Journal a quote

'Journal a quote' is the title of the challenge at 'Three Muses' this week. I took the title of the song by Cyndi Lauper, which has been buzzing around in my head this week since I heard it on the radio. I did the background by scraping on gesso and some blue and green leftover paint, did some prismalo scribbling on top of that, and then went to town with cutting and snipping. The disco girl on the right has been cut out of black paper, and then stickled, but the light was so bad all day that I couldn't catch the shine. But is is a nice green and orange sparkle, so you will just have to believe me!

Have a great day you all, take care, and thanks for visiting!

Postcard Challenge and Paint Party Friday

Hi you all, it's Friday, and that means time for Darcy's Postcard Challenge,where the theme this week is Portugal, and PPF, hosted by Eva and Kristin.

Jason and Shannon have been invited by a friend to visit the Portuguese Synagogue in Bevis Marks, in the city of London. It’s a nice evening, so they decide to walk there, as it is not far from where they live. They have seen the building from the outside, as they often pass by, but this is their first time inside.
Jason is a bit glum; cultural visits are not really his thing, but Shannon insists. ‘You can’t go to the pub or watch telly every night, can you?’ She asks. Jason answers, ‘Well, actually I could!’ but ducks quickly before Shannon can cuff him.

Jason has to wear a kippa (skull cap) on his head, which sits strangely on top of his spiky hair. They hear a very informative talk about the history of the Synagogue, and learn that it is the oldest purpose built one in England. There are much older buildings in other towns, like the Jew’s Court in Lincoln, dating from Norman times, but it has not been continually in use since then, due to the expulsion of the Jews from England in the 13th Century. A number of synagogues that predate the expulsion of the Jews from England have been discovered by archaeologists or  historians in buildings that have been in use for other purposes for many centuries. A second set of synagogues post-dates the legal return of Jews to England in the seventeenth century. Some synagogues have been destroyed or demolished and rebuilt on the same site, so that, while the site or congregation may be very old, the building may be modern. Still other old synagogue buildings exist, but were sold by the congregation and are now used for other purposes, some as churches or mosques, others for everything from residences to school recital halls. And some very old synagogues have been in continuous use as synagogues for many centuries.
Bevis Marks Synagogue, called the ‘Sha’ar HaShamayim’ (Gate of Heaven) community was built to house the congregation of Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal, and has been known since then as the Portuguese Community.

In 1698 Rabbi David Nieto took charge of the congregation who met in a small synagogue in Creechurch Lane, in the city. A considerable influx of newcomers made it necessary to obtain more spacious quarters. Accordingly a committee was appointed which investigated matters for nearly a year, and on February 12, 1699, signed a contract with Joseph Avis, a Quaker, for the construction of a building to cost £2,750. Avis later declined to collect his fee, on the ground that it was wrong to profit from building a house of God. On 24 June of the same year, the committee leased a tract of land at Plough Yard, in Bevis Marks, for 61 years, with the option of renewal for a further 38 years, at £120 a year. Avis began building at once, reportedly incorporating in the roof a beam from a royal ship presented to the community by Queen Anne. The structure was completed and dedicated in 1701. With the exception of the roof (which was destroyed by fire in 1738 and repaired in 1749), it is today as it was over 300 years ago. The interior decor and furnishing and layout of the synagogue reflect the influence of the great Amsterdam Synagogue of 1677.
In 1747 Benjamin Mendes da Costa bought the lease of the ground on which the building stood, and presented it to the congregation, vesting the deeds in the names of a committee consisting of Gabriel Lopez de Britto, David Aboab Ozorio, Moses Gomes Serra, David Franco, Joseph Jessurun Rodriguez, and Moses Mendes da Costa.

The entrance

The Bevis Marks Synagogue was the religious center of the Anglo-Jewish world for more than a century. As the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community grew and moved out of the City and East End of London to the West End and the suburbs, other synagogies were built. Attendance at Bevis Marks declined so much that in 1886 a move to sell the site was contemplated; a "Bevis Marks Anti-Demolition League" was founded, under the auspices of H. Guedalla and A. H. Newman, and the proposed move was abandoned.
Thus Bevis Marks exists today, and still looks exactly as in former days. The synagogue's most prominent feature is undoubtedly the beautiful Renaissance-style ark (containing the Torah scrolls) located at the centre of the Eastern wall of the building. Both in its location and in its design, it is like the reredos of the churches of the same period. Painted to look as though it is made of coloured Italian marble, it is in fact made entirely of oak.

An old print of the interior

Seven hanging brass candelabra symbolise the seven days of the week, the largest of which - hanging in the centre of the synagogue - represents the Sabbath. This central candelabrum was donated by the community of the Great Synagogue in Amsterdam, upon which Bevis Marks' interior is largely based. The candles are still lit today for weddings and the Jewish Festivals. The rest of the year the Synagogue is lit by the electric lights added in 1928.

The Ark (where the Torah scrolls are kept)

(Pictures 1 and 3 courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Twelve pillars, symbolising the twelve tribes of Israel, support the women's gallery.
The synagogue contains benches running parallel to the side walls and facing inward, leaving two aisles for the procession with the Torah scrolls. In addition, backless benches at the rear of the synagogue, taken from the original synagogue at Creechurch Lane, date from 1657 and are still regularly used.
A number of seats in the synagogue are roped off as they belong or have belonged to notable people within the community. Two seats are reserved for the most senior officials of the congregation's publishing arm, Heshaim. Those that hold the positions are welcome to sit in them when visiting the synagogue, but they are otherwise kept vacant. A third seat, fitted with a footstool, has been withheld as it belonged to Sir Moses Montefiore, a very notable Jewish philanthropist. It is the seat nearest the Ark on the central row of the left half of the benches. It is only ever occupied by very senior dignitaries and it is considered a high honour to be allowed to sit in the seat. In 2001 Prince Charles sat in the seat during the tercentenary service, and Prime Minister Tony Blair for the service celebrating the 350th anniversary of the re-settlement of the Jews in Great Britain.

The synagogue is the only one in Europe which has had continuous services for over 300 years.
Jason and Shannon find their visit very interesting, and even Jason is really impressed. This is one of the postcards they take home to show Cissie and Thelma:

Cissie and Thelma were rather astonished when they heard how the kids had spent their evening.

'I think Jason is growing up;' sighs Cissie. 'Marriage seems to be making a man out of him. About time, too!'

'Yes, well, he's married to my daughter!' answers Thelma.

For Paint Party Friday I have another WIP. There wasn't much painting time this week, as I have been helping my neighbour a lot. I have worked here with tissue paper, mod podge and gesso, and then different paint sprays and Inka gold. I think I will add some more layers to it, and then use it to make another journal cover.

I think that was more than enough for one day, congratulations if you have managed to stay with me to the end! Have a great day, take care, and thanks for visiting!

Autumn leaves and evening sky

Hi you all, another week is racing by quicker than I can think! I did not have much crafty time yesterday, as I visited a friend and then spent time helping a neighbour, but I did manage to finish off this tag for Simon Says Stamp and Show where it's all about leaves this week. I would have liked to use some real ones, but most of the leaves here are still green and on the trees....so I made a selection out of scraps of paper and miri card, and popped them into a pocket on a tag. The tag has been inked with rusty hinge and embossed with copper EP, but it doesn't show up to well here. The pocket has been cut from a scrap of leafy DP, and stuffed with some hessian and lots of leaves. 

On Tuesday it was very cold and poured all day, with a storm towards evening. Then, just before it got dark, I looked out of the window and saw this wonderful sky. My apartment faces east, so this was just the reflection from the western sky....

And then I saw the rainbow, so pretty!

A few minutes later it was dark, and the moon rose, what a lovely evening! And something to remember on dark, wet and dreary days like today.

Here's wishing you all a lovely day, take care, and thanks for coming by!

Halloween is coming nearer....

I love October! Halloween is coming nearer from day to day, and soon it will be the witching time again.... I found two of these lovely chipboard boxes in the old paper container recently, and have discovered that they make wonderful, spooky witch dwellings.

First I gave the box a thin spray with black paint, so it still looked patchy and shabby, and used some TH Halloween paper for the wallpaper. The die-cuts used for the owl, hat, skeletons, skulls and ghosts are from Sizzix. The lovely curtains were made from remnants out of my bit-bag. The little book 'upstairs' has been made from ancient paper from the 18th century, and the skull was once on some sneakers. The bottles have been altered, with some red spray for 'Poison'. The witch was given to me by a neighbour (should I be worried when people give me things like this?!) I just turned her broom so she could sit on the floor more comfortably.

I wonder whose hand is creeping round the curtains?

An ancestral portrait....

Bon Appetit!

Well, I really had fun putting this together. I am entering into 2 challenges:

The Craft Room challenge 'Alter it' and 

'Halloween and no bones about it' at Re-cycle, re-purpose and re-invent

Here's wishing you all a nice day, take care, have fun and thanks for visiting!

Tag Tuesday and more

Hi you all, the week has flown by again and it's a new Tuesday in a new month. Our theme this week is Autumn leaves, acorns and conkers. I embossed a craft tag using a TH texture folder with wood grain, and embossed it with forest moss and rusty hinge. I stamped the acorns and the squirrel, coloured them with prismalos and cut them out before fixing them to the tag with foam squares. The little owl up in the tree should have been on my tag 2 weeks ago, but hid himself in one of my boxes, so I stuck him up on the branch together with the bird. I added some leaves, a toadstool, a hedgehog, and a little ghost hiding behind a pumpkin.

The theme this week at Artful Times is to make a 6x4 postcard, using letters or script. I used a scrap of Designer Paper for the background, onto which I stuck some text pieces from one of my old German newspapers from 1899. I added a strip of tissue tape, and gave it  a bit of colour with some green and yellow metallic paints. The bird image is from Gecko Galz. A little piece of lace rounded it off.

This is the first page I made in my new 3 ring journal that I made last week. The quote I have used is one that Donna always uses on her mails; I have seen it so many times now, and thought I just had to use it. I scraped some gesso and blue over the background, added a text strip from an old book, and cut the paper doll out of some Designer Paper scraps.

Hope you all have a good day, take care, and thanks for visiting!

October Calendar Challenge at the Kathryn Wheel

Hi everybody. It's the beginning of the month so it's time for the Calendar Challenge over at 'The Kathryn Wheel'.  It's always fun to see the different takes people have on their calendars. I have stuck to my rhyme of the month, and therefore I have a pheasant on my page. The fields are reminiscent of Autumn, the sky is blue, as it has been here today. The little door for October 31st is hiding a secret. But I can't tell you what it is, otherwise it wouldn't be a secret any more.Suffice it to say, that some bad characters are waiting behind there till it's time for them to come out and play! You will surely get to see them when the next calendar is due!

Don't peek too close, they might just get irritated.....

And this strange picture is the full moon, snapped last night with my cell phone. I just loved the halo around it, even if the photo is very grainy!

Have a great day you all, take care, and hope that the new month will be a good one for you!

Altered bottles - Hatters' Challenge

Hi you all! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, whatever you are up to. Here we are having some chilly, but pleasant Autumn weather, so perhaps I will go for a walk later.  The challenge over at 'Out of a Hat' this week is to alter a bottle or a jar. The DT there made some wonderful examples to inspire us. I have used a bottle which already had a hole cut in the back of it, which I made use of. I covered the bottle with mid-podge and mulberry paper. I made holes in the cork to take the wires of the birds - bought from a floristic shop - and added a sunflower on top for the birds to pick at. My birds are not as nice as Florence's floating bee-swarm, but I pinched the idea from her. I tied different ribbons, beads and embellishments round the top, and let them hang down over the bottle. I used a mini set of Xmas lights, which I pushed carefully into the bottle, tried it out - and it works! So now I have an Autumn light bottle.

The second bottle is more dark than light, but is a welcome addition to my Halloween decorations.  The bottle once held cough-drops. I used a label from my stash, and a skeleton which had unfortunately lost it arms to another altered bottle. I wrapped it up in some fashionable tatty grey cheesecloth, and manged to find a little roll of foam to make the bridge between the bottle and the butt of the skeleton. Don't ask for details, use your imagination!! I gave him/her/it some googly eyes, and a flying bat as head-wear over the silver curls. Added a dead rat and a toadstool, and that was it. Sorry about the rather blurry photo, he/she/it wouldn't keep still!

Here's wishing you all a great day! Take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!