July Holiday Break

I will be taking a break from blogging! I am in the middle of that huge lampshade project I told you about a while ago. I have been busy cleaning, measuring and cutting posters and banners and I still have a long way to go!All of this and a whole lot more has to be completed before we leave for a holiday at Ngwenya! This pic from a previous visit shows just how up close and personal we get with the wildlife there. Last time we had a herd of elephants move right through the resort, which is on the banks of the Crocodile River overlooking the Kruger National Park!
I look forward to reconnecting again towards the end of July!

Bean Green

As you may know by now, I am passionate about excellent coffee, which is one of the reasons I owned a quirky coffee shop for a couple of years!So I was delighted to visit the Bean Green Coffee Roastery in Davenport Durban yesterday. It's a long time since I have had such a stunning cup of coffee!It is one of those places that intrigue me. There are a lot of reasons why it could not work - a limited menu, few staff and simple decor. But that is exactly why it does work. The place was crowded, the service really friendly and of course, the coffee was excellent! The background music comes from a record player! When we left, some of the customers greeted us too, and told us we must come back again! A lovely vibe all round. It definitely has the x-factor!

Muji Love

My mom and daughter just got back from a trip to London! They are so clever - because look what they brought back for me! Paper Shredding Scissors from Muji! I have had fun cutting this paper fringe with it!I LOVE Muji and wish we had some Muji stores here in South Africa!
This pair makes an interesting and useful addition to my scissor collection!And I have the catalogue to drool over too!
Thanks Mom and Chris! You rock!

Blue Sky, Winter Trees

The Plane Trees in the Avenue that runs past our house have lost their leaves and are down to their beautiful strong bones! Although the trees are bare, I find the silhouette of the trunks and branches against the blue sky uplifting!
Charles was once similarly inspired:

But, for all that, they had a very pleasant walk.
The trees were bare of leaves,
and the river was bare of water-lilies;
but the sky was not bare of its beautiful blue,
and the water reflected it,
and a delicious wind ran with the stream,
touching the surface crisply.
Charles Dickens

Parcels

I have some parcels ready to post. Kendalee and Anairam each won an LP origami box! Packing these for posting was a challenge, so I have partially unfolded them and wrapped them flat with instructions as to how to re-complete! Here the envelopes are in the early morning light - ready to go!Why the set-up?
Because I have recently seen and been inspired by the work of the architects and designers TAF - Who’s 'aim is to make ordinary life less ordinary through subtle but effective changes in how products and architecture appear and function. A recurrent departure point in TAF projects is that everyday objects by their very commonness can be made uncommon'
So I decided to give the little parcels a quick creative send-off!

Very Adventurous Dressing

Sheena Matheiken has pledged to wear 1 dress every day for a whole year. Fortunately she has 7 identical versions of the little black number, which was designed for her by Eliza Starbuck. Her aim is to raise funds for the Akanksha Foundation, a movement involved with education in India.
I have enjoyed following her journey as I see how she creatively re-interprets the dress everyday with a variety of handmade and vintage finds! Can you see the little crocheted button surrounds on one version and the vintage black doily she wore to a wedding? Follow her website here or on twitter here.

Adventurous?

I am far more adventurous with my surroundings than I am with what I wear. I love quirky decor but am quite classic in my clothing choice!So I am wondering if I will ever pluck up the courage to wear this sequined vintage top I found last week? Kendalee's online summer picnic today might be the perfect opportunity![The orange fabric in the top pic is from a new blouse which I just reconstructed. What was I thinking buying a blouse with ruffles. It's all unpicked, restitched and quite classic now!]
The freshly painted frame from yesterday has already come in handy!!!

White Paint!

Yesterday my eldest daughter took some leave! Our day together was filled with things I love to do! We did some thrift shopping, fitted in coffee and a late breakfast and then came back home to paint.We had a few vintage finds which needed some white washing. None of them are going to be high wear and tear, so we used a good quality acrylic paint. I love to paint things, especially white. These are some of my secrets to successful painting -

• Prepare well - Find the rollers, paintbrushes, paint, newspaper, cleaning cloths, sandpaper, etc before you start.
• Lightly sand the item and wipe down. It is not necessary to sand down to the bare wood if you are painting. As long as the surface is clean and fresh!
• Put on your painting clothes. I even have a pair of shoes I keep specially for painting.
• Use a brush to apply the paint and get into all the odd corners and a small sponge roller for a smooth finish
• I try to do a few items at a time - it makes all the setting up worth while.
• Enjoy. I love to transform old and dull and stained into new and vibrant and fresh!!!!

Expressionist Stories!

On Saturday we went to our local Farmer's Market at Shongweni. It is always a pleasure to go and join the growing crowds of early morning risers. This time we met the artist and expressionist story teller Nicky Chovuchovu. We were so struck with his work and enjoyed the lively motion in his pieces. I bought 2 greeting cards. Each card is personally signed on the back by Nicky himself. Hopefully we'll go back and pick up one his oil paintings some day! See more about him and his work over here!

Dinner!

Our dinner club is coming to our house tonight! We are a group of 4 couples and we rotate homes. The host does the main course and the other couples bring starters, dessert and chocolate! I wish I had these serviettes [or napkins] from Hector Serrano!
I do have this recipe from Nigella for an old fashioned favourite with a twist! I'll serve it with this sauce and this on the side. Lots of cooking, cleaning and prep to do!

The Answer!

Thanks for all your thoughts and head-scratching for yesterdays question! ....Ok, so this is what I have made! Lots and lots of Origami boxes from vintage LP covers!It has given me SO much pleasure to give a second life to these beautiful covers .Anairam, you will win one of them, because you came the closest by guessing that I was making boxes! Here they are on my coffee table in the afternoon sun:Burl Ives, Linda Ronstadt, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, Funny Girl, etc! I'll choose one for you or let me know if you have a favourite!
PS. Kendalee, you posted your comment as I published - you hit the nail on the head, so there will be 2 winners!

A Question and a Prize!

Do you have any idea what I have been up to this long weekend? If you can guess, I'll send you one as a prize!