Wednesday 26 February 2014

Newly Listed: Teal and Purple Sea Bobby Pins


Teal Sea Urchin Bobby Hair Pins - Sea urchin, Pearls and Shell by StaroftheEast
Rustic Country Emerald Teal Woodland Fairy Tail by 8daysOfTreasures
Art Beach Photography - San Francisco Ocean Beach - Pacific Ocean - Seal Rocks by minagraphy
nature, flower, garden, teal, purple, fine art photography by BeverlyLeFevre

Monday 24 February 2014

Terracotta Army


One of the great things we did in Madrid was visiting the exhibition of the Terracotta Army.
Especially after finding out the facts about it you will be even more intrigued. 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses and also non military terracotta figures like officials, acrobats, musicians and strongmen are found surrounding the tomb of  Qin Shi Huang. These were made to accompany and protect the first Emperor of China in his afterlife. The Emperor was buried in 210 BC, more than 2200 years ago.


An old Chinese tradition was that when a leader died, his entire household would be killed and buried with him to serve him in his afterlife. This cruel ritual was to show loyalty to their leader but also so that they could serve him in the afterlife as well. Many graves are found like that with often 100-200 bodies in it, the leader with his wife, bodyguards, servants and the rest of the household were all buried at the same place.


But Qin Shi Huang became the first Emperor of China after uniting the 7 kingdoms which before then had been in war for 250 years. This war had reduced the population of China so much that the old ritual of killing entire households was a luxury that could not be done, and the emperor found a solution that was not inhuman; making an army of Terracotta.



Each soldier had weapons like spears, swords and crossbows. Many are now missing either due to the 2200 years of rotting or stolen, but some have been found.


One of the most amazing facts is that no face is the same, each of the 8000 soldiers are unique! For the arms, legs and heads, molds were used but then they were altered by hand to make them unique. The bodies were entirely made out of hand and are all different, the work was tremendous and it is estimated that thousands of people must have worked on this army.


The Terracotta is now clay colored but originally they were vibrantly painted to make them look more realistic. As soon as the Terracotta gets in contact with air the paint vaporizes and disappears, sometimes in a few seconds. The details are amazing, what a history.



Uncovering all the soldiers and most often shreds of terracotta and restoring them has already been going on since 1974, after 2 farmers found pieces while digging for a water well. And uncovering and restoring everything will take many more decades, maybe even centuries.






Most of the statues were replicas in the exhibition, only those behind glass were the real ones, but the replicas give a good idea of how impressive so many together must look like.








To appreciate even more the tremendous amount of work and amazing discoveries that have been made about the Terracotta army I strongly recommend you this documentary below, it is the one they were also showing at the exhibition and I'm glad that I found it on YouTube to share with you, be prepared to be wow-ed!

Sunday 23 February 2014

Newly Listed: Pink Swirl Sea Urchin Necklace


Sea Urchin Necklace Pink Swirls Necklace with Pearls One of a Kind by StaroftheEast
Notre Dame Door Swirls Photo Paris by RespiteImages
Fence Photography Print, Paris wall decor, shabby chic art, Modern Vintage architecture by Raceytay
Composure Accented photo - Metallic finish  by Feliciano

Thursday 20 February 2014

Madrid 4: Old Madrid


We've been totally neglected our blog, life got a little in between. Although I had planned to make several more Madrid posts, I just keep forgetting to actually write the posts. So here is finally another post about Madrid, the old shops and kiosks you can see all over the city.


These kiosks are awesome, made of iron and amazingly detailed.


And when the shop is closed it is just a small cylinder with adds, love how little space it occupies and in a pretty way.


Here another one but this time a florist, did you see the little plants on top of the roof?


An old butcher, completely covered with marble and details in brass.


An old puzzles and games shop, I'm sure this shop was extremely popular when there was no internet!


A religious artifacts shop.


An old book shop, my mother remembered this shop from her youth.


A large doll shop, please note my mother on the right, looking as excited as the little girl :)


And another beautiful antique carousel.


No kids though, the weather was very cold and wet that day.




I promise to post the remaining posts much quicker and sooner!!

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Newly Listed: White Linen Embellished Jacket



We have been having an early Spring these past few days, daisies are popping up everywhere, sun is warm and days are getting longer. I'm sending rays of sun to all the places that have been under snow or flooded these past few weeks, I hope the sun will reach you too!
White Linen Jacket Embellished with Patchwork Applique by StarsWear
Flower Photograph, Daisy Flowers, Summer Abundance Shabby Chic Wall Art by SuzanneHarfordPhoto
Nature Photography, Dogwood Blossoms, Sky Blue, Home Decor Print by ChristineLeAnda
Nature Photography - Sky Photograph Sunrays Clouds Home Decor by BLintonPhotography

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Newly Listed: Green Agate Necklace


Finally something new in the shop; Green Agate Necklace Soldered Stone with Silver plated leaves
Southwest Mountain Photography Print Sandia Mountain New Mexico by WildWildernessPhotos
leaf photograph, green, leaf, summer, nature photography, woodland by oohprettyshiny
Pole Emeraude Landscape Photography - Mountains - Color Block - Emerald Green by labokoff

Sunday 9 February 2014

Madrid 3: Street Artists


A lot of people are trying to make their living on the streets of Madrid. Musicians, live statues, selling items and also begging. Some have found a very fun way, like this headless lady who gladly posed in pictures for whatever you could spare in money.



You can see this kind of live statues in many cities, but a few were very unique.



This man with hardly hands and arms, worked hard for his money. He makes little decorations with soda cans. The small items are priced to your liking so you pay whatever you want, the planes were priced. I found it wonderful that he wasn't begging and instead was constantly making new pieces right there on the street with garbage and a pair of scissors.


A photographer with an antique camera.


This girl was making lovely wire twisted jellyfishes and seahorses, we recommended Etsy to her and bought a jellyfish brooch, as we very well know how great it feels to sell a piece.


A bucket of soapy water, and two sticks with a rope is enough to give lots of joy to kids and adults. This man had so much fun with his soap bells that everyone had fun too, it was really a joy to watch.


These were just a few examples of the many people on the streets, more Madrid posts will follow so stay tuned :)

Friday 7 February 2014

Newly Listed: Velvet Leaf Scarf


Newly listed today is the Velvet Crocheted Scarf in Fire colors.
Red and Gold Art Print Mixed Media Collage, Altered Antique Portrait of a Little Victorian Girl by frighten
Woodland Tree Photo, Red Oak Leaf, Rustic Home Decor, Nature Print by LostInTheValleyPhoto
maple leaf red - pastel aqua blue sky - 11 x 14 photography print by beyoutifully

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Madrid 2: Royal Palace


Today I'm taking you to the royal palace, in the heart of Madrid a piece of fairy tale. This is the front side where there are pretty kept green bushes, fountains, trees and statues.


One thing I like a lot of Madrid is that it is very spacious, often cities are suffocating but Madrid's streets are wide and breathing and everywhere is enough room to walk freely.


At the front of the palace was an ice skate ring, a beautiful old merry-go-round and little tents with food and souvenirs.






The palace itself has no gates at the front, however there are two police cars to prevent people from getting too close to the building.



 While walking to the backside of the palace,where there is a huge garden, with a view over entire Madrid, you pass all kind of little parks, gardens and statues.


The garden is open for public between specific hours (with a fee), we were too late for that so we couldn't get in. We did walk to the back to see an other side of the palace and the Cathedral where the King goes to mass.



The Cathedral is right across the palace and when the King wants to go there the road path between the two places is closed to public so he can worship freely :)



Everywhere angles are welcoming you...


And here you see a part of Madrid and the palace from further and higher away.