Glass Beaded Necklaces

I am always looking out for ways to use up my beautiful vintage sari collection! I have so enjoyed this series of Necklaces which I have made from vintage sari fabric and vintage ties! The whole process gives me so much joy - sourcing the fabric, washing, ironing, sewing, filling and knotting! I love the anticipation of seeing how the pattern translates into being knotted! Silk is my favourite fabric to work with, it knots so beautifully. These are some of the prototypes. I tried bigger beads, smaller beads, beads with spaces between, bigger and smaller beads mixed, etc. etc. Eventually I decided simpler is better. So many of my products are one-offs, so I have quite enjoyed having a series! Just working on some innovative packaging!

Friends, Letters, Fonts and Things...

I had some fun this morning. With photoshop and a vintage book called "a new book of alphabets" by Gillian Greenwood. This font was labelled - Sapphire - Stempel .This delightful one is Raffia - Amsterdam!Thanks to Kat of Anything Goes, I have realised that instead of using words like 'alphabet' or 'letters', I could sound so much more knowledgeable with words such as typography or font! Kat's husband is making sure that she has a Typographical 2009 with this cool calendar from Orange Beautiful. [Thanks Kat for these simple but meaningful words! ]

Since venturing into blog land, I have realised the limitations of my vocabulary. When I have used up 'wonderful', 'stunning', 'amazing', 'great' and perhaps even 'delightful', 'innovative' and 'inspiring', there's not much left!
So I stand in awe of the talents of people like Sakurasnow who finished off describing some of her recent elemental art like this : I feel each one has captured some sort of elemental essence, and this last one most of all. They’re like corporeal snapshots of something wild and intangible…I have appreciated her blog friendship! She captures the most amazing [there I go again] art, and describes it in such an inspiring [!!] way!

An Upgraded Magazine Table

I am still enjoying the magazine table I made a while ago. But Vered Zaykovsky has definitely created an advanced version with 6 identical copies of a Domus magazine. Also no gluing, no cutting - just some clever weaving and folding. Now I am just trying to work out how she did it!? via Yanko Design

To Do Book

I wanted to cover my new To-Do Book in a creative way. I love woven ribbon cushion covers, and thought I would try something similar with some scrap cardboard strips I had.I took the longer strips and glued them to the inside cover of the book. Then I wove shorter black strips through. I decorated 2 of the strips with some ribbon. Once I had woven my way around the book, I secured the remaining loose ends on the inside back cover. I dotted glue on the shorter strips, to stop them from slipping out. I am happy with the outcome. Hopefully it will be easy to find the book in amongst my other stuff, with it's allround checkerboard look.

Shopping Trip

Last week I went down to The Waste Centre in Durban. If you are a sewer and you've been to Durban, you will have visited this Institution! It's been around for years and stocks just about everything that is fabric related.
I was looking for backing fabric for some cushions I have been commisioned to do. The shweshwe fabric I found will do very nicely.The Waste Centre is situated in an old light industrial area in Durban. I thought I would show you some of what we saw:
From the roof top Parking - a view of The Soccer Stadium which is racing towards completion for the 2010 World Cup Soccer.We also spied "The Artspace Durban" - an art gallery I have been meaning to visit, but have just not got to yet.
We took heed of the instructions on the way down to the shop...And will have to see what I do with this shwe shwe fabric which must have been designed with the Soccer World Cup in mind!

Yay!!!!

I don't usually do a post on Saturday, but today there is cause for celebration!
After being at the computer repair shop for most of the week, my computer was finally coaxed back to life last night!!!And today is the first day we have woken up to sunshine for a few weeks. I love the rain, and being a country that often suffers from droughts I don't like to complain about it, but after so many gray days it is good to see the sun.So I ran around with my camera in the early morning light, snapping up some of the beautiful bunches of flowers in my home at the moment - 3 of them actually!
My husband surprised me the other day and made me all weak at the knees by arriving home with a bunch of flowers - white ones because he knows how much I love white. Most of the flowers have faded, but I love this cheerful remnant on my dining table!I've just finished doing a Gifting Course with a group of ladies from my church and they presented me with a lovely bright bunch. Friends came round for lunch last Sunday armed with a most delightful country bunch. The cool weather has meant that the flowers are lasting well and keep reminding me that God's creation really is the source of our creative inspiration

Missing!

Yesterday my computer refused to boot up and my screen greeted me with 'Missing ILTDR'!
So my daily post will be 'Missing' today too.
Hopefully be back tomorrow!

Crochet Goals

Inspired by the Granny Square Cushion in this shop, I tucked into some balls of wool I have at home! I am enjoying making 2 cushion covers and here is a sneak preview!

But I have been setting some new crocheting goals after visiting the fab Eclectic Gipsyland [via Hidden in France]. I am so keen to try out some more flowershapes.... And maybe oneday I will produce something as beautiful as this! Visit Eclectic Gipsyland's flickr for massive inspiration!

Claire Regnard on the Corner

Coffee at the Corner Cafe in Glenwood, Durban is fun enough, but this time we had the added delight of being surrounded by Claire Regnard's works of art. Her lasercut metal work is very appealing and I am planning on taking my husband there soon to have a look!Visit Clare's web sight to see more about her shop Amoeba Lighting and Living and the work she does!

Just love the functional and elegant aspects of the Corner Cafe! Somehow the pile of serviettes being freshly ironed adds to the atmosphere! Have a look at their brand new web sight!

Dresssed and ready to go...

My Tux Collar Cushion was ready to go to it's new home, but I felt it was missing something...And I found it at the SPCA thrift shop. This gorgeous vintage velvet bow tie set me back a whopping R5! [That's $0.49]

Keys

Still a light posting today, as we tie up ends from the happenings of the week.

Exciting stuff is happenening in the background for Freshly Found, though, and I am working on all of that too.

Keys and Key related goodies that have made me happy lately...

Please Sir's Vintage Key Wall find at the Liberty NC Antique Festival!

These Keyholes are actually Keyrings and they can double up as a ring for your finger too! Avalable from Ping Mag
Fornasetti's Pillow-Key available from My Own Space.

Life!

It's been quite a week.

A friend brought my family and I dinner last night, in sympathy with the flooding of our house on Tuesday! We so enjoyed her friendship and tasty kindness. At 9.45pm last night the same friend phoned me to say that her and her family had just been held up in their home by 4 armed men and had most of their significant possesions taken - cars, phones, electrical appliances, etc. A devastating experience!

And so I have been there a lot over the past hours.

This blog is all about creativity and design and clever ideas, restoration and recycling vintage, etc. I don't want it to be a blog of bad news! But this has been a devastating experience for my friend. They are all alive, and I guess are about to begin a long journey of restoration.

As always, at times like this, they are grateful for each other and for life and for friends who lend cars and cellphones, and offer you a place to stay for the night and send flowers and visit and pray.

Work In Progress!

I am so happy with this WIP. I have been collecting vintage jerseys* for a while now and cutting them up into squares. This past weekend, I started stitching them together in strips, and I am so happy with the progress so far! The contrast in textures is so pleasing! I have enough for about 3/5ths of a generous double bed blanket, so I am on the lookout for some more neutral coloured knits!
*I am interested to see that what we in South Africa call a Jersey, is known in other parts of the world as a Sweater, Pullover or Jumper! Have a look here!

No Post Today!

Sorry no creative post this morning! I was awakened at 4.50 am by my daughter. I jumped out of bed - only to be confronted by a house full of water. A pipe had burst in the kitchen and had filled our home! So instead of blogging this morning, my family and I were swishing and sweeping. The house is starting to dry out now, and the insurance companies have been contacted. Apparently some of the damage will only be evident after a few days!

This reminds me of the water issues we had about a year ago!

Have a look at our own personal range of "Wet Look" carpets! I'll be back tomorrow with some dry WIP!

Ladybird Bag Ladies

iBhungezi is a zulu word meaning "Ladybird" And it's the name of a project which runs nearby my homeThe ladybird was chosen as a symbol for this bag making project because it signifies colour, life and vibrancy. Not only has iBhungezi helped to bring employment and hope to the communities of Lower Molweni and Umgababa, but it has given a wonderful platform to these residents to express their creative beading abilities! I love the fact that their workshop happens on the side of the beautiful St Agnes Church auditorium, providing a large, airy environment and using space that would otherwise stand empty for most of the week.Go ladies go! And by the way, I am delighted with my very own beaded bag!

Whitewall

I have recently discovered a whole bunch of Durban based jewellers. Whitewall is another one of them! He describes himself as a jewellerydesignermakerlecturer.I love recycling! The Keyrings he makes are doubly recycled as he uses the offcuts of patterned strips of tyres, which are used to make sandals. - It sounds complicated I know, but it is very intriguing! Read his blog here! And buy some of this keyrings here!

Doodle Cuts

My daughter has been cutting patterns in little gift boxes for her friends. I just loved what she was doing and asked her to capure some of it for me!

Mounted Shelving

I just LOVE this! Ordinary furniture positioned in an extraordinary way!
Designer Marten de Ceulaer's installation called Witte Tafel
And Thomas Wold's Fractured Fairy Tales:
And I think I have enough bits and pieces in my storeroom to make up my own version! I am really keen to try!

Pink is the Theme

I have to tell you about my current tablescape before those beautiful flowers fade!It consists of :

Peonies from a friend of ours! Beautiful, bright pink! Thanks Justin!

The stunning black and white Mango packaging! [My friend Rene really jazzed up my wardrobe by giving me this!]

And my Thrifted Scarf in a Furoshiki wrap around some vintage books!

[The previous tablescape on a brighter day!]