The Night the Synagogues burnt....Reichspogromnacht 1938

In the night from November 9th/10th 1938 the Nazis started a pogrom. The action had been planned for weeks, all local SA and SS groups had been informed. During the evening, SA & SS groups started to smash the windows of Jewish shops and houses, Jewish families were pulled from their beds, their belongings smashed to bits or thrown out of the windows, people were arrested without any reason, many were beaten up and badly injured, and then the synagogues throughout Germany were set on fire. More than 7000 Jewish shops and businesses were also destroyed. Police and fire brigade had been ordered to attend, but only to prevent people helping or to insure that the fire did not spread to neighbouring, non-Jewish properties. Many photos show passers by just standing, watching. Others show the fire brigade standing in front of the burning houses and laughing. Hospitals and doctors were forbidden to treat the wounded, although many did, in spite of endangering themselves. More than 20,000 people (including my great uncle and his father) were carried off to prisons or concentration camps, where they were repeatedly beaten, and only released when their families could prove that they had documents and tickets to leave Germany. Between three and four thousand people died either during the night or later as a result of their injuries or subsequent beatings.. Some or them disappeared, probably beaten to death and *disposed of*.
The pogrom was *sold* to the German and international media as an *act of spontaneous people’s anger* to revenge the shooting of the German Ambassador Von Rath by the 17 year old Herschel Grynszpan in Paris. To *punish* the Jews for the damage they had caused (!) a *punishment tax* was levied to pay for the costs of the burnt out synagogues and their demolition, which amounted to the amazing sum of 1,127billion Reich mark. This night was called *Cristal Night* by the Nazis to make it sound like something harmless, where just a few windows got broken. In reality it was a long planned vicious pogrom, which should have shown the rest of the world what Hitler was up to. Those who managed to emigrate from Germany after this were *lucky*, even if they lost everything they had, those who stayed ended in the concentration camps, where 6 million Jews from the whole of Europe were murdered, including all of the family of my grandmother in Berlin.
This is in memory of them, and all who lost their lives as a result of this madness that engulfed the whole world.

GC 75: Random Redhead Challenge - Arches

As I find arches fascinating, I decided to try this challenge, but this time I did something different. I picked my favourite pics out of the slide-show at the bottom, and made them into a virtual collage where the pics get exposed one over the other. I printed the picture onto sticky-backed canvas from Ranger, which I them stuck onto a slightly larger canvas. I used TH inks to distress the sides and edges and parts of the picture. I also stamped the top of an arch at the bottom of the pic, using clear embossing ink and perfect pearls in gold to heat emboss. Then I cut a thin arch out of some scrap paper and stuck it on. Although it is not possible to see each of the arches clearly, I like the effect of light and shadow this has made, and how the arches merge into each other. The pics were taken In Israel in Acco (Acre) and Achsiv. Achsiv is mentioned in the Old Testament, it was a little Phoenician Harbour and village. Today you can swim in the remains of the old harbour, while enjoying the view of the ancient houses, which are set into a wonderful garden leading down to the sea. Acco is also an ancient port, which has been *visited* at various times by the Saracens, the Crusaders, and Napoleon, to name just a few. The old harbour can still be seen, many ancient, twisting streets full of arches, Mosques, houses and the ruins of the wonderful crusader castle. The pics above show (1) the selected pics, (2) the collage, and then the finished picture. Underneath I have made a slide show of some more photos. I think I will be trying this again ! Thanks for looking!

Pictures of autumn , some ATCs and a card....

After the rain and the wind of the past few days, most of the autumn leaves have flattered from the trees, forming a wonderful, red and gold carpet of leaves, which is lovely to walk through, kicking them up again and again.... But sometimes rather dangerous, too. The leaves act as a camouflage for the *mines* planted there by some dogs. I'm not blaming the dogs, either, just their owners!
Still, I will be very sorry when the red-gold beauty is finally swept away, leaving behind a cold and grey November.
Took a few photos of my favourite trees, of the sun rising over the airport, and of the trees in front of my balcony. And I made my October ATCs, which are going out rather late this time. Shame on me, as it was my turn to choose the theme, which I did, just didn't get round to making them (hangs head in shame).

Gingersnap Colours of Autumn Challenge

So, this is going to be the last of the halloween themed pics for this year, but at least autumn is not yet over! This challenge is to do a picture using the colours eggplant, avocado and pumpkin, 3 beautiful colours of the season. I used ceramic card which has been distressed using TH inks, and stamped with an owl and some foliage. I used my black embossing powder, but there was no noticeable coffee aroma in spite of my recent mishap.... I highlighted the colours and embossed parts with perfect pearls in green, pink and gold. The background is out of the DCWV *Fairy tale* stack. I cut a window - evidently still under the influence of the gothic elements & arches challenges - and placed my card behind it. I added a window frame cut from some embossed paper, and a witch, a bat, 2 pumpkins and a moon. I cut round some of the vases in the picture and defined them with some black ink and perfect pearls, and stamped a little gothic architectural element in the top left hand corner. Was fun to make, as always - thanks for looking!

Gothic Arches Challenge *Text*

This arch has been made for the new *text* challenge from Gothic arches. I have used an old photo of my great aunt, which was taken in 1918. I have printed the picture onto an overhead transparency, cut it into an arch, and mounted it onto different arches. The first arch has been cut from a sheet of floral paper on which I printed part of an old document from the family of my great aunt's husband. The same text is printed onto the last arch, too. I found the documents, some of which go back to the year 1701, in the dustbin after she died! The flower has been die cut with TH *Tattered Florals*. The third arch has been cut from some metallic paper, and the lace doiley I found in my stash. To carry on the text theme, I placed the arch on an old book of ladies' magazines from 1901. I found the combination of text and arches very interesting, and I am sure I will try some more variations of this theme. Thanks for looking!

A Ghost from the Past....

As I am planning a little Halloween party at the weekend, I decided it was time to clear up - looks bad when guests have to put the stash piles on the floor so that they can sit down. The trouble is, that all my drawers and cupboards are full, a problem which is probably known to other addictive scrappers. And the ladies who are coming at the weekend are very tidy and house-proud people - heeeeeeeeeeeelp!
So, I have been clearing and tidying since yesterday afternoon. I have a lot of drawers which haven't been opened or sorted for more than 20 years. When I moved three years ago I just moved the drawers with their contents and planned to clear them up when I had time....Well, the witching hour is here, and I had to start. I have done half of the drawers in my 2 desks, and removed 3 (yes THREE) plastic sacks of rubbish. Old biros, pencils, dried out paints, half used notebooks, bills from the 70s (paid!!), bits and pieces of this and that - the normal detritus that collects in the homes of chaotic crafters. Found some interesting things, too. Photos, old coins from different foreign countries, dried up free samples of cream and make-up, paper, old envelopes, newspaper cuttings, 3 dead & dessicated spiders, enough dust to bathe an elephant, my missing camera, keys and many other objects which I would rather not describe here. But for me the best thing was this photo, taken in Scunthorpe in 1968, where I had my first job as a teacher. I was a member of a local amateur drama group, and we represented our town at the drama festival at the town theatre, playing a piece called *Down the Hatch*, a rather corny murder story. I was a naive & nosey young journalist. Can you find me among the *stars*??
OK, back to tidying, the *bottomless pit* - the hall closet - is waiting for me to find what is lurking in its deep, dark depths.

The Witching hour - Gingersnap Gothic elements challenge

Made this card for the Gingersnap *Gothic Elements* challenge. The Ghostly face and the gold background elements have been stamped with Opalite *crystal blush* onto black card, and then brushed with perfect pearls in electric blue and gold respectively. The gothic arch has been cut free-handed from some gold card from a choccie package, embossed with a TH folder and then swiped with black archival ink. The card and arch have been mounted onto a scrap of *Graphics 45* paper with 3D pads. The bat is a sizzix die cut, edged with gold, and is carrying an hour-glass to herald the witching hour. The large bird is from TH, has been stamped with archival ink, black embossed and cut out by hand.... That was where the story got messy - I tipped the pot of black embossing powder over the working surface in the kitchen. Managed to scratch and brush it back into the pot with the addition of some coffee granules & some UCBs - unidentified crumbs and bits, so I am wondering what special effects my next embossing will have....Was great fun to make in spite of it all. Thanks for looking!