Still Longing for Paris....

As we waited for our cab to arrive I remember looking out the window. Lou wanted to know what I was looking at....just looking....hoping to absorb and remember everything I was seeing. I'm driving Lou crazy. I would go back tomorrow but he wants to see other parts of the world. But I still have my pictures.

And of course I took pictures of jewelry.....

Buildings in Paris

Some of the buildings of Paris. I love the rooflines. Especially this first one with it's deep patina.

Doors and other details....

Joyeux Noel

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Mele Kaliki Maka, Felilz Navidad to all my friends and family

Warehouse Shows

Saturday's show was fun. Artists from Cleveland and Pittsburgh came together at The Screw Factory for the day. The traffic through the show was great. It was a diverse age group for both artists and buyers.

It was a great old factory and the artists studios were great.






I set up the booth a little different...in a V shape. It worked out nice. I think I'm going to try this at my next summer show.

Old Wounds...

Something opened up an old wound today and I have been contemplating posting about it....but I decided to post about this instead.


This is old news...a picture from 2006, but the first time that I've seen it and appropriate considering the season. This Chief Master Sargent worked in Iraq as superintendant of a Medical Group . The child was shot in the head and left for dead by insurgents that had killed her parents and many of her siblings. She was being treated at the hospital where he was stationed. He heard the child crying and moaning in her crib and he picked her up to comfort her. He spent 4 nights sleeping in the chair with her.

Some wounds...when put into perspective.... are inconsequential.

Compassion for another human being is a gift we can all give this holiday season.

Christmas Fact

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should've known... ONLY women would be able to drag a fat-ass man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

We interrupt our regular programming.......

To remind you all about the Cleveland Handmade Market this Saturday at The Screw Factory in Lakewood.

Together with IMadeIt! Market and The Screw Factory Artists, Cleveland Handmade is once again enabling, and even encouraging, holiday shopping procrastination. The Last Minute Market will be a wonderfully unique shopping destination with more than 60 regional artists and craftspeople. In addition, artists whose studios are in the building will open their doors to offer a peek at their workspace and an opportunity to purchase their work. Don’t miss this Market!

December 19, 2009
Lake Erie Building at Templar Industrial Park
13000 Athens Ave.
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Love Locks

The Pont Des Arts is a wooden pedestrian bridge across the Seine that connects the Institute of France to the Louvre. In the summer it is a place where artists hang out and display their paintings. I noticed this time that there were locks on the bridge. I guess you would call these Love Locks. People write their names, dates, sentiments on them and lock them to the bridge. They then throw the key into the Seine. So romantic.

And if you are wondering...."Ich liebe dich" translates into "I love you".

Now this piece of modern art in the Marais district seems to go along with the Love Locks. Have you ever seen the Cialis commercials...the ones about erectile dysfunction?? I could never understand why the couple is in separate bath tubs in some scenic spot at the end of the commercial. This is how the commercial should end.

Ahh...L'amour!!!

Paris Shopping

Paris has some amazing shopping....clothes, shoes, purses, kitchenware, antiques.....on and on. There are little boutiques everywhere and some beautiful large stores. Window shopping is just as fun as actually buying something. The widnows are beautiful...check it out.









The Christmas windows at the major stores are amazing. We tried to see them on Saturday but the crowds were horrible. I've never been in that much of a crush of people. You could barely move. We left and went back during the week. The horse in this window is all needlepoint and the gown was beaded.











There were also some whimsical windows





You have to really look at this window. Unfortunately there is so much reflection from the street. This is a champagne fountain with drunken bunnies. Some of the bunnies were bathing in it...some are face down in it. It was funny. You would never see this in the PC US store windows.



Inside the stores were just a beautiful. This is the Galleries Lafayette. It looks like an opera house inside.







These Russian dolls were huge. I stuck Lou in the picture to give it some scale.



Another needlepoint horse.