Flags

Challenge #36 at scrapping4fun wants to see the colours of your country's flag.
After being featured in the Happy birthday challenge, I was asked if I wanted to prepare a little inspiration as a Guest Designer, and of course I wanted :) It's a great honour for me to be part of such a creative team, and it turned out to be a real challenge to me.

At first, to figure out which flag to choose. Since I was born and raised in Austria, but with Slovene roots, it was quite complicated for me as a child to figure out where I belong. Most of my childhood, being threatened and insulted on a regular basis due to Slovene language, I never felt welcome or wanted in Austria. Advice like "go back where you came from" wasn't really helpful because - I was already there.

It all made me feel more Slovene and less Austrian, even though I knew Slovenia only from visiting relatives during holidays. By the time I entered high school, I stopped thinking about things like nationality. When it came to sports, I was happy with Austrian results in skiing and ski-jumping, even though things were quite tense at times, especially prior to elections and anniversaries.

After high school, my wish was to study medicine, and as Austrian universities were overcrowded with German students, I diverted to Slovenia. I was surprised to see how the environment takes over your life: I do follow the news on both sides of the Alps, but the information one catches during the day - discussions, opinions, jokes, gossip - is connected with Slovenia. Needless to say that nobody comes close to Tina Maze or Peter Prevc ;)
Within a couple of years, I got so used to living here that when I go home for the holidays, I miss Ljubljana after a couple of days. I don't feel the hostility anymore, it's rather the everyday's routine I have established in Slovenia.
To be perfectly honest, one has to say that the situation in Austria changed rapidly during the past years. It's all about cooperation and connecting now, and makes it hard to believe what one person in politics can do if taken seriously.

In the end, I decided to make two cards. For both of them, I've chosen my favourite technique: paper embroidery.

The Austrian colours were easy: I stitched a heart with shimmering red yarn and combined it with white and red papers. In the end, I added a couple of rhinestones.

The Slovene colours were tricky: in my opinion red and blue don't match, so I really struggled with this one. I picked the polka-dot blue background paper and stitched two red hearts for the central motif. 

To create a transition between the two colours I stitched a silver ornament which I decorated with blue and white pearls. 

Finally I added flowers that would resemble the three golden stars on the Slovene coat of arms.

For comparison, here are my templates: 

Republic of Austria

Republic of Slovenia

 

You might ask: Do I have a flag? Yes.
Whenever I can, I visit cycling races to support Jani Brajkovič, and for this occasion I've bought a Slovene flag. It travelled with me all over Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy when I cheered for my boy and his team(s).
Later, I bought some more flags: an Asturian one for Chechu Rubiera, the sweetest guy you can ever meet, and a Texan one for Lance, who as cancer survivor probably played a big role in my decision to study medicine and brought me to cycling in first place, and turned out to be... Well, I still have to figure out that one...

My flags in action at the Tour de Romandie 2010 in Moudon, Switzerland

 

And the Slovene flag atop the Ljubljana castle on February 8th, Slovene cultural day or Prešeren Day, the anniversary of the poet's death.

challenges card 1:
- basteltanten: Herzenssache
- crafty sentiments: bling it on
- crafting from the heart: ATG
- crafty calendar: ATG
- crafty cardmakers: love
- deep ocean challenges: love is all around
- fadengrafik challenge: Valentine's
- fairytale challengeblog: sewing
- fussy and fancy: all about love
- glitternsparkle: gems & glitter
- robyns fetish challengeblog: square cards
- inspiration destination: ATG
- jellypark challenges: love is in the air
- just inspirational challenges: love

challenges card 2:
- basteltanten: Herzenssache
- crafty sentiments: bling it on
- crafting from the heart: ATG
- crafty calendar: ATG
- crafty cardmakers: love
- crafts 4 eternity: two's (two hearts)
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- deep ocean challenges: love is all around
- fadengrafik challenge: Valentine's
- fairytale challengeblog: sewing
- fussy and fancy: all about love
- glitternsparkle: gems & glitter
- robyns fetish challengeblog: square cards
- inspiration destination: ATG
- jellypark challenges: love is in the air
- just inspirational challenges: love