Day: February 15, 2011

Places to Go: Zhujiajiao Water Town (Shanghai)

Some call it the “Venice of Shanghai”: Zhujiajiao. Located on the outskirts of Shanghai, this ancient town is characterized by water. Several rivers and canals run through the center of the town, lined by ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 36 bridges span the waterways, the longest being Fangsheng Bridge where tourists can buy fish and release them into the stream for ‘good luck’. Probably the most featured bridge of Zhujiajiao is Lang Bridge; the only wooden bridge in town that spans the water like a narrow corridor. The town has been well developed for tourists. Visitors can tour the canals on little boats operated like the famous gondolas in Venice. Narrow alleys accommodate countless stores in which visitors can buy all sorts of souvenirs, handcrafted local pieces of art as well as the usual goods you can get anywhere else in China. Zhujiajiao is also known for its gardens, the largest one being Kezhi Garden, which is also open to the public. Kezhi Garden an extensive enclosure featuring ancient buildings, artificial landscaping, …

Behind the Scenes: Valentine’s Inspiration

Valentine’s is still fresh in our minds, and I’m sure for many there are lots of nice memories to keep. So, I thought I’d bring you some Valentine’s inspiration from the galleries. I went on a search and found a couple of layouts that caught my eye. To start off with, I found this page by Diella, using “Just Love Me” – a collab from Sugarhill Co. I love the composition here and the mixed use of brushes/stamps and “real” elements such as flowers, etc. Of course, her title is too funny, too (you’ll get the joke when you look at the full size picture in the gallery)! Next, I found “Valentines” by oldvwblues, using “Be My Valentine” by Carole Créations. I’m sure, you can guess what caught my eye with this page … Right! It’s the photo treatment. How fun to turn the photo into a drawing. “Love You XOX” by MerylBartho is another page I fell in love with. She used a whole lot of different products, including “Time for Love.” On this …