When Frieda visits....

it's a chance for fun!
My friend Frieda lives on Skiathos island and we hadn't met for quite a long time!
It was great that she came and we met again and did things together!
Here's what we did! It was such a full of fun weekend.
On Friday...
...we went to the International Trade Fair grounds at the Xeirotexnika Fair (a handicraft fair) organized by the creative Ftiaxto ladies who first brought the DIY sites in Greece. First we went around seeing the various stalls and vendors who sold handicraft supplies and handmade things and then we attended a workshop by dear Anna of In My Closet. She showed us how to make a snow globe.

 There were so many beautiful things to buy.I bought a cushion from Sis style who are a family enterprise of some former students of mine. Isn't it beautiful? And matches my vintage Danish armchair.

I also bought a lovely pair of earrings made in makrame style by Helen's Macrame Creations.This vendor really had so many beautiful things.

After the Fair we went for pizza at Famigliano

 and had to try the pavlova too. Divine!

On Saturday...
...we went to the beach house. The leaves of the trees had covered the lawn.

 We planted the bautiful flower pot my friends had brought a couple of weeks ago and I felt it was a pity to leave it in a small pot in the balcony of the city house. Doesn't it look lovely here?

Of course we walked the beach looking for sea glass as sea glass was what brought Frieda and I together.Of course we found some.

Barca thought it was summer and she went in!

 And we ended the day trip with lunch at our favourite spot.

 Barca made friends with a stray puppy....

 ...who was clever enough to eat her food!

In the evening we returned to the city and went to the theatre to see Project Bacchae. It was amazing once again and Andreas Konstantinou, hubby's Godson was fantastic in his one man show again.

(photo from their site)
On Sunday we went on a tour for the Open House Thessaloniki. That's a tour of buildings with architectural interest in the city.It was their fourth year.
We started early and we were lucky we managed to visit the metro station which is under construction in my area and had huge lines. It was very interesting to see this very important project for our city waiting to finish at some point (in our lifetimes?)

 Then we went to the YMCA building and took a tour inside this old building.The tour guide was a young architect student and made the tour very interesting!

 She even took us out at a balcony with a view of the White Tower for a selfie!

There was a charity bazaar taking place in the premises and here is what I bought, a vintage USSR porcelain piece, I couldn't leave it, it was only a euro!

 And some embroidery pieces. The golden one is silk with handcrochet motifs.The black and red is tiny cross stitch. For a couple of euros I couldn't pass those either.

Then we visited a private residence in the city centre with fantastic views of the White Tower,

 great art on the walls,

 and an astonishing shell mosaic floor.

 Then we went to Make Creative Spaces,a designer space where one can create their own art or craft using machinery installed in the place.

 Finally before going back home we went once again at Xeirotexnika to attend one more workshop by Anna of In My Closet and we made a lovely mobile with paper feathers.

 It was a fun weekend wasn't it? Frieda you should visit again soon!

Gifts sent and received (in November and December)

Although I have become rather slow in writing letters I still send cards and parcels and other things around the world but also receive lots.
So here is a blogpost about mail I sent and received in November and December!
I sent lots of Christmas cards and received lots but I didn't take photos of them all.
But I did take photos of other mail I sent.
At some time in November I sent my friend Marabeth in the States a thank you gift.
I made her a Shutterfly photobook with photos from our trip.
I also made her a Shutterfly thank you card and I cross stitched her a card as well for her birthday.

Now here's the parcel I sent for the In My Closet exchange. Although I shared what I received (you can read it here) I never shared what I made and sent.So here it is.
I made a stone of course. And as Aliki of My Angels, My World blog loves white I made it in her favourite colour. I loved that stone, one of my favourites!

 Here's the rest of the parcel.

 I also made this little cute Christmas card in a box!

Here is a sea glass felted stone I made for my Etsy Greek Street Secret Santa Exchange and it went to far away Canada to my dear Stella of Inspirations by Stella. I also made her a sea glass pendant, both in her favourite colour turquoise.

I made this sea glass owl pendant for my dear Juliana in Scotland for Christmas. I used the owl charm that Erina Katerina sent me along with other supplies in the In My Closet exchange.

I received lots of Christmas cards.Here are the ones from my friends Annie and Stavros and Julia and Stratos in the States, Johanna in Finalnd and Christine in France.

This is a lovely gift from Andria, another friend in the States. She sent me this lovely card, and my name made with wire and a little parcel with her love. Don't you love everything?

More Christmas cards from Kerry in the States, Tua in Finland and Andrea in Trinidad&Tobago.

 I made this little green fox for my friend Frieda on Skiathos island. Frieda is trying hard to support The Green Fox of Skiathos recycling programme so I made her this little fox in green for her. I found this in Crafts Beautiful magazine if I remember correctly!

It was in brown so I made it in green for Frieda and added one of Erina Katerina's art supplies she sent me.

 Some time ago I had bought this emroidery from the destashing sale of Laura Lupin of
Bugs and fishes. So I put it in a hoop and it looked lovely for Christmas. Laura still has a destashing sale in her shop.

 I made this card for Anna's of In My Closet Christmas card competition. I used a bamboo box in which I had once received a gift in. Some washi tape.

Felt and felted cut outs I had bought at Xeirotexnika.

And some stitched wishes and a 2015 charm and some buttons of course!

One more stone I made in December.

I will make another blogpost about the Christmas cards I received (most came in January) and more mail and other things that I sent and received in the two first months of the new year!