A boat trip to Unkel

Yesterday there was a strange appearance in the sky - the sun! After so many cold and windy days it was good to get out and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. We decided to make use of the good weather and take a little trip on one of the Rhine Boats to Unkel, a tiny town on the Rhine with an abundance of beautiful, old, half timbered houses. We were lucky to be able to *cruise* on the *Rhine Princess*, a new ship whose virgin voyage was on Easter Sunday. And it was possible to sit on deck and enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine without freezing. In Unkel we sat outside a café and enjoyed ice-cream, cakes and coffee to strengthen us for the journey back home, this time on a ship called *Beethoven*, which was also very comfortable, when not quite so luxurious as the first one. All in all, a sunny day in nice company, a little holiday from the grey weather reality of recent times.

Ladies' Night in Pseudonym.....

People who know me may not be disposed to believe this, but last night I actually went *out*. And I don't mean a visit to a friend's or a scrap shop, but to a club-discotheque here In Bad Honnef. Of course, I didn't want to. But some other gals had decided we should all go to Ladies' Night, and put the pressure on till I agreed to go with them. We all got a bit dolled up and went out at 8p.m., not really knowing what to expect. We knew it only cost 3€ to get in, and thought we couldn't expect too much for that price....But we were wrong. Nice surroundings, good music, very friendly service, and the price included 4 free drinks. Only for ladies, the men had to pay the regular prices. Perhaps they will be able to enjoy equal rights one of these days! The selection of free drinks was good - wine, beer from the barrel, mineral water, cola, juices, tea, coffee, sekt - there was something for everybody. We spent an enjoyable 2 hours there, listening to the music, chatting, dancing and behaving a bit like teens out for their first night on the town....All in all, the place is well worth a visit & very good value for money, so if you happen to be in Bad Honnef on a Monday evening, make tracks for *Pseudonym* ( www.club-pseudonym.de) and enjoy a nice evening....And they don't mind if you decide to spend more than 3€.

Mini Loo-roll Album

For this little tag album I used 2 coordinating papers from an Anna Griffin stack to cover the cardboard rolls. They have been embellished with die-cuts, dimensional cut-outs (also from Anna Griffin), transfers, clocks and frames printed onto overhead transparency foil, mini playing cards, textile flowers, some bling and some nostalgic pictures, etc. The tags all have sayings about time, seems to be my theme at the moment. They have been distressed with Tim Holtz inks in tumbled glass, Victorian velvet, crushed sage, wild honey and forest moss, and then stamped with diverse motives and embellished with everything within reach. Was fun to make, thanks for stopping by to look!

Crafty ladies, a walk through Bad honnef and a sunset....

Yesterday afternoon we managed to dodge the rain clouds and take a walk through town. Every time I see these wonderful old houses, alley-ways, little gardens and small cafés I have to get out my camera and start clicking....It is amazing that so many houses survived destruction in World War II, and still remind us of old times. If those times were better or not, I cannot say, but they certainly produced beautiful buildings which have lasted longer than many of today's houses will. As usual, our walk ended in a café where we enjoyed some delicous cake and coffee before strolling home again. The crafty ladies were taken one evening here, while we were decorating Easter eggs, as were the pictures of sunset over the *Drachenfels*. Except, of course, for the naked lady holding the flowers, who stands outside the Pizzeria day and night, waiting for customers....