Summertime

Summer is here and with summertime came a season of sagras which I love. 

Sagra is an artisian food themed festival in a small towns which usually is taking place on the central square. It can be dedicated to a watermelon or eggplant or even pizza! The full list of sagras you can find in a local newspaper so you can always find the one which will suit your taste.

During the festival you can sample 2 or 3 dishes of the local cuisine and sip some wine. The food and wine comes from the town’s butchers, bakers, farmers and vintners. All the cooking is done by volunteers and the wait staffs are the enthusiastic local people. Signs announcing the dates and featured foods of the sagras dot roadways and are posted on stone walls in and around towns.

We have already visited some sagras this summer:

No sagra is possible without the traditional music and dance of Salento. Everyone here knows how to dance pizzika, from toddler to the elderly people. People are learning to dance from the very young age.

This little girl simply charmed me, she is probably just learned how to walk and she is already trying to dance!

This is me during one of the festivals, wearing a traditional pizzika costume. The girl's costume for pizzika always includes a long wide skirt and scarf or shawl. While dancing the girl is flirting with a young man, using her scarf. 

Here are two my costumes for pizzika:

This wonderful skirt I bought in vacance in Greece and I very like it for bright color:

After I learned to make crochet balls I created these two pairs of crochet earrings to add to my costumes. One pair is white as I have white skirt and the second pair is turquoise for my turquoise skirt.

So when you drive through the Italian country side and see the signs along the road inviting you to visit sagra, turn, go in and enjoy!

Sunday by the Ionian Sea

Today was wonderful day, warm and sunny. That’s why we decided to go to the Ionian sea (Brindisi is near Adriatic sea). It's about 40 minutes from Brindisi. 

Water was splendid and turquoise. It’s not cold already and I wet my feet. Sand was hot and gold. We passed 2 hours at the beach walking and reading. Of course I have done what I prefere at the beach – gathering of the shells.  And of course I payed for this my a little burned shoulders) I don't know where I will use these sheel but I like them very much!

In the evening we gone in the other town, Porto Cesareo, for walking and looking the sunset.

This town is very famous for fishermans and there are many fish markets. We bought many kind of small fish and the sea food to do wonderful “Zuppa di pesce” – Fish soup. This is very particular plate of our region. Today I show you some photos made in fish markets and next week I will post recipe for this famouse plate of South Italy. 

The sign of one fish market:

Sword-fish:

Tunnies (tunas) and other fish:

Differernt fish:

Mussels:

Spring is around the corner

Spring is around the corner. We all mess brightly colors after long winter. I stay now in St Petersbug and have -25 C )) For me it's stiil winter. That's why I persent today these yellow leather earrings - they have so sunny color! I made it the shape of the flower. When you wear they seems two sunny flowers, two ray of light near the face.
Yellow - one of the most vivid colors of the spectrum, so it always attracts attention and brings  joy, light, charging the optimism and cheerfulness. It is associated with the sun - a bright, shiny and warm. 

 

Wall hanging organizer Sunny Day

My acquaintance asks me to make a wall hanging organizer with pockets and appliques for make a gift for the birth of friend’s child. I think it will be great gift! Thes pockets will hold a lot of small items in one place! Both functional and attractive!
Appliques are like a child drawn pictures – the sun, the trees, the cars, the train. We decided to make it from a felt of different colours and sew it with buttonhole stitch. At the top we placed the sun with the rays and the clouds, then several layers of the pockets with the train, the cars, the cat and the fence, the cameo-shell and the grass. I prepared a sketch in the program CorelDraw, than draw the pattern of parts in life-size on the paper. I spent a whole week to make this panel, but the result exceeded all expectative! The combination of different textures: fabric, felt, leather gives to the panel freshness and originality.

Una mia conoscente mi ha chiesto di fare un pannello con le tasche ed applicazioni che doveva regalare ad una sua amica che doveva partorire. Le applicazioni devono essere fatte come se fossero disegnate da un bambino – il sole, gli alberi, le macchine, il treno. Abbiamo deciso di farle di feltro di diversi colori e cucirle con punto a occhiello. In alto abbiamo deciso di mettere il sole con i raggi e le nuvole, sotto, a livelli diversi, delle tasche con il treno, le macchine, il gatto e la recinzione, le lumache e l’erba. Ho preparato la schema in programma CorelDraw e poi ho fatto modelli di applicazioni a grandezza naturale di carta. Ho trascorso una settimana intera per fare questo pannello, ma il risultato ha superato ogni aspettativa! La combinazione di diverse strutture esterne: tessuto, feltro e pelle da freschezza e originalità al pannello.

Finally the summer is arrived!

Finally the summer is arrived! The sky cleared of clouds, the sun is shining and you can walk in a T-shirt. Many people spend weekend at the beach and the summer open-air restaurants are open.

On my balcony blossom long-awaited lily and gladiolus, going to blossom freesia. We have a house in town, so I planted flowers in pots on the balcony, but not in open ground in the garden. I think it a little close there, but if they bloom, it means all is well.

For some reason, it is believed that all girls should love roses. You do not know why? I've always loved lilies, gladioli, irises, but I was indifference to the roses. Freesia I saw for the first time this year, I really liked it and I decided that I'll plant them too.

My soul is very happy when I see my flowers on the balcony. This gives me a charge good mood all day!

Finalmente è arrivata l’estate! Il cielo si è liberato dalle nuvole, il sole splende e si può camminare in maglietta. Molti passano i weekend al mare e ristoranti hanno messo i tavoli all’aperto.

E sul mio balcone fioriscono i tanto attesi gigli e gladioli, e la fresia sta per fiorire. Abbiamo la casa in città, perciò ho piantato fiori nei vasi sul balcone, e non nel terreno aperto nel giardino. Penso, che stanno un po’ stretti lì, ma se fioriscono, significa che va tutto bene.

Per qualche ragione, si crede che tutte le ragazze amino le rose. Tu sai perché? Ho sempre amato i gigli, i gladioli, gli iris, ma sono stata sempre indifferente alle rose. Ho visto le fresie per la prima volta quest'anno, mi sono piaciute molto e ho deciso di piantarle.

La mia anima si riempie di gioia quando vedo sul balcone i miei fiori. Questo mi dà una carica di buon umore per tutto il giorno!

Summer necklace SUNNY FLOWERS

This is one of new necklaces i made.

Do you miss the summer? So this necklace is for you!
They are perfect for people who like something unusual and bright, who like summer and sun. That's why I called it SUNNY FLOWERS, because it has very brightly and summer color. Close your eyes and feel the sun and warm breeze on your skin. This necklace gives you a joyful summer mood.
About another one new necklace you can read in this post: Summer necklace LAVANDER

"GOLDEN BROWN" Treasury East

My new Treasury East i called "GOLDEN BROWN".
I like this warm color, because It's the color of something hot: the sun, the golden beach and brioche with cinnamon...
Mio nuovo Etsy Treasury l'ho chiamato "GOLDEN BROWN" - "Marrone d'orato"
Mi piace questo colore perche e' il colore di qualcosa caldo: il sole, la spiaggia d'orata e il cornetto con la crema...
Featured Etsy artists in my GOLDEN BROWN treasury:
allmadewithlove, BlueberryCream, visart, Beautyland, herbolution, RudmanPhoto, Arctida
JaneBoFelt, MyWayToSay, jezek, jenniferladd, cushyadornments, TomBjornDesigns, ClayLickCreekPottery, daimblond, Nikifashion

Treasury East "Mare nostrum"

My new Treasury East i called "Mare nostrum".
It's my waiting for summer, walk on the golden beach, bath in the azure sea...
Il sole, il sale, il mare... volare...