Guest Designer

Sharing more wonderful memories from visiting the school where my dear friend of over 30 years works.  She had the loveliest students and I gave them items to craft with, in turn they gave me their creations.  How sweet is that?

 

Thankful for You

 Thanks Merve!  huge thanks to Merve for letting me stay with her and visit Istanbul;  For being such a wonderful and helpful hostess;  For traveling with me across the country and having wonderful times.  You are such a good friend.  Huge hugs. I wish you all the best always.

Hey Friend!

 Four days left!  Oh, time to see all the things I want to see again, but that is mostly just my favorite places with the people I met and made friends with.  How lovely. Time to start telling everyone goodbye again.  

Documented

I thought this card was filled with great thoughts about summer. I just love these extra goodies that I had from Simple Stories and their lovely papers that I used to put this card together.  It's perfect for an end of summer card.

Thinking of You

 Hello sweet dear, I'm thinking of you, see you in a week now.  Hugs and kisses.  Here's a fun card I made from Photoplay.  I love their bright colors on this series.  Hope everyone else has a nice day too.

Have a great one!

 Happy Monday, I can't believe it's my last week here in Turkiye.  What a lovely summer it has been.  I have already shipped home all my stuff so now I just enjoy seeing everyone and trying to NOT buy tons more laces :)  ha ha.  that's the hard part.

Guest Designer

 Sharing more wonderful creations from the kids in Dilek's class last summer.  They are all so very nice and kind.    They say "welcome Holley" and "I love you Holley"  How sweet is that?

Shine Bright

 Happy Saturday everyone!  what a lovely relaxing week.  You know what is so great about spending summer somewhere (or any LONG extended vacation)?  You actually get real rest.  Most vacations are exhausting.  When you get home you feel more tired than when you started.  When I get home, other than a little jet lag, I am refreshed happy and ready to start anew.  (And a little freaked out that my next countdown to Turkiye is OVER 300 days LOL)

Happy Birthday Cemil

 Wishing a dear friend's son, Cemil, a very Happy Birthday today.  I have know his mom for wow, 32 year. We met when I was in college.  I remember when she had her son.  Now of course he is grown up and married.  What a great man he is now.  I see him when I visit Istanbul, he has a lovely wife and good job.  I wish him the best for his Birthday.

Love

 Here's a little card today for the DH. I hope he's having a lovely week.  I do look forward to seeing him soon enough.  huge kisses dear.  Love you much

Life is Sweet

 Happy Hump Day!  It's midweek and getting hot, well hot is relative I suppose.  What is hot here is definitely nothing compared to hot in Texas.  One thing I do love in Turkiye is the ice cream.  Those of your who are overseas won't really understand since your ice cream is probably more similar to that in Turkiye,  For my American friend's it's more like Gelato, or even premium ice cream, much smoother and sweeter.  Just lovely.

Hello

These cute mini cards that you have been seeing were made from the kit leftovers of Simple Stories.  They give you so much goodies to make your cards and then you have all these extras.  I took many little bitty sized cards and created these cuties with all my leftovers.

 

Thanks

 Happy Monday everyone.  Just two more weeks until I am back in Texas, with a little stopover in Amersterdam.  I am so thankful for this amazing summer.  Thanks to my DH, my friends here in Turkiye, all my customers, blog followers, and of course to God for putting me here.

Guest Designer

Here is some more wonderful creations that were given to me last year from the kids in Turkiye!  I just love their creativity.  How beautiful, right?

 

Happy Saturday

 Happy Saturday everyone! can y'all beleive I have been in Turkiye for 7 weeks?  you really think I would have learned Turkish by now.  I mean seriously. Everyone in this country speaks multiple languages but me!  In fairness I learn words, but the syntax and spelling and such is so very different from english.

Bee You!

 Here's a sweet and simple card today, "Just BEE you".  It's lovely little sentiment to remind you that you, yourself are enough and perfect just the way you are.  Huge hugs today everyone.

Happy Birthday Kathy

 Happy Birthday Kathy!  Thank you so much for always being there for me.  I really appreciate you so very much.  Have a special day.  Cheers!

You are in my thoughts

 Happy hump day.  Do they say that in other countries or just in America?  is there a special term for Wednesday?  Just curious.  Here's another card for my DH, I hope he's looking.  You are in my thoughts today, and everyday of course.  Kisses.

No one!

 Hello, Happy Tueday.  I hope you are having a great week.  I am sharing this card today for my DH, No one measures up to you!  So true dear. I love you lots.  I'll be home in just twenty days!  Miss you.  Kisses.

Hello!

 Happy Monday everyone!  is it weird that I am thinking that just a month from now I will be back at school.  Wow.  Should that make me happy or sad?  Mostly just overwhelmed...well, I have a wonderful month to enjoy.  I am so very thankful for that.

Guest Designer

 Hello, Happy Sunday.  While I am enjoying my summer in Istanbul, I am also sharing wonderful projects that I got from the kiddos in my friend's elementary school class.  How sweet is that.  I will say that when I go, I bring them some little gifts from America and one of them is always a fun and simple little art project to keep them busy and they always do the art and most of them give me the art back as a gift.  I never ask for it, they are super sweet to give it to me.

Dear John,

 Ever heard of a Dear John letter....well today I am sending my DH one...Dear John...I Love you!!

I am one Happy Camper

 Happy Friday!  I can't believe it's been almost a week in July now.  wow.  I have three more wonderful weeks to relax and enjoy the city.  But I am also thinking about going to another place called Bursa for a few days, maybe a week.  Hmmm. Decisions, Decisions

Guest Designer Audrey R

 Special time of week for my guest designer, Audrey R of Texas.  She  made these amazing 4th of July cards!  WOO HOO.  It's so weird when you are in another country during this holiday and it's just another ordinary day.  Thanks so much Audrey, your project is fabulous!

If you made a project with your prizes or just want to share something, send me a message or an email, htondre@aol.com. I'd love to see...

Back to Istanbul

Time to go back to Istanbul. I have enjoyed my time here in Sanliurfa and feel like I really got to KNOW this area.  Sometimes spending a day or so somewhere just doesn't give it justice.  Some places need a couple of weeks and some cities the size of Istanbul (pop 20 million) need years and years.

 

The BEST!

 So what else should you see in Sanliurfa?  here's a few idea:  Badza caves, Sogmatar Ancient City, Rumkale, a number of historical churches some of which are now active mosques, all of which you can visit, at the moment I can't think of all the other great things, except the FOOD.

Make Lemon-ade

Happy July everyone!  I can't believe I have been in Turkiye for five weeks.  I am enjoying Sanliurfa and I am at the end of my trip there. Just three more days.  I will say, most people come here for just a day, maybe two days.  I have been SO relaxed and enjoyed this time.   One thing I love is the fresh squeezed juice that you can get.  Ahh, so delicious.  there are amazing stands full of fresh fruit and they just squeeze it right there for you.  So delicious.

Guest Designer Audrey R

 I have some wonderful 4th of July cards today from Audrey R of Austin TX.  I have been holding these creations for quite a while as I wanted to share them with you in summertime.  I hope you like them,

If you have creations that you would like to share on my blog, drop me a message or email at htondre@aol.com

Wonderful You

There's still so much more to see in Sanliurfa...the Kizilkonyun Necropolis, which also had beautiful floors filled with mosaics that now fill the Sanliurfa Museum.  In addition to the Necropolis, the Sanliurfa museum is filled with amazing finds from Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe.  It also has a full life sized make of Gobelkitepe!  WOW.   

Love

 Just sending out some Love to the DH today. I hope he is having a great week in Texas and looking forward to his weekend.  Love you dear.  

So another thing to see in Urfa is Shuaib Ancient City;  This settlement from about 4-5 century AD.  It the two-story city there is a structure made of stone blocks on the upper level and caves on the lower level.  It is said that the Prophet Shuib used this place as a house and temple.  Ascending to Mount Sinai from here Moses received his first revelation and became a prophet. 

Travel

One more amazing thing to see in Urfa is this beautiful pool of fish called Balilki Gol, this "legend" to my knowledge is mentioned in the Quran, but I do not know for sure. In english this place is called the Pool of Holy Carp.

Legends say that Abraham, (İbrahim in Turkish) who was born and raised in here, was also the great enemy of the King Nimrod, since he was the one to declare war on idolatry during his time.  Abraham won the heart of the King Nimrod's daughter, Zeliha. King Nimrod sentenced Abraham to death, like every other furious king would do and commanded to build a massive pyre to burn him alive. Rumor has it that when he was tossed in the fire, the flames became water and the burning logs turned into fish. Still today, this pool is considered sacred and the fish inside it holy; it is also said that anyone who eats them will be struck blind!

Please excuse the mess,...

One thing I hear about Sanliurfa is its rich heritage in craftsmanship.  I hope to be visiting lots of local bazaars.  According to what I have read, they are quite famous for their work in felt, weaving, jewelry, carving, metal work, oh, such a long history list of crafts that I can't wait to see.

One thing that is famous and comes from south Turkiye is filigree.  I have heard of a specific type that comes from Sanliurfa is filigree wristbands (bracelets).  WOW, look that up.  (Sanliurfa + filigree + Turkiye + bracelet)

Beehive houses

I can't believe this marks a week since I have been in Urfa!  Wow, tomorrow my friend Merve will come and join in!  Another amazing thing in this area is Beehive houses in Harran.  These houses are constructed of clay with no wood and have existed for HUNDREDS of years.  It's amazing.  I hope you all are checking out my FB (and that I have Wi-Fi to post photos on there periodically)  Of course you can always search on the internet to see I guess.  

Yes, I am being corny and using a card with BEEs on it!

Happy Monday

 Hello all, happy Monday!  I am still visiting in a city named Sanliurfa, or just Urfa.  Another amazing prophet that comes from Urfa from the Bible is Job.  He's also a prophet in the Quran (Ayub).  I am told there is a place where you visit the cave where Job was. I hope to see this on this trip.  

Guest Designer

 Here's a card that I found in a fancy store on Istiklal Caddesi (street).  Which is hugely famous place in Istanbul.  It has a famous red trolley and everything.  It's a shopping mecca.  Well, imagine my surprise when I found a store called Panter Kirtasiye.  Kirtasiye is basically a stationary or paper store?  in the broad sense of the term.  I was super excited as I have been looking for beautiful papers, which I KNOW are in that city but I haven't managed to find yet.  At any rate, imagine my surprise when I saw a wall of handmade cards.  Esp card there were some that were using TURKISH theme stamps.  I was tickled.  I asked the man if he knew or sold any stamps.  To no avail.  At any rate, the cards were very simple, but I was very enamored with the stamps so I purchased a couple of them that I will be sharing.  I was happy they had the card maker's name on the back.  The artist is Mine Fiore.

  

You are amazing

Happy Saturday everyone!  Another wonderful day in Urfa.  Another amazing thing about Urfa is that it is the birthplace of the prophet Abraham (among others that I will talk about later).  They have currently built a beautiful mosque around the cave where he was kept safe from King Nimrod as a child.  You can enter, Christians, Muslims, even non believers, as long as you are respectfully dressed and see the location.  WOW.  To me it is just amazing to think that the beginning of modern day Christianity came from Abraham's offspring, and the birth of modern-day Islam also came from Abraham's offspring.

Hello

 In addition to Gobekli Tepe, there is a more recently discovered place called Karahan Tepe, which is equally as fascinating.  They are unearthing it now and have found amazing things there.  You can see much of what they have recovered in the Archeological Museum of the city, one of the biggest in the country. They have not yet stated if it pre-dates Karahan Tepe.

Happy Day

 There's many significant things to see in Urfa, but one of the most important things to see is GobekliTepe. I am sure many of you have heard of it or seen it on TV now.  It's currently thought to be the oldest temple in the world, dating at around 9500 BC to around 8000 BC.  WOW.

Ahhhh, Home sweet Urfa!

Today we fly to Sanliurfa (otherwise known as Urfa).  Most people will refer to it as Urfa, there's even a kabob known as the Urfa Kabob.  We are staying in an Airbnb of sorts, it's an independent place though, not a personal home with other people.  Since I am traveling with a guy, I needed two rooms, so there is absolute privacy.  It just makes more sense to rent a house of sorts than a couple hotel rooms.  I will say there's not a lot of choices in Urfa, hotels and Airbnb is expensive compared to other places in Turkiye.  The place is lovely though, in the "old district" which is beautiful and quiet!  This place will be home sweet home for two weeks!

Coolest

Having so much fun and getting ready for the trip tomorrow! Sanliurfa is a medium sized city at just over a half million people, but it has amazing history and so many important biblical and ancient sites nearby.  I can't wait to see them.  I am spending a week there with a dear friend, Merve and another week with a translator/helper who is also becoming a good friend, Nakip (who I sometimes refer to as my son, lol). Typically a city this small wouldn't merit such a long stay but I want to take it nice and slow and just enjoy each day, not in a rush to see anything.

A day in the life

 Happy Monday everyone. It's the start of week 4....This week is super exciting because I am traveling in Turkiye to a city in the southern border next to Syria called Sanliurfa.  I leave for Urfa on Wednesday.  There is so much incredible history there including what they think is currently point zero in mankind, Gobleki-Tepe.

Happy Father's Day

 Wishing all the Dad's in my life a very Happy Father's day today from me and John.  Best wishes and huge hugs all the way from Istanbul. (well, right now I am in Sanliurfa).

Guest Designer

 Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope you are ready for the new week.  I have some more wonderful work from the kids in Turkiye.  I just love how they put my name as Holi (how you would spell it in Turkish) and many of them actually spelled it correctly which is even more impressive.

FInd Joy in Today

Happy Friday everyone.  I know it just sounds weird to say Happy Friday.  On vacation I tend to forget the days of the week.  I only keep track of them because certain days of the week are neighborhood pazaars.  So if I want to go shopping for local things (like fruit, veggies, or maybe lace remnants), I need to know the day of the week and what Pazaar is happening that day.  A Pazaar is a temporary set up Bazaar that lasts only one afternoon or one day.

DH you are in my thoughts

Hey sweet dear, you are in my thoughts today. I hope you are having a wonderful day.  Huge hugs and kisses.  I wish I could have Turkiye and YOU at the same time.  Have a fun summer.  Kisees.

All my favorite

All my favorite chapters include you...except the ones where I'm on vacation in Istanbul.  LOL,  You know you are still my favorite dear.  Always thinking of you in my heart.  Love you.

 

Furever Friends

 One interesting thing about Istanbul, and some other Turkish cities is that there's dogs and cats that are "pets" of the city.  They are vaccinated and tagged and let go in the city.  Many of them are quite popular.  and are well beloved and taken care of.  People generally don't shoe them away, for example, you will see a cat up on a display of an expensive clothing store!  Now, in a food establishment, of course they are sent away (but sometimes fed nearby).  You will see them everywhere, even in Mosques and Museums.  No one bother's them and lots of people love and pet them.

Happy Birthday

Here's a card I made from My Aunt Lisa's Birthday today. I hope she has a very special day.  Hug and Best wishes for your day.

Guest Designer

Sharing more wonderful art from the kids in school in Turkiye.  Did you know that in Turkiye that teacher starts at kinder and get a class of kids and then kids and teach move together through the grades. The teacher will always have the same class, kinder through 5th grade.  I know happens sometimes in the USA, but rarely, I wonder which other countries do that.  I know I had seen it before.  In my school in the USA teachers generally get to pick which grade they teach (in elementary school, though on occasion they do get moved due to the influx of students in a certain grade).

Anyways, here's some cute art from the kiddos: