Holiday Day Six - St Petersburg

Hi Everybody,

St Petersburg sits on the banks of the River Neva and it was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great

It has changed names several times in its history and was once the capital of Russia

This has to be one of the most famous sights  associated with this city and this is the Church of the Spilled Blood and it is beautiful.

The domes are covered in gold leaf and it is truly a spectacular sight to behold

Going inside this church is a must as it is just as beautiful inside as it is out.

This is the inside of this magnificent building and every inch of it is covered









But I must warn you of Pick Pockets here as in any big city and you won't know about it until they are well gone ... with your wallet.

There is so much to see and do here and it is a really busy city with lots of slow moving traffic.

Two days was not nearly long enough to see all the wonderful sights

There is a palace on every street corner and it would take you years to visit them.

But another place to visit is the Winter Palace and I could have spent hours in there looking around the rooms.

The gold is everywhere and as long as you don't use flash you are allowed to take photographs.

The walls here are white and gold and the floor is simply wonderful.

Imagine going dancing to a grand ball dressed in all your finery on a floor like that.

And gold chandeliers are everywhere ... many many of them to each room

This is the throne room and it was huge.

I don't have the space to show you all the pictures I took and they do not do justice to what your eyes can see.

Never the less I hope you have enjoyed just a little glimpse into Russia

This is the Hermitage and holds a vast collection of over four million items.

Our guide told us it would take 12 years to see all the things in here and of course they are not all on display at the same time.

It was wonderful inside and I could have spent hours in there ... but our time was limited

This next one is a painting and NOT a photo.

The reason it is a painting is because the actual building is covered in scaffolding and polythene as the restoration work is carried out in the summer months.

This is Smolny Convent and it was originally built as a church.

But the story our guide told us is that someone committed suicide and so it was never consecrated and therefore it couldn't be used as a church and these days it is used as a convent instead.

 In the afternoon we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress and this was  very busy but worth the wait.

 Once again an abundance of gold and marble and inside are the tombs of all the Russian Tsars and their families throughout history

 But this was the saddest moment for me as this is where the remains of Tsar Nicholas and all his family are interred

The story of Anastasia has been romanticised down the years saying that she survived when the her family where murdered by the Bolsheviks on 1917

But her remains where found with the rest of her family  when they where found in 1998

It was a very sad tribute to them and very beautifully kept in lovely surroundings

Russia is a place that you cannot visit unless you have a visa but if you are on a cruise then the visa is done for you by the cruise company.

It is is so well worth it and the opulence of this city will amaze you.

These pictures do not show the real colors of this wonderful city

Now to bring you back to present day this is to let you know that I will be on Create and Craft at 9am tomorrow the 20th August.  Then later in the day I have a two hour show at 12 noon so please join me if you can 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Labels One Card Front

Hi Everybody,

A really easy card today using Spellbinders Labels One Card Front and the Labels One dies that match it.  I have used some flowery lace to dress up the card a little and it can be for any occasion. The finished card size is approximately 6" Square

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-023 Labels One card Front
• S4-161 Labels One
• S4-426 Luscious Labels One
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

Other Supplies:

• Lace from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Ribbon from Mei Flower

Instructions:

With the largest die from Labels One Card front cut two panels in cream and hinge together to create the base and place to one side for now.

From a plain pink card cut another panel slightly smaller and emboss

From some spotty pink card cut another panel slightly smaller again and layer these two together

 With the two dies from the Card front together cut one panel in cream and add this to the two layers from the previous step

Cut enough lace to wrap around these layers and cut some of the flowers from it as extra embellishment. Wrap the ribbon and the lace around the panels from the previous step and add to the base card

Stamp and emboss a sentiment onto some cream card and cut it out with #3 from Labels one

With the #5 die from Labels One cut a panel in cream

From Luscious Labels #3 and #4 cut the panels in pink    

 (Please remember that the smallest die in any set is always #1)

Add all these layers to the centre panel with foam tape to give dimension,  tucking the two largest panels just under the edge of the lace.  Place the extra flowers that you cut from the lace along the side of the sentiment and put some large pearls into the centres of the blooms.

I have added a pearl floral centre to the bow to cover the knot. Small pearls have been added to each of the cross sections of the card front for an extra touch.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Holiday Day Five - Tallinn

Hi Everybody,

This is now Day Five and on the 4th August we arrived at the most magical place you can imagine

Tallinn is simply beautiful

When we got there the sun was shining and it was hot.

The weather has been so kind to us on this cruise as the area is not renowned for hot sunshine.

But today it is glorious and what a place to be

This Medieval city is full of cobbled streets with glimpses of a lovely church at almost every turn

Some of the streets have tables lining them for you to sit and people watch as you sip some coffee in the warm sunshine

Others have markets along the edge and if you look at this photo you can see a wooden walk way along the top

They sell woollen jackets, beautiful lace and lots of amber made into necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings and  at reasonable prices.

But haggling is not generally accepted in this part of the world.

We have never been here before but it has to be one of the nicest places I have ever been.

This was a bakery and it is so narrow and bursting with goodies inside

My advice to you would be to wear flat shoes though if you go to visit Tallinn as the cobbles on every road can be hard work and tiring if you walk a lot.

We visited St Marys' Cathedral which has more than 100 coats of arms adorning the walls.

And this one is the Nevski Russian Orthodox Cathedral with its onion domes at the top

A truly magical experience and one you will immediately love if you ever get the chance to visit.

The highlight of this Baltic cruise is coming as we head for two wonderful days in St Petersberg

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

International Ambassadors Informal Blog Hop

Hi Everybody,

This is the seventh International Ambassadors Blog Hop and for this month we have chosen Christmas in August as our theme.

It's never too early to start making cards for the jolly season especially if you have lots to make.

So we thought that we would share some of our ideas from around the world so that you can see our different styles.

We love that you hop along with us and it is even better when you leave us a comment.

Take a look at some of the other Ambassadors designs ...

Linda Lucas Australia
Christine Emberson UK 
Yvonne van de Grijp Netherlands
Christina Griffiths (You are here)

For my card I have used the Lattice Ornaments  from the 2015 Christmas Collection and cut them in gold and wine red.

I have added in gold ribbon and twisted some gold wire to sit behind the ornaments.The pearls flourish is called Finesse from Want2Scrap  and I have cut it up into the pieces that I needed.

I hope you enjoy this hop and please look out for the next one.  Thanks for joining in and also for the support you show to me and my blog

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Holiday Day Four - Stockholm

Hi Everybody,

Today we have arrived in Stockholm and again another city steeped in history, and another very beautiful place to visit.

It has another palace that you could get close to but it also had the guards outside to keep their eye on you

We went inside this palace but it was a very dark place with most of the curtains drawn against the sunlight and so it was very difficult to take photos and most of them are blurred.

However these are some scenes that I managed to capture inside

This beautiful chandelier was enormous and was only one of many.

But even with the lighting you can see that it was very dark inside.

This statue was at the bottom of one of the staircases and it was very impressive.

It is two lovers kissing and both of them have open eyes.

It was getting near the time for the changing of the guard as we came back into the sunshine and so we found a strategic position to be able to see the parade.

The band played as they approached the palace and it was quite loud as they passed close by.

We couldn't get into the square to see the actual change as it was time for us to head off for lunch at a nearby restaurant as part of our tour.

We had a typically Swedish lunch overlooking this busting square and it was very tasty too I might add.

All too soon it is time to head back to the ship as we sail again at 5pm. 

The sun is shining and the sea is calm and we head off to the Crows Nest for a sail away drink with some new friends we have made

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx