One more day to go...

RD4 thrift shopping, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

Yes, I counted the days this week.

One more day in our holiday and on Monday work and school starts.
Seven weeks of spending almost no time alone in my studio, almost no work done makes me a bit itchy. Time to get my head and hands on a new project. During summer I just see my soap bubbly ideas floating on the far reach of my view. I want to be able to focus again.
No complains though, I loved this quite and mild summer, the nice times we had together.

One of the things I really love is thrift shopping, this is my treasure from my last trip,for four Euro I had lots of fun in the store.

And it's so funny that I love these kitsch, things I really hated as a girl and young adult. Now I'm on a quest to find out what the magic in kitsch is all about. There is a part that makes me like it.
And buy them for inspiration, and I always can use little things in an installation, can't I?

And now I can re-read the Trojan war, maybe I learn some tricks to feel more powerful as a little woman in a big-big world.

Love and loud rock music for everybody, with a bit of sparkly glitter.

Loreley

elisa en tara op kamp, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

During the last three summers, I joined the Loreley-witch camp. )( /www.reclaimingloreley.com/

These were great times, made a lot of friends from all over the world and learned a lot, about the Goddess,elements, magic, tools and rituals. Did a lot of inner work, danced by the fire, laughed a lot and cried a bit. Magic weeks in my life.

This year I won't be there, but will be sending lots of love to all my friends .

And I really enjoy our holiday at home, today we went on a day-trip to Leiden.
We visited the National museum of antiquities. (www.rmo.nl)

That was so impressive, to see all these beautiful crafted things from thousands and thousands of years ago. So much magic there, Egyptian and Roman ritual tools and offer plates. Altars for the dutch Goddess Nehalenia, the Hecate-vase, all those Gods and Goddesses. The believe of people in an other world behind death.

The knowledge and civilisation in the near East, so long ago. Long before a civilisation in Europe, I so much wish we could live in peace all over the world. And see the beauty in each other and love and care for our Earth.
It is possible, I know.

Handfasting Yoeke and Jan

Broom Yoeke and Jan, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

Yesterday my friends and coven members Yoeke and Jan had their handfasting ritual. I wish them lots of love.

It was a beautiful ritual, priestessed by Rosemary. And they jumped over the broom, for it I made a cover with all their personal luck symbols and names of family members. Drawn on hearts, because love is to me the most important thing in a relationship.
Love is all.

The weather was great, we had a very big circle with lots of family and friends. Very nice food and fun.
It was great to see all my coven friends again. We live spread out all over the Netherlands and I live in the far south part of the country, besides our coven meetings there is not much opportunity for meeting.
It gives me so much joy to be together.

Blessings for all the lovers of the world.

Off to Harry's world.

Off to Harry's world, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

Cleaned the window at kunstencentrum Signe today. The acrylic paint was easy to remove, most came of as a thin skin. Lucky me!

And I bought a copy from the last Harry Potter, (and the Deathly Hallows ).At 11o'clock the bookstore had only four books left!

It's the first Harry Potter book I'm going to read in English,the other's in Dutch. Because I'm to curious to wait for the dutch translation, and it's good for improving my English skills.
Me blogging in English, it was always my worst language in high school, that's really an encouraging thing for me to do. Give praise for the spell check button!

My crochet turned out to be a witch hat, and now I'm off to Harry's world. Later on I'll be working on a special broom, hope to get some magic in it.

Bye, bye to all you Muggels.

Home

Home, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

I can't tell how much I love my home.

Never get bored in it,
always feel loved in it,
a shelter, a hiding place,
to love, laugh and cry.

It silently absorbs my emotions,
and through the old walls feeds them to my beloved Mother Earth.
Giving me space for new feelings with gratitude.

Imagination

crochet in melisse WIP, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

Still working on my crochet skills.
Not knowing what this will be; a witchy hat, a sculpture, or a tree for next yule?

I love this kind of work, crafts work. It gives me time to think or even meditate while working. For me it's sometimes easier to do than just sit still.

I'm thinking about the border line between art- and crafts work.
The difference lies not in the materials or techniques the artist uses.

The difference between art and crafts can be found in the autonomy of the work, the purpose of the work, the artist who made it and the place where it is shown.

But under this all there is something more to me.

The English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge made an distinction between imagination and inventions.
Both free humans form daily experiences and perceptions, but imagination comes from spiritual truths, as inventions are the source of fantasies. The inventions may be exciting, they don't have real meaning. They come from the part of you, you call "I", your talking self, thinking self,shining body, your mind or however you may call it.
It means nothing on a deeper subconscious level.

That's the big challenge for me, to be able to make this distinction between fantasies and truths. Between good and bad art. I wonder if I can ever see this.

On the other hand, I remember a teacher say; "I'm not interested at the truth, I want to see a good image."
That's also very true, so a lot of skills come in the process of making art to.

There was also this teacher who said to me: " Elisa, don't think to much, just work."

And that's the advice I take for today; Frohes schaffen, Happy crafting!

Limburgs museum Venlo

Limburgs museum Venlo, originally uploaded by Tuttebel.

This is a photo from the outside of the museum we visited.
I like museums a lot, small or big, contemporary art or history.

There are always one or two things I keep in my mind and maybe one day I can use ideas, forms or ways of presentation.
It's one of my favorite ways to spend time, walking, looking, learning and have a lot of fun.
To see how things are made, what materials were used. See the paint stripes, the stitches, the fabrics, the decorative holes someone made in clay thousand of years ago makes me feel connected to the makers.

That's a very good feeling.