A Door - Focus on Life: 2014 - Week 36

Our topic for September for the Focus On Life: 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge is

 'Simplicity' 

and for week 36 Sally prompted us with

 'A Door'

Well, if you didn't already know, I'm a bit obsessed with doors.

I've got a 'Door Porn' board over on Pinterest 

that helps feed this obsession. 

So, when we got the prompt for this week I thought, 

"Yeah Baby! I'm not gonna have any problems with this week's prompt!"

Wrong. 

Other than the grocery store and my house, I haven't gone far this week and didn't manage to capture even one photo of the cool doors I saw down in Mexico last weekend. (really?!?)

So, I leave you this week with one of my favorite door photos of all times.

Italian villa in Sommocolonia, Italy. Photo by Michelle Buettner

This beautiful home is in a little hilltop village called Sommocolonia, 

above the village of Barga in Tuscany, Italy. 

Sommocolonia is a magical place. 

When I die my ashes could be spread up on the hill, underneath the remains of the magnificent stone towers where the memorial plaque to the Buffalo Soldiers of WWII hangs, and I'd be eternally happy. 

This village is 'A Door' to another world.

 Simplicity rings through out this beautiful hilltop village, behind each door, and welcomes you with open arms. 

I'm excited to see what simplistic doors the other participants were able to capture this week.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and A Door to a Simple, Peaceful Place!

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

**I posted early because I'm down in Tucson at the Fall G&LW Gem Show tonight!
I'll try to visit and comment on every one's posts on Sunday!**

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Tempo di vacanza!

Well, I'm officially outta here!

I'm on a jet plane headed for Italy with my sister and one of my girlfriends. 

 

 

 

 



We're meeting up with my brother-in-law (who's been hiking the Swiss and Italian Alps this past week!) in Venice tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

I'm actually freaking out! Twirling my hair with both hands (which makes it hard to hold that pre-flight Bloody Mary!!), I've got butterflies in my stomach, tears in my eyes and my heart's beating way too fast! 

I've got Dean Martin singing Sott'er Celo de Roma on my iPod, Paulo Coehlo in my back pack (The Alchemist), way too many clothes in my suitcase and my camera on my hip!

 

 

 

 

We're staying at a quaint little hotel in Venice that my sis's stayed at before. We're taking the water taxi over to Murano (Glass + Beads = Sweet!), going on a gondola ride (of course!) and walking some great little paths along the canals.

 

 

 

 

After Venice we're headed down to Tuscany. Barga to be specific. The most Scottish Village in Italy. Seriously - look it up!  (I'm so psyched about this part!! You have NO idea!!) We're staying in an old farm house that's pre-WWII and survived what so much of the village did not. 

 

 

 

 

We'll be taking some day trips - one of which will include driving over to the Cinque Terre and hiking the hill top towns over there (Yes!  I get to see the water,...and a beach!!) and possibly visiting Siena and San Gimignana and going to a winery (oh yeah baby!!).

 

 

 

After that, we'll all be heading down to Rome and staying in a friend's apartment which is situated in an area that's close to the Colosseum and all the other goodies Rome has to offer.  I'm excited to get some really cool pics of all the amazing architecture and ancient ruins!  Oh, and we're going to an opera while in Rome. I know - pinch me now!!

 

 

 

 

Then there's that little nagging thing in the back on my brain that keeps the tears right there on the verge of spilling over and running down my cheeks,.....my boys will not be with me. (insert sad face here!!)

I can't tell you how much I am going to miss them. And it's not only the fact that we'll be apart longer than we've ever been apart before,...but it's the distance. Oh, geeze,...the distance. My stomach is in knots, and the butterflies are fighting and knockin' each other around in there!!  Holy Cow - this is the most difficult thing for me right now, you really have no idea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, I know I'm going to have fun. And, I'm with family so it's not like I'm with people I haven't traveled with before or anything like that for goodness sakes. And they're fun people to hang with, too - that's for sure. So, I know I'll be fine. More than fine,...I'll be in Italy with my sister!  OMG!

 

 

 

 

 

A long time ago, probably between 15 to 20 years ago, Marsha and I said that we'd someday to go Italy together. Well, today's the day!

 

I'll be silent here on the blog until the last week of September. I'm not sure I'll even be able to post to Facebook or anything like that (all kinds of iphone/Verizon drama!!). I know I won't have email, so there will be a lot to read when I return home! LOL!! 

I hope you all have a fabulous next couple of weeks and I'll be sure to post pics upon returning.

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Sitting Under the Tuscan Sun!

 

(oh, and fulfilling dreams!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Ciao!

 

~Shel~

End of Summer,...

Well not officially, as that will happen later this month, but activity wise, school wise and in other ways, it's the 
End of Summer!

It's so hard for me to grasp that Fall is basically upon us since the temperatures here in the desert are still over 100 and will remain this way for several more weeks.



Photo Creidt: Marsha Hindman

 



 

Autumn is my favorite season. (Summer's second!)  The colors are amazing,...various yellows and oranges, deep reds, purples and browns - it's all so rich and colorful. (Not where I live, but in other places!)  Oh, and I just love seeing all the Autumn decorations, too - especially my sister's (Marsha Stewart's got nothing on my sis!). 

 

 

 

Maybe all the Fall decorations along with the great childhood memories, colors, smells, etc., are why I love designing jewelry with fall colors and motifs. Quite the palette for the imagination, isn't it?!

 

I'm going to be re-stocking my MiShel Designs Etsy Store with some new designs next month and today and tomorrow are the last two days to enjoy the huge saving with my "End of Summer" sale.

 

 

  

All the items in my MiShel Designs Etsy store are 45% off through the 7th, so hop on over and use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER45 upon check out for your super end of summer savings!!  

 

 

I was getting ready to put together another video tutorial, but I'm having some trouble with the quality and since the videos from my iphone and the flipshare are both pretty horrible, that will have to wait until I return from my vacation. (Sorry about that folks!!)

 

I mentioned a while back that I was going on vacation here soon.  Next week actually. I'm going to Italy with my sister and another friend.

Photo Credit: Marsha Hindman

We're meeting up with my brother-in-law in Venice before going over to Tuscany to stay in this very old, very cool farm house for a spell and then we'll make our way down to Rome for a short stay before returning home.

 

Photo via Pinterest

 

Sadly I will be going 'solo' so to speak. Meaning that the hubby and son will still be here at home, working and going to school.  That's the down side of owning our own business and not having employees and no one to turn things over to.  

Oh, and another kicker,....I'll be in Italy over our 18th wedding anniversary!  Yep. Bad me. Mike says it's great because he doesn't have to plan anything (Italy's my present) and he and the 'masked rider' can sit home, order pizza and watch movies and just hang out at night - you know - guy stuff!

 

I'm going to be snapping away, getting as many pictures as possible. I will have my iphone but they've told me it won't work over in Italy (it's not the newer models), and I opted not to go pick up one of their International phones because I didn't want to carry it around along with my other one and all that good stuff. And now, after making that decision, they tell me that not just the cell phone part won't work, but my wi-fi features and all that good stuff won't work on it while I'm over there either.  (seriously??)

 

That's a real bummer as I was going to facetime my son and FB with he and the hubby while I was away to stay in touch. 

 

My bro-in-law has a little tablet thingy we were going to use to use for facebook and stuff like that too, but I guess it took a nose dive onto a tile floor and fell to it's death. So, I'm going to just get a calling card and be completely and utterly unplugged for two weeks.

 

Yep - that's gonna be really weird!  

 

And, I was getting ready to do another give-a-way too, but my tutorial (it was a tutorial with a kit) isn't exactly as I want it to be either and so this too is going to have to wait until I return.

 

I despise putting things off - turns my stomach - but I guess sometimes you just have to realize there's only so much you can do and just deal with it. 

 

But, as a more positive way to look at it, it's something I have to look forward to when I return at the end of the month, isn't it? Yeppers,...that's the way to see things!!

 

So, once I leave, there will be 'radio silence' here on the blog for a few weeks. (Me, silent?! Ha! That's a good one!!)

 

How about some Autumn Inspiration for the moment,....

Blue Ridge Fall by Jim Dollar on Flickr - Via Pinterest

 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Seasonal Change!

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

Photo by Michelle Buettner

This or That Thursday!

It's This Or That Thursday over on Deb Duty's Blog. Her photography just amazes me. It's like you can reach out and touch everything that's in her photos - I love it!! 

So, not as good as Deb's,...or most other's over on her blog today, but these are the best I've been able to produce this week,...

Here's what's happening in my world today:

I love our roses and various flowers around out yard (they're in all my pics and I'm sure you're sick of them by now!).

Yes, this one is fake, but she changes colors once it gets dark and it's pretty cool!

Anyway,...I'm really loving our Grapefruit that are finally ready!

I'm making one of THESE yummy drinks with them and,....

I'm going to sit HERE and enjoy it while I take in the last of the Christmas Tree lights before they come down tomorrow.

The weather here's been in the high 70's to low 80's and so I'm getting together with my girl friends and we're grilling out some yummy steaks and having salad and great wine and loving the fact that we don't have to shovel snow in January!! 

We're going to enjoy each other's company and try to convince Rox to go with us to Italy this fall (even though she's already been there,...done that!) and hang out with us while we stay at a farm house in Tuscany, sip wine, eat fantastic food and hopefully perfect or photography skills enough to take some really cool pics (where's Misha's when you need her, huh?!).

So, what were you up to this week, huh? 

Please hop on over to Deb Duty's Blog for This or That Thursday - you will SOOOOO love it!!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Enjoying Beautiful Moments in Life!

Cheers,

~Shel~