Pont des Arts

Paris is known for being a romantic city. Just look around and see the architecture and glimmering lights on the Eiffel Tower as it sparkles at night. There are many "kiss worthy" locations around the city, but how about professing your love in a different way?

Pont des Arts bridge has become a spot for many lovers to come and declare their affection for each other by attaching a lock to the side of the bridge and throwing the key into the river below. This is meant to symbolize the strength of their everlasting love.

Some people find it rather charming, while others see it as another type of graffiti taking away from the beauty of the city. Either way, you can also come to this bridge and encounter many street artists singing, playing guitar, or painting as this has become a great spot to earn a little money. At sundown this bridge also becomes a very popular for picnics and parties that often last into the early hours of morning.





Personally, I like to stroll along in the daytime and listen to the various artists performing along bridge. I also like to read the locks that are along the bridge. There are so many different kinds with many that are actually engraved with sayings on them. It is just a little bit of fun for an afternoon outing.

Royal Wedding Millinery

There were feathers and bows galore as the Royal elite took their seats at the most anticipated Royal gathering since Diana and Charles wedding. For me, the best part of the Royal Wedding today were the hats and fascinators worn by the guests.


Philip Treacy reportedly designed over 60 hats for the wedding guests. Two of my favorites were princesses Beatrice and Eugenie who looked like they had just stepped out of a scene in Alice in Wonderland. The hats they wore were young, and fun with a little bit of whimsy. Let's be honest... only princesses at a Royal Wedding could get away with wearing such extravagant hats.


There seemed to be a new trend of wearing the hats more toward the front of the head rather than tilted on the side. Victoria Beckham was one who sported this new look along with Tara Palmer Tomkinson who wore a bight royal blue one designed by Philip Treacy.



Also on show were many "flying saucer" type hats. Lady Sophie Windsor wore a chic navy blue one while Princess Michael of Kent looked amazing in a Sophia Loren picture hat. Zara Philips went the extra step wearing one that was tilted on the side adorned with large bows.




The Queen wore a nice yellow traditional style hat with little flowers on the side. Others at the wedding either kept with the traditional look or went all out in the name of fashion. Here are a look at some of the other guests and their choice of hats for this special day.

Monet's House in Giverny

Last Saturday, I had family in town visiting so we decided to get out of the busy city for the day and visit Giverny. We caught a train headed for Vernon were we then got a connecting bus that took us into the town of Giverny, famous for Claude Monet's house and gardens. Walking around the tiny streets of the village seemed like time had stood still. You could imagine Monet walking the cobblestone streets and sitting in a little cafe in the town.

Once inside Monet's house, there were many pieces of his artwork on show in the fist main room you enter. Looking out the window at his gardens, you see the his inspiration for his paintings. Through the house are some of his belongings, his bedroom and kitchen set up as it would have been years ago, and even a little sewing room!

After going through the house and stepping out into the gardens, you are met by the most amazing view of tree blossoms and flowers blooming. The colors are a true inspiration. Since it is early April, there were tulips galore. The garden is set out in rows of flowers leading down from the house. (Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge it and see the beautiful flowers up close!)








At the end of the main garden, if you go down under the little bridge you will come across his famous water lily garden which was the inspiration for many of his paintings. Water surrounded by flowers, bamboo trees and beautiful twine covered bridges create a romantic feel to this part of the garden.






I even got a picture taken with the famous bridge from one of his paintings in the background! Does it look like the painting!?



Boats were floating in the water similar to those Monet used to sit and paint in.



After visiting these beautiful gardens, I couldn't help but be inspired by the colors! I came home and have started making some jewelry pieces that are inspired by Monet's gardens. Watch for them soon on www.glimpsebeads.com

Beads From Long Ago

While in England last week, I visited the British Museum. My sister, the history enthusiast, dragged me to see the Rosetta Stone. After much complaining about how I would rather be shopping in Harrods, I gave in and went to the museum. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy going to museums, but as we only had one day in London, I just wanted to shop, shop and shop some more! Below is a picture of the Rosetta Stone.


Once we were in the museum, I was happily surprised to find how much jewelry, and textiles they had on display there. Once we made our stop to see the Rosetta stone, we started to look through the various other rooms in the museum and I came across these wonderful old beads! Strands of Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian and Gold were strung together to create these wonderful necklaces. These beads were found in a tomb from 2500 BC. The beads were found scattered and have been restrung. The Lapis would have come from Afghanistan, the Carnelian and Gold from India, Turkey, Iran or Egypt.




This reconstructed head suggests the original arrangement of the jewelry worn by the Sumerian women in the Royal graves.


In the next room, we came across this stunning gold cape from the Early Bronze Age about 1900 - 1600BC. The cape was crushed and pieced back together by the museum. This cape was very unique, so the owner must have been someone of very high status.


This picture shows how the cape would have been worn.


Next, I came across these stunning gold Torcs. What is a Torc you ask??? It is a large ornament made from precious metals or bronze and worn around the neck. They were common across Britain and Europe during the Iron Age.



In the last room of the museum we stumbled across traditional dresses. This one with all the embroidery caught my attention. These dresses are worn by Omani women living in the Capital Area around Muscat.



Overall, the British Museum had quite a large number of jewelry and textile pieces that were very interesting. I guess I will have to thank my sister for dragging me along to see the Rosetta Stone afterall!

Kathy Lagoli Scam

Just a quick note to warm fellow bloggers about emails from Kathy Lagoli. Yesterday I received an email from someone named Kathy Lagoli asking "Would you be available to discuss this on the phone ?" I then got another one this morning saying "Hey didn't hear back from you, are you still in business ?"
I found this a little strange since they were from two different emails, and when I Googled the email address it said that it was set up the previous day. After searching the name Kathy Lagoli, I have found that many other bloggers have also been contacted by her. Not sure what kind of spam/scam this is, but if you receive the email from her, do not open it or send your phone number to her!!
Has anyone else received these emails from her??