Well, I was prepared to hate the opening ceremony for the Olympic games which was on last night (sorry that my friends in the US had a somewhat edited version of it) but I loved the crazy Britishness of it all. There were just so many fantastic moments! My two favourites were the pogo-ing creatures during the "Pretty Vacant" section and the bit which is of most interest to metalsmiths, the lighting of the unbelievably beautiful "Cauldron" for the flame.

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Every year France celebrates the Arts by a nation-wide manifestation organized by the various chamber of the arts around the country. Artists are invited to open their studios to the public over a 3 day holiday weekend and various shows and exhibits take place throughout the country to honor the arts. As of last year this event was moved from the Fall to the Spring. As of this…

Ugly Santa says, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" and hopes that all my Crafthaus colleagues have a good holiday and an excellent 2012!