Fadwa's Inspirational Blog

Spicey Grilled Kufta and Spicey Perfume

2009-07-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Still in Amman - Jordan

We went to this restaurant that served delicious grilled meat, chicken and kufta - which is spiced minced meat. The spices are a mixture of powered black pepper, cardomom, cinamom, sweet peppers, and gloves in specific quantities which I will not reveal :-p ... unless you're willing to trade recipes.

.. A true sign of interwined Arab cultures - the food is considered Syrian/Palestinian/Lebanese (possibly of Turkish, non-Arab origins), the waiters were Egyptian and the restaurant was called the Grand Jordanian Restaurants. The patterns on the table were Greek, I'm not sure where the plants were from :-)

As we waited for the food to arrive, I spilled my pens on the table - much to the astonishment and glee of the waiters. The heavenly aroma filled the air .. which reminded me of the time I was in Toronto about 10 years ago. We started a business from home making and selling Falafel (sort of fried dumplings made with crushed feva beans and chickpeas, some greens and lovely spices). I was in the lift delivering a batch to client, when this guy walks in the lift and sniffs loudly. He looks at me and says: Wow, what a beautiful, spicey perfume you're wearing. Well, being a woman, and one that welcomes compliments, I could not tell him it was the Falafel. So I just smiled sweatly and said: Why, thank you!

Taking a Shower

2009-07-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Why am I still blogging about my trip to Jordan? Well, because there's still more things I haven't told you, a few more sketches I haven't shown you and other blog posts came in the way.

This is the shower, that was in the room, that was in the hotel where we stayed. I think I read an artist posting about inchies - little pieces of art on squares of one inch - well, i think this shower would qualify! It was a challenge to take a shower without having the curtain sticking to my body. But it was clean, and it had hot water. And it was colour coordinated!

My New Red Hand Book - Page 2

2009-07-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Another page from my red hand book - you will notice that this is something I prepared earlier - I did the drawings in June, but I am uploading them in between everything else I'm wanting to

share with everyone.

I will also scan the outside, for those of you who are interested - and Peg, its not fabric! :-( But have a look anyway and if anyone knows where I can get more of this cute little notebook - I would love to hear from you.

Mail Art Sent to Debs in New Zealand

2009-07-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

Now that they have arrived, I thought I'd show you the mail art envelope I sent to Debbie - I liked doing this a lot so I think I'll do some more in one of my journals (as if I really needed to add another thing to start doing).

Hope you like.

Over the week, I will also post the lovely art work I got from Peg and Debbie.

A Dazzle of Dragonflies Project

2009-07-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

So here it is, my participation in the Awfully Big Art Adventure Challenge - a Dazzle of Dragonflies. After searching for ages, I found a dragonfly of unusual colours.

This necklace design is based on these colours, and the graduation of oranges, reds and deep reds. The silver bars and tiny beads represent the shimmer of the sun on its wings.

I love chokers, I find them so elegant no matter your age or size, and they add glamour to any outfit. I also find more space to express my creativity with chokers.

Enjoy - and go visit the Awfully Big Art Adventure and have a look at everyone else's work - maybe even join in next month's challenge.

My New Red Hand Book - Page 1

2009-07-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

I bought this very cute little red handbook from a bookshop - I wish I bought ten of them - they don't carry them any more and I can't see who the makers are :-( - lesson for next time I guess.

Anyway, I am dedicating notebook to drawings only - on the one side a hand or hands, on the other one of my daily objects. I won't draw in it daily, just as the mood takes me until its filled!

Here's the first spread.

Tribute to Grandmothers

2009-06-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

I received this email from someone who knows someone who knows the author of these words.

I wrote to him (the author) and asked about his story and his grandma - and I asked him if I could share it by posting it on my blog and by asking visitors to share with us stories of their own grandmas or grandpas - he was kind enough to agree.

Go Read and share .. I would love to hear your own stories.

Bread, tea, peanuts and the old man

2009-06-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Walking through the old souk, I came across this old man -very expressive face, the grey bread, the prayer beads in hand, the headdress and the walking stick. In his eyes, I could see there were so many stories to tell, so much experience - I wondered if he had many grandchildren and if they actually sat cross-legged on the floor listening to his stories and learning about life. I wanted to sit and listen to him myself. Now I regret that I did not try.

The photo is blurred because I took it in a hurry.

Then I was hit with the aroma of freshly baked bread, and there he was the man selling bread on what looks like a converted baby pram.

The old man selling tea, which he pours for you from a copper kettle, gets a lot of attention, told me the younger man in the photo. The old man offered me some tea. It's probably thick, dark and very sweet, I didn't want to refuse his generousity, but, what can I do, I only drink earl grey! :-p

And finally, in this series, the old man selling roasted peanuts. Another wonderful aroma, the floor was filled with peanut shells but the guy from the municipality swept around the roaster with such tender care. I felt he and the peanut seller have known each for years, and that they had this ritual dance every day at the same time. Perhaps the peanut seller gave him free roasted peanuts every day.

Tradional Embroidery

2009-06-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

If you liked the spices, how about these delicious embroderies?

Strolling down the old souk in Amman, the shop windows were filled with sexy maniquins wearing traditional dresses embroidered in stunning designs with vibrant colours.

There's also the belly dance costumes with fringes, coins, beads and everything that shimmers (if you're wondering, yes I can belly dance - it's part of our genetic make-up :-) ).

But my favourite colour combination has to be the blues and turquoise embroideries on black background. I thought these were just mouth watering. Expect to see some art work inspired by these - and I hope to have inspired you, too, to create something new! If I have, I would love to see your work - let me know.

Things I Love .. Water

2009-06-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

The second of the series of seven:

Water, in all forms: the sea, the ocean, rivers, lakes, streams, waterfalls, dew, mist.. warm baths, hot or cold showers, jacuzzi's, steam rooms .. not sure what it is about water that makes me feel truly alive, at peace, puts me in a dreamlike trance.

"This is how I have always been; my being becomes one with the moment that is now.

When I go to sea, I do not swim at all, rather I dissolve as the salt in this living organism.

When I walk on the beach, I walk barefoot, so that the grains of sand will cling to my soles;

and when I walk on wet, freshly cut grass, I love that the fragrant blades envelope my feet." Fadwa

What's life without a little Spice

2009-06-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

The spice market in Amman - wow, rows and rows of colourful spices, dried leave and flowers, seeds, powders, teas, peppers, herbs. They looked so delicious, and the aroma was amazing. I was tempted to buy a handful of each and everything in sight, to try them all somehow - or just to have a great display!

Ialso loved the containers - especially the ones hanging on the walls - I thought they'd look great in my studio, filled with yarns, beads, loads of colouring pencils, crayons, paints, brushes, not to mention all my collections of other stuff. What? you wanna know what other stuff .. well ok, I'll tell you: matchboxes, small soaps, tiny scent bottles, dried leaves, embroidery yarns, shells, rocks, notebooks (have I embaressed myself too much?)

To the lovely ladies whose name I wrote in Arabic

2009-06-16T00:35:00.000-07:00

Debs - I sent you your name by post, along with some other stuff, let me know when you get them. I included pages of one of my stories in Arabic so you can use in your art - here's the link to the story so you can read it in English.

Sarah - I'm sending yours this weekend.

Peg - I forgot to send you yours with the anklet, I'll send it this weekend.

Flower & Ali - if you give me your postal addresses, I'll send each of you your name.

Something for Free - For Joan

2009-06-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Joan,

You must have thought I've forgotten - it took forever it seems, but here it is finally, I choose to do your name in Arabic with the inspiration from your watercolour and oil colours on your blog. I tried to give the same feel with my pencils - I do really hope you like it, and if you send me your postal address, I'll mail it to you.

Tormos - AKA Lupini Beans

2009-06-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

So, here you have it, a bowl of Tormos AKA as Lupini Beans, as I recently discovered, thanks to MEG's Blog.

I thought I'd post this picture for the benefit of everyone who doesn't know what Tormos is (as mentioned in my earlier post ShiSha) and to help them visualise what I meant about all the taxis in Amman making the city look like a huge bowl of Tormos.

There are delicious by the way, has any of you ever tired them?

Move it Like Mike

2009-06-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to the gym, I did strength training, 20 minutes dacing to some Arabic belly dance music and Spanish Salsa (CD's: Body Shock by Rabih Merhi - www.musicos.com and Los Ninos De Sara). I would much rather dance than jump on the treadmills, stationery bikes, and yes, we even have the stationery swimming pool thingy. I just find them so funny, like trying to run in a nightmare but finding you are still in the same place (well, not that I get any place when I dance!).

Next session this week - hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday, will keep you posted.

ShiSha

2009-06-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to make my journal lie flat enough to scan the drawings well. (I''l try again later).

These are the keys to our hotel room to the left, and to the right is the shisha (or hubbly bubbly) my husband smoked at one of the cafes. They are beautiful. The shisha usually as a glass -vase-like bottom, its usually decorated, clear or frosted galss. Then you have the silver-coloured "stopper" that connects the glass to the long silver-coloured neck.

The pipe, usually long and always colourful, is connected to the mouth piece called the Mabsam. The tobacco is encased in a small pottery container, covered in foil paper and topped with lit embers. You inhale through the mouth piece, and the water hubbles and bubbles (thus the name) and the coal burns the tobacco which enters your lungs - and well, these things don't come with signs that say (Smoking can kill you).

As I sat, I was writing down the names of the different taxi services that passed by. There were a lot of taxis - i was thinking that from an airplane, Amman would probably look like a giant plate full of Turmous (a kind of pulse that is boiled, and eaten with salt and sometimes cummin - like you would eat sunflower seeds). Each taxi service might have a single car, owned by the taxi driver, or a fleet owned by a company. By the number of taxi service names I counted in one sitting, most are probably of the first variety.

Shell Challenge

2009-06-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

I just discovered The Awfully Big Art Adventure and they have posted a Shell Challenge. Please visit them and maybe join the fun!

So here is my participation from my jewelry designs, I hope you like it. It's called Riding the Wave.

Inspired by the rolling waves, and mixing the gems of the earth with shell, the gems of the sea, this short 2-strand necklace is designed with semiprecious lapis lazuli chips, silver plated beads with star fish designs, beautiful & unusually patterned beads, shimmering yearn and a mix of other small beads.

The clasp is silver.
Dimensions: approx. 42cm long

Things I Love - No.1 Reading

2009-06-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

The first of a series of 7 collages:

Things I Love - Reading

I included Arabic, English and Spanish texts (I'm working on my Spanish), Rose wine which I love and earl grey tea which I love, too.

Wanna join in and create a series to match? I'd love it!

BTW - I'm working on the What's In Your Handbag eBook. I'll post it soon for comments and input. I'm not sure how to make it look more interesting. Anyone has any idea about creating creative ebooks? :-)

What's In Your Handbag Right Now - eBook

2009-06-05T09:31:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking of making a for-fun ebook including all the responses I got for my posts http://gypsyexpress.com/index.php?s=handbag - I trust everyone who joined in and published this info on my blog is OK with me creating an ebook to share for fun.

If you're not OK with that, please let me know.

Passing on the Award - part two

2009-06-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks again Sarah for this lovely Award.

This is still tough - so bear with me.
I already posted:
Zom - Pinch me to see if you're dreaming
Jane - Jane Thornely's lovely knitwear

I would also love to pass this award on to:
Margaret - Water Blossoms
Anita Davies
Adebanji Alade
andrea joseph's sketchblog
Steve Emery -Color Sweet Tooth

I guess I should mention the concepts for this award:
List 7 things you love
Put a link to the artist who tagged you for this honor
Pass the honor on to seven artists you feel should receive the recognition, and let them know they have received this award.

Award Rules

2009-06-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Part of getting the Award was having to mention 7 things I love. I already had part of that posted in the column to the right as things that make me happy, and I was hoping people would share what makes them happy, too. So here we are:

Creating art - in any form or medium that comes my way
Dancing (in the rain) & music - always give me a sense of freedom
Filling my journals with my stuff & looking thought other artists blogs and journals
Looking through my kaleidoscope which I bought from Florence, Italy
Reading a really good book
The sea - always makes me feel good
Taking pictures & looking at pictures
Sharing my art and writings
Sitting in a Jacuuzi (is that how you spell it?)
Talking to my mum
Walking barefoot on cool marble floors, on freshly mawn grass, on the beach
Being spontaneous
Breaking Rules
My family and loved ones, of course

That's more than 7, isn't it? :-p

Kidnapped Perfume

2009-06-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I noticed here was that the roses all look so amazing, but when I sniff them, there's no scent.

Then, once cosemic surgery become fashionable, I started noticing that so many women look alike - at least the ones on TV (represents, singers, etc). And I thought that we have fighting for our individuality and our uniqueness - flawed as it may be.

Read my Kidnapped Perfume in Arabic or in English, and tell me what you think.

Jewelry from Amman

2009-05-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

This is some jewelry I bought during my trip to Amman. A coral pendant with delicate silver "lace" at the top; a silver pendant with a verse from the Koran engraved - well not engraved, it's actually punched through - it's beautiful; and finally the blue evil "eye" bracelet - it has 11 eyes - supposed to keep me safe from envy! .. Well, it looks pretty!

Of course I haggled .. you just have to because you know that they push up the prices in expectation of a haggle.

For Flower .. or Warda in Arabic

2009-05-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Flower - all pink and delicate. This time I chose to write the word flower in Arabic - prounced "Warda".

I wanted to give a soft, gently flowing line to the word.

I hope you like it.

Passing on the AWARD - part one :-)

2009-05-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is tough - so bear with me.

Zom - Pinch me to see if you're dreaming

Jane - Jane Thornely's lovely knitwear

I guess I should mention the concepts for this award:

List 7 things you love - (I will post that next).
Put a link to the artist who tagged you for this honor
Pass the honor on to seven artists you feel should receive the recognition, and let them know they have received this award.