Polymeri Online 8.5.10 - Miniature Food #1

The next 2 posts on polymeri online will be about miniature food which becomes very popular, these miniatures from polymer clays or other air dry clays gathers a large group of fans & artists which uses them for decorations in doll houses, collections, jewelry and fun projects with kids.

I found some great artists making amazing miniature art on the web, look at this international collection of artists from all over the world!
I am sure that there are many more, this post is the 1st one and next week i will be posting more links showing these wonderful delights.

RiS_RiStudio / Ri S from Japan started to make miniature items & practicing writing english in her blog. she wishes to open her online shop some day and meanwhile you can enjoy her treats on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ris_ristudio/
http://ristoybox.blogspot.com/

Cookieland / Claudia Martelloni (photo on right) from Italy is also an expert with the little foods, her flickr gallery is not for the hungry ones!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookieland/

Here is a sample of tiny delights made into rings! Tiny delights from Lisbon Portugal, according to her story she like miniatures because her husband one day decided to offer her a dollhouse. As she's always painted and enjoyed crafts, it was easy to get passionate about this hobby.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/watusirv/sets/72157623515611929/
http://tinydelights.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TinyDelights

PetitPlat by sk_ / Stéphanie Kilgast from France is a 24 years old food miniaturist.
She loves doing creative stuff, like miniatures, but also knitting, painting, drawing and well...
Miniatures are her actual passion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/_sk/
http://www.petitplat.fr/
http://petitplatbysk.blogspot.com/

Miniature-Chef / Hanna Lindroth from Sweden, is a lifelong crafter who always have loved to create art. she loves creating miniature food and tries to give it a realistic look as possible, she makes them thorough research on each piece.
All her creations are handmade in polymer clay as well as artist materials to add extra detail.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/miniature-chef/
http://miniature-chef.blogspot.com/

http://www.miniature-chef.se/

Now you go and have your breakfast/lunch/dinner! :)

have a great 2009-2010 year - shana tova

Polymer Clay Beer Bottle Openers
Originally uploaded by Iris Mishly - איריס משלי.

1st holiday is over, Rosh Hashana is behind us and so does all the craft fairs, they were all wonderful yet difficult, i am not used to standing 12 hours in one place, that can be tough, but don't get me wrong, i am not complaining!

Here is something i made for my holidays sales, some funny & colorful beer bottle openers, they are all look suprized and their eyes rounded, maybe they partied too much! :) Don't take it as if we need to drink all year! LOL

I wish all my friends to have a great 2009-2010 year, a peaceful & enjoyable year, lot's of artistic advetures and creations.

L'shanah tovah!

( The traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting is: "L'shanah tovah" in Hebrew. it means "for a good year".)

Polymeri Online 25.6.09

Clay illustration - Tammy Durham sculptures wonderful trees and birds, to her they represent freedom and she tries to capture that moment.
http://www.tammydurham.com/

Susan Averello from Fantazy Clay is sharing her pixie tutorial with us, this cute figure is just asking me to try!
http://saverello.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-make-pixie.html

Claire Maunsell is a professional glass blower for almost 20 years, since the family move around a lot, she have been working with a medium that is much more portable for her -polymer clay has many of the characteristics of hot glass - malleable, brilliant colours, ability to build millifiori canes and more!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=65426

Look at this cute Dog cane by Israeli artist Ben-David !
http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/ViewEntry.asp?EntryId=1499471
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26896606

Dumauvobleu from france, is a self taught polymer clay artist since 2007, jewelry designer
and painter. Her unique pendants are made from canes, blends, sheets, textures, stripes and interesting designs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dumauvobleu/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5518984

Polymer Play Days - AMAZING 6 days

So... what did we have for total - 6 days, 6 teachers, 1 polymer play days event, 1 flight from Tel-Aviv to London and back, 2 coaches, 3 classes, 3 groups, 1 robbin hood & castle, and a great swap "Raffle party" with fish n' chips!

Oh my, did i had a good time, these were AMAZING 6 days, full of happy experiences, Adrenalin and energy, smiles & laughs, good food, claying joy, and all the best superlatives i can give!

I got to Heathrow on Thursday after 5.5 hours flight and took a coach to Nottingham where Helen waited for me together with Donna Kato, who arrived earlier; I took my things and went to rest so i can be fresh the next day getting organized for the workshop.
The next day we arranged goodie bags, sorted out the Kato clay which was provided to the students and had a sunny and fun day, the weather was smiling at us all weekend!

Saturday was THE day, we started our workshops and every student took 2 classes per day, we had students from all over Europe: Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Russia, Estonia, All UK, Norway, Spain and Israel. they were all so nice! I met some of my favorite virtual (flickr or blogs) friends, so happy to meet them in person finally!

These 3 days were like a dream, i enjoyed every minute! I was surprised to see how many people love millefiori flowers and that I can open up a whole new world to them!

On the last day we had a beads swap & "raffle party" - that was such fun! Dani was hilarious!

Thank you all for making this event possible - to dear Helen Cox who planned and organized every thing perfectly, to my colleague teachers: Donna, Alison, Sylvie, Natalia and Dani, to all my students who were so kind to me and letting me know how much they enjoyed my class!

Make lots of flower canes and paint your world in colors!
Kisses and hugs :)

Photos are here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/nottingham_2009/

and here

http://picasaweb.google.com/imishly/PolymerPlayDaysUK2009Nottingham

Polymeri Online 16.4.09

A great project by Zu - covering altoid tin with polymer clay
http://zuclay.blogspot.com/2009/04/covering-altoid-tin-with-polymer-clay.html

Tilov (boris and dinko) etsy store makes me want to learn Chess! my husband is asking me to make him a chess set for about 5 years now, well, i think i will send him tilov link, maybe he will buy himself a real fancy one!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7458262
and his blog -
http://mythcritters.blogspot.com/

Israeli Independence day is coming soon, blue and white is our color - this site has some nice projects for sugerpaste or other clays but you can surely use it for polymer clay as well.
http://www.kesem.biz/Article.aspx?ID=192

and talented Tal's tzafrir project for a girl holding a flag (hebrew but follow the pictures) -

http://www.amosisrael.co.il/Site/he/pages/inPage.asp?catID=6&subID=37&sub2ID=44&sub3ID=424&docID=4726

Lisa Pavelka has a new Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace project - and it's on friskar's crafts tv!
http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/tv/

For those of us who needs business tips - here's a great blog (and article) of how to price a product.
http://www.sparkplugging.com/craft-boom/craft-fairs-how-to-price-profit-part-1/

Polymeri Online 13.3.09

Brazilian Ceramica Plastica (name?) says she creates and develops what it is possible to imagine using the incredible raw material: polymer clay. Besides the clay she creates pieces in felt and cloth. Her elephants are so colorful and beautiful!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ceramicaplasticaecia/sets/72157614564305480/

Patricia Rose is first and foremost a sculptor. Her love for dolls came only after a quest to combine all of her interests and skills into one profession. She considers herself very fortunate to have discovered this world of dolls which has enabled her to follow her passion for art and also express who she is, she's got some cool Free tutorials in her site to all who want to learn to sculpt pretty dolls!
http://www.patriciarosestudio.com/html/tutorial.html

Stacey Hough Born into a family of creative people, Stacey has always had a love for all things handmade. From a young age she was inspired by her mother and grandmother's love of craft and making things. In her teenage years Stacey discovered her love of beads, and her fascination with jewelry has been never ending since. Working as an apprentice at a local jewelry store, throughout high school, Stacey gathered skills and started making designs of her own. Currently she is pursuing a dual degree in Fine Metals and Art Education at Kutztown University.
http://www.staceyhoughdesigns.com/artworks

How to make a miniature "ghost witch" from polymer clay - a youtube movie from MiniMaker Anderson blog -
http://creatingdollhouseminiatures.blogspot.com/2008/10/polymer-clay-ghost-witch.html
check out this tutorial too!http://creatingdollhouseminiatures.blogspot.com/2008/07/miniature-polymer-clay-teapot-and-tray.html

Julie is a mother of 2 boys. she is an artist that likes to make jewelry, mosaics and paint in watercolor.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliespace/sets/72157601484269682/
http://juliespacedesign.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5217502

Polymeri Online 26.2.09

Scented polymer clay? i didn't know it's possible, but it is - here's a tutorial for adding a scent to polymer clay... this tutorial is by Kimberly, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, she lived and breathed art and creativity, and combining arts and crafts with foods and desserts, she is creating a world of cupcakes, cookies, and the most delightful confections imaginable!
http://www.monsterkookies.com/scent-tutorial.html
her etsy store -
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6040158

thank you Roz Petalz Studio for this link!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rozpetalzstudio/

Tina is sharing with us her dried flower pendant tutorial using liquid clay, heat gun, glitter and of course a dried flower.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14939649@N08/3095042629/sizes/l
/
Not sure this was uploaded before - here's a cane Matisse by our dear french friends - MAGNIFIQUE!
http://paroledepate.canalblog.com/archives/2007/09/10/6088722.html

Yesterday was Family day in Israel, i found this cute Family Ornament Tutorial, this may come handy in the next family event!
http://bcreativeu.blogspot.com/2007/12/free-tutorial-polymer-clay-family.html
http://www.simplyornaments.com/Page4.html

Sue-Lin is using my heart beads for her jewelry, here is one of her love bracelet -http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21373809

Need an advice on a very (not really) important issue ;)

Do i really post this question? Oh dear, i must say i feel ridiculous, asking you this...

Although it's nonsense, (and sometimes we are allowed to ask silly Q in a polymer clay blog), a poll is a poll & i need an advice about an icon, yes, an avatar - my avatar on flickr & blog :)

What is your opinion -
do I keep my beads pyramid as my avatar on flickr,
or change it to my new manga face?

Keep what's known and familiar or change to a new one?

you're welcome to comment! please help me decide and i thank you for releasing me from sleepless nights LOL ;)

Disc Chic

As some of you probably know, i am working as a part time web designer in a computing division. As so i am surrounded with geek and computer stuff, so i figured, why won't i use them to create art? This is a great opportunity for recycling too, take apart an old keyboard, mother board, anything, well, I started collecting aluminum metal round discs.
i LOVE the mix of metal and polymer clay and HAD to do something with them. The result is Disc Chic colar, i am wearing this one with a black outfit and nothing else needed ;) it's a little similar to the felt designes i saw somewhere and the good thing is - any technique can fit in those and possibilites are endless!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irismishly/3100883874/

Polymeri Online 13.11.08

Noa Oron does cute sculpturings that fits both sugar paste and polymer clay - check her site for some cool tutorials, instructions in hebrew but the photos are easy to follow:
http://www.noyaart.com/index.php/--26/monkey-tutorial

And another monkey by Garie sim, this monkey likes to swing!http://gariesim.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-swinging-polymer-clay-monkey.html

Libby has a great post about her favorite bezel forms, i love her work with bezels, it makes the piece so much elegant.
http://libzoid.net/blog/2008/10/10/5-friday-favorites-bezel-forms/

not too tired for another tutorial? here's a great mokume gane pumpkin tutorial by PCAGOE member papernclay
http://papernclay.blogspot.com/2008/10/mokume-gane-pumpkin-tutorial.html
http://www.papernclay.etsy.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papernclay/

The Carrotbox is for anyone who loves glass rings, lucite rings, wood, agate, plastic, resin, acrylic, polymer, jade, etc. - anything, as long as there's no metal, i can sit for hours, be inspired and enjoy her huge collection of rings, some of them are polymer clay too.
http://www.thecarrotbox.com/news/0810.asp#29

One of the artists i found in the Carrotbox blog was - Arsmania - Ivana Molinari Schwab, has italian origin. She was born and grew up in Zurich, Switzerland.http://www.arsmania.com/pages/indexpag.html

Polymeri Online 23.10.08

Laura Bocchi is from Genoa, her sculpturing of flowers and millefiori are delicate and fine, and you can find a heart bead tutorial in her photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/verdevescica/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/verdevescica/2710980792/

Food that smiles back to you? that's elfa's creations! she's from Italy and she also have an ebay store
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elfa-creations/
http://stores.ebay.it/elfa-creations

barbie_cyberpunk's photostream has a white clay doll that caught my eye, i wish i could see more of these interesting and unique looking dolls

http://www.flickr.com/photos/96257880@N00/2817575740/

Mae Holley has lovely miniatures and jewellry, she twists and knead polymer clay into all kinds of fun and interesting things and hope to pass on this crazy obsession to any one looking for a new and exciting way to expand their creativity. check her tutorials too!
http://www.twistedkneads.com/

www.flickr.com/groups/pink2008

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and if you add your pink photos to this group you can help to raise up to €30,000 for local charities.

For each pink photo you add to www.flickr.com/groups/pink2008, Yahoo! for Good will donate €1, up to a maximum of €30,000. they will split the total equally between 5 charities in UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

- In the UK Cancer Research UK will use this donation to fund breast cancer research.
- In Germany Deutsche Krebshilfe will use this donation to fund a breast cancer project.
- In France Association Le Cancer du sein, parlons en ! will use this donation to fund screening.
- In Spain AECC will use this donation to fund information about prevention and detection.
- In Italy LILT will use this donation to fund breast cancer research.

You can add 5 pink photos a day during October, so please think about making a month long commitment to sharing your pink photos!

Polymeri Online 2.10.08

Lu Fanjul from barcelona has a wonderful mix of techniques in her gallery!http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucilda/sets/72157594530501184/

la_sagrada has only 6 photos in her flickr site, but each one is stunning! (see photo)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_sagrada/

Miss beb is from Paris, she makes sweet looking macarons miniatures and jewelry and i love her glossy finish
http://missbeb.free.fr/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missbeb/

more macarons? tutorial? on this blog, at the "jeudi 17 juillet 2008"
http://tranchedecane.canalblog.com/archives/p10-10.html

Figures, animals, fantazy, holiday - It's Jest 'er Clay!http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsjesterclay/

Speaking of french artists, here are some blogs worth visiting. and if you take a look at each sidebar of the blog, it's endless links....
http://evarmonie66.canalblog.com/
http://fimobyic.canalblog.com/
http://polykris.canalblog.com/
http://tranchedecane.canalblog.com/

Polymeri Online 25.9.08

After a long long week with 2 craft fair just before "rosh hashana" (new year), you can imagine how tired i am, but how can i not post some links... :) Enjoy...

Tamara Dozier Tamara was filmed as a featured artist on HGTV's "That's Clever" Episode HCLVR-122. She demonstrated how she sculpts and casts one of her gargoyles.
http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/clay-gargoyle/index.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30800675@N02/
http://www.dowitstudio.com/

and i love her lion simba! (photo)
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7362234

we have just said good bye to Alan Vernall, i loved his Latin Square Quilt Cane tutorial and of
course the Tudor Rose Cane in PolymerCAFֹ - Spring 2008http://www.polkadotcreations.com/books/article.php?id=pdcajv01
thank you so much alan....

Tree of Life Crafts
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5330100
celticdruid's a stay at home mother. she loves to craft in her spare time and have a new etsy
shop- http://www.teenytinyshinies.etsy.com/

homearts polymer clay tiles - Patti is Home Arts. Home Arts manufactures a line of fabric covered box kits and also carrys three CD's with vintage images from a private paper collection. Her tiles are beautiful!
http://www.ezhomearts.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5649833

mouna casa fimo's from france, she makes cool canes! faces, figures, smiley's and so many
more!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27724440@N02/
http://www.mounacasafimo.com/

Polymeri Online 18.9.08

Thursday is here! my US readers are still sleeping, but here in Israel it's a work day and i'm drinking my coffee :)

First, thank you Cynthia for your post on polymerclaydaily yesterday! it's always a pleasure to see my name in your blog :)

as for todays links...

Chris Mockridge owns "Ludicris Cake Toppers", his toppers are cute as can be, he is from UK.
www.ludicriscaketoppers.com

Sonia Keogh is from New Zealand, a Sculptor & artist, she says sculpting with polymer clay has its challenges, but is ultimately a forgiving medium which bends to her perfectionism. an intuitive process, take anywhere from 50 to 250 hours to produce a full-bodied Keogh piece, needless to say, she becomes deeply connected to each piece.
http://www.skulptor.com/skulptor/artist.htm

Lynn_EL/UnaOdd / Lynn is a Gardener, artist, collector of books, art, plants, skulls, rocks, cat whiskers, boxes, bottles and gourds.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynn_el/sets/72157602527213432/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5055378

mimiatures / mimi chan is from bangkok, Thailand, she says she is very lucky, her job has taken her all over the world and allowed her to to meet many people and experience many places...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimiisme/sets/72157606807194205/ http://brattymimi.hi5.com/

Polymeri Online 11.9.08

Lilly Briar is a Polymer Bead Artisan. she has been working with the medium for the past 7 years, teach workshops, do shows and write tutorials for Australian beading magazines. her current expedition is into the world of geometrism, exploring the simplicity of shape/s and creating new ones and incorporating mixed media to make them a little more interesting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lillybriar/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5578015

SelenaAnne - wonderful sculptural art, i wish i could know more about this artist :)http://www.flickr.com/photos/selenaanne/

2 Roses is artistic collaboration between jewelry designers Corliss Rose, and John Rose. The studio is driven by the principles of exploration and experimentation.
http://www.2roses.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2rosesjewelry/

Graphic Pendants is Teri, full-time business student with a passion for crafting. live in Canada, She's always been a creative soul and picked up first her needle and thread at 5 years old.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeweldivas/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6159923

Ignotz has some great sculpturings in her flickr site -http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraggle_d/sets/72157606376649539/

lasidi has some great geometric design, i just love her cute building canes, her boxes and frames. She is from spain.http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasidi/

Half and half - New collection

My new holidays collection is charachterized by 50% millefiori and 50% color.

Do you ask what does that mean? well, i am simply enjoying my clay, colors and matarial and not using 100% millefiori as i used to :)

I find this collection so enjoyable, much more personal, and wishfull.

In Judaism, a berakhah or bracha is a blessing, usually recited at a specific moments during a ceremony or other activity. we love to bless friends and family in so many occasions - holidays, when you meet, when you visit someone's home for the first time, and more.

This is the reason why i chose to be more personal and give my buyers the chance to enjoy a blessing collection. who doesn't want to bless his beloved friends and family? i'm sure every one will.

Hamsas, keychains, decorations, and many more, you are all welcome to my flickr site to see more.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irismishly/

and some in my etsy store for sale :)

Polymeri Online 14.8.08

Should i begin with a OT story? Normally my life are real peaceful, no "action" stories, but yesterday a hornet stinged me in my butt... yes, i know it sounds funny :) and i agree, but it's really uncomfortable to sit and clay now ;)

It happened while i was driving with my car windows open and she simply got in while i was driving and fell between my legs, when trying to get out of my car and getting rid of her, the %&*& just stuck her sting in my ... you know where...

in case you are wondering i feel fine now, nothing i won't survive :)

lesson to be learned - even though the air is cool and clear at 7am in the morning, never drive with your car windows open, you don't know who's gonna visit you.

let's see some cool links, i really love each and every one i am featuring today (like always)-

Doreen's miniature are SO cute, you just want to drool and grab a bite -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doreenseng/

Jane is almost 21. She's recently developed a hobby in creating cute charms from polymer clay - http://www.flickr.com/photos/28195862@N05/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5936782

island♥pixie's - The name Island Pixie is based on her niece, She inspires her and all the cute little creations she makes. she is addicted to handmade, and likes to create all kinds of goodies with clay like cupcakes, donuts, ice cream cones to lady bugs, octopus and flowers.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98355875@N00/

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=70811

hollyjayne / Holly from Australia (photo attached) makes adorable bears you just want to hug -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22594829@N04/2323731665/
http://www.hollyjayne.com/

My dear friend Judy Belcher posted some new photos in her flickr site, both of her amazing work and some of Euro Carnival -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9465294@N07/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9465294@N07/sets/72157606627190534/

Adventures in America

where am I? I am in far America since 4th of july, having great time with my family and missing my polymer clay, of course, but after seeing polymer clay express store in maryland and meeting Rob and Wilma again (i did met them in CFCF and in Synergy few months ago) i feel energized again and hope to clay soon! seeing Michaels stores and all other craft made me so thrilled! i am having so much fun...

take care every one and see you all soon with new items, new links and new experiences!

Polymeri Online 3.7.08

First announcement - i've made my 100th sale on etsy yesterday! :)
The happy buyer is Toni from keepsakeeggs - http://www.keepsakeeggs.com/about/index.html and i am happy to send you your lovely hamsa + a bag of polymer clay goodies! enjoy and thank you so much!

just before i take my LONG flight to US tonight, here are some more links to our weekly polymeri online posts -

One of my friends and a member of the israeli forum - Natanei just posted about a lovely bug contest taking place in the LiveJournal community and i asked her to tell us more about it -
The Polymer clay community of LiveJournal - Polymerclayfimo was founded at 2005 by galka_vasina and was dedicated for Fimo creations. The community grown and extrapolate its interests to all types of polymer clay. Polymerclayfimo counts 1865 members – Russian speakers from around the world (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, USA, Canada, Israel, German, Austria, etc`). Now community has 3 moderators: galka_vasina (Moscow http://galka--vasina.livejournal.com/ ), shimshony (Elena Samsonova, New York, http://shim-shoni.livejournal.com/) and xanka (Oksana, Moscow, http://xanka.livejournal.com/). Clear and handy tag system help to new users to drill down to journal entries.
Lately community conducts two interesting contests:
Roses Contest
http://community.livejournal.com/polymerclayfimo/1051426.html
http://community.livejournal.com/polymerclayfimo/1058537.html - results
Bugs Contest
http://community.livejournal.com/polymerclayfimo/1122284.html http://community.livejournal.com/polymerclayfimo/1126688.html - results
It's great to see worldwide work!

A great bird cane photo by auntgriz -http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntgriz/2617333782/in/photostream/

Debbie Anne / Debbie Carlton
Designing and making jewellery is a passion for her. She works with silver, gold and like to incorporate colour into her work when ever she can. Inspirations come from the shapes ,textures and colours she sees all around from nature's quirkiness to industrial symmetry. (her photo on the right)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debbiecarltonjewellery/

loopyboopy likes to sculpt dolls. she have so much fun creating characters. Sometimes they are in her head before she begins, other times they come into being as she makes them. she loves quircky, odd, whimsical, cute, creepy and eerie things. She is a self taught artist, working in sculpture for over 20 years, her work is really a collage of many medium, basically she uses whatever works, Papier Mache, Paperclay, pulp, sculpey... http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopyboopy/
http://www.wincrafty.typepad.com/

see you in another continent! :)
more updates on my trip will be posted!