Galina-"Bibby" fan base

Sasha's school had a creative month this summer, and I volunteered to run papercrafts classes for Year 2 and Year 4. I enjoyed working with children, I forgot how good it feels to tutor and see results of your teaching. I used to teach art and crafts classes in Russia years ago.
On Friday Sasha brought a Thank you card for me from school, and I must say it made me smile.
I'll keep the spelling as it is in the original.
"Dear Galina Varese,
Thank you for cuming to mack the Teddy Baer cards. I loved mine. I think evone enjoyed it inspesley I injoyed it.
I had a great time. I hope we will see you next year.
from Madley Brook and Springfield schools xxx"

Dawn Bibby, eat your knickers!

Scythian Gold

For the Asia challenge I decided not to go along the Far East route and visit either China or Japan, but look closer to my own shores.
The Scythians were the fierce, nomadic horsemen who roamed the European steppe from the seventh to the third centuries BC. These proud warriors, who grew rich on trade with the Greeks, commissioned lavish gold objects for adornment, ceremony and battle, drawing on their own ancient artistic traditions and employing the finest Greek goldsmiths of the age.
The Scythians flourished more than 2,500 years ago in what is present-day Ukraine and are among the most fascinating of the great warrior cultures that dominated the steppes for centuries. They originated in the central Asian steppes sometime in the early first millennium, BC.
For more info see
http://www.brama.com/news/press/000301scythiangold.html
I have painted the replica of a Scythean golden pin with golden acrylic and 3-d paints.

Rock-a-bye Baby, thy cradle is green...

Father's a Nobleman, Mother's a Queen...

Sasha loves nursery rhymes, and I always wonder what dreams he has, does he dream of Bobby Shaftoe and Little Bo-Peep, Humpty-Dumpty & Co? I have painted some of the nursery rhymes characters with the 3-d paints to go with the photo of my little one asleep, bless him.

From Russia with Love LO

Love, love this James Bond song... It is also one of my favourite photos of myself, when I was oh so young, in my early 20s. I used to be a member of the ethnographic society in my home town, and here I am wearing a replica of a Northern Russian dress called sarafan. My headdress was slightly wrong (for me), as this type of a headdress was intended for married women, and I was not married at that time, but I just loved it.
I used Russian Journey papers (Dove of the East) and Daisy D's, plus Russian ribbons.
BTW, the word "treasure" doesn't refer to myself, but meant to mean treasure your heritage, lol.

Just to show that I have not been idle...

Some of my recent work...
Charms for a swap, quite similar to the ones I made before, but this time with a king's image. I tried to achieve a pewter imitation effect, so coloured in the baked Fimo stars with silver and black (then wiped it off) acrylics.

A birthday card.

An altered CD for a swap. The challenge was to use orange, yellow, lime and pink colours. I found it very difficult, so cheated a bit, there is lime, but it is in the back, and I used the dark green instead. lol My idea was to do an imitation of native American rugs. I stamped the native images, and then painted the surface with 3-d paints. The photo is really bad, but I already sealed the packet for posting.

Wed Stamper/ Buttons

Here is my birthday card for Gillian. I found this little cutie in a charity shop, and used a colour photocopy for my card. There's not much stamping involved, except the word "Happy" (Tuesday Technique stamp). But there are three buttons. lol

Dream (Template challenge)

This card has been made for a forum Template challenge organised by Chris.

Wedding page for Zuzu

The idea belongs to Jo, she asked all the forum girls to create one page and one ATC for a wedding book. I thought that all of us who entered the marriage did it with some comprehension, do we dare to open that mysterious door to wedlock? Hence my page and ATC have the theme of the door into the unknown terrain. Dare To?

Wed Stamper/Fabergegg

These are two sides of a page for my forum friend Nicole's book, with a Russian theme.
The Romanovs were great patrons of Fabergé, so here's my interpretation of this week's theme with a Fabergé egg.
I left two cms on the side for binding.
Stamps used: Stampsmith
I also added real Swarovski crystals to the egg for an extra luxurious touch, lol.

Dotty about you/Wed Stamper

I just bought this quote stamp yesterday before seeing the new challenge.

Have your cake and eat it

I thought this quote was cute and just ideal for a birthday card, so here's a card I made for my forum friend Kaz. I painted this watercolour many years ago, and recently found it among lots of other little paintings.

My attempt at doing charms

I have been admiring polymer pins by Nathalie Daurin-Raynaud using the French playing cards stamps for a while, and thought these stamps would work well for charms.
It was the first attempt at doing charms (for a forum swap).
They are made from Fimo and painted with golden acrylic on both sides.

More ATCs

These two ATCs were done for a recent swap on the theme Around the World (St Petersburg and Russia).

Sisters/Connected ATCs (swap)

This set of interconnected ATCs (at least thematically) was done for a forum swap.
Stamps used: Stampsmith (From Russia with love)
These are four Romanov sisters, of course.
The tiny blemish on the Anastasia ATC is actually the camera's fault, as the image itself is clean. I wish I noticed it when I took the photo, as now it is gone.

Wed Stamper/The door to marital bliss

Did you know that the church ceremony in the middle ages took place outside the church door before entering the church for a nuptial mass?

I was thinking that if you look at the old engravings long enough,the colour starts to sip into the black and white images, and they become alive. That's why I didn't colour the stamped images completely. I wanted them to look like the shapes becoming alive and colourful.

I am submitting a real quickie this time, as it's either now or never, this last week was so busy with the school break and the usual havoc at home, which looks like a place after the pillage by the Mongol Tartars, and in fact created by two men, an older and a younger ones.

Wed Stamper/Ludus

Ludus means Game in Latin. The main image is an antique French playing card.
All stamps: Stampsmith.

Tarot

Thought to add a link to the Wed Stamper from my old Tarot card, and then realised there is no stamping used on this piece. The actual card is one of those novelty gigantic playing cards, that I altered. I used an antique Tarot image, and collaged it with BG papers, plus added texture with 3-d paints.

Wed Stamper/Joan of Arc/Fleur-de-Lis

The image of Joan of Arc (Jehanne La Pucelle) is taken from a painting by an unknown artist of the Franco-Flemish school, I added a few touches of acrylic (gold) and darkened the lines with black.
Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne d'Arc,[1] (c.1412 – 30 May 1431)is a national heroine of France and is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.

Fleur-de-lis appears on the flag and also in the corner.
Stamps used: Saint (Stampington), Illuminata (inkadinado), Medieval plate (Stampsmith)

Wed Stamper/Turquoise/St Catherine of Alexandria

I have found this little turquoise talisman in a changing room on the floor, it obviously fell off someone's bag, or dress. When I showed it to the girl working there, she dismissively waved her hand, so I took it with me.
So, here is a real turquoise for the week's challenge, as worn by St Catherine of Alexandria.
Legend states that Catherine was the daughter of Constus, governor of Alexandria in Egypt. She is said to have received a "most splendid education." She declared to her parents that she would only enter into marriage with someone who surpassed her in reputation, wealth, beauty and wisdom. Catherine's mother was secretly a Christian, and sent her to a hermit who told her of a youth who surpassed her in everything, such that "His beauty was more radiant than the shining of the sun, His wisdom governed all creation, His riches were spread throughout all the world."[1]

Having prayed and received a vision that urged her baptism, she became a Christian and was transported to heaven in vision and betrothed to Christ by the Virgin Mary (this ancient theme of a mystical marriage to a deity is familiar in the ecstatic mythology of the eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia). (See Wikipedia for more on Catherine).
Stamps used: Stampsmith
Papers: Basic Grey

Wed Stamper/Anastasia

Here is my Anastasia in turquoise. Stamps used: Stampsmith & PM (swirl).
Background paper is a wallpaper sample.

Anastasia stamp is by Stampsmith.

What happened to my "babies"?

Once you send your pieces to a competition, it's a farewell, as they tend to give the cards to the charity shops and sell them, and you will never find out whether someone bought them, or they are still gathering dust in the shop, where they loved, or binned after one glance.
The Gypsy card (based on Cohen's "Where is my Gypsy wife tonight?") was a r/u in the 7 Gypsies category, and that's all I know. Its further fate remains unknown.
The Journey card disappeared without a trace.
It's like they fall into an abyss.

Autism awareness gallery

The Technique Tuesday site is running an autism awareness gallery.
It shows work of many talented scrappers. I only wish they asked for bigger jpegs, as you can hardly read (and in some cases cannot read anything) what those parents chose to say about their children.
Each one is unique and tells a story.

http://www.techniquetuesday.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=AwarenessGallery

It is a good initiative, as people certainly need to know more about this condition.

Unfortunately some people's ideas on autism are limited to the recollections of the Rainman film.
Who was it among the British politicians who compared one of his colleagues with an autistic person? Very non-pc. I also remember someone's said that Bush behaves like he's autistic. Very insulting to people with autism, I think.
One of the trendy bloggers recently reviewed an old film, and described Hopkins character as cold, autistic, shockingly inappropriate person.
Well, for some people it might be just a fashionable metaphor, but people whose lives are touched by autism might find this very comment inappropriate.
It all comes from ignorance of the subject and having no personal experience of autism-related matters, I presume.
So, I applaud the efforts of the Tuesday Technique to raise the awareness of autism.


If you like stamping, have a look at the stamp Pieces of the Puzzle, while visiting the site. If you buy it, you will support a good cause. I think this stamp is very versatile.
https://www.techniquetuesday.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=7a93c9fa63ad24492e3afdb2f967b37d&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=KPP&Category_Code=Words

to tag or not to tag

"So, the rules are: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to blog about their 7 things and post the rules as well. At the end of your blog you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog. "
Facts is an easy part, finding enough willing people will be more difficult.

1. I believe in reincarnation and past lives. Sometimes when I sleep, I see glimpses of who I was before. When I listen to the medieval music, I have shivers along my spine, as if I am plunging back in the past.
2. I read "Jane Eyre" at least twenty times, and dreamed of marrying a Mr Rochester when I was a girl.
3. My only son is the centre of my universe.
4. Both my niece and my son are called Sasha (Alexandra and Alessandro accordingly), and my username on several forums is sasha (and greensleeves).
5. At home we speak a funny lingo, a mix of a few languages, being an international family. And we have some nonsense words, that are understood only by us.
6. If I won big money, I'd create a gallery for myself and artists that I love.
And also a chocolate shop. lol And donate money to Sasha's school.
7. I am a sensual person.

That gives you some ideas about me, doesn't it?

Wed Stamper/Heloise frame

For this week Wednesday Stamper's challenge, I have chosen one of the heroines of Villon's ballad. Here is my Heloise, in a nun's habit.
The frame is actually a box, so it is a bit like a shrine.
If you ever want to read letters from Heloise to Abelard,
here's a link
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/aah/index.htm

Stamps used: Stampsmith & Renaissance Art

Où sont les neiges d'antan (version II)

This is a second version that was submitted and published in Simply Stamping magazine, and one of the few works that I am proud of.

Ou sont les neiges d'antan (version I)

It all started with the MWO "Through the glass, darkly" on my forum.
I played with François Villon's "Ballade des dames du temps jadis".

Tell me where, or in what land
is Flora, the lovely Roman,
or Archipiades, or ThaОs,
who was her first cousin;
or Echo, replying whenever called
across river or pool,
and whose beauty was more than human?
But where are the snows of yesteryear?

Where is that brilliant lady Heloise,
for whose sake Peter Abelard was castrated
and became a monk at Saint-Denis?
He suffered that misfortune because of his love for her.
And where is that queen who
ordered that Buridan
be thrown into the Seine in a sack?
But where are the snows of yesteryear?

Queen Blanche, white as a lily,
who sang with a siren’s voice;
Big-footed Bertha, Beatrice, Alice,
Arembourg who ruled over Maine;
and Joan, the good maiden of Lorraine
who was burned by the English at Rouen —
where are they, where, O sovereign Virgin?
But where are the snows of yesteryear?

Prince, do not ask in a week
where they are, or in a year.
The only answer you will get is this refrain:
But where are the snows of yesteryear?

Don't mourn for us

This LO has been created for the Autism Awareness Gallery. I have chosen a quote from Jim Sinclair. For the full text see

http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/dontmourn.htm

I have chosen this photo of Sasha, where he runs happy and carefree on the beach in Viareggio.

A moment of pure happiness.

When Sasha was born, I started collecting all these Folio Society books for him, thinking that he will be taking after us. We talked to him in three languages. Little did we know that our boy would be developing at his own pace, and won't be talking at 5.

Thanks to him, we became better people, I hope, more tolerant and understanding. And we also learnt to appreciate simple pleasures of life, like running along the beach "Phoebe Buffet's style"...

Wed Stamper/The song of the sea

When I saw these stamps from the Artistic Stamper, I immediately thought of a sea shell frame. Who would live in a world surrounded with sea shells? Mermaids, free spirits of the sea.
I added some acrylic highlights to the stamped shells.
There is a little title "Once upon a time" in gold in the free corner, but you can hardly see it in the photo.

Iggy Pop／Goran Bregovic - In the Death Car

Feeling really low today, and was listening again to one of the most beautiful songs ever.

My niece's opinion

This is a card I made for my sister-in-law Masha and brother Stepan. Their little cutie patootie Sonia was born on the 10th of April.

It arrived the other day, and apparently my niece Sasha (the big sis) approved of my card, and said it is nice, but I forgot to colour in the picture. LOLThis card is published in CM&P issue 39.

And here is a little girl Sonia, who looks like a mini-babushka.

I wanna one of those too please.

Pancakes, pancakes

Here is my LO for this month's Mod Scraps challenge, which is food.

A rare LO for me, as it doesn't feature Sasha, who appears on almost every LO I do. I used my fave Daisy D's papers, plus a colour photocopy of a little watercolour on the theme of Russian tea, which I painted years ago.

This is the way my hubby likes to eat pancakes, with bananas, cream and jam.

I prefer simple honey drizzled on top of mine, or tiny blini with sour cream and caviar.

Qntal

Thanks to Nicole for giving a link to this beautiful video.

Wild thing/Wed Stamper

After a stressful week of house-hunting in Toronto, I am back at home, and just had to do something to keep my mind away from oh so many worries. I had this image of a Monaco Grand Prix from an Italian decoupage magazine for a while. Don't know if it works as a whole, as I am still jetlagged, and that's my excuse anyway, lol.
The bigger stamp and the cutout car are by Hampton Art Stamps, the Wild Thing is by AAW.

My past life as an artist/Wed Stamper/Envelope

I should be really busy packing suitcases, instead I indulged myself in doing an envelope.
I imagine sometimes that in my past life I was an artist too, so here's "me" with a Madonna looking benevolently at my creative process.
This image "Artist designing fresco" is taken from G.Boccaccio's "Le livre de cleres et nobles femmes" (MS.Fr.599, f.53v), French, 15th C, Biblioteque Nationale, Paris.
Stamps used are mostly Stampsmith, plus The Saint by Stampington.

Chocolate's on my mind

I might disagree with the sentiment slightly, as chocolate does help my thought process, lol.
Huge thanks to Penny H for this beautiful gift. It truly made my day.
I am a Black&Green girl, I just loooooove their sour cherry in dark chocolate, so decadent and luxurious.

Woodland dreams

I had this Rubberstamp Ave stamp for a while, and have been admiring it but did nothing. So, it is high time I do something with it.
The image was stamped on a patterned flowery paper. The collage has been made with the free Somerset studio papers and Basic Grey.

Wednesday Stamper/Dark Eyes

This little piece has been inspired by the famous Russian song "Ochi chernye" (Dark eyes).
So here's my nude dancing Gypsy.
If you'd like to listen to the song, there are many beautiful versions.
I'll add a link to two of them.
Sophie Milman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itbJkf74z24
and Nikolai Baskov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60yI2ufRD5s

And here is a translation of the song lyrics.
Translation

Dark eyes, terrifying eyes!
Eyes fiery and beautiful!
How I love you! How I fear you!
Indeed when I saw you, it was an unlucky hour!

Oh, not without reason you are of the dark depths.
I see mourning in you in my soul.
I see conquering flame in you.
My poor heart is afire with it!

But I am not sad. I am not regretful.
My fate is a comfort to me.
Everything of the best in life that God gave us
I have given as a sacrifice to the eyes of fire.

"Joe, the only boy in the world" by Michael Blastland

Just a few quotes that I wanted to keep from the book I finished reading. It is a fascinating book, but I had to read it in small portions, as it is a painful kind of reading.

"It's a story of strange happenings and human riddles, it invites fantastical speculation and argues something barzen, preposterous even: that until you know Joe's unusual life,you won't fully understand your own..." (p.1)

The author calls his son "vulnerable, charming and tyrannical", that is so true, I can apply the same description to my own little guy.

"Joe was born with a perfect knot in his umbilical cord...
Nowadays he lives with the label "autistic": broad, ill-defined, ill-fitting and unexplained, a label that's best put aside before getting to know him. But for me at least, and perhaps others who know his story, the loop in the cord became a metaphor: it framed a passage for Joe into an altogether alien existence that is magical, mysterious and infuriating in equal measure. When he tumbled into that oblique version of life, it was through the looking glass, through the doors of the enchanted wardrobe, while behind him the exit shut tight (pp.2-3)"

Notes to myself, to check out the site
www.WrongPlanet.net

"I believe that we do not know what we are unless we have others, different others and similar others, with whom we can compare ourselves.We are all partial, and autism even if a little more partial than most, also adds something precious" (page 205)

Beach ATC (Sasha in Viareggio)

Commedia dell'arte

Venetian dolls-II

Tea party

Things we create

When I was a child, I had this fantasy that whatever images I did draw (paint), would move to some place where they have a world of their own. And one day, when I am no longer in this world, I will join them and be surrounded by what I created.
A strange idea of a strange child. That's why I tried to be kind to my drawings and make them beautiful. By beautiful I don't necessarily mean perfect, far from it. The imperfection could be more interesting than perfection.
I believe we give an anima to what we create. Who knows, perhaps when I die, I will find myself surrounded by little soulful Venetian dolls and pierrots, mermaids and sirins.

Posleslovie

Vchera ya razozlilas' na glupuyu zhenshchinu, i sterla svoi prezhnie zapisi. No rukopisi ne goryat, i zapisannye mysli ne ischezayut v nikuda. V etom est' svoe uteshenie.

Dance me to the end of love (Leonard Cohen)

Since I am putting together all the things I love, this is a must. My favourite song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pA5UhNaYw0

Uzh skol'ko ikh upalo v etu bezdnu (Marina Tsvetaeva)

This is one of the deepest poems I ever read, and this piece has been an inspiration for a series I am working on now. It is very poignant and beautiful.


How many people fell in this abyss,
I fathom from afar!
There will be time, and I will vanish too
From earth's exterior.

All will be still, that sang and that did struggle,
That glistened and rejoiced:
The greenness of my eyes, the gold of my hair,
And this my tender voice.

Life will continue with its soft hot bread,
With day's oblivion.
All will continue - under outstretched heavens
As if I'd never been!

Like children changeable in every mien
And angry not for long,
Who loved the times when in the fireplace
Into ash turned the log,

Violin and cavalcade within the forest
And in the village, bell...
Upon this dear earth - I will be no longer
That was alive and real!

To all - who are the friends and strangers
To never having known the measure, me?
I turn to you with this my faith's demand
And love's query.

Both day and night, in word and letter both:
For truth of yes and no,
For that though I am but twenty I am
So often in such sorrow,

For unavoidably my slights and trespasses
Will be forgiven me -
For all of my impetuous tenderness
And look too proud and free -

For quickness of events as they come rushing,
For truth, for play, say I -
Please hear me! But do also please love me
For this that I will die.

Marina Tsvetaeva

Passing me by, as you walk
To charms doubtful and not mine -
If you but knew how much fire,
How much life is wasted in vain,

On the rustling, occasional shade
What a heroic flame -
And how enflamed my heart
This gunpowder wasted in vain!

O the trains flying into the night,
Carrying sleep on the station away..
If you recognized - if you but knew -
Then and there, I know, anyway.

Why are my words so sharp
In the smoke of my cigarette -
How much dark and menacing angst
Is there in my light-haired head.

Boy-Madness

Boy-Madness

I have brought you a bouquet,
Scarlet-red roses, poppies.
I'm not same in anything,
I'm the happy boy-madness.

I'll blow out a yellow candle -
It will be a flashlight pink.
And a golden diadem
I will wear like a king.

I'm a conqueror sleepy
Kingdoms, a mage. Is't full, King?
I'm a doctor that is healing
Without pills or medicines.

Why the medicines? Why pills too?
We will dance together, kid!
Now flies mounted on a chair
A completely empty bed.

Where he's from - it is my secret:
Serpent, red, will weave and hiss.

Vdol' obryva

One of the Russian songs of the 1980s, created by the ballad singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky.
It is a very beautiful song called Fastidious Horses.

By the cliff, along the precipice, right over deadly ground,
With the whip, I strike my steeds; strike them hard to urge them forward.
I am getting short on air, gulp the haze, drink the wind, yet
With a fatal rapture, sensing: I am done for, I am done for!

Slow down a bit my horses, slow down, please!
Don't you listen to my stinging thong!
But the horses -- just my luck! -- are so hard to please!
Neither lived I so long, nor will I finish this song...
I will let horses drink, I'll complete this refrain,
Just a little bit more I will stay on the brink...

I will vanish from the Earth, swept by a storm like fluffy feather;
At a gallop, in the morning by the snow they'll drag me over
Can't you please prolong my journey to the end of my tether?
Can't you ease your dash, my horses, carry on a little slower?

Slow down a bit my horses, slow down, please!
Don't take orders from my whip and thong!
But the horses -- just my luck! -- are so hard to please!
Neither lived I so long, nor will I finish this song...
I will let horses drink, I'll complete this refrain,
Just a little bit more I will stay on the brink...

Just on time - one can't be late arriving at God's quarters!
Why do the angels over there sound like some nasty mortals?
Or, perhaps, it's just a sleigh-bell that's gone mad and burst out sobbing,
Or it's me shouting at my steeds to slow down my sled from dashing.

Slow down a bit my horses, slow down, please!
I am begging you, don't rush along!
But the horses -- just my luck! -- are so hard to please!
Since I haven't lived long, let me finish this song...
I will let horses drink, I'll complete this refrain,
Just a little bit more I will stay on the brink...
_________________