Erlangen part V - Watch and learn

Last but not least: For the second part of my Nürnberg Sunday, I tried to literally catch some of the museums. Due to the fact they'd soon close, I decided to go for the Albrecht Dürer house and the Toy museum. Mainly, since both were on my list of interest from the beginning, but practically, they are located very close to one another and if I wanted to visit more than one exhibition that evening, it would probably have to be this combination.

Why visit more that one anyway? Because Nürnberg offers a great deal when it comes to city museums: pay an additional 2.5 € to your entrance ticket in one of the city museums and you can use it as a whole-day ticket that enables you to visit as many of the city museums as you wish (or can) that day. How cool is that?

After leaving the Zoo behind I headed back to the city, pondering up the castle hill through the old center streets for some more fitness and vitamin D points. The houses are neatly renovated and give a feeling of ancient times, while the shop windows stand for Nürnberg's reputation of the "Toy capital" of the world.

And despite the fact that I've already spotted the Dürer house the previous day, I ended up looking for it again as the gravity of my attention focused on the houses underneath the castle walls for some odd reason. In reality, the master's house is located in the lower part of the square and would maybe need a couple of banners or something that would help people to find it right away. 

Once inside, however, the exhibition The Dürer house immediately takes you to an interesting trip through the past. In the house that was owned by Nürnberg's most prominent son, you can explore how the life and work of a recognized painter looked like. Living rooms are placed next to huge artistic areas, while everything is well explained on plates as well as on audioguide and interactive elements.

For the second part of the evening, I headed to the city's Toy museum. What I thought would be a funny little detour on my way home turned out to be an interesting journey through thousands of years of play and playing. Without exaggerating, one might say it shows everything from ancient clay figures to numerous stunningly equipped children's kitchens...

... Dolls in all outfits and sizes one can imagine...

... And lots of boy's stuff, too - even such that was supposed to inspire them to become a priest!

Omaha model railway. Built between 1950-1974 by dr. Wolfram Bismarck, one can only imagine how much work and patience went into creating the buildings, trains and 172 m of rails. Unbelievably, Mr. Bismarck never actually visited the original scene, building the functioning railway station based on photographs and descriptions only.

Modest post-WW2 toys...

... And reflections of more recent consumer products.

Special exhibition on music and musical instruments with lots of things that can and will produce noise.

When I finally left by closing time, it was already dark, meaning I would head straight to the station to get a good night's sleep before another week of counting the days till I'd go home.

To get through another week of whining and self-pity back in Erlangen, I again used my usual oases of calm.

And by the end of my stay, I managed to visit another interesting site, namely the Siemens museum. Its entrance is well visible but might seem to be disguised as a cafeteria, which hopefully doesn't chase potential visitors away. In the free exhibition that is set up in the Siemens building close to the hospital and offers many interactive materials, one can learn about the rise of the Siemens family... 

... The development of science in the field of radiation and the introduction of imaging technologies in medicine...

... And much more on what Siemens has to offer. 

Who knew that every medical system is built as a small model first, followed by a small functioning prototype, and only then by a functioning model in the original size?

Or that the 30.000 research & development engineers at Siemens make about 8.800 inventions a year, or about 40 each day?

Or how big and clumsy the first hearing aids used to be?

Urine samples now and then

One of the world's smallest ultrasound units, and a good looking one, too. With its weight of only 700 g, it's certainly a wonderful thing to have for any first responder.

And who would dare to imagine medicine without electrification nowadays?

Replica of Germany's first dental drill with an electric engine. Due to its bad isolation however, both patient and doctor were from time to time exposed to electric shocks of 110 V. 

Replica of an implantable cardiac pacemaker, 1958. Needless to say its descendants not only look, but also last much longer.

Variations of radiation therapy. Even though in use only a couple of decades ago, they seem pretty medieval in comparison to modern machinery such as the Ion-Beam Therapy Center in Heidelberg. A 670-ton gantry that can be positioned to the millimeter to ensure accurate radiation, while using as much energy as a town with 3000 inhabitants certainly is a stunning gadget.

Under the bottom line, the museum sure was one of my Erlangen highlights. Lots to see and lots to learn, and it certainly isn't meant for people with medical background only. Also, apart from the technological achievements, part of the exhibition is dedicated to coping with the unpleasant parts of history.

Nevertheless, at some point I was just happy to head home.

Because I expect my commitment to be respected, and the last thing I'd think of after two weeks of committing my time, energy and knowledge is facing accusations as ridiculous as not having given my real name in first place.

Because sometimes the feeling of closing the door is an unbelievably good one.
And because very soon I'd be heading back to Bavaria for a different kind of German experience.

~ the end ~

Little angel

Ages ago, I made a series of Christmas cards using this wonderful angel pattern. After that, I used it for a couple of baby cards, but then it somehow got buried under all my stitching patterns.

Then, I decided to stitch it with soft pink yarn for the girly counterpart of the "winter baby" card. Only after I was done I realized that the pink yarn had some kind of cream/beige touch that made it impossible to combine the motif with any of my pink papers. I made several attempts to find the right pnk shade in various crafting shops, but all got were nuances of true pink which just didn't seem to fit.

Like many projects before, the stitched image landed in my "to do" stash, waiting for better times. This spring, I finally came across a paper with a cherry blossom pattern on one side and a mix of writings on the other. It was the blooming side that caught my attention in the store, but when I had a proper look at the writings at home, the little angel came to mind.

After a moment of revelation I was searching through my stash of pink shaded flowers. 

To make a transition between the stitched image and its background, I once again went through every single pink paper I had, but not a single one convinced me. Of course, only a small part of it would be visible anyway, but the mismatch was enough to disturb me.

In the end, I went with my high school arts teacher who always suggested to try something completely different, and voilà: turns out that the ocher paper with tiny embossed dots has been the solution all along.

Now, my only task was to add a little something to the remaining two corners, and in my attempt to use up my sticker stash, two golden corner stickers found a new home.

A little contribution to the July collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- brown sugar: ATG
- craft-alnica: card for your own soul
- crafting with an attitude: ATG
- crafty calendar: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- bawion: flower
- double D challenges: pastel party
- fabnfunky: little boys & girls
- in the pink: special occasion
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG
- wortartwednesday: ATG

Under water

A couple of years ago, after almost 25 years of a shitty marriage, a major part of the pre-marital correspondence landed in the oven during one of mom's "clean up & throw way" episodes.

To me, it was most revealing: firstly, I never knew such correspondence existed, and secondly, it turned out that the questions that were not answered in the years before the wedding, were still the cause of main arguments 25 years later.

However, after a quick "note to self" I managed to sneak a little something from the fire - a little fish made of paper stripes. It was simple and cute at the same time and something I thought I might use in one of my projects one day.

From then on, I imagined countless under water scenes every now and then, but never really went to work. Only a couple of days ago, I finally took out the battered model and searched my stash for yellow, orange and golden papers. 
As I decided to make a maritime card, my fish would have to be slightly smaller than the original. With stripes 5 mm wide, crafting turned out to be quite challenging at moments, and yet the creatures turned out to be too large to realize my idea of a flock of fish on a wavy background. 

In my plan B, I decided to make the card with more than just fish. I stitched a little Fadengrafik ornament which isn't a big thing, but all in all, the card turned out to be full after adding two fish already. To make the scene interesting anyway, I added a vivid background paper with a pattern of ocean waves. Additionally, I raised the stitched strip with 3D adhesive pads and gave tiny gemstone eyes to the fish.

As it didn't seem to be enough and I turned out to be in full crafting mood, I decided to place a little piece of sand patterned paper in the lower part of my card. It was intentionally thorn a little bit to avoid the clear-cut, artificially looking sandbank. After that, I started adding plants and stones that I've cut out of cardstock leftovers.
And after a long period of (crafting) inactivity, it felt so good to be back in my paperstash and set my fantasy free :)

For the third fish that didn't find its place in the main motif, I used the inside of the card on which I added a couple more stones.

What my card turned out to be in the end:

And the original that started it all:

A little contribution to the July collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria. And a little more maritime inspiration: fish in Ljubljana old town :)

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- gem of a challenge: animals
- basteltraum: water
- brown sugar: ATG
- cardmania: summer fun
- cardz4guyz: beside the sea
- craft-alnica: card for your own soul
- crafting with an attitude: ATG
- crafty calendar: ATG
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- friendship challenge: summer, sunshine, beach & sea
- kreativtanten: colour challenge
- little red wagon: wet & wild
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG
- scrapping4fun: birthday
- sunny day crafting: A for animals
- crazy challenge: animals
- sketchy challenges: summer
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- wortartwednesday: ATG

Dragonfly

With the second heatwave of the year, I don't seem to be in the mood for anything, so I guess I'll once again conceal my crafting inactivity with one of my exhibition cards. And of course, it's once again a stitched one :)

The image of a dragonfly has been tempting me for quite a while, but I somehow never figured out the purpose of a dragonfly card. Of course, many occasions come to mind, but non of them was "the" one that would actually make me sit down and stitch the creature. Or maybe I was just a little insecure due to the dandelion (?) plant next to it that seemed so incredibly complicated to be stitched? 

Once the opening of the exhibition came closer and I badly needed some more flat cards, I decided to go and get it done. 

For the insect, I used red shimmering yarn in two shades: the darker one for the body, and the lighter one for the wings. Unfortunately, the contrast didn't turn out to be as clear as I imagined it.

For the plant, I worked with silver shimmering yarn. 

To make the image a little more vivid, I added a couple of rhinestones. Also, I decided to use 3D adhesive pads to make it stand out a little bit. For the background, I went for a swirly embossed paper that I found in Wuppertal last year. To make a transition to the stitched image, I added layers of red shimmering paper. 
When I was done, it turned out my timing couldn't be better (or worse): just enough time to pack up my cards, grab the background cardstock paper, put it all in a big bag and hurry to the Faculty - I literally finished my last exhibition card just when I was supposed to leave in order to not let my host waiting with the preparation of the exhibition.

A little contribution to the July collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.
And as this is a stitched summer card, I might as well use it to invite you to join us in the July Fadengrafik Challenge, "Summer". Link up any of your summer themed creations, given they include some form of paper embroidery. 

I certainly wish I sometimes had the tranquility of those little flyers, but as long as I'll be working with a last-minute-crafting mind, it's just about impossible. 

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "monochrome"
- gem of a challenge: animals
- alphabet challengeblog: I for insects
- cardz4guyz: beside the sea
- crafting with an attitude: ATG
- crafty calendar: ATG
- crafty cardmakers: tic, tac, toe (pearls, stitching, summer)
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: ATG
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- pennys papertake: ATG
- sunny day crafting: A for animals
- crazy challenge: animals
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- wortartwednesday: ATG

Woof!

Today, I'd like to show a rather simple, colourful card that was part of the kids' corner at my exhibition. I found this adoable puppy on the internet and coloured it with colouring pencils. After that, I placed it on a matching background paper that resembles a blooming meadow.

To distinguish the motif, I used adhesive pads and additional layers of cardboard, on which I placed a decorative border with my newest punch. I think the cute little pawsteps go perfectly with the little fella :)

And even though the card is just as suitable for boys, it already found a new home with a little princess who is currently all into PWA Patrol.

Matching the flowers in the picture, a couple of hydrangea that are currently blooming everywhere. Even though they are not quite my favourite blooms, I must admit these strong violet and pink shades really impressed me. I don't think I've seen such strong colours of hydrangea before.

challenges:

- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- C.R.A.F.T.: inspired by a film (PAW Patrol)
- crafting with an attitude: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG with optional twist "dies & punches"
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- creative moments: ATG
- cute card thursday: boys/men
- everybody art: ATG
- friendship challenge: animals
- fussy and fancy: pamper your pets
- glitternsparkle: bright colours
- inspiration destination: ATG
- kreativtanten: ATG
- love to craft: ATG 
- morgans artworld: ATG
- my time to craft: down on the farm
- pennys papertake: ATG
- scrap & craft: ATG
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- unicorn challengeblog: for the guys
- wordartwednesday: ATG

Birthday flowers

I uess I better take advantage of my not-learning-mood and finish another post for today.
This time, a card full of summer feelings that reflect in a bouquet of flowers (even though they were actually another exhibition card ;)). 
The flowers are stitched with regular cross-stitch yarn of different colours. To make the blooms a bit more visible, I softly coloured around them with coloured pencils. Additionally, I only used soft cream and beige paper for the background of my card. The swirly embossed paper in the back is another discovery I made in Wuppertal.

In some of the flowers,  placed tiny pearls that resemble the pollen.

A careful reader might notice it's a motif I use quite often compared to my other stitching motifs, for the simple reason that I think it is suitable for so many occasions. This time, as the silver sticker indicates, I made a birthday card for my stash. 

A little contribution to the June collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.

challenges: 
- 4 crafty chicks: birthday
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft:  ATG
- brown sugar: celebrations
- crafting with an attitude: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: ATG
- creative moments: ATG/birthday
- double D challenges: flowers
- everybody art: ATG
- friendship challenge: ATG
- fussy and fancy: flowers
- inspiration destination: ATG
- irishteddys: favourite motif
- kreativtanten: ATG
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG
- pile it on: animal/spring garden
- scrapping4fun: soft colours
- sunny day crafting: tic tac toe (flowers, pearls, sentiment)
- crazy challenge: birthday
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- tuesday throwdown: stitching
- wortartwednesday: ATG

Starry, starry night

I'm not sure whether it's just me not being able to keep up with the calendar, but again, it's time to close a month and start another. And as always, with every new month comes a new FadengrafikChallenge. This time, we're having an "ATG" theme again, perfect for the first really hot days of the year. My inspiration comes in form of a zodiac card this time, and is another leftover of my exhibition collection that might be used as a birthday card and turned out to be very suitable guys' card for any occasion, too.

Rather unusually for me, I decided to stitch the main motif on coloured cardboard. I think it makes the golden yarn pop out really nicely, but it also turned out to be a horrible choice when I tried to find the perfect combination of papers for the card.

For the main background, I was determined to use another dark blue cadboard with traces of silver and gold. I found it during my December visit of Wuppertal, a perfect piece of paper for any sky, stars and/or universe-themed project. However, the two shades of dark blue seemed to be too dark alltogether.

In the end, I sacrifised a stripe of the background cardboard to make sure I could add an additional layer of shimmering cream/beige paper on the brown card base. Between the stitched image and the endless sky, I placed a layer of golden cardboard.

For some extra bling, I added a couple of gemstones to the libra motif, while I placed golden sticker letters in the lower part of the image instead of stitching the word. On the one hand, I think it gives more weight to the lower part than the stitching would, and on the other hand, I just have to start using up those stickers in my stash :)

A little contribution to the June collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.

More outer space inspiration: starry night above Radensko polje. I's amazing how bright the stars are once you leave the city behind, and I should probably do it moe often.

Starry or not, it's up to you now to link up your projects at the Fadengrafik Challenge. We take any theme this month, just make sure there's some stitching on what you create ;)

challenges: 

- 4 crafty chicks: birthday
- a bit more time to craft:  ATG
- gem of a challenge: boys/men
- as you like it: favourite reason to make cards (as I don't sell my cards, I make most of them just for fun - to try a new pattern, a new technique, new papers/embellishments... and to fill my stash of cards for different occasions in case I need them as a present or giveaway)
- basteltraum: men/boys
- brown sugar: celebrations
- city crafter: out of this world
- crafting with an attitude: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: ATG
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- everybody art: ATG
- friendship challenge: ATG
- inspiration destination: ATG
- kreativtanten: ATG
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG
- crazy challenge: birthday
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- tuesday throwdown: stitching
- wortartwednesday: ATG