New Life!

The African Design Team is experiencing a boost of New Life! :-)
We have a wonderful new Captain and another Leader who are really committed to getting our team moving!
Welcome to Elsie Lorpu our New Team Captain!! :-)
A Huge Thank You to Pamala Phelps who has agreed to become a leader.

Here's a few items from their shops:

Elsie's Shop..... Elsie Lorpu

The Cutest Baby Boy's outfit  See it in her shop HERE

See it here on Pinterest :  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/5981411980396711/

Check out this gorgeous cell phone bag! See it in her shop HERE

See it on Pinterest : http://www.pinterest.com/pin/5981411980396738/

Pamala's Shop..... Tamu Creations.

Stunning Leather Clutch. See it in her shop HERE

See this on Pinterest : http://www.pinterest.com/pin/5981411980396826/

Ooohh I like this Leather Clutch. I love the decorative Croc Skin Strip!
See this item in her shop HERE

See it on Pinterest : http://www.pinterest.com/pin/5981411980396916/

Here's looking forward to a whole new inspiring and go getting experience in the AFRICAN DESIGN TEAM on ETSY.com :-)

African Art

I have a new venture. It's on a site called Fine Art America. A great place where a person can buy prints of photo's or paintings, sculptures..anything really. The prints of paintings are on postcards or stretched canvas, or mounted in a frame and are really reasonably priced. Of course the larger the item the more expensive.. AND the higher the quality of the original the more one would expect to pay.

I've submitted a variety of items, some of my original paintings and some of my original photographs taken during my travels. I'm still searching through my photograph collection for more, so keep an eye out on the site, you never know if there might be something that pops up that is perfect for a gift just for you!

Also on the site, Leopard at night.

Go along and have a look :-D

africa paintings flower painting canvas prints

Kiddies Over The Moon!

I was searching Etsy the other day... just browsing really and I came across this store... the items are so very cute! So I decided to upload some photo's of what she does.

Lovely Elephants!

Happy Hippo!

Kings of the Jungle!

Pop along and have a look :-) I'm sure she won't mind! Click on any picture or HERE!

Name Change!

Just a quick note to everyone to let you know that I've changed my shop name on Etsy from Sylvie's Designs to:

 Sylvie's Art on Fabric

My Facebook page can be found on :
https://www.facebook.com/SylviesArtOnFabric

My Pinterest boards are here :
http://pinterest.com/SylviesFabArt/

So don't lose me.... okay!

Lukagwa African Art and Jewelers from Kenya.

Lukagwa African Art & Jewelers was started by people who have a youthful passion for art. We embrace the meaning of Lukagwa to be that “Our ideas are heaven sent”. We specialize in the meticulous assemble of beads to form art pieces that are a fusion of contemporary and historical trends. Our jewelry is a unique infusion of different styles, ideas, inspirations and global influences.
Lucille has recently submitted two new pieces to her shop that can be found on etsy.com. Her chosen theme is to display her pieces of jewelry on a black background on some rocks. It's a striking display and really is going to hold her shop together.
 This theme will make the shop memorable, so returning customers will recognise it right away and feel at home.

This is definitely the way to go when showing your work. These pieces of jewelry are striking, innovative and fun!

Pay a visit to Lukagwa and see what else she may have uploaded.

Here's hoping that she will get a lot of support from folks all over the world.

Jessie of Henry Kuikens in Cape Town, South Africa!

Jesse does some great fabric printing. Here is a bit about her from her:


I'm a free-lance illustrator, comic artist, and print-maker, living in Cape Town, South Africa. My Shop on Etsy is called Henry Kuikens.

Printing patterns with individual hand-carved blocks means that I'm able to design the layout of the pattern as I print. My fabrics are sourced locally, in Cape Town, either at cotton mills in my area or at flea markets. 


There is this one cushion of Jesses' that i just love. It caught my eye and made me take a closer look. It's called: 
Black Flowers Cushion Cover. 

I asked Jesse how this design came about and this is what she told me.
"The cushion cover is a variation on another design printed with the same block, a much simpler geometric design. While I was printing that, I accidentally dropped the block,and realised that it would work as an overprint on the basic design."
A fortunate accident! I just love it when something great gets created out of happenstance. 



This photo is a good close-up of the design. To think that she hand carves these out first and then carefully prints them onto the fabric... It must take some time.


There is something else she designed that I liked and that is her fabric covered buttons. She doesn't just cut out fabric and cover metal or plastic buttons with them. NO! She first carves a tiny design and then prints them onto the fabric. Then she cures the dyes so that they will not run and then cuts them out and makes the buttons. Hmmm not a quick job here either.  Click this to go to the shop and look at it.



Jesse writes this about the buttons:
"Printed with hand-carved blocks and water-based silkscreen ink on cotton, they've been heat-cured to set the ink. The dome of the button is rust-proof metal, the back plastic, and each one is interfaced to prevent the metal shining through. Hand washing is recommended, dry-cleaning is not."


"The buttons are printed interpretations of buttons from my vintage button collection".

This is another design that she has done. There are a lot more on display in her shop and to see them all you have to do is click THIS :-)

Singing Heart Jewelry Designs from CapeTown, South Africa

Debbie is an enterprising lady living in the Western Cape. Her studio and home are at the foot of the Kogelberg Mountains at the southernmost tip of Africa, set in a nature reserve. Wow isn't she lucky. yeah I know a lot of you prefer the cities and such but I'm a country girl and just love the bush of Africa. There is nothing like it anywhere!
Debbie makes wonderful jewelry and she's pretty hot behind the camera too!  Her Photography shop is called  Nomadh Photography.
Anyway here is her story about a couple of her gorgeous Jewelry pieces:

Creating jewelry for me is like meditating.  It’s difficult to put into words.  When I sit down at my jewelry table in my studio, it’s as if the shells and stones speak to me.  Rather than a thinking process, it’s a feeling process.  There are times when an idea for a piece comes into my mind – finished – and I automatically know how I’ll put it together – I can see the colors, shapes, and all the materials – right down to the clasp I will make.  That will often happen to me in that wonderfully creative time just before falling asleep, or when I wake up, but before I’m fully awake.  Other times I will choose the main part of a piece; a shell, for example, and I will begin it without knowing how it will end up, or what I will put with it.  Yet, there is no hesitation as I create.  I seem to know, without thinking, which stone to add next, which colors to mix.  That’s why I say the materials speak to me and tell me what to do.  I can nearly say it’s not me making the jewelry, it comes through me.

However, for some of the pieces, I start with a feeling.  For instance, with the chunky turquoise anklet, I had the feeling of a beach somewhere in the tropics – perhaps along East Africa’s shores – Mozambique or Zanzibar.  Although turquoise is often associated with the southwest, I imagined this being worn while walking beside a sea, while wearing a colorful wrap-around skirt and no shoes! There is a handmade Ethiopian silver prayer bead in it, which, to me, gives the energy of ancient African rituals and prayers.

The jasper necklace was wonderful to make.  I love the swirly colors and the organic shape of this chunk of jasper – just holding it felt good.  This piece also has some of Africa in it.  The Abo beads are handmade by the Krobo people of Ghana, and are the color of rust, or the soil here.  It’s truly a necklace of the earth – organic and raw. You are welcome to visit my store.

I just thought that you might like to know ... the jasper necklace is sold... BUT if you'd like one just send me a note... go to my store and click on the 'contact' button. :-)