27 October, 2015

Trick or treat

Time to go with the season and show a Halloween's card. Like last year, it will be the only one for me, created for the sake of creating only. Other than that, I can easily go without blood, eyeballs and bandages - it takes more to scare a med student :)

I've chosen to use typical Halloween colours: black, white and orange. What goes with the spooky part is the background paper, the treat on the other hand would be a wonderful image of Marilyn Monroe.
I combined it with the typical Halloween sentiment and - probably a little less typical - a couple of flowers. 
Next to floral embellishments, I added orange rhinestones and tiny white pearls surrounding the central motif. These were not planned originally, but as the black background paper behind the image is smaller than the image itself it needed some extra attention. 
In fact, I was a bit hesitant to use it in frst place as I prefer background papers covering the image all around. However, as I didn't want to start a new black cardboard for my Halloween project, I took the black remains from the white Marilyn card I made recently and decorated the black border with pearls.  
The decorated back side of the card wasn't planned either, but as I decided to use one of those charity Christmas cards for the base of my card, I needed to cover up the logos in the back. Therefore, I used a Halloween cardstock with spooky letters, which I additionally decorated with punched orange and black foliage. 
To make a transition to the interior, one leaf of each colour is also found on the inside of the card.
The result is probably not as spooky as one would expect for Halloween, but it's OK to have a little treat here and there ;)
On the other hand, this is some really cool Halloween decoration on the window of a local school. You gotta love crocheted Halloween stuff, especially if it is arranged so nicely!
Scared yet?

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a gem of a challenge: too cute to spook
- allsorts challenge: orange & black
- C.R.A.F.T.: black, white and one more colour (orange)
- craft-alnica: autumn leaves
- chocolate coffee cards: Halloween
- brown sugar challenges: ATG
- come and get it: use orange
- city crafter: creatures of the night (bats)
- crafting from te heart: ATG
- crafty calendar: Halloween
- crafts4eternity: Halloween
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- creative fingers: ATG
- cute card thursday: ATG
- deep ocean: Halloween
- inspiration destination: ATG
- fan-tastic tuesday: ATG with a twist - Halloween
- fussy and fancy: orange, black or purple
- glitternsparkle: fall/autumn
- robynsfetish: anything for Halloween
- morgans artworld: Halloween
- moving along with the times: Halloween
- pile it on: cute and/or spooky
- papertake weekly: colour theme - Halloween
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- pinspirational challenges: Halloween
- use your stuff: die cuts and/or punches
- tuesday throwdown: too cute to spook
- Mavelu: cards featuring Mavelu products (white paper flowers)

26 October, 2015

Vienna calling

I guess it's about time to close my September Vienna trip (ooops). 
Just as it was the case in going to Kraków with mom, I combined the conference trip with a little family time. Stayng at my auntie and uncle, I wanted to spend some additional days with their family, making up ages of not seeing each other.

But first things first: as it was during the day, I decided to take public transport to reach the airport (is there any international airport with no public transport brfore 7 AM and after 20 PM?). The bus ride turned out to be a wonderful chance to explore every pothole along the way on a big zig-zag course through Ljubljana. Add traffic jams, curves and the Slovene driving habbits, it can only end in nausea and headache. By the time I arrived at the check-in, I was about to puke, not to mention that the trip from Ljubljana city center to LJU airport took me longer than the entire LJU-VIE flight, including check-in and security check. Oh well...

Being a little early, I could get enough fresh air to calm my stomach and brain, and do a little amateur planespotting on the visitors terrace. Busy skies above LJU airport
I had the chance to see the afternoon rush-hour with well known visitors, which regularly catch my attention during their afternoon approach over Ljubljana. Especially the guys of IranAir are usually flying pretty low in comparison to others, much to my delight :)
And then, of course, the airport's top dog Adria Airways
My baby for the day however was an A319. 
I'm not into technical details and comparisons, but flying with it from Brussels in July, I had the feeling it was much louder than the CRJ900, even giving me a little headache. Explains the little disappointed that set in when I saw it would replace the scheduled aircraft type a cuple of days before leaving for Vienna. However, the journey turned out to be just fine - no noise and no headache - except of the fact it was over way too soon. 
Off we go: climbing, a sharp turn and - mount Triglav is sneaking from the cloud cover. 
Maribor
Unfortunately, the trip was too short to climb over the big cloud layer. Still, there was a trace of blue sky. 
No sunset like one seen from above...
Touchdown

Once in Vienna, you'll soon be embraced by its well-known charm (smell the sarcasm). 
Ask anything and you'll probably get the meanest look you can get, alongside with a useless answer. To be fair, one has to say Vienna has its beautiful sides, too. Above all: the best ice cream in town
Walking through the city, you may want to watch out for all kinds of fascinating facades and decorations. Among them, a gigantic owl guarding the Library of the University of Technology, with a number of baby-owls on the rooftop. Absolutely adorable, and yet a little scary.
One of the most famous architectural pieces: Secession Building and the Karlskirche.
Former Vienna Stadtbahn Station, now museum resp. café. Gotta love the golden sunflowers.
More to love about Vienna: the super efficient public transport - fast, on time, clean and above, featuring tube stations in dfferent styles and colours. And bus drivers who turn out to be a friendly exception ;)
Eye-catching entrance to the Institute of Chemistry
But of course it wasn't all about facades. Rather, it was an interesting session of lectures featuring transition of paediatric cancer survivors to adult care and follow-ups. Sure something I'll want to hear about again some time in the near future.
And one day, who knows, it will be time for the really big conference :)
Another must-see when in Vienna - the Cathedral of St. Stephen with its colourful roof. I didn't spent much time discovering its interior, but I think I'll stick with Belgian churches when it comes to gothic ;)
A fountain in the Archbishop's Palace
Belvedere palace: Lower Belvedere
Upper Belvedere
Huge Soviet War Memorial at the Schwarzenbergplatz with probably the hugest fountain I've seen (except of Geneve's Jet d'Eau).
Historic tramway
Blue skies and sun, a pleasant sight after a week of cold wind and rain
Sunset above Ottakring
Time to go home on the wings of Adria's baby CRJ200
Taxi towards the runway, with airport lights in the background
Is it Vienna by night or are the stars upside down? 


There has been another part of Vienna, too. The part around the new main train station. A part featuring tents built up literally next to the roadside, children breathing fumes day and night, people sleeping on the street, waiting for what the future will bring.

Do I have the right to complain about the wind and rain that catches me on my way home? 
Or feel cold when I rush to my department in the morning, covered with gloves and a scarf? 
And winter hasn't even started yet.

I haven't quite understood the world when I was a child, but the more I grow up, the stranger it seems alltogether. How could one possibly blame people for seeking peace, and a little security for their loved ones?