My silent International Friends

Greetings!

My blog has now had over 70,000 pageviews since around May, 2011.

I am amazed.

I am humbled.

I am very happy!

I still can't believe it, and check back almost daily to make sure

 I read those numbers right!

and they keep growing....

Today I would like to say THANK YOU to all of you that are interested

in what I might have to say. I truly am humbled.

Guess I better check spelling more carefully!

bottlecap magnet art by http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

graphics by revidevi, etsy

I would like to mention, and add some fun things in along the way,

all the different countries that visited my blog in the last 5 months.

Whew!

that's a big list, so I will have to split it up.

Yes, Michael,

I will not write a book.

I will not write a book.

I will not write a book.

I may not put these in exact alphabetical order,

so don't panic if your country doesn't come up next!

I'll get to you!

:0)

We covered BRAZIL yesterday.

Next we have the NETHERLANDS.

2 Dutch children. Use for embroidery, coloring pages, or paper dolls!

Here is a big THANKS to JAPAN.

C.1912

THE CZECH REPUBLIC!

I am getting ready to include the Czech Republic in a future blog,

so I have lots of lovely photos and info for you, at a later time.

The Czech and USA flag

Cesky Krumlov Czechoslovakia by Paul Gyer

Up next is TURKEY.

Thank you Turkey, for your support!

These are from a booklet of Middle Eastern Country Paper Dolls.

As you see, this includes many other nations also.

It includes another country that has followed me -

the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Here is a costume set from the above paper doll set:

To finish for today, let's give a big cheer for CANADA!

Canada, in Epcot, DisneyWorld, Florida, USA

Thanks!

Feel free to leave a comment, and NOT be a silent International Friend!!!

I have recently made a few new treasuries on etsy.

Check them out!

No Mom, I'm NOT wearing white shoes....after Labor Day!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTc2MTA5M3w2ODU4MzM2Njk/no-mom-im-not-wearing-white-shoes?index=0

The softer side of Fall

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTc2MTA5M3w2ODUzNTMwMzI/the-softer-side-of-fall?index=1

A Wood Fairy's Home

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTc2MTA5M3w2Nzk3MTg1MTE/a-wood-fairys-home?index=2

Enjoy!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

"Woman of Labrador" by Figgy Duff

Music on Sunday @ The Reaction

By Richard K. Barry

In a little less than two weeks I will be on my way to Labrador, which is, of course, a part of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you are in the U.S. and don't know a great deal about Canadian geography, get a map, go to the east coast of Canada, find the island of Newfoundland and then go more or less north until you hit Labrador.

My wife was born in a small town in Newfoundland and then relocated to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador as a child. Her father worked at the U.S. military base there, which may be the only reason I had ever heard of the place growing up in the U.S. It was a stop along the way for American soldiers who had to cross the Atlantic Ocean and in that context I'm fairly sure I'd heard it mentioned now and again.

So, I will be there soon. I am assured it is a beautiful place with breathtaking landscapes. I'm sure that's true. My wife will arrive a week before me for what they call a come home week, which should be pretty self-explanatory. I'm looking forward to it.

The song featured below is called "Woman of Labrador," which is an absolutely haunting tune written by Andy Vine. I know very little about him except that he is still working as a musician on the west coast of Canada and is best known for having written this song.

The performance is by a legendary Newfoundland group called Figgy Duff, with Pamela Morgan on vocals.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

International Musings

kia ora

(pronounced kia o ra)

Maori, literally meaning 'be well/healthy',

but translates into an informal "hi".

I really really like this graphics of the world and its peoples.

So many times we forget that we are all connected.

That's part of the reason I have enjoyed opening my blog with a "hello" or "Good day" in different languages.

Share it with a few people and chances are

you just might remember it!

I like this photo because it shows the world from a different perspective. Do any of you Americans own anything

(jewelry, clothing, scarf, etc.)

that shows the world NOT from the North American perspective?

How about you Europeans?

Do you own anything that shows your world

as NOT from the European angle?

Think about it!

Sooo.....

let's have some international fun today!

"world"



recycled bottlecap magnets or necklaces

with Art Nouveau alphabets

completely hand colored by inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

Japan:

a simple Japanese shore scene

yoshitsune samurai

Garden staircase, Kyoto, Japan

recycled bottlecap magnet by inkspired

Canada

Here are some absolutely GORGEOUS gardens in Canada:

Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada

Halifax Public Gardens created in 1836



another Canadian Garden

"We want to raise our children

so that they can take a sense of pleasure

in both their own heritage

and the diversity of others."

- Mr. Rogers aka Fred Rogers

I would like to share with you

a wonderful, vintage set of paperdolls from OrigamiBears.

Here are the first four:

July 14th is France's Bastille Day.

Holland:

Dutch windmill

"The purpose of life is to listen -

to yourself, to your neighbor, to our world

and to God

 and, when the time comes,

to respond in as helpful a way as you can find...

from within and without."

- Mr. Rogers

Russia:

You can find this book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Babushkas-Mother-Goose-Patricia-Polacco/dp/069811860X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310580744&sr=1-6#_

Traditional Russian Babushka Dolls

also called Matryoshka Dolls

Make this your desktop computer background.

After a few weeks, you should recognize all of them!

Turkey:

Istanbul, Turkey

"Peace means far more than the opposite of war!"

 - Mr. Rogers

I will be doing more of the countries from this paper doll set

"10 Dolls from as Many Lands"

c.1934

on future blogs.

Have a super duper day!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com