Gift Tags - Day 18 of MPC

I continued making things out of photos I've taken, and just finished these gift tags.


I first used a photo of the Eiffel Tower, and then played around with color variations and special effects in Photoshop to give it this pink and grainy look. I then printed several copies of the same image on vellum paper and glued them on a soft pink metallic cardstock. I also took small slips of paper with "to and from" typed and pasted these on the back of each. Finally, I used a special tool to set the eyelets and strung a sheer pink ribbon through.

The Amalfi Coast - Day 15 of MPC

My absolute favorite place to visit is the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It's an incredible drive by bus around the steep and winding cliff-side roads, with breathtaking views all around.

The towns are big tourist attractions. There is just something so quaint about the buildings all clustered together on a hill. At certain locations, there are mini-replicas of the towns displayed in carved-out sections of the hill. They also grow lemons everywhere, so the fresh light scent of lemons is present when you pass through this area. It's no wonder that when I see blue and yellow color combinations, I think of this place.


The town of Amalfi is my favorite stop, with it's wonderful, little shops, gelato stands, and the square with the Apostle Andrew's statue. I'm not sure what the exact connection is with St. Andrew to Amalfi, but it may have something to do with part of his remains given to them. Amalfi has done much to honor the Apostle.

Here you can see St. Andrew's Cathedral in the background.



And here is my favorite little store that specializes in limoncello (a lemon liquor). I think that's the shopkeeper in front of his store. Although I don't drink, there are other plenty of other items to purchase... such as lemon white chocolates, lemon-scented soaps, hand creams, perfume, and many other things.

Colosseum by Night and by Day - Day 14 of MPC

I have literally hundreds of pictures of Rome and narrowing it down to my favorite photos is nearly impossible, but the above is what I decided to post. They are interesting shots to me because they are of the same view of the Roman Colosseum (from where I stepped out of the metro station); the first is taken during the late evening, the other during the next day. Our tour guide was hilarious, and maybe I'll post the video I took of him on YouTube sometime.

Here's a scene from the Spanish Steps, where everyone would gather, sit, and enjoy sitting among strangers.


And here is a pic of our poor feet on the Spanish Steps, as we closed a long and tiring day of sightseeing...

The Leaning Tower of Pisa - Day 12 and 13 of MPC

I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, so I'll count this as the 12th and 13th entry since I worked on these photos both days. Pisa is a fun place to visit and I've been lucky to have gone here twice. But there never seems to be enough time to do more here... other than the obligatory pictures of trying to hold up the tower.

The Florence Cathedral - Day 11 of MPC

Italy is probably my favorite country to visit because there are so much to see and do, and each place seems very distinct from the other. When visiting Florence, Italy, the whole experience was a blur since we didn't have much time to explore. We were on an incredibly tight schedule because we were on a cruise and the day's excursion only allowed us a few hours of sightseeing. The above pic is the only decent shot I have of the Florence Cathedral. From this angle, you can see the baptistry, bell tower, and a glimpse of the cupola.

I played around with the image and used the impressionist brush in photoshop to create this version.
The city of Florence boasts incredible architechture and art. I was sorry we didn't have time to visit the museum and see the statue of David. There was a copy of the sculpture in the city square... but a copy just isn't the same. Anyway, we compensated by treating ourselves to our favorite... Italian Gelato! I can't seem to get away from talking about food. =) When I returned home, I showed this pic to my boss and she thought it was funny I took photos of food. But when she went to Egypt, she took pictures of the different food stands there and she said those were among the most colorful and interesting shots she took of her trip - and she remembered my Gelato photo... ha!

Castles that Inspire - Day 10 of MPC

Neuschwanstein Castle, a 19th century Bavarian palace, is located on a mountain top in Germany. It inspired other castles in the area to be built and also served as the inspiration of Walt Disney's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty Castles.

We had to hike up some steep trails to get to Marienbruecke Bridge from where I took the above picture. The palace was built by King Ludwig II, who was fascinated with swans; and you can see this facination in the decor of the palace's interior.

This was a really fun trip but required some advanced preparation. It took us two hours by train from Munich to get to the town (Fussen) where this is located; then we had to take a bus from the train station; then a shuttle; then a horse-drawn carriage up the hill; plus we bought tickets in advance to take the castle tour. Totally well-worth it though!

I'm already starting to get some other ideas of what to do next with these travel photos I'm posting. I was thinking of making stickers, or tags. The creative inspiration continues! =)

Santorini Blue - Day 9 of MPC

Santorini was my favorite place when I visited Greece a couple of years ago. The island showcases the beauty of the Greek islands, with the gorgeous contrast between white-washed buildings against the mediterranean blue waters.

The above picture was taken as we strolled around the town, taking pictures of homes, churches, gates, doors, and everything we encountered while there. I probably don't want to know what residents must think of tourists who go around taking pictures of their neighborhoods.

Besides being so beautiful, Santorini was a straight up adventure from the start, which is why I have such fond memories of it. From the donkey ride up to the town that sits atop a steep cliff, to the crazy bus ride with the drunk ticket collector still able to count exact change; the kind shopowner we met whose dream was to visit Hawaii; the cutest stray dogs you'll ever see; and of course the amazing scenic views every which way you turned.

My friends and I stopped by a restaurant and had baklava and iced coffees. And here is where we made a pact to go see the rest of the world starting 5 years from that point...

Paris Dusk - Day 8 of MPC

My posts for this personal challenge to blog about creativity seem a little all over the place. I kept it broad so that I won't run out of ideas of what to write. But now I'm feeling kind of scatterbrained. I'm feelling that I need to focus more and be a bit more organized.

Ok, so maybe I'll start with a series of travel photography for now, since traveling and taking pictures is definately a passion of mine. But what's so creative about it? I think that a great deal of creative energy is spent whenever you play with the composition and color of a photo you take, and then "fix" or crop in photoshop. I also believe that travel photography is a form of journalism because you're communicating something about that place through the pictures you display.

The photo above is one I took in Paris a few years ago, after visiting the Musee d'Orsay, a truly wonderful museum of impressionist art. It had just stopped raining, the sun had set, and the sky looked especially beautiful at that moment. It was a nice, calm close to a hectic day of sightseeing.

In Paris, yes you might encounter some rude people... but I came across some very nice ones too. It depends on what kind of person you are. If you smile, others tend to smile back. If you expect they will be rude and obnoxious to you, then you are only looking out for that and that, I'm afraid, is what you will get. But this is true anywhere though.

Anyway, I should also note that when we first arrived in this city, I had probably the best cup of coffee I EVER had. The coffee was so rich I didn't even need to use any cream. This and seeing the lights on the Eiffel Tower at night were definate highlights.

I thought that along with this photo, I should post some french music too. Check out this lovely tune from Josh Groban.

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