Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! Some Sweden!!

.... did you see what I did there?! I used a Abba song while talking about Sweden..... no? Just me then? ok.....

Anyway! I only got to go to Sweden once while we were there, but we made our way to Stockholm and saw, as always, awesomeness on the streets there. Take a gander!

Fun shaped buildings in interesting colours


I love the spikey-ness of this statue


And here it is on fabric... stitching idea maybe?


Swedish fountain gargoyle!


I loved this embroidery store window display, unfortunately it was Sunday so it was closed :-(


Interesting shutters


I loved the tapestry in the back of this store that was based on carnivorous plants


Just really interesting window displays in Sweden!

Love it! ♥

Medieval Tallinn

Visting Tallinn, Estonia made me want to sew. The medieval town had such gorgeous colour combinations and styles that I just want to depict it in stitch. Estonia has a love of wool, so while there I bought some hand dyed wool which will undoubtedly make its way into my pieces. Here are some of my favourite sights...

Winding streets passed castles and inns


A page showing the way


The handmade guild - I saw some gorgeous stuff in here


Random graffiti


A shadowy figure creeping down the street


Such gorgeous colours!!

Only a few more places to report on in my Europe round-up, then we'll get back to some sewing - promise!!

Ra Ra Rasputin!

Wow - that was a long break! Sorry about that! I had the cast change over from hell on my boat and just when we thought we were done a new show was introduced so I have to fit and alter 25 costumes in 24 hours.... got it done in 17 because I'm a rock star though! Anyway, here's the post about Russia I promised so long ago and hopefully posts will be more regular from now on *blush*

I think I've taken the most photos in St. Petersburg. There are so many beautiful buildings to see. The whole place is full of palaces, more than you can see in just one trip. When I was at school I remember doing a history project about Rasputin and his strange involvement with the last Tsar family and his even stranger death. I was lucky enough to go to an exhibit about this event and learn more whilst in Russia. If you don't know the story of Rasputin, look it up - it's a really weird tale!

The Winter Palace, now the Hermitage Museum


The Summer Palace


St. Isaac's Cathedral - that's real gold up there!


Random painting hanging in the street that's been... um.... added to...


Outside the Church of the Spilled Blood


Inside, the Church is decorated entirely with glass mosaics


Inside one of the coppolas

I feel some art coming on.... :-)

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside... in Germany

Our second port is Warnemunde, Germany. Warnemunde is a cute seaside town, and of course there is lots of beer! Here are a few of my favourite shots:

I love these fold out beach chairs, they look amazing lined up along the beach


The lighthouse and Teepot building


They like to build fancy sand castles here!

Next post we'll travel to St Petersburg and some of the amazing sights I have seen there!

The Delights of Copenhagen

Let's begin my travel posts from my time in Europe - starting with Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen is our home port, which means this is where we pick up new passengers at the beginning of the cruise and crop them off at when it ends. Here are some of my favourite sights...

I want to take this guy home with me!


Whenever I go into Copenhagen with my Production Manager we are on a mission to find flowers - like these, gorgeous!


I found this sign outside a shop - I think it needs stitching up sometime soon




The one thing I wanted to see in Copenhagen was the statue of the Little Mermaid - here she is!

Copenhagen has some beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets, but it also has a gorgeous arty feel. I saw two outdoor art exhibitions here in one day - posts about those to come!

Next post we will visit Germany!

Oh The Things I Have Seen... In Europe!

I have only been on this European run on my cruise ship for two cruises now, but I have already seen so much! I have blog posts planned for each of the places I am visiting - here are a few of my favourite photos so far from those places!

Copenhagen, Denmark


Warnemunde, Germany


Tallinn, Estonia


St. Petersburg, Russia


Helsinki, Finland

I know, I'm mean keeping you in suspense like this :-) But I still need to see more. Plus I have a few posts about some amazing art I saw in Copenhagen for you as well - you are such lucky readers!

My internet still sucks though.... but I get to see this and share it with you!
More soon when a connection can be found :-)

On An Adventure in Europe... And My Internet Sucks!

I know I've been MIA for a bit - I've been moving in to my new cruise ship which is currently in the Baltic Sea. Apparently the internet connection sucks out here so I won't be posting as regularly, but I will when I can. For now, here's a pretty picture of St Petersburg until Ige the chance to really update you on my Baltic Adventures!!! Enjoy and I'll update you soon! ♥

When It Rains, It Pours and Sun Bleached Beauty Necklace

Nothing seems to be going right lately. As I have said previously, I’m currently not on my cruise ship as I came home for my Grandmother’s funeral. It all went very well, thank you for asking! However, I’m now stuck at home because of the volcanic ash cloud crisis. “But Joanne, the ash cloud has gone away!” I hear you all cry. Yes, I know, but at the beginning of the week my employer decided it would be safer to keep me at home for two more weeks to save me getting stuck somewhere. This decision and new flight bookings were all made before BA pushed the first flight through! Ah well, more time for crafting I say! And to top it all off, my other Grandmother is now in hospital with a suspected heart attack…. When it rains it pours apparently! To cheer me, and you, up here’s some new crafting…

When I picked up this piece of shell in St. Kitts, battered smooth by the power of the ocean, I knew it had to be made into a necklace. I wire wrapped the top with white coated wire, then chose beads that reflected it’s colouring. I chose a pallet that made me think of wood or bones bleached in the sun on a hot dry beach. I used frosted white glass beads found in New York and pale wooden beads from Miami Florida. I strung the whole thing on pale hemp to give it that washed ashore feel.

I think the neutral colours and simplicity of this piece will work well with many outfits. It is currently available for sale in my store here.

Mermaid's Revenge Choker and Sponge Bob....

Today's entry is going to be a bit twee!! First off, lets do the good news!

I was rummaging through pieces of coral and shells I had collected in Aruba when I found this. A piece of coral with odd colours that inspired me to do something odd with it. I created the choker band out of pink metallic fabric machine embroidered with a scalloped design. I then played around with pink coated wire and made swirling links to attach the coral to the band. The choker closes with a pearl and loop made from knotted thread.

I think this choker is fit for any rambunctious mermaid making her way in the world!

It is available for sale in my store here.

And now on to the not so good news... depending on how you look at it. I was informed by my office today that I am going to receive additional training in April to work with Nickelodeon Character Costumes... Now in some ways this is a good thing. It is a new skill for me to learn and I will be able to put Nickelodeon on my Resume. However, I fear I will be cleaning kid's puke off Sponge Bob... which is not so good! I didn't sign up for slime and kid's snot, that's for sure. Right now it i probably best to focus on the positive ;-) So yay for new skills! Bring on Dora and Sponge Bob.... where they are going to fit in the dressing room I will never know!!

Oyster Bay Necklace and Relocation??

I found this little shell in Aruba and loved its strange colours. It inspired me to juxtapose materials when making it into the centrepiece of a necklace. I experimented with wire-wrapping, making looped links to hold the shell along with wrapped pearls from Germany in harmonising colours. I then lengthened the necklace with sea grass coloured hemp.

I think this piece is delicate and subtle, emphasising the bold colours of the shell itself. Let me know what you think!

This piece is currently available for sale in my shop here.

On a personal note, I’m thinking about relocating. With my cruise line phasing out my production company I have been looking for a new job, maybe on ships, maybe on land. I’ve applied for a few things back in England but I have a friend in Tennessee who might be able to find me something…. I’d just have to work out work visas and stuff. Anybody have any advice they’d like the share? I’d much appreciate it! - Leave me a comment!

Sharing the Handmade Love!

Geisha Cushion Cover by Sara Mahoney

In this post I wanted to share some of the Handmade Love! When I get home from my current contract (10 weeks to go!) I want to start having a regular blog post dedicated to showcasing handmade items that I really like. Let’s call this my first one, inspired by my good friend Sara Mahoney.

I hand embroidered a dress for my friend Sara (see my blog post Sugar Skulls Dress here) when she was on the ship with me back in November. In return I just received my birthday present from her…. A hand embroidered cushion case with a Geisha on it! Now the Geisha is poignant to us as we worked on a show together called Garden of the Geisha, but Sara also knows I love Ed Hardy stuff, and his Geisha design is one of my faves. Isn’t she gorgeous! I have it hanging on the wall of my cabin right now, but when I get home I am going to get a cushion for it, I can’t wait!!

Company Of Wolves Necklace by Hoolala

On to my second plug. It’s Euro Week on Etsy this week as they open their European Office in Germany. Even though my items are currently being shipped from the US, I am actually a European Etsy seller, being from England when I am not on ships. I decided to have a look around Etsy for fellow British sellers and stumbled across Hoolala. In particular I found her Company of Wolves necklace. This is going to be my birthday present to myself (my birthday is on April 10^th – remember the date!) as it has my favourite quote from said movie incorporated into the necklace – Sweetest tongue hides sharpest tooth. I am in love! Hoolala has many other amazing creations in her Etsy shop so check out this fellow British artist!!

Sea Gypsy Necklace

This piece I’m keeping for myself! I found the central shell slither on a beach in St. Kitts and knew it had to be made into a necklace. I felt like the Goddess had placed it on the beach just for me ;-)

I gathered together pale hemp thread and wooden beads to begin with, but then I had the thought to use glass beads as well. I wanted to use several strands of hemp to make a thick cord, but it also meant that I could string the smaller glass beads I found in New York onto a single strand. They then fell between the hemp cord, partially hidden, which I really liked.

I wire-wrapped the shell with white coated wire, making quite a chunky top which I liked with the size of the shell piece. I decided to call this piece the Sea Gypsy Necklace as I feel I am a bit of a sea gypsy. I travel around on different oceans seeing different places but never settling. This piece reminds me of the pull of the ocean, the curl of the waves and that for now, the sea is my home.

Don't forget to go check out the Salvaged Mutiny Store that is now open at http://salvagedmutiny.etsy.com