Free digital collage with japan nature illustrations

I'd like to share for you today this digital collage. It contain different japan vintage images with nature, flowers and birds.  You can use it to make glass tile jewelry, or to use in your scrapbooking project.  The collage sheet is 8.5x11 inch and resolution is 300 dpi. 
This collage sheet is perfect for mixed media, collage work, cards, stickers, bookmarks, scrapbooking, jewelry, glass tiles, magnets, and others.  You can print it easily on home printer. Make right click and save the image.

Please, be aware that the digital collage sheet is not be sold as digital or printed collage sheet.

In graphic shop  KarisaGraphics you can find many collages for all you craft and scrapbooking needs.

My Lavender Kingdom

I'd like to invite you to my Lavender Kingdom today. It is called "La bottega della lavanda " or a "Lavender shop".

This is lavender:

By the way, this bicycle by the entrance works just fine!

I have all what you want: perfuse, cosmetics, air fresheners, lovely sachets, soaps and bath products, candles and also house decor items and ceramics.

Everything here (including me) is either lavender colored or has lavender fragrance. Even our cash register is purple! According to psychologists, lavender color works to relax you. It calms your down and even improves your vision!

Even ancient Romans known beneficial effects of lavender. Now you can find lavender in almost everywere in Italy, especially in north. You can see it in gardens or on balconies or terrassa. It is a beautiful plant blooming with small flowers.

Do you know that one drop of lavender oil will ease the discomfort of mosquito bite? It’s also a mosquito repellent. Not many people know this natural remedy.

If you will get a chance, try to see the amazing lavender fields of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region in the north of Italy. Once you see it you will almost instantly fall in love with this beautiful flower!

Lavender will help calm down your nerves and will help you think clearly. You can also use it in cooking or you can drink it as a part of a herbal tea.

Lavender sachets placed in the closet will absorb odor and also will disinfect the air. It is said that if you will place a lavender-based natural air freshener in your bedroom or place a lavender sachet right on your pillow during day, you will never have a bad dream. You will wake up refreshed and full of energy!

As you know, I'm a creative person so I wanted to create something to wear it at work. 

This necklace I made a threading on organza ribbon - glass, acrylic, crochet beads and crochet flower. It's beautiful and attractive necklace. I like to wear it with simple white t-shirt and purple skirt or pants.

To make this necklace, you'll need a few items - organza ribbon, beads in any design or shape you please and your fantazy! Cut one end of each ribbon on a sharp angle so that the ribbon comes to a point. This makes threading the pearls or beads onto the ribbon easier. Make a node before and after every bead to keep it. I used clasp closure, but you can simply make a node and hide it inside of the bead.

 I hope you enjoyed your short trip to my Lavender Kingdom. If you are ever in Italy please stop by!

Krimml waterfall

One of the places we visited was famous waterfall near Krimml in Austrtia. It's the higher waterfall in Europe - 380 meters ans consist of three stages. You can ascend the trail to the top- Along the trail made places to admire the waterfall. Some are so close to it that it pour spray from head to toe. 


This photo I made at the base. 

Just when you make out little figures of people in the photo, you can imagine the size and power of Krimml Fall. But on the photo it's only small part of it.When you ascend this rock near the base of waterfall, the power of wind is so high that you can not to stay on the feet. There are so many splatters that you become wet after a few seconds and noise of waterfall deafen you.

Alpine nature

Today I share some photos of nature that I made in this trip. I like to make photos flowers, butterflies, trees, aint hills...

 Marmot. Stelvio pass. There was full of marmots)

Butterfly. Swiss National park. 

Aint hill. Swiss National park.

River and flowers. Fluela pass.

Mountain flowers. Solden.
I like this small flowers with their delicate color and tender beauty.

Bee. Brandnertal.
I catch this photo occidentally - when my husband kept the flower in the hand sudden set down a bee) 

Photos from Alpes - Stelvio pass

These are some photos that I made in our trip in Alpes. Only first day of our trip was rainy. Other days over our heads the sun was shining.


Usial way in Alpes:

Stelvio pass rise:

Above:

Descent:

In the evening we arrived in Livigno - small town near Swiss. 
And we found that it is today in fest called "Black night". In all center of the town will be turned off street lights, people will walk with candles. Bars and restaurants will also be illuminated only by candles. It was wonderful, I never saw something like this before!


To be contitued...

Tutorial: Circle leather pendant with charm

You can make beautiful and stylish pendant  with your own hands. It's possible!

You will need:
a.. Piece of genuine leather  - thickness 0.02-0.06" - проверь!! (0,5-1,5 mm)
 b.. Thick needle or awl
c.. Scissors
d.. Compasses
 e.. Flat nose pliers
 f.. Charm
 g.. Ring - diameter 0.2-0.5" (0,7-1,2 cm)
 h.. Chain with lobster clusp closure (or cord)

1. Draw on the back side of the leather 2 equal circles.
2. Cut them out.
3. It has to look like this.

4. Join the edges as shown. Sew circe  together at a distance of 0.1"
(2-3 mm) from the edge.

5. If the edge of one of the circles overhang, trim it with scissors.
6. Pierce with a thick needle at a distance of 0.1" (2-3 mm) from the edge.

7. Take a ring and pass it through the hole.
8. Take a charm and put it on the ring.
9. Close the ring with flt nose pliers.

10. Pass the chain (or cord) through the ring.

Your exclusive pendant is ready!

Grape harvest

Already begun the grape harvest, which called in Italy Vendemmia. Now on the roads near Brindisi you can sea small tractors with trailers full of grapes harvested.
On vacation, before going to the Alpes, we visited two famous grape valleys near Verona - Soave and Valpolicella. 

In the valley of Valpolicella make ​​famous vine Amarone, a bottle of which costs abou 40-50 euros. The grapes for Amarone after harvest in October, leaving another 120 days for wither. Vino Amarone has usually about 14°.

This summer vi visited some Wineries near Brindisi where we explained certain secrets of winemaking. For excample, you know that red wine is not made ​​from red grape? It's can be made as from white grape as from red grape. For make red wine during fermentation add skins of grape - It change the color and the taste.

Free sample collage sheet from KarisaGraphic

Are you looking for image to make glass tile jewelry, maybe a pendant with initial letter of the name of your special person? Maybe image to use in your scrapbooking project?  
I'd like to share for you this digital collage. The collage sheet is 8.5x11 inch and resolution is 300 dpi. It contain all letters of alphabet. 
These letters are perfect for mixed media, collage work, cards, stickers, bookmarks, scrapbooking, jewelry, glass tiles, magnets, and others.  You can print it easily on home printer. Make right click and save the image.

Please, be aware that the digital collage sheet is not be sold as digital or printed collage sheet.

In graphic shop  KarisaGraphics you can find many collages for all you craft and scrapbooking needs.

Inspired by fall

Summer is almost gone and turned into fall. It’s that time of the year when I think of the past summer, organize photos made in vacance. Who has children need to prepare them to school. 

Autumn is my favorite season, because of the colorful fall foliage, foliage tours.  I do love the colors which describe the fall – hues of orange,  red and  warm browns. The colors of fall are warm and inviting, something I like to enjoy indoors as well as outdoors. But here in south of Italy the autumn is not "real", all trees are always green. You can’t feel the smell of autumn in the air. Yesterday was very hot and humid, newspapers say that all september will be such! 

I know that in Murmansk is already cold, the forest wears the colors of autumn and is full of berries and mushrooms. Mama told me that she prepared some jams for me)
I like orange maple leaves in parks of Saint-Petersburg where I studied for 6 years. The most beautiful is Aleksandrovskij park in Pushkin, small historical town near St-Petersburg. Fall is a great season for photographers. With my friends-photographers we often visited this park - away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, into relaxation, novelty and beautiful scenery.

 

I miss all this beauty there…


Looking through autumn photos on my computer I was inspired to make these orange crochet earrings. Their color reminded me of fall in Russia.  Orange glass beads are shining like drops of autumn rain on leaves.
I created also a brooch but before I had a time to make photos my friend saw it and immediately bought it to make a gift to her sister!

What about you, are you a lover or hater of fall? Maybe for you fall is dreary, cold and rainy days?

Are you was inspired to create something new?

Barley with smoked bacon

Many people did not have a very positive impression about pearl barley during his/ hers childhood. However, I know a way to make it taste great! 
I found this reciepe on one packing of barley and tasted it. It was so good that also my husband cleaned the plate with bread! So before wrinkle your nose, try to cook this reciepe. It's easy to prepare and does not require many ingridients.

You will need: 

1 cup of pearl barley

3 cups of water
2 lbs of tomatoes, chopped or 1 can (28 oz) of diced unsalted tomatoes

1/2 lbs of salted smoked bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil

Wash the pearl barley several times. Leave it soaking in the water for at least 4 to 5 hours. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and continue cooking until the barley is tender and liquid is almost absorbed or use a colander to drain barley (reserve some cooking liquid). 

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and sauté the onions over medium-high heat until golden in color. Add the bacon and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add the tomatoes and simmer all together on a low setting.

Stir in the cooked barley and reserved liquid. Continue to cook over low heat until heated thoroughly.

Add some salt if needed. I is not use any salt in because the bacon is salty already. But if you feel you need to add some, feel free. 

Enjoy!