhale while sleeping or doing other things.
Anyway, when the finer weather came, I got reminded of my dear decoupage by a full rack of supplies in a supermarket in Ljubljana (Slovenia) where I was on business at the time. I bought quite an amount of supplies: beautiful tissues, an unfamiliar but (as it turned out) very good brand of glue/varnish, many cool wooden items to work on. This caused an instant swarm of ideas how to use all these great things, so I got my equipment out in the garden and let myself enjoy the work and its latter rewards!

***

The first thing I worked on was this cool wooden vase. I was in a very good and positive mood at the time, and working outside, I decided to go with flowery designs to celebrate the beauty of nature and the summertime. The size of the vase was just perfect and has made the work fast and easy.

The second project was a very small wooden box that I loved very much for its size and shape. I decided to decorate not only the outside of the box but also its inside, influenced by the works of my aunt Marina who creates the most amazing decoupaged cardboard boxes under her brand name Mashtaria (see her works on Facebook HERE). Working on this little box was a little bit more difficult because it required more concentration and preciseness. Again, lovely flowers and vibrant colours!

***

I cannot even start to explain how happy I was with both the outcomes. I am really just a novice in decoupage, but the great thing with this craft is that one does not have to be a pro to make beautiful pieces. Mistakes are allowed and even welcomed, and can lead one in unexpected directions when trying to come up with creative ways to fix a "problem" (again, a wise thing my aunt Marina told me some time ago).
I kept them both for a while, waiting for right occasions and right persons to give them to: the box was a gift for my dear friend Dina who returned back home from a long, long journey and who I've missed very much. The vase is still with me, but soon to be given to someone whose work and positivity I admire very much. I enjoy crafting, but I enjoy giving and bringing smiles to dear faces even more!

Fourth polymer clay workshop

2010-08-10T22:04:00.007+02:00

After quite a while, we have organized the fourth polymer clay workshop. All the girls were very excited, but in the end, only three of us attended. It was somewhat disappointing turnout, but the workshop was great in the end anyway!
Ana was our lovely hostess and our tutor too (all in one!). We did blending and created some cute canes.
We also tried my new extruder for the first time. If there wasn't for Ana's husband to lend his hand, the extruder tryout would have been a big disappointment - it was simply too difficult for us girls to press the clay out of it!
In the end we finished with, not many, but some very nice and colorful items that will make great jewelry.

And to make things even better, Ana prepared for us incredibly delicious chocolate cupcakes with banana flavoured topping. Perfect ending of the evening!

Carrot cupcakes

2010-07-27T21:41:00.006+02:00

OK, so it was not "tomorrow", but I think it is still timely enough.

I've been planning to try myself at baking carrot cupcakes for ages, and now that I'm on vacation (3 posts on the blog in few days - isn't it obvious?) I have decided that I should be waisting no more time.
I have found the recipe on the Internet, since no carrot cupcakes or cakes are in any of the recipe books I have at home (carrot cakes are not common in Serbia, although my mom does have a recipe for some other carrot sweet). I know that it is risky to use a recipe that has no references, but it was my only option and luckily the risk has payed off.
To be honest, I did change a few things in the recipe (I realized only too late that I was missing some of the ingredients), so I didn't use the raisins at all and instead of walnuts I used a mixture of hazelnuts and almonds.

***

The final outcome was great! This recipe is really superb. It was easy to prepare, didn't take a lot of time either. The cupcakes are very tasty and they bake to be nice and soft. The only thing that I would perhaps change is to put a little bit less sugar in the glazing, and to use baking powder instead of baking soda (because I personally don't like the way baking soda affects the taste, even though only slightly). I'll definitely try this recipe with these alternations, and let you know how it turns out.

All in all, I definitely recommend this recipe and I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I have!

Carrot Cupcake Recipe With Picture - Joyofbaking.com Tested Recipe

2010-07-25T22:16:00.001+02:00

Carrot Cupcake Recipe With Picture - Joyofbaking.com *Tested Recipe*

(Just a quick preview of what I was up to tonight. Tomorrow, more comments and some pictures!)

Origami wedding cards

2010-07-17T21:26:00.012+02:00

It has been a while since I last posted to my blogs, and I cannot really say that I was busy working on a load of exciting new projects. Actually, I have found some time here and there to make just a few new projects, and since I've recently had an upsurge of creativity and motivation, I think it's time to present to the world some of those previously finished things before I finish up the new ones. :)

So it happened that in late April and early May this year two of my colleagues from work (one of them my boss) got married. In our smallish team it was a very big deal and I was more than happy to offer to make cards for both of the occasions.

I've decided to give it a twist and use origami to ornate the cards. As you probably already know, origami cranes are frequently seen on weddings, because they are believed to bring happiness, and so the cranes were a very obvious choice to use on a wedding card. Heart was an obvious choice too. I've made the models from yuzen chiyogami paper, that is very beautiful and has great texture too. Origami models were traditional crane (card no.1) and balanced heart by Matthew Gardiner (card no.2).

So, not to babble any more, here are the two origami wedding cards:

and

Third polymer clay workshop

2010-03-14T19:43:00.003+01:00

Our third polymer clay workshop was held yesterday. After a couple of weekends without workshops, everyone was very excited to work again. I am still very happy and surprised how much my friends are loving working with polymer clay. I half expected their enthusiasm to wear off after a couple of times, but it seems that I was wrong. Time will tell...
This time we had two new faces who enjoyed learning about polymer clay a lot. Needless to say, we had a really great time, and I really do think that we are getting better and better each time.

Makings of a great gift

2010-03-14T19:12:00.006+01:00

One great gift made me think about what it is that makes a gift great. I'd say that there are several key ingredients to making a gift great: it has to be appropriate, has to have an element of surprise, it must serve its purpose to make the receiver feel appreciated, and finally, what's very important, it has to be original. Originality for me is the key. So, although I don't consider International women's day an occasion I generally like to receive gifts on, because I feel that the true meaning of this holiday is lost, I simply have to share this because I think that this one gift is an embodiment all the of the above mentioned elements. Further more, since it is a business-related gift, it also works as a clever marketing / PR tool.
Let me represent THE CAKE:

Last year when I've received it for the first time, it was a huge surprise and I was sorry all year long that I hadn't taken its picture before it disappeared (and believe me, it was very prone to disappearing!). This year I didn't make the same mistake.
Thumb up for VIP Fund and whoever came up with this idea!

Polymer clay set no.4

2010-03-07T17:14:00.006+01:00

This is the set of pendants and earrings that I've made during our second polymer clay workshop. It took me some time before I have finished it all up and took the photos.

Although all of these designs are my creations, I have to give some credit to my sister too because she was the one who gave me "an order" for a pendant and earrings set before the workshop and described how she wants them and in which colours. That was my starting point, but I went a bit further and enhanced the design. I'm happy to say that she is very satisfied with how it turned out! I also love this set and I think that I'll go and make it in other colour combinations too. That will be fun!

I have made all other pendants in the same colour combination using the remaining material. I've noticed that I really hate leaving any prepared material for the next time. I always seem to try to spend it all. This habit of mine is evident from the oval pendant that was made entirely from leftovers. However, that one is my favourite and I think that I'll keep it for myself!

All in all, I am very satisfied with the finished pieces and very surprised with the variety of designs I came up with. This factor of surprise that one has when they see how their starting ideas evolve into new and even more interesting designs in the end is absolutely thrilling and one of the main reasons why I enjoy working with polymer clay so much.

Pendants - set no.3

2010-03-02T20:56:00.004+01:00

This is something I've made a while ago, but never got to sharing it here on the blog. These pendants are all alike, just in different shapes, and they were too made for my friends as New Years presents. The last one I loved so much that I've kept it for myself. After all, I was a good girl last year too!

***

And now I'm off to finish up the thingies from the workshops. New photos expected soon!

Second polymer clay workshop

2010-02-22T20:24:00.002+01:00

It seems that the girls have really enjoyed the first polymer clay workshop, because we all spent time raiding hobby stores for more supplies during the following week. Some of us bumped on one another in one store. Enthusiasm and spirits high, we have had our second polymer clay workshop on the following weekend after the first one.
But it was not only the polymer clay that went through our hands that time - we played with some nice dough too, added some filling, rolled it up and baked some super tasty croissants to give us energy for our creative efforts.
Everyone was very happy with the outcome of their own work and we finished the day satisfied, relaxing with a cup of hot cinnamon flavoured cooked red wine.

Don't we know how to enjoy ourselves?!

A few photos form the workshop

2010-02-15T21:22:00.009+01:00

As I have previously announced, we have had our first informal little workshop on Saturday. The group was small but very motivated and in good spirits, and everything went just perfectly. Ana thought us how to make swirls, how to combine them and how to make undertones.

For me it was very interesting to see how every one of us came up with different ideas and colour combinations. Some had no idea what they were doing, some were planning carefully. But all in all, I think we have great results and what is the most important of all: we had loads and loads of FUN!

First polymer clay workshop

2010-02-13T10:29:00.006+01:00

I have discovered polymer clay only recently. And my first works were given to my friends as a New Year's gifts. The feedback was very good, I'm happy to say, and everybody was delighted with their little presents.
What makes me even more happy is that some of them loved their presents so much that they now want to learn to make things from polymer clay themselves. My heart is jumping with joy, not only because my friends and I will have one more thing in common, but because of the effect my first (and let's be honest, very shaky) steps in this craft have had: the awakening of creativity from a long winter dream. Let the spring begin! Let the dreams and new ideas blossom!

***

Last few days I was happy to do some organizing, and today we will have a first little polymer clay workshop. I hope that everything will go well and that the excitement will prevail in the days, months and years to come.

With a smile on my face

2010-01-31T11:51:00.002+01:00

There are small things that can make you so happy. One of those things are pepople one can meet in this blogging community.
Up until a point when Nena discovered my blog, my blogging experience has been a one-way communication with a possible unknown reader. I didn't even hope that the blog would attract a real audience. But when she stumbeld upon mu blog some time ago, things have wonderfully changed for the better. I got to know about a whole new world of fellow bloggers just like me, who are enourmously tallented and who are creating beautiful things using their skills and imagination. This made me more motivated to create my own little works and to share them more with the world.
But more than anything else, this introduced me to a world where the spirit of good will, sharing and encouragement is an unlikely ruler. Unlikely, because the reality of the world around us can be so opposite that it often makes us forget what the real values shoul be.
So I just want to say thank you Nena3110 for opening the new horizons for me and for sharing your work with all of us!

What a wonderful blogging world this can be!

Haiti: 10 Hunger Facts

2010-01-14T20:19:00.001+01:00

Please read this story and help how much you can:

Haiti: 10 Hunger Facts

Pendants - set no.2

2010-01-13T18:53:00.004+01:00

Here is another set of pendant that I've made on my first play-date with Ana and polymer clay. This is me trying out new techniques. In the end I have formed each pendant in a slightly different shape, so that all of them are unique. A few days later, I've also made a set of beads in complementary colours so that the final products look really special.

Two of these cuties are already with their new owners, and were the New Year's gift from me. The third one is still waiting for its designated owner to be surprised!

Pendants - set no.1

2010-01-07T21:22:00.009+01:00

Remember your early school days when you first discovered clay? I bet you loved it! Every kid does. Dirty hands, soft dough, colors, the feeling you can actually make something nice... It was surely a love at first site, but same as with card making, somehow left behind and forgotten... Until one day you stumble upon it again and the old flame gets lively again.
This is the story of how many, many years after first playing with clay I've discovered it again, though in a slightly different form called polymer clay. I've learned about it from my new friend Ana who is very passionate about this craft and persuaded me to give it a try.

***

This is my first set of three pendants, I've made as present to my girl friends. I know they aren't works of art, but it's not too bad for the first try.

There are many hobbyists and artists working with polymer clay all around the world and they make some really amazing things. Through the magic of the Internet, one can see all that. Here is an amazing video about artist that make jewelery using polymer clay, their imagination and craftsmanship:

Books 2009

2010-01-03T15:42:00.004+01:00

It is New Year and it's time to conclude my reading list for 2009. I am painfully aware that it is getting shorter and shorter each year. As my home library grows, my free time is shrinking and now my shelves are full of great but unread titles. So sad... Hopefully 2010 will be better.
So here is the list of books I've read in 2009:

"Temeraire: His Majesty's Dragon" - Naomi Novik (Serbian translation)
"Throne of Jade" - Naomi Novik (Serbian translation)
"Stardust" - Neil Gaiman (Serbian translation)
"Artemis Fowl and The Lost Colony" - Eoin Colfer (Serbian translation)
"Peer Reviews in Software" - Karl E. Wiegers (in English)
"La vita meravigliosa dei laureati in lettere" - Alessandro Carrera (Serbian translation)
"Black Powder War" - Naomi Novik (in English)
"Les Echelles du Levant" aka "Ports of Call" - Amin Maalouf (Serbian translation)

Cards and card making

2009-12-27T20:38:00.009+01:00

I remember that when I was little I used to make cards all the time: for birthdays, holidays, and any other occasion. I loved to make these special little gifts and give it to people I care about, and they were always happy to receive them and appreciated and cherished whatever childish scribbles and drawings I managed to produce.

But when I grew a bit older, I've started to judge my own work and to realize that it wasn't perfect, not even "good enough". I realized for a fact that I cannot draw or paint. I could not construct precise right angle for anything in the world. And that's how I gave up on card making (not that I was aware at that point that there is such a thing as card making craft) or any crafting to be honest. I found other things that I was good at and pursued them instead.

***

Years and years later, a craft bug dormant inside of me for so long has woken up again and I've started to make my own cards once more. I guess I was older and wiser enough to realize that giving something special to someone you care about, and into what you invested your emotions, imagination and time, is much more valuable than being able to produce a masterpiece for everyone to marvel. Even with 20-something, I still had serious trouble with right angles. But I found myself enjoying the process of creating and trying more and more, so that in the end I stopped caring about imperfections and started giving the best I could. My blessing was (and still is) in the fact that around myself I have people who do appreciate an honest gift and can recognize emotions and intentions when they see them.

(a birthday card for my friend, made from read an black corrugated cardboard, golden foil, white copy paper and a cute little good luck sticker)

***

Only later did I learn that there are many people who love to make cards, that there are books written on the subject and that there is a recognized craft called card making.

I don't have many pictures of the cards I've made, but here are some I've found, made in recent years.

(card for my friend's graduation, made from baby rose cardboard, white copy paper, silver foil from a pack of cigarettes - reuse whatever you can and YES smoking IS bad and NO I don't smoke, silver star stickers and a golden tread)

And remember, a single smile can be worth more than all the praise and flattery in the world!

A card from me

2009-12-25T21:55:00.001+01:00

It's the World Food Day today!

2009-10-16T20:25:00.007+02:00

A Billion for a Billion - How can the online billion help the hungry billion World Food Programme

Music for hot summer evenings

2009-07-26T00:13:00.008+02:00

It is summer and I am in Novi Sad. Ideal situation to go and visit some of the concerts from the "Novosadian Musical Summer" event. Thanks to my friend Ana, who is on vacation (otherwise, fat chance that she'd go out on a work day) AND who reads newspapers regularly, we went to see something that she descirbed as: a string quartet playing a little bit of everything, even some modern pieces... I was wanting for good old live classical music, and so we went.

First surprise was the discovery of a beautiful concert place under the clear sky: the garden of a recently renovated high-school dorm which I have walked by so many times in my life but never had a chance to glimpse into and see the museum-like interior and its hidden treasure - the garden. It was a romantic, almost unreal, setting. Rows of chairs, a small stage, dimmed lights, greenery around and stars above. A gentle summer evening in which beautiful music lures the senses and makes you forget everything - that was the promise I felt in the air.
Perhaps, everyone in the garden had gotten that overly-romantic notion, so the Reality had to bring us all back to Earth - sending swarms of mosquitoes on us was naturally the first choice for the hot summer evening. It was unpleasant, no doubt, but also kind of funny - everyone was swaying and moving and protesting. And it got us in the right mood, and by this I mean less romantic mood in positive sense, for what we were about to listen.

It was a concert of a string quartet, Ana was right about that. But who said that string quartets have to play classical music? This particular quartet plays adaptations of modern rock and pop music! After first few sounds, I've hurried to look into program that I was using and a weapon against mosquito armies attacking me from everywhere. Reading that program was like reading my computer play list - verbatim. Song after song it was everything familiar and loved and I got more and more excited at the prospect of hearing them in this new interpretation. I was definitely caught by surprise and it was a really pleasant one. I love to listen to adaptations of modern music for classical instruments and orchestras: Apocalyptica and their interpretations of Metallica, Royal philharmonic orchestra playing Oasis, just to name a few.
When I read the program I knew I was in for a musical treat, and so it was. I loved "Seven nation army" with help of a percussionist, "Bring me to life" and Moloko's "The time is now" sung by Teodora Bojovic. This was the first time I think that I had a chance to hear her preform live and I must say that I wasn't disappointed at all. That's the kind of voice I could listen over and over again.
All in all, it was a night of surprises - pleasant surprises (if we disregard the fact that we were fed like a feast to starved mosquitoes), let me not forget the one when one of my favourite high school teachers sat in the empty seat next to me which gave us a chance to chat a bit and catch up on old (and recent) times.

I was only disappointed because I didn't bring my camera to record some of the concert, but obviously someone did that since I was able to find this video online:

In this video: String Quarter "Intermezzo", Teodora Bojovic - singer, Igor Vincetic - percussionist

in concert, July 20th, 2009, Novi Sad

Our origami display

2009-07-18T21:42:00.004+02:00

I had to share this with the world. I think it looks great, and to prove me right, every person who saw it too shared my opinion.

I'd like to be able to say that this is my doing, but it's mostly not. Only precious few models are my contribution. The rest of them have been folded by my origami-crazy sister - no unfolded paper shall be spared by her folding-obsessed fingers!

Good old choir times

2009-02-14T21:22:00.016+01:00

Few days ago my sister and I stumbled on several videos of our choir on YouTube. Silly me, I thought there were no videos of us there!
Obviously, I'm not the only one who misses and cherishes those good times. I used to sing in Sonja's choir for over seven years and had a pleasure to spend my time singing wonderful pieces of choral music with fantastic people and a great conductor. In those seven years the choir had traveled to Budapest (Hungary), to Choir Olympics in Bremen (Germany), to Riva del Garda (Italy), to Varna (Bulgaria) and to many places within our own country, including one unforgettable working summer vacation in Igalo (Montenegro). Times I've spent with the choir, on and off the rehearsals were one of the greatest time in my life, and I positively know that I am not the only one who feels this way.

So here is what we've found on YouTube:

This is a recording of the last two songs from "XV Rukovet" by Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac, conductor is Danijela Hodoba Les, soloist is Neven Radulovic (probably in 2007). Photos in the slide show are from Choir Olympics in Bremen, Germany (in 2004). I'm on some of them.

This is a video from our concert in gymnasium "Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj" in Novi Sad, Serbia (in 2006). In this video we are singing a song "Veni sponsa Christi" by Sandro Filippi, conductor is Danijela Hodoba Les. (front row, second on the left)

This is the opening of the 9th Concorso Corale Internazionale in Riva del Garda, Italy (in 2006). Our choir was given the honor of singing the anthem of Musica Mundi at the opening of the festival.

Something unofficial for the end: members of the choir singing a folk song "Zvezda tjera meseca" in front of the fair in Bremen (where the competition took palce). This is a song our choir has sand after every event we participated in. It became something of a tradition.

***

This brings so many memories. I'm sure I have few more videos somewhere on my CDs. I'll have to upload them to YouTube too and share the good times with my dear friends and with the world.

In black

2009-01-29T19:37:00.007+01:00

I used to wonder, then I wondered, and I'll just keep wondering ...

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Heart-shaped pancakes

2009-01-12T20:28:00.008+01:00

What is the best pancake recipe? What is the best kind?

I say: the best ones are those made and given with love. And I just want to say: "Thanks!"

PS. And just so yo know, THESE are the REAL pancakes!

My Mother's idea of a healthy meal (no, I'm not on a diet!)

2009-01-11T19:28:00.007+01:00

Eat, eat and eat! That's the way to spend one's holidays. That's the recipe for celebrating any possible occasion. New year, Christmas, birthdays, Slava, anniversary, just name it. Sit down, eat, drink, eat and eat more.
And so this holiday season, that's nearly come to its end, has been a difficult one - for my stomach, that is. And that is why I sorely needed a break. So today, I decided to eat lightly.

These were my instructions: I want vegetables, just boiled with some salt, no add-ones, no meat, just veggies. Carrots - OK, peas - jummy, cauliflower - perfect! And a soup - just mix all the cooking waters and it will be great. And here's what I got:

Soup without anything inside it? Inadmissible! So I got a soup full of overcooked noodles, mushy and partly disintegrated.

Vegetables boiled with only some salt? Too plain, too boring. So the vegetables were boiled with added allspice.

Myself: "They are almost done, cold you please remove them from the stove in 2 minutes?"
Mom: "Sure!"
... half an hour later ...
Mom: "Do you think that they are done? Should I remove them from the stove already?"
Myself: "Argh!"
The peas were too soft, cauliflower molten.

Mom: "Well, if you insist, here are your boiled vegetables, but I really think you should eat something solid with it. Do you like the flavor? Hope you do because I just poured some grease over it and fried them a bit..."

Sonja'a Little Choir

2009-01-04T15:54:00.004+01:00

This is a video of AKUD "Sonja Marinkovic" children choir "Zemlja snova" ("Dreamland") from Novi Sad, Serbia. The choir was founded in October 2008 and is conducted by our dear Danijela Hodoba Lesh.

In this video the choir is singing a beautiful holiday tune.
Aren't they simply adorable?

Books 2008

2009-01-01T17:24:00.007+01:00

This is the list f books I have read in 2008
(removing it from the right side of the blog to make room for the list of 2009):

"The Amber Spyglass" - Philip Pullman (in English)
"The Zahir" - Paolo Coelho (Serbian translation)
"Artemis Fowl The Opal Deception" - Eoin Colfer (Serbian translation)
"The Family" - Mario Puzo, Carol Gino (Serbian translation)
"Time Gifts" - Zoran Zivkovic (in Serbian)
"Crimenes Imperceptibles" aka "Oxford Murders" - Guillermo Martinez (Serbian translation)
"Grabljivica" - Simonida Stankovic (in Serbian)
"Impossible Encounters" - Zoran Zivkovic (in Serbian)
"Seven Touches of Music" - Zoran Zivkovic (in Serbian)
"A Darkness at Sethanon" - Raymond E. Feist (Serbian translation)
"The Library" - Zoran Zivkovic (in Serbian)
"Sex and the City" - Candace Bushnell (Serbian translation)
"Steps Through the Mist" - Zoran Zivkovic (in Serbian)
"The Knight" - Gene Wolfe (Serbian translation)

Happy, happy!

2008-12-31T19:03:00.002+01:00

Yet another long origami story - FIT

2008-11-20T21:14:00.010+01:00

Anyone who has visited my origami website, my dearest website of all, and has read the introductory text, has learned that my big goal my big target as far as folding goes was to fold one amazing model: Five Intersecting Tetrahedra aka FIT aka Origami Star.

I have folded and folded, learned tricks and developed skills until one day I said to myself: "Why wouldn't I try it?" And true, there was not a single reason why I should not try. I believed it would be difficult, but knew that it was plausible. I've seen it done on so many photos all over the Internet. In so many sizes, so many pretty colours. It was tempting, and there came time when my reservations towards its difficulty and my questionable skills were cast aside and disregarded.

But the beginning was really difficult! In hindsight, the most difficult thing about it was to make myself stop guessing just how oh-so-very-difficult ti will be and to start working - finally!

So I've mobilised all available resources: a book, web sites, O-list. Google Image search and YouTube. I found diagrams. I found explanations and advice (million thanks to good o-listers!). I found photos. Videos too. I was all-prepared but somehow still not ready to plunge in.

As it is usually the case with me and difficult projects, it took some time of not doing them, for me to grow to know them better, think about them and then finally actually work on them. This phase of "not doing" is somehow good in terms that I think the problem through and it takes less time and less errors when I start doing it (or am I just kidding myself?).

And so, on one fine day I picked up my dusty half-finished modules (which are, by the way, not difficult to fold at all), crossed my fingers (in my mind's eyes, of course - who could fold with crossed fingers? i suspect there are people ready to try this just for the sake of fun, but not me, not jet anyway) and got started on the first tetrahedra. It was black, and it looked really cool. I've heard that locking can get a bit tricky, but it gave me not much hard time.

I had a so-far-so-good feeling, but didn't want to get overexcited too soon. I did the second one - piece of cake, you can't go wrong there!

The third one, however, is incomparably more difficult. It took some serious thinking, leaving aside and returning, but I was certain that I was on the right track. And I was content and very happy. And what's the most important, looked great! So great that I had to take some pictures of it at that phase.
The fourth one was the trickiest of all, in my opinion. This one required waiting until tomorrow ("jutro je pametnije od večeri" - morning is smarter than the evening), to do it, but once you figure out the logic, it really makes sense.

At that point I was planning to leave the last, fifth tetrahedra for yet another tomorrow, but I could not resist the temptation of seeing a finished model. Surprise: the last one is really easy to add!

The finished model had such a WOW! effect on me that I kept bouncing around my home for half and hour, showing it to everyone and cheering in delight. It was all I have hoped for.

FIT really has a powerful presence when seen in pictures, but even more powerful when held in one's hands. There is not person that could watch it without awe. It is so magnificent!

To sum it up: it was not at all as difficult as I have thought it would be. So the joke is on me, because if I knew that I would have folded it long time ago (and many times since).

So, now what? My big origami goal is achieved. What to do next? - Well, the only logical thing: make many, many, MANY more FITs in all colours, colour combinations, paper patterns, sizes. Oh please, gimme more, gimme more!!!

Nano2008

2008-11-18T20:51:00.004+01:00

Oh, how excited I was last year when I found this great project on the Internet! And how excited I was when I it began last November!
But, as usually happens, life got in the way and so the number 50000 stayed far beyond my reach. But I did start, what was much more than I've ever done before. And I did have confidence, will, ideas, filled pages. And I did make a resolution to finish by next November.
I didn't.
November is yet again underway. Last year I had a strong intention to do it. This year I had a strong intention to try it. Guess how I'm doing?
But I'm not giving up. There is still enough November left. And there will be other Novembers - maybe as soon as this December. And I know that I will make it. And soon too!

Mmm... Milka!

2008-11-03T17:30:00.003+01:00

Mmm... (no text needed)

Flower your ears

2008-07-11T22:35:00.011+02:00

I would like to share a song that I've been humming for quite some time now. It is not sung by a superstar singer (nor a super-voiced one, I'm well aware of it), and I doubt that many people have heard it. But it is very catchy, soft and dreamy with amazingly beautiful lyrics (as far as my understanding of Spanish goes).
I have thought about not publishing this post because someone (not very unlike myself) might argue about my taste in TV program; but then I've decided that anyone who does know where this song is from has watched exactly the same thing as I have and thus have no right to judge me.
So here is this beautiful love song. In this world that is becoming colder by the minute, we all surely need something heart-warming to keep us going.

Avon folding

2008-07-11T21:11:00.007+02:00

I admit, the title of this post is deliberately misleading. I did not fold a model named Avon nor the post is about advertising Avon with origami. I remember a post from the o-list titled: poor man's folding. Now, THAT is a title, but I didn't want to steal it...

Anyway, people I know that want to start doing origami often ask what type of paper to use. The answer is simple, but not if you live in my country where origami paper is everything BUT the real origami paper. I've seen many types of paper cut in roughly square shape passed off as origami paper in stationery stores. Paper for origami - perhaps. Origami paper - no way.
For me this is disappointing, but more disappointing would be if anyone would give up origami for the lack of one and only true paper. That would be their loss (and a huge one if you ask me).
So what can we do, what can we use?
My advice is: use your brain and your imagination, use what is at your hand and make the best of it. Paper cut from Avon's catalogues is no worse than any other. It's colorful and glossy, flexible, it can be cut in a fairly big square and holds a shape pretty good. If you don't have anything better, this is quite satisfactory. To exchange vanity for aesthetics, in my opinion, is not a bad trade at all.
Judge for yourselves.

(models in this photo: Tulip and leaf - Thai traditional model, Conally Vase - by Tom Conally)

Good things in life

2008-07-05T01:38:00.007+02:00

In this life of ours, sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry. We cry when sad, we cry when happy. We cry from pain, and we cry from joy. We cry from spite, or when overwhelmed. It is the most natural thing. It shows we're human, that we can feel, that we are alive.
But crying can sometimes confuse people around us. When it's unexpected. One minute you're laughing. The next, tears are puring down your cheeks. At a moment like that it is great to have someone around you. A special someone to comfort you and care for you. To make you feel sheltered and safe. But the best thing of all is when you have someone you don't have to explain yourself to. Someone that knows how and knows why without asking. Someone who knows your soul and your heart. Someone who will be there, no questions asked and whose arms will let you know that they understand.
It is a rare and wondrous thing. I feel so blessed to have it.

One orange butterfly

2008-07-02T17:28:00.010+02:00

I am not a superstitious person, but something happened today that got me thinking whether there are more to this world than what we can see, more than the material, tangible reality.

Today I went with my family to the cemetery to visit the family crypt and to honor my late grandfather's birthday. I don't like going to cemeteries (I wonder who does?). I hate being reminded of mortality of human beings, of both my own and people's in general. Somehow I can't manage to oversee that fact as many people do. I envy them, I really do. And, as I've previously said, I don't like being reminded yet again about it.

Our visits to the cemetery have a certain order, a sequence of things we do each time: first we do the cleaning and tidying (there are always some leafs and branches to sweep off the tomb), then we put flowers we brought in water, then the candle is lit (sometimes with great difficulty if it is a windy day, even though there is a covered stone lantern), and finally we stand about in silence, each with their own thoughts, until my father or my aunt says that it is time to leave. That is the way I saw my (now late) grandmother do things, and now the new generations are following the example.

I usually read the names engraved in stone several times, I think about how long they have lived and how old they were when they died. In recent years, since both my grandfather and later my grandmother died, I think about them. I let the memories flow through my head. I remember good times, and I remember bad times. I tell them stories about what's new and then I inevitably wipe my nose trying to keep tears to myself. I don't like when people make too much fuss and drama and public display. If one grieves, it is (or I think it should be) a personal thing done quietly and in recluse.

So we stood in silence yet again, when a movement on the margins of my site caught my attention. What I saw was an orange butterfly. Nothing about it was been extraordinary - it is a kind of butterfly that can often be seen. What made me concentrate on the butterfly and follow it with my eyes was the thought I had when I saw it: somehow it came to me that I once read that butterfly is a symbol of a soul. It struck me as very intriguing to see this little creature flying around us at the cemetery. Then another thing struck me: it WAS flying around us. I watched it carefully. Is it possible that the butterfly really represented a soul, a way for our dearly departed to say "hello"? The butterfly flew in circles around the crypt encircling the tombstone and all of us standing in front of it. It made exactly three full circles before it flew away and out of my site. The number three, the symbol of Trinity, a powerful number. Yet another symbol or yet another coincidence?

Was the butterfly trying to tell us something? Was it there to acknowledge our presence, or was it just flying about enjoying a warm summer day? Was I meant to see it and remember the things I've read about symbols? Be as it may, it did make me wonder. And it did make me feel calm and positive. And I really like to think that there might be something in this little incident.

About symbols:

At home we have this great book, a dictionary of traditional symbols (thanks Milan for choosing such an interesting gift for my sister's birthday!). It offers data about symbols in different religions. I've read about butterfly symbolism after I folded few origami butterflies - I had been simply curious). In many religions the butterfly as a symbol has similar if not the same meaning. An online source confirmed what I've read in the book:

"The butterfly has long been a Christian symbol of resurrection, for it disappears into a cocoon and appears dead, but emerges later far more beautiful and powerful than before." ... "But the butterfly is also a symbol of every Christian's hope of resurrection from the dead."

"The number three represents the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) "

(http://www.religionfacts.com)

IMPORTANT

2008-06-24T00:06:00.000+02:00

I have been very lazy and wrote very little in past several months. That doesn't mean that I am out of inspiration and stories. I have lots of unwritten entries all done in my head waiting to put them on the screen for long, long time.
Now that I write more readily, I have decided not only to write about current stuff, but to honor the "old stories" and write them too. These old, unpublished posts will be "published" on dates when they should have been written, in retrospective.
That is why I encourage a reader that comes here to browse the old posts too, because some of them will be newly published.

Sorry for the confusion & here's the list:

The Oxford Murders (May 20, 2008)

You are what you read?

2008-06-19T19:47:00.004+02:00

To read or not to read... this particular book?
Indecisive as I sometimes get, it took me a while to answer this question. In the end, it wasn't much of a surprise that I took the book and read it: it was thin, it was talked about, infamous even. Perhaps curiosity got the best of me. OR, perhaps it was a great learning curve.
It took me an hour and a half, and I wasn't reading fast either. Now THAT is a piece of serious reading!
The story is sad. Unfortunately, I don't think that teenagers drowning in hormones will look at it that way. The book is a hit, and I'm sure that too many young readers will regard it as a guidebook rather than as a warning. If even one person takes it this way, it will be too many.
I the world ruled by television that offers half-digested, ready to consume, instant entertainment, I'm am a passionate advocate of books and reading. But sometimes, like now ,after reading this particular book, I have to ask myself whether in some cases is better not to read at all than to read just anything?
From a different prospective, reading this book has been an unexpected reassuring experience for me: I got to realise that not only Dostoevskys get published. Even more so if you live in Serbia.
The recipe for success: simple story, few pages, large font, promiscuity and violence, bad language. Voila! You've got yourself a best seller! Sadly, I'll have to pass on it. If it takes to write at this level to be popular and read, I'd rather be neither.

PS. I still haven't decided whether it would be too embarrassing to write this title in the list of books I've read. I'll have to ponder this some more...

The Oxford Murders

2008-05-20T10:06:00.007+02:00

I am not much of a crime novel person, though I've read some Agatha Christie in my time, but what I've read about this novel intrigued me. There was this crime novel that had something to do with mathematics. Mathematics?! This was something to raise one's eyebrows.
It is a common knowledge that the most hated school subject of all times is mathematics. People dread it, want nothing to do with it, scare their preschool children with stories about how difficult and beyond understanding it is for ordinary humans. In my experience, hatred of mathematics is a universal thing that goes through people and nations. The common misconception lead to prejudice, not only about the science itself (OK, we can discuss here how mathematics is not even a science, but let's leave that for some other post), but about scientists that practice it as well. Mathematicians are widely considered as freaks of nature, unpopular and antisocial people living within their own twisted minds.
It is no wonder I was intrigued to read about a novel, translated in my country (meaning that it must be fairly popular somewhere else), with a plot that included something cool like a mystery with something extremely uncool like maths and mathematicians. The intricacy was even greater when one considers my own career choice.
The book is actually not bad for a crime novel (no offence here, I am a fantasy fan): it's light, clever and intriguing. Lots of twists, turns and one very unexpected ending. It was an enjoyable experience for me as, I presume, it has been for many other readers. What makes this book truly great in my eyes is that it managed to make mathematics sound cool. Mathematicians too.
You might have suspected: the writer IS a mathematician!

I will always love you

2008-03-10T12:00:00.007+01:00

I used to be quite decisive about not posting videos on my blog, but I really have to make an exception for this. Knowing me, I'll probably continue to make exceptions in the future.

Even my mom knows this song, hence, I'm sure that everybody knows it. But I never suspected that I'll hear a version like this. This is not a new video and I've known about it for some time. Today I stumbled upon it once again and decided to share my admiration and appreciation with the world.
First time when I heard this, I was laughing. Then we played it once more and I laughed less and listened more. The third time, I was really attentive and you could hear the sound of my jaw dropping. Would you be able to sing THIS song THAT way? I don't think so!
My applause goes to the one that came up with the idea and to Nevena Tzoneva for her amazing performance. As my friend Aleksa said: she has both the voice and the looks!

Amazing, right?

I could not resist posting yet another version of the same song. This time, the point is not in the vocal abilities, but the story behind it. This is from my all-times favourite TV show Gilmore Girls. It is a cute and embarrassing situation. Lorelai starts to sing the song for her daughter Rory, but end up singing it to Luke and embarrassing herself in front of all town. It's such a romantic episode!

Books 2007

2008-01-08T22:25:00.000+01:00

This is the list f books I have read in 2007
(removing it from the right side of the blog to make room for the list of 2008):

"Castle of Wizardry" - David Eddings (Serbian translation)
"Business Letters" - Marijan Ozanic (in Croatian)
"Eldest" - Christopher Paolini (Serbian translation)
"Enchanter's End Game" - David Eddings (Serbian translation)
"Your guide to helathy sleep" - brochure (in English)
"CMMI Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement" (second edition) - Chrissis, Konrad, Shrum (in English)
"Der Himmel voller Geigen, Das Leben der grossen Symphoniker" – Rudolf Thiel (Serbian translation)
"Angels & Demos" - Dan Brown (Serbian translation)
"Burning Bright" - Tracy Chevalier (Serbian translation)
"Balthasar's Odyssey" - Amin Maalouf (Serbian translation)
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - J.K. Rowling (in English)
"The Undomestic Goddess" - Sophie Kinsella (Serbian translation)
"Shopaholic & Baby" - Sophie Kinsella (Serbian translation)
"Be careful what you wish for" - Alexandra Potter (Serbian translation)
"Northern Lights" - Philip Pullman (in English, 2nd time)
"The Subtle Knife" - Philip Pullman (in English, 2nd time)

Happy New Year !!!

2008-01-01T10:08:00.000+01:00

Petition

2007-10-22T16:40:00.000+02:00

Jovina gimnazija - skola ili crkva? Petition
I'll have to say "NO COMMENT" for this one, because if I would start stating my opinion on the subject, it would take days and I'm also too stunned by the news to write about it right now.

An insignificant comment

2007-09-20T22:57:00.000+02:00

I was just going to tell here another sad story, but then I realised that someone might think that I'm severely depressed. It's not that. I'm just disappointed in anything and everything, and I sometimes fail to disguise it cunningly with a smile.

Sad but true

2007-09-01T21:14:00.000+02:00

There are times when things are just plain bad and you get to a point when you think that they can't be any worse. Each such time is sure to prove you wrong.
You won't be even lucky enough to have an opportunity to make things better.
Best you can do is to try to hold your ground and stop things from getting more bad. In the end, you will fail. At least you'll be able to say that you have tried.
Or, you can go with the flow, greeting bad things as old friends forevermore. In the end, it all comes to the same.
Sometimes, you'll think that you can see a glimpse of hope in the distance. It will only prove to be a trick of faith to make you loose your grip so that things go rolling down even faster.
It would be comforting to know that this abyss has an ending. That at some point there won't be more going down.
Who knows if this is true? Who can tell if we'll ever know?

***

People say that if life gives you a lemon you should make a lemonade. What if the lemon was rotten inside?

A day of strange coincidences

2007-08-28T20:31:00.000+02:00

In my sleep I was seeing Coca Cola bottles sparkling their contents in hazy clouds around my head. I took one and peered through the window on the label trying to decipher the code printed on the other side of the bottle. The letters were completely out of focus, but I knew that I'll read them, send the code and earn 8 points towards the prize draw. Wow, 8 points per bottle! There were so many bottles around me, that, despite the fact that we reserved a prize some days ago and spent almost all our previously gathered points, we will be able to claim a new prize in no time. How great is that?!
The sound of my mobile phone woke me up, and, as Ivana was handing me the phone, I thought to myself: "I wish one code was 8 points! Just a dream, it's 3 or 4 points really." Sleep still in my eyes, I realised that the number calling me is unfamiliar, I've cleared my throat trying to sound not so just-woken-up at 11:30 and answered the phone.
"Hi, Ivana!" - I'm no Ivana, my brain told me, but I still managed to overcome the confusion and listen on - "Your Coca Cola prize has arrived and you can pick it up today. The address is..." So, I'm not my sister, but she registered for the game and gave my phone number. OK, I get that. But why was I dreaming of Coca Cola bottles? Had I just had a premonition in my sleep?
That was a weird start of a day.

***

Some time in the afternoon, I sat in front of my computer browsing the Internet looking for some nice wallpapers. Actually, Ivana was looking for some nice wallpapers but I managed to slyly grab her place when she went to get herself a cup of coffee. I was looking wallpapers for quite some time when I saw one with white lilies that was extremely beautiful and that reminded me of a friend who loves that flower. I was just wondering whether to mail her that wallpaper when I got a notification on my messenger that she has just came online.
OK, I know that this was a coincidence, but how strange is it to have two such occurrences in one day?

***

Later that day, we watched another episode of Gilmore Girls. I simply love them! They are so clever and so not average-American-like. So not cliche.
A thought came to me: how it is great that Gilmore Girls have been on for 7 seasons now without any cast changes, and how casts of many good series had caused those series to end because of unhealthy appetite for money (here the picture of The Friends cast emerges in my mind: is an outrageous million $ per episode really not enough?).
Being in good spirits I went to google The Gilmore Girls, looked at some fan sites, downloaded yet more wallpapers (this time of Gilmore Girls), and wondered what the Wiki has to say about my favourites. And there is was: On May 3, 2007, The CW announced that the series would not be renewed. According to Variety, "Money was a key factor in the decision, with the parties involved not able to reach a deal on salaries for the main cast members..."
(see the whole text here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmore_Girls)
Apart from a huge shock that my favourite series is to be no more, I was bewildered by the fact that just few minutes ago I thought about one thing that shortly after I stumbled upon online. I shook my head and glanced at the clock: it was minutes to midnight. With a dash of inexplicable relief I greeted a new day.

***

(this amazing picture is Coincidencies by Dosia McKay, from http://dosiamckay.wordpress.com)

There are days and there are days. Some uneventful, some obscure, some crazy or hectic. But what to say about a day like this? Where have all these coincidences came from? Intuition? A once-in-a-hundred-years star alignment?

I haven't got a clue!

Generation gap

2007-07-19T23:46:00.002+02:00

It is the hottest day in the hottest week of one of the hottest summers ever.
People are melting, the electricity and water are being recklessly spent in attempts to cool them. Some are catching their skin cancers on the beaches while some try to escape to the sea where (ironically) the temperatures are even higher.
So I am sweating, feeling good for nothing, lazying from bed to armchair and back again, barely being able to watch TV and check my e-mail. Then I hear form my mom that she has to go over to grandma's tomorrow to help her clean kitchen cupboards since grandma has difficulty kneeling. I think that things like that can certainly wait for cooler days, but (knowing my grandma) if mom does not go tomorrow grandma will do it by herself event if it meant that she does it laying down.
My grandma, she is a 70-year-old on the verge of diabetes, suffering from high blood pressure and nerves, yet she manages to paint by herself her house several times a year (preferably in insane weather like this) and to keep everything in the house meticulously clean. Do I think she's crazy? Definitely! But you simply got to admire her!

Conclusion? Knowing myself it may seem that my gene pool has materialised from nowhere but I am more prone to blame the society: her generation was thought to live through work, mine to drown in idleness.

(cartoon from www.cartoongallery.co.uk)

Golden Sands

2007-06-10T14:42:00.000+02:00

Since I have never planned my summer getaway on my own, this was a bit of challenge. I wonder how people manage to plan their vacations year after year if it is as hard and as demanding as it has been for me this time. Ironically, when the time came to start planning, I said "I don't want to interfere, you arrange all and I'll be surely a more-than-happy companion. All I look for in a vacation is a good company (that I already have) and a beautiful beach".
It didn't work out like I planned. As time passed I was more and more engulfed in the frenzy of finding a perfect place (in our price range, off course). I simply had to know every detail and to plan and plan an plan. It was my own fault of character, I'm well aware.Turkey has been our choice for this summer from the start, and luckily for us that we had limited our search to only one tourist agency. Otherwise, I suspect, we would search for our holiday for at least a year!
My only request turned out to be the tricky one. Whichever beach I saw in photos, I was never satisfied. I kept comparing them with our beautiful Strand (a beach on Danube in Novi Sad) and even more with the Golden Sands where I was a month ago. Try to imagine wide stretches of gold coloured sand caressed by playful waves of blue. Sea shells sunken in the sand. Enchanting blues of sea and sky blending in hazy swirls on the horizon, even and unspoilt by anything, endless, unreachable and surreal.
That is the picture I brought with me from Bulgaria and that is why no other beach seemed to measure up. Let's face it, the Golden Sands have "ruined" Turkey beaches for me this year.

Overthinking - my favourite hobby

2007-06-08T00:18:00.004+02:00

As I wrote some time ago, we went to Bulgaria. We also came back, and I still have not written a word about our trip. It is not that I didn't want to, but that I didn't want to slip into cliche, say how wonderful it has been, write a report-like text: we were there, we've done that. That is boring. That is for a diary. Well, maybe not even for a diary because it would not be personal enough.
It is not my style to be a wannabe journalist. I don't think that that style is for me. I like to write stories, not news. I want to explore personal feelings, not facts.
So, yes, we were in Bulgaria. It is an interesting country, where we felt at home and did not see the reasons why they are in the EU and we are not, considering that everything functions in similar dysfunctional ways in both countries. We saw and bathe in the Black sea. The coast is beautiful. People very friendly, although somewhat disorganised.
That would be the end of the report. Thank you very much!

Lesson in politeness

2007-05-30T23:38:00.000+02:00

People in general don't like waiting.
However, it is an all-Serbian custom to be casual to the extreme with the issue of being on time. This custom, sadly, is not exclusively Serbian, the fact that is used as justification of it. "We are not the worst ones", is often heard followed by examples of how people from some other countries are even worse than people here. Is this the best we can, to be satisfied (and proud!) of not being the worst? Should not this strike us as pathetic? I don't think it will, not ever, not here. Mostly because the masses are not accustomed to stop and think, not about issues like this, not about anything. They will be ferocious when having to wait for someone, even if being liberally late themselves. They will feel self-righteous and victimised, deprived of their precious time that could have been spent on something else - most likely something totally irrelevant, but who dares to deprive us from our right to waste our own time?
So, the general consent is that it is not all right to wait but it is to be late, especially to be the most late of all. That is our philosophy and got forbid that someone does not behave accordingly. These unfortunate souls are, apart from being condemned to eternally wait for others, also marked as fools, naives and are bestowed with no mercy nor compassion. Other nations famous for their punctuality are considered demented and twisted (there must be something seriously wrong with people that get to places on time, start events as scheduled, whose trains are never late). Masses would never think that those nations are simply being polite and considerate. Masses don't ask themselves why such nations are more prosperous. So what if they are prosperous when they are cold, inhospitable and heartless. Lucky us, when we have heart in abundance and instead of canceling a meeting at least half an hour in advance, we cancel it an hour and a half later.
Shamefully small number of people here think about others. Shamefully few has realised that I need to respect and value someone else's time if I want them to respect and value mine. That this problem has to be fixed on individual level and in our individual consciousnesses, so that it can stop to be a global one.
(photo by Tod, http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/index.html)

Varna, here we come!

2007-05-15T00:19:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow we are travelling to the choir festival Prof. Georgi Dimitrov in Varna, Bulgaria. I am very excited and can't wait to start the journey. Hope that everything will go well, that we will sing to the best of our abilities, meet new people, see new sites, have warm weather and bathe in the Black sea. With the song in our hearts, off we go to discover new horizons.