One page of good book teaches more than hundred prints of common bestsellers

As-Salaamu Alaykum :) Today´s article is about books. But not about common books, but about books which I love and want to read again :D But the biggest problem is....school takes all my time and when I have little bit of free time, I´m always so tired so I can´t read a page of book or write here any short article. I say this all my life: The school will kill me once!

So, I chose 4 books, which I´m into right now :D Warning: These books aren´t for everyone! 

I hate long books, romantic novels, neverending adventures with more sci-fi than realistic story. I belong to the community of consuming readers, who want to feel emotions. I want book to get in my head after reading of 3 first pages. If it doesn´t I wouldn´t continue in reading. I need to feel hunger for the book, only then I know, that the book is good. When it is in my mind and I can´t stop think about it. In a time of school exam, in a bus or when I want to sleep but I´m not allowed to because I think about it and I can´t shake it off from my head. You know, when the music is playing in your head while reading, when you feel the warm of fireplace, coldness of every single snowflake falling on your face. When your body is shaking and you fight yourself not to cry because of the brutal realistic truth.

Yes, this is what I need the most in the stories. Brutal Realistic Truth. That´s exactly what has to be in the story to make me believe in it. And that is exactly why I love to read nonfiction. Last 2 years I read only this. I was completely into history of Crusides (it doesn´t mean that I´m not now) and I have read everything I found in our big town library. It´s really big but still not big enough for me :) I still miss books written by Bernard Hemilton - "Women in the Crusader States" and "The Leper King and his Heirs". I found something on Google books but you know, it´s totaly different, when you can hold the book in your arms and read it even if you don´t have internet with you.

So realistic truth + history + emotions + story  = Biography :) I really love to read biographies of some, for me, "big people". I love to see their path of life, path to fame and their end. It always learn me something :) 

Jozef Kroner: Neobyčajný Testament (2009)

Unusual Testament

 Collection of short stories written by slovak, my favourite Slovak actor (and I would say the best Slovak actor). There are sketches, short tales and humoresques all inspired by his own life. The stories are very simple, whitch make them beautiful. First story has name Testament and shows Jozef´s sudden death. The story is about his meeting with parents and all his dead sibs. Kroner maybe didn´t even know how emotionally he wrote it. I saw every his feeling, his esteem to his father and his respect to his mother. His love to all his family, how much he misses them but also how much he loves to live. 

Francesco Gabrieli: Storici arabi delle Crociate (2010)

Crusades in the eyes of Arabic chroniclers
This book I bought to myself for Christmas. As I warned before, I´m absolutely into Crusades, not only as historic period, political conflict but also as cultural revolution. I hate when someone is looking at it only from one sight. If anyone wants to have great statements, he must read the second page of this brutal 200 years lasting part of history. So, this is selection of record written by Arabic chroniclers.

Jozef Banáš: Zastavte Dubčeka! (2009)

Stop Dubček!
The title of this book lies. It´s biography of the best Slovak politician - Alexander Dubček. Subtitle reveals the title : "Story of men, who  hindered  the powerful."  I really liked this book, it´s quite gross  book, I spent so long time with it but I don´t regret a minute. I knew much about his political career but this book shows him also as common person, very modest and honest. From his childhood, fight in Slovak National Uprising, Prague Spring, until his death, his life really wasn´t easy.

Simone Berteaut: Piaf  (1969)

Edith Piaf
For quality of this book, I write, what Simone wrote on the beginning : "For you, Edith, I wrote this book truly, without colorable to be heard your smile and cry." And she did it :D Edith´s life is like melodrama. But when I was reading it, I found that life of Simone was maybe harder because she had to go through everything what Edith experienced and she also had her own problems. And I falled in love with her character in Edith´s lifeplay.

Costumes: Camelot

In this article, I´m gonna talk about my obsession - fashion. But not about this "fashion", which I´m not interested in as much as the ´maybe once´ student od fashion design may be. I don´t like the fact that designers of this times make clothes not for wearing but just for watching. Hand on heart, when you look on outfits from some people, you can be shocked because you know that the only one who would ever wear it are the models. That´s the other reason, why I want to come into the world of fashion, to make clothes able to be worn :D But my biggest dream is to design costumes for movies, Especially historic movies from Middle Ages. 

Camelot is TV serie from television Starz, which is also owner of Spartacus (Blood and Sand, Gods of the Arena, Vengeance) or the Golden Globe winning drama series Boss. As you may guess, the show is about legendary King Arthur, his evil sister Morgan and sorcerer Merlin. But the story is about what was happening behind the myth. Before Arthur became that big king. It´s not the best show I´ve ever seen, neither the second best one...even the third, but I watched it, I had to watch because of Eva Green who plays Morgan here and I must say (whole world will agree) she was the BEST Morgan ever! I saw performings of this character in  other movies and shows (some of them I´m not very proud of, but only the risk could proof it, however, I was sure of it before the shooting itself :)

Except Eva Green, there are another two reason why I liked to watch Camelot. The first is soundtrack made by brothers Jeff and Mychael Danna, which was nominated for Emmy Awards and the second are COSTUMES, finally :D The author is Joan Bergin. Here you are, watch her opinions in video below.

And now, my opinion! :D The costumes are stunning. I can´t present you each costume because I don´t have HD pics of all of them :/ So for today, I chose the most beautiful outfit of whole show :D Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Morgan´s coronation dress...

Morgan wore it in 10 episode "Reckoning" for her coronation as Queen of Britains.......but in that moment Arthur suddenly came and destroyed everything. Silly boy...he always destroyed more than he saved. But back to the dress. I absolutely love the dark brown color and with the cut of this dress, it makes it very elegant. Also note the fancywork on her chest. God, like a flame of passion on her breast...

My favourite and striking part of dress are sleeves :D Soft black lace stitches by silver thread. I was observing her hands while whole watching of  the scenes where she wore it :)

However, she didn´t wear the dress alone. She had coat, too. This long glaring coat with large wide sleeves, which contrast to narrower sleeves of the dress and that gives it the medieval aroma. Just like the hem on the edges. Also look at the brilliant embroidery which gives a shine to the outfit. The coat is opened in front and as you can see it´s bound at her back.

This costume is really worthy of Queen, I think. Only sad think is, that she didn´t become the Queen. I understand, they couldn´t make her a ruler because of the legend, but she would be great. Great leader, not a warlord. Now, I´m wondering who should I choose for next look into costume. It won´t be Morgan, I want someone else, maybe some man, we will see. :) But since Morgan is the  best character from Camelot cast, you can be sure, that this isn´t the last time you meet her in this blog :) 

DIY: What is embroidered, will remain

How I promised, I´m adding a project of this Christmas - gifts for my friends :D It took me 2 days for each pendant. I have broken 3 needles :D It was real hard work but I´m proud of it and my friends looked so happy when I gave it to them :D So let´s get started...

You will need:

• fabric
• thread (one in color of fabric and some in different)
• needle
• scissors
• pins
• pencil
• padding
• design of letter for embroidery
• ribbon

Well, for the first, cut two same pieces of fabric (I chosed oval) and draw the desing of letter which you chose on one of the two pieces. For exemple, I inspected fonts in Word 2010, which I have in my notebook. I didn´t find anything special so I continued in searching on the Internet. I found some sites with free fonts, so I downloaded about 10 gothic fonts (I bevlieve, that gothic fonts look very serious and elegant on separated letter). Then I opend my Word (or Power Point, or whatever you wont, it really makes no difference) and wrote the letter in this fonts and tried in which it will look the best. Try to choose some uncomplicated one, because it will take so much time to do it and you will be tired of it soon. Well, draw the final letter in middle of the piece of fabric, which you prepared before and put on the thread, in different color than it´s the fabric, to needle.

Go around the drawn line of the letter. Just like if you are sewing something. Then go around again and fill the places which stayed empty. Now, you should see the outline of the letter :) You are able to start embroider :D

Fill the place like this:

Try to get the threads to each as closest as it is possible. Don´t miss any place, which should be embroidered and embroider until the letter is full colored by thread.

Now, take both pieces of fabric (which you prepared at the beginning) and make sure, it they are same :D ... I know, it´s not deadly important..... just make yourself sure :)

Yes, they don´t look the same but it´s because of the wavy fabric on the right :D

Now, we are going to stitch :P So, take the pieces and pin them together :D I love my colorful pins! :D

DON´T FORGET!! RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER!! :D

You can also draw a line of where you will stitch if you prefer :D

Stitch around and don´t forget to stop 2 or 3 cm before the beginning. You need hole for stuff the pendant with padding. Take the pins away and turn over the pendant to the right side. Now, choose some nice ribbon....

Now skip to stuffing. I used cotton padding but you can use whatever you want. It´s all up to you. Fill the pendant until it´s full of padding. 

Now, take the ribbon you chose and pin it on top of pendant. Stitch it and close the pendant. Be happy now, IT´S DONE! :D

This is B in font "Medici Text"

E in font "Pauls Swirly Gothic Font"

S in "Pauls Swirly Gothic Font"

Z in "Vivaldy"

Ž in "VTC- Bad Tattoo Hand One"

S in "Strassburg Frukture"