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. :-)

Star Bright Girl from Durban, South Africa

Megan is from Durban. It's a great city to visit and to live in. The beaches are wonderful and the surfing can be flipping brilliant. Anyway I digress :-)


This is from Megan,
I hand make from scratch everything I do (I smelt metal, roll wire, and even my resin colours are hand-mixed!), and use only sterling silver findings :)
I hope to achieve a mix of funky, fun & sweet, but ultimately wearable & comfortable every day jewellery - hope you'll love my work as much as I do!!


Here is some of her work for you to look at:
Butterfly Domed Stud Earrings:

These were part of a series of earrings - I wanted to create a bold design, but to create interest I decided to invert the dome - makes making them a little trickier, but I think it works well!
The delicate designs of the resin also add contrast to the solidity of the studs..
I also love to work with resin - by changing the colour used, you can create completely different tones in    your jewellery..

 Although this butterfly tone is playful, the black resin adds a sombre tone, and makes it a little more grown up :)


Amethyst Chunky Ring:

This ring was really designed around the stone - I wanted a bigger stone, but this leads to limitations with regards to the setting.
I decided on a rub-over or gypsy setting, but this meant that the ring would have to be very thick, to accommodate the stone, so I decided to taper the band towards the base - to make it more comfortable to wear.. (Comfort is highly important to me for my designs)
I also decided not to taper the width of the ring - rather keeping it even all the way around, which keeps it feeling chunky and bold - it's a really fun ring!


Megan has a lot of really lovely items in her shop. If you click on the Titles: Butterfly Domed Stud Earrings and the Amethyst Chunky Ring, there is a link embedded in them and they will take you to her shop to those items. If you'd like to visit her shop as a whole click here.




Keep a look out because we'll be featuring more of Megan's work. I think that it's important for people to realise that there are some stunning creations available in Africa. So spread the word. Tweet this and FB it too!
:-D 

TippyLaLa, Angels from Africa

My name is Alex Boyle and I run a studio called TippyLaLA. This is the home of the Angelique Angel range. I have been making dolls for about eight years now. About a year ago I decided to make an angel for one of my daughter's friends for her birthday. the Angelique Angel was born at that moment.

It is a limited edition range. I have decided to only ever make 800 of them. For that reason I sign and number each one, and I don't ever make two alike. So if you own one of my angels you have something Unique and Special, but I do make other angels and I plan to do more limited edition ranges too.

It takes me ten hours to make an angel from scratch. I start with merino roving which I dye in different colours. I use acid dyes and creat colourways that take my fancy. I tend to prefer pastel shades though some can be bright as well. the next step is to card the wool. At this point I might add in other fibers: alpaca, tussah, silk, sari silk to mane but a few. When I have the effect that I want I make felt using the wet felting technique.

I use a traditional Waldorf technique to make the head and face. I like to keep the features very simple. I think it makes my angels look serene and angelic. In the assembly process I do a lot of decoration on the angel. Her character is taking shape at this stage and I may choose one of many ways to embellish her. Beads, sequins, embroidery stitches, needle felting, braids, buttons, flowers.

The first Angel I ever sold was carrying a white dove, made using needle felting, in her hands.

This is Angelique Angel, number 16. She is an angel that I made where I have executed every step short of sheering the actual sheep! I was in Northern Ireland some years ago, doing a workshop on dyeing techniques at Mourne Grange. We were given the fleece of a sheep to work with and had to wash it, card it and dye it. It was the first time I used acid dyes. With acid dyes you can mix the colours or you can add several colours to the dye bath in such a way as to minimise their mixing. This gives a variegated effect. So, I have used pinks and blues in creating this dye lot, and where they have blended, there are lovely shades of lilac. I only had enough of this woll to make two angels and I had to mix in a blue merino in order to have enough. Her texture is somewhat different than the others because the wool has not been through an industrial process. She is 35 cm tall.

The other Angel that I'd like to share with you is one of my favourites. I know you are not supposed to have favourites amongst your children, but with this on, I just can't help it.

This wool was also prepared in a workshop at Nuturing Fibers in Philadelphia ( we have one in South Africa). Here I was able to use some fibres that I don't usually have access to and you will even find strands of glittery threads in this felt. This is the only time I will ever use something synthetic, for the odd strand of glitter.

Not all my angels are holding something but I like her particularly because she is engrossed in her book. It has also been suggested that she is singing from her hymnal in the church choir. A lovely pastime either way... Her book is made using the needle felting technique. The cover is dark borwn and the pages are white.
She is number 21 in the range and is 35 cm tall.

I am 41 years old. I live in Cape Town with my three daughters, husband, a Golden Retriever and a cat. I have worked in IT most of my working life but it is really all kinds of craft that gets me going. I was a handwork teacher at Raheen Wood Steiner School for a while and I offer all manner of craft classes in Cape Town. I do evening classes and Saturday workshops. I teach children and adults in my studio and at a local art centre.
You can see my shop by clicking HERE.
You can see my angels on Facebook by clicking HERE.

I cried with laughter!

You just have to go to this site. The story is called 'Only South Africans can appreciate this story' it was so funny, it felt like I was standing there and watching the goings on.

Click Here.

You gotta go and see it!

An African Bird

I know that most people have seen a Guinea Fowl in pictures, but many haven't actually seen one in the flesh.

They are quite large birds, they can fly for short stretches, like up into a tree. Their feathers are so strong that if you try and shoot one side on with a 22 the bullet will bounce off.... well that's what I've been told. :-D

If they happen to become road kill it's more likely that your car will be the one that dies not the bird. It can do great damage to a vehicle. So if you see one, don't try and run it over, you'll regret it.

This video shows the sounds that the male Guinea Fowl make... They don't make this noise all the time :-) They do sleep sometimes .. lol.... They love to eat ticks, so farmers love to have them on their farms :-) They'll wake you up early in the morning.

Anyway the reason I'm writing this is because A little while ago I was asked if I would paint a picture with Guinea Fowl and eventually this past week I got down to it.

All sorts of captions come to mind :-)

So cute, you just gotta love him. :-)

This is what I could see in my head, so I'm happy that it came out the way I thought it should be. Come visit me on  http://www.etsy.com/shop/sylviesdesigns

Ba Beads All the way from Africa!

I've decided that I'm going to feature Artists that are living in Africa to get them more well known. After all this blog is called Africa Bursting Out! :-D So I've contacted a few and got them to supply me with some information, which I will impart to you. I plan to do this every month, finding new artists and also talking about new things that the existing artists are producing. So watch out for them!


There is a shop on Etsy.com called BaBeads. Lovely necklaces selling out of Cape Town in South Africa. 
I must say it seems that there is quite an artists colony in the Cape :-)

Bold Red Glass Beaded Necklace.

If you click on the photo's caption you can have a look at it on Etsy.
So beautifully made! I love that clasp.


The owner tells me that when she saw these beads she could see quite clearly the necklace that they would make.
She just had to buy the beads!  :-D The small silver beads are real silver as is the clasp.


If you would like to visit BABEADS click HERE!

Watch this blog for more beautiful work.

Black Star SA... peeking out from Africa

Tracey started her shop on Etsy in August last year. and in her profile you can read the following excerpt:

 " I have been a jeweller for many years now and have been working for the last few years at a popular destination site in Cape Town called the V & A Waterfront. I decided a few months ago to start my own business and this is one of the platforms that I get to showcase my work.

All my pieces are handmade and designed by me. I like create designs that are unique. A lot of time in my work I incorporate ancient techniques with a contemporary design and other times I am just having some fun for example, my marble ring collection. I always like to incorporate stones that have the best fire."

Me again - I've been to the V & A Waterfront! It's lovely there. You'll find Cape Town's Ocean Aquarium there. It's also a great spot to stop and have a bite to eat. I'm sure they are really fussy as to whomever rents their shop space and judging by the photo's of her work I'd say she had no problem getting them to rent to her. :-D
This is one of her pieces :

Sterling Silver Snake Ring.

If you click on the picture's description it will take you to this item in her shop. The following was supplied by Tracey:


Material: Sterling Silver
Stones: Black Spinel = Eyes, 
                     Garnet = Head

Inspiration: I have always been fascinated with snakes due to their way they move. I actually had a few constritors (pythons) when I was younger which inspired the look of this snakes face.

The challenge in this piece was to create the fluid movement of a snake in silver. All the engraving on this snake is done by hand which creates a lovely glittery look to the piece.


Yup I agree.. a stunning piece of work.

Garnet Ring

As previously, click on the photo's caption and you'll be able to go shopping :-D
Here is some info on this lovely ring.


Material: Sterling Silver
Stone: Garnet

I love to use ancient techniques and combine them with a contemporary style.
In this ring I used an ancient technique with cuttle fish. This technique creates the texture on the inner band that is very effective!
I love taking my time to choose the right stones as this will generally bring my piece to life. The stone I chose here has so much fire, I really did it a injustice in my photograph.


Wow! Such lovely work coming directly out of Africa. These items are the tip of the iceberg. You should take a few minutes to check out her shop.. There are lots of great pieces there. 


To get to Black Star SA click HERE!
To get to her Facebook Page click HERE!

Thank you Kenya!

So here we are and another year has come and gone. I am so thankful for the year I had. in November of 2011 I had the privilege of visiting Kenya. I stayed in a slum called Kibera which is located in Nairobi. The experience was life changing and I even found love. It was in Kibera that I learned what the true sense of community is. People worked together without expectation of monetary compensation or a promise of a future favor; they work together because they know their survival is dependent upon it. If America can shift its culture from the individualist that it is to such a culture, we too would be prosperous. I guess it will happen when all other options have been exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I love my America, I just wish think we have a lot to learn when it comes to the spirit of community.

The best part of my travels was a visit to Lake Victoria where I ate the biggest and freshest piece of tilapia that I ever had in my life. Another unforgettable experience was when we visited Siaya county and took a casual stroll in the night. The only light that could be seen was the shining moon and stars which made for a peaceful moment. There is so much beauty in Africa that is yet untold. I plan to visit again shortly. The people have made me feel as though it is now home for me as well. I guess when you set out to help others you find you helping yourself too. Thank you Kenya!

All things bright and Beautiful

Whilst we were sailing from the Cook Islands to New Zealand via Tonga I drew and painted a Flame Lilly. The plant is indigenous to Zimbabwe, Africa and is in fact the country's national flower. Every person who has lived there and seen it growing in the wild is forever effected by it. the plant's colours are vibrant and the plant is wonderfully unusual, so I had a marvelous time painting it. I may paint others, because there are various types of the plant that produce an interesting range of different shaped flowers. So keep checking my shop to see the updates. :-D

A close-up of some of the petals

A close-up of the stamens.

Thanks for having a look. I'll be back soon. :-D

The Protea an Indigenous Flower of Africa

I was surfing the net one day and whilst I was crusing through FaceBook one of my friends from way back when called me up on chat. Mary-Kate was so pleased to find me online and we had a great time. During this conversation she mentioned that she was redoing her home and wondered if I was going to do some paintings of African indigenous flowers. Well I told her that I'd been serously considering it but hadn't gotton around to getting anything done. She asked me to have a go at a Protea and a Flame lilly. She also wants a picture of Guinea Fowl and a Striletzia. Okay I replied I'll have a go at them. Little did I know just how involved the Protea was going to be. whew it took such a long time to paint and they way I decided to do it made it even more difficult. But I think all in all it has turned out very well.

So I made a small video showing the progress of the work. I hope you enjoy it :-D

What and Why... African influences.

I have wondered recently if the readers of this blog expect only posts about things African? If so then I think we should put matters straight.

I paint things found under the vast oceans that cover our world. I also paint African wild life and flowers.
Yes I am planning to be painting some African wild flowers.....soon I promise...
Anyway I digress, I will always have Africa in me, the vast lands, the sunsets, the hot, sometimes dry, summers and cold, sometimes icy, winters...the millions of stars I grew up seeing, not realising that many people never see stars, because of city lights.

A small section of Victoria Falls.

It's not a fire...it's a sunset

I was so very fortunate to have been born there and to have grown up in such a wonderful easy relaxed atmosphere. The thing is, I'm not in Africa any more so posts from me are going to have to be about what has influenced or triggered the eventual item I've finally created.
For example....the underwater creations I produce are and always will be inspired by my first visit to Mozambique, back in the early 70's...yeah it unbelievable how long ago that was..I'm surely a fossil by now :-D...anyway digressing again...Mozambique was a place we'd go for two or three weeks every now and then and it was there that first I was introduced to walking on the reefs,'with takkies on our feet' (sneakers or trainers to the rest of the world), to protect us from the sharp edges of coral and mussel shells. Our Mom showed us little tidal pools of water where sea anemones, snails, fish, starfish, tube worms with their gorgeous feathery tendrils all lived. I was mesmerised and my brother and I would spend hours watching them. We also learned how to collect fresh mussels off the reef and then we'd cook and eat them that night for dinner. It's not surprising that my brother is an Ichthyologist- Fisheries Scientist - today.

Clear waters.

As I got older I was introduced to snorkeling and a new wonder world was opened up to me. I was totally hooked on the ocean. The water there is so unbelievably crystal clear you feel as if you are floating on nothing. In 40ft of water you feel as if you can reach down and sift the sand through your fingers. It was the first and only place I've ever seen a giant clam. It was easily 4ft long. I've told others about it but I sometimes see a skeptical look in their eyes. Still, I saw it and that's enough for me.

In the Tuamotu's clear waters..lovely.

I thought that all of earths oceans were as beautiful as this, the coast of Mozambique...WRONG! I've been places where the water is so brown or green that you cannot see more than 1 meter in front of you..and still I snorkeled it to try and see what lives in that soup. This was not caused by pollution, but by rivers. When the river flows into the ocean..for example the Amazon or any of it's offshoots, there is a lot of debris from the forest that gets swept down and out into the ocean, so much so that for many miles around the colour of the water is permanently tinted.

There are other places such as Hawaii where the water is crystal clear but for some reason corals do not do well there and so you have be satisfied with the range of fish...of which there are many. :-D However I've been spoiled by Mozambique. My partner David, has dived in the Persian Gulf and he is waiting to see Mozambique, he thinks the Gulf might be better..ha ha

Now I dived in Tortola, BVI and was pleasantly surprised, snorkeled in the Grenadines and had happy time there too..oh yes also the Venezuelan Islands, los Roquos, Aves etc..and the ABC islands...and here in the south Pacific...great places to snorkel...BUT I am still drawn back to Moz. and my memories from there, and therefore even in my painting of ocean animals I am influenced by Africa.

So our posts here might not be about Africa per se but about something that we've created BECAUSE of Africa and it's influence on us.

I've recently finished a series of Starfish and have posted them up on my Etsy site. You may not believe me that these are real. I've written about them on another blog called Quilters, Fabric Art and Creative Sewing.  http:/sylviesdesigns.blogspot.com  You can see the photo's I took of them, there, along with the painted versions. The article is called, Starfish or Sea Stars. :-D

Welcome! To our newest Authors :-D

Well, I've finally managed to get into a place where I can sit and wax lyrical about some interesting people who have decided to join this blog page. Internet has been iffy for me these last few months, what with sailing about to deserted Islands, Atolls and Motus......not complaining mind you..but when we do get somewhere, where there is a connection i have such a back log of things to sort that time just flies by.

I have managed to upload the info on our newest Authors though and they are : La Antigua, Yasmintoo!, The African Diaspora, Vynns Ravelings and most recently B-Attitudes.

La Antigua makes some quilts, more bags but she also sells fantastic fabric imported from Africa....it''s beautiful stuff. Definitely a must see!
  
Yasmintoo! has gorgeous hand dyed silk and cotton fabrics for sale. She has also made some small works of fiber art . So tempt yourself and have a peek at her shop.

The African Diaspora hmmm well you just gotta see what these folks are making! Exciting tops and skirts and dresses..man the colours are just scintillating. Ever heard of the 'Mandella' shirt? well I saw a ladies version on their site...

Vynns Ravelings The Coolest Craziest jewelry ever seen. I just love the pale olive headdress featured in the ad down on the left side of this post. It's really something. I love her stuff! go on...yeah go on..have a look at it.

B-Attitudes Ahhh YES! This girl has the knack of creating the zaniest Sandals. She gets them in from Kibera, Africa. They are made for her by people she has gone over to meet personally and they have become friends. Yup! Check her shop out it's rather fascinating to see all the designs, and know that they are all carefully hand made.

Well there you have it :-) Items of beauty from far and wide available because of these lovely people.

I'm really looking forward to their posts.....I hope you are too :-D

Kibera!

People have asked my why I care so much about Kibera and so I thought I would share the story with you. Kibera is a slum in Nairobi, Kenya which is said to be 1 square mile big and estimated to be home to people between 400,000 to 1,000,000 dependent on who is reporting the information. I met a young man through facebook some time back and we built a good friendship and eventually started communicating through skype. I would always ask him to describe his home to me, the people, land, food, music etc. He seemed to be optimistic but had struggles there which he seldom told me about. One day after burdens became too much he asked the question: " I wonder if God still remembers we are here?" It was in that moment that I felt something come over me (holy spirit for those that don't know) and I knew that was my personal charge to do SOMETHING to help. What I decided to do was ask how I can help. What we decided to do was build a collaborative which will enable artisans in Kibera to bring there work to the American market. They are so grateful and hope has been restored to them. I care because of they are my friends. I care because I am able to do so and provide them hope. I care because that is the person that I am. I care because my friend Kevin should me how to. If you look at my profile picture it is a picture of the curious children there in Kibera. Despite there grave circumstances, they possess some of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. I care because of them. If we do not take care of them who will? I encourage you to learn more about Kibera and to make a friend with someone there or work with an organization that is reputable. There are SO MANY organizations that say they are helping but if you ask the people they will tell yo that they do not receive the benefits or it is so random they cannot rely on it. I hope I have peeked your interest in Kibera and you do take the time to learn more. It is a beautiful place. More to come...

Flowers and books

Well it seems that things have been quiet here on the blog for a while.....seems we've all been rushing around doing others stuff and ignoring all you wonderful readers...shame on us!!! As you probably know I've been sailing from Panama to the Marquises...actually we are in Tahiti now...and have finally found a cafe where you can buy a beer and then go online..up till now we have been paying between USD$5.00 and E 5.50 an hour for internet, so I think that my excuse for not blogging is a great one...still I'll try and be a bit more active.... :-

So when we were sailing across that huge expanse of water I managed to find the time (it was quite an exhausting trip) to actually get some painting done....I had posted either on here or my other blog called ...umm what is it now...oh yes, it's Quilters, Creative Art and Sewing... :-D, a picture of a rose I was thinking of painting...well after a few abortive attempts I finally managed a few different paintings...so I thought 'd post them for you all to see...and criticise.. :-D

Other than these I haven't done anything new....oh I lie...I've written a fun little book that helps a person provision their boat, van, 5th wheel, land rover, whatever, for long trips...along with tips on how to keep fruit and veg free of mould without a fridge....and also some nice simple easy recipes that absolutely anyone can follow and enjoy.

It's called...Feeding the Skipper! :-D

Cheers all, hope you enjoyed this one :-D