LET’S SCRAP SKETCH 5-4-11

Just after I joined Let’s Scrap in April this year the Design Team call was posted with this sketch below (designed by Cheri O’Neill).  I started the layout, but never got round to finishing it and submitting it.  But I have finally finished the layout!!!!!!!!

The pictures in the layout were taken by me at the Heidelberg Castle in Germany during May 2011.  The pictures are not really of the castle, it is bits of the castle that you can see from the entrance. 

Most of the paper in this layout is from the BoBunny Gabrielle Collection, with the exception of the brown piece in the middle and the pink paper at the bottom – this is Prima.  The main reason it took me SOOOOO long to complete this layout, was (1) I lost one of the pictures and (2) I did not really know what to do with the embellishing.  But I finally just sat myself down today and finished it…………………………

The first tiny set of embellishing is in the top left corner of the layout.  I used Prima’s Flocked Rub-ons combined with the rubons from the BoBunny Gabrielle Collection.  I placed this embellishment here just to emphasize the picture.  

The main set of embellishing is under the main picture on the left hand side of the layout.  The cluster of embellishing has quite a bit of elements – there is a paper and chipboard die-cut elements from the BoBunny range; small piece from the flocked rub-ons by Prima; different flowers; Enmarc design element (daisy curl).  This chipboard element I split into three pieces, the two doodle pieces I used in this clutter of embellishments, the third piece I used on the other side of the layout.  For all three pieces I inked the, slightly with brown ink and then glazed them.  The last piece of this clutter is the banner – I created the banner pieces from the left over paper; I used glimmer mist and Tim Holtz distress ink to colour the ribbon (originally it was white) and attached it with two brads; lastly, I hanged an embellishment from the ribbon.  

The last bit of embellishing was on the far right side of the layout.  Here I used the same elements from the left hand side – you will see under the orange flower is the third piece form the Enmarc design element that I cut into pieces.  

The last piece to the layout was of course the title.

1.  I decided on the title “HIDDEN FORTRESS” as the pictures are all behind trees and the castle really looks hidden in these pictures;
2. I used Prima alphabets that are made from canvas;
3. Originally they were cream, I used some Perfect Pearls Mists (heirloom gold) by Ranger to give them some colour and blend in with the rest of the layout.

I hope you enjoyed that, but now it is time for a bit of history and geography regarding Heidelberg and the Heidelberg Castle.  

Heidelberg is a city in south-west Germany.  The fifth-largest city in the State of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg is part of the densely-populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region.  In 2009, over 145,000 people lived in the city.  Heidelberg lies on the River Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald. 

A former residence of the Electoral Palatinate, Heidelberg is the location of the University of Heidelberg, well-known far beyond its and Germany's borders.  Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town.  The US Army has had a military base in Heidelberg since 1951. 

The Heidelberg Castle (in German language named: Heidelberger Schloss) is a famous ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg.  The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. 

The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is located 80 metres (260 ft) up the northern part of the Königstuhl hillside, and thereby dominates the view of the old downtown.  It is served by an intermediate station on the Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway that runs from Heidelberg's Kornmarkt to the summit of the Königstuhl. 

The earliest castle structure was built before AD 1214 and later expanded into 2 castles circa 1294; however, in 1537, a lightning-bolt destroyed the upper castle.  The present structures had been expanded by 1650, before damage by later wars and fires. In 1764, another lightning-bolt destroyed some rebuilt sections. 

The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398–1410) erected the first building in the inner courtyard as a royal residence.  The building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels.  Another royal building is located opposite the Ruprecht Building: the Fountain Hall.  Prince Elector Philipp (1476–1508) is said to have arranged the transfer of the hall's columns from a decayed palace of Charlemagne from Ingelheim to Heidelberg. 

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Prince Electors added two palace buildings and turned the fortress into a castle.  The two dominant buildings at the eastern and northern side of the courtyard were erected during the rule of Ottheinrich (1556–1559) and Friedrich IV (1583–1610).  Under Friedrich V (1613–1619), the main building of the west side was erected, the so called "English Building". 

The castle and its garden were destroyed several times during the 30 Years' War and the Palatine War of Succession.  As Prince Elector Karl Theodor tried to restore the castle, lightning struck in 1764, and ended all attempts at rebuilding.  Later on, the castle was misused as a quarry; castle stones were taken to build new houses in Heidelberg.  This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg, who then began the preservation of the Heidelberg Castle. 

Although the interior is in Gothic style, the King's Hall was not built until 1934.  Today, the hall is used for festivities, e.g. dinner banquets, balls and theatre performances.  During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air musicals, operas, theatre performances, and classical concerts performed by the Heidelberg Philharmonics. 

The castle is surrounded by a park, where the famous poet Johann von Goethe once walked.  The Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway runs from Kornmakt to the summit of the Königstuhl via the castle. 

Here are some pictures of this beautiful place!!!!!!!!!!

Romantic view of Heidelberg Castle ruins

Heidelberg Castle