Old Stamps From Italy

       While I was at Cambridge I found all sorts of beautiful used stamps in the Charity Stores.

 They have been taken off of mailed letters. I plan on sharing them all with you.

 This first batch is from Italy. Just print them and cut them out.

Vision's from Great Children's Stories

When you're walking around Cambridge and just outside of it you start to notice the details that have spawned so many of the wonderfully creative children's books that have come out of England. You see where Beatrice Potter found her animals that she placed in her beautiful gardens and fields.

Cambridge, England

Miss. Moppet

Peter Rabbit  and the Farmer

Cambridge, England

Huntingdon, England

Huntingdon, England

Cambridge, England

You also see how J.K. Rowling found her inspiration in the towns and possibly the colleges in England. Trinity’s dining hall looks a lot like Hogwarts dining hall. Portraits of all kinds of Head Masters and kings line the thick stone walls of each college. Large grand fields wrap themselves around Chapels that rise majestically out of the ground. Then there's the row houses on twisting narrow streets, old tutor buildings all making you feel like you're walking in one of JK Rowling books. There is so much to be inspired by. 

The Whopping Willow ?

Honeydukes? 

Cambridge, England

 12 Grimmauld Place?

Cambridge, England

Craft: A Fun and Easy DIY Gift for All Occasions

Lately in most stores you can fine these little domes. 

They are not expensive. You can use these for a fun gift for any occasion. 

Think about the occasion and the person.

Now the fun part:  if you need to build one quickly go to a craft store and 

buy a few little things to put in your dome.  If you have time look at garage sales. 

This one I used moss from my yard, a bird and egg I found at an estate sale.

This one I found the tea pot and doll at garage sales and the flowers at Micheal's.

I found these dancing cake toppers at a garage sale the beads I had collected. 

This craft will give you fun things to look for. 

I have collected funny or cute little things for a long time I keep them in boxes 

because you never know when they will come in handy. 

Cambridge, England

Mustard Fields outside of Cambridge

Cambridge is a beautiful city that is surrounded by fields and farmland. In the month of May many of the fields are filled with mustard plants causing the fields to glow with a beautiful golden color.

Mustard Fields outside of Cambridge

Cambridge, England

 The town has many colleges very ornately decorated they are contrasted with tiny brick homes and row houses. 

Cambridge, England

The river Cam which is always full of life runs through it.

Cam River Cambridge, England

Cambridge, England

 The town also consists of the students who go to these amazing colleges and then the local people who have grown up here. It's almost as though there are two worlds living together and around each other but not truly interacting. Both societies seem happy living side-by-side but they do seem very separate to me.

Cambridge, England

You can spend days just walking around the narrow streets looking through the cute shops.

Cambridge, England

Cambridge, England

 I also enjoyed strolling in the back neighborhoods seeing all the beautiful gardens where the air was heavily scented with the sweet fragrance of flowers.

Cambridge, England

Cambridge, England

 Cambridge has several nice museums quite large for a town this size. The Fitzwilliam Museum was my favorite. I also really liked the Kettle Yard museum. 

 Fitzwilliam Museum

Jessica Harrison Tattooed Porcelain Dolls

I thought this is so funny. So telling of our times and how things have changed. They are done by an artist named Jessica Harrison. She is from Scotland. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Jessica Harrison Tattooed Porcelain Dolls

Jessica Harrison Tattooed Porcelain Dolls

Jessica Harrison Tattooed Porcelain Dolls

Jessica Harrison Tattooed Porcelain Dolls

Her website is: www.jessicaharrison.co.uk

It's in the details

Detail for King's Chapel

 You know the old saying it's in the details. In Cambridge it really is in the details. Details are everywhere. On the sides of buildings on the tops of buildings, in the doorways, on the seat you’re sitting in. On the floors you’re walking on. It's a joy to look around.  Details are everywhere, smiling faces in stone looking down at you and up at  you.  It's absolutely amazing you don't even have to walk you can stand in one place and turn in a circle.

Details of Women were harder to find

Some of the statues looked like they were keeping a watchful eye.

Madonna and Child, Details of Cambridge

Some showed little concern.

I couldn't believe some of the carvings.

Look at the roses around the deer's neck.

Angels 

Woolly Mammoth 

?

Clip Art: Postcards From England

           I found some fun postcards in England. I hope you can use their images to inspire you.

Brugge, Belgium Postcard

Postcard From England

Sandomierz, Postcard

The University of Cambridge, England

John's College Gate, Cambridge University 

The University of Cambridge has 31 colleges founded between the 13th and the 20th centuries. Sixteen old colleges were founded between 1284 and 1596 and 15 new colleges founded between  1800 and 1977.

Trinity College, Cambridge University 

Trinity College, Cambridge University 

These colleges make the town of Cambridge. They are amazing each one has their own personality. They all have beautiful courtyards, gardens and signature buildings. Some have unique gateways, some have just tiny doors that enter from the street.

Queen's College, Cambridge University 

Queen's College, Cambridge University 

Pembroke College, Cambridge University 

 When in Cambridge you must see at least a few of these colleges. My favorites are Trinity College, Kings College and St. John's also Emmanuel and Pembroke.

Pembroke College, Cambridge University 

Pembroke College, Cambridge University 

 I could have put hundreds of pictures on this blog of these incredible colleges, I tried to limit them to just enough to give you an idea of what they are like.

Emmanuel College, Cambridge University

King's College, Cambridge University

King's College, Cambridge University

John's College, Bridge of Sighs built in 1831 Cambridge University

John's College, Cambridge University