So clever!

 One of the many things I love about travelling overseas is finding unique jewellery or clothing that you can't buy in your own country. As you know, rings are my thing, so I was quite excited to find this very clever concept in a craft store in Germany. Luckily my husband was off doing his own thing because I was in the shop for almost two hours playing around with the hundreds of different combinations.



So this is how it works - there are three parts you need to buy:

1. Choose your ring band - these came in silver and white with a thick and thin option, and have a little screw head attached. I went for the thick band in white.

2. Next you pick a base design - there must have been about a hundred different designs to choose from and, depending on the thickness and shape, you can stack two on top of each other. I chose round and flower shapes but there were square and rectangular ones too in so many different colours. You can see why it took so long!

3. Your last element is the screw top which holds it all in place. Again it was a tough choice. They had mostly crystal-type settings but also pearls and other shapes like animals and hearts.

And then comes the best part - experimenting with all the different combinations. I've shown you a few of my favourites here but as you can imagine there are many more!

I haven't seen these in Australia but if anyone else has please let me know! The concept is called Sunset Boulevard and you can visit their website here.

Let's Go Shopping!

This week's Let's Go Shopping page on the

BrisStyle Blog is all about keeping warm.

And what better way than with a thick, steamy, creamy hot chocolate?

Yum!!

 Hot Chocolate Soap by ajsweetsoap

 Mint Cacao by wildroot



 Hot Cocoa Tile by GretchenKramp

Hot Cocoa Bath Bombs by bathbombconfections 

Coffee Marshmallows by calabasascandyco

Warmer now? Make sure to check out some more cosy finds here.

It's time to take the granny out of Granny Squares

For the longest time I associated crochet with yellowed doilies on worn armrests and dusty sideboards. I really believed that that was all that could be produced with that funny little hook, so it's little wonder I had no desire to learn this craft.

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Thanks to the wonderful of Etsy and the internet a few recent discoveries have left me enlightened. As you may be able to tell from my ring designs I have a fondness for flower shapes, bright colours and intricate circular patterns, all of which are reproduced in these crocheted creations.

PastPerfectPatterns

I don't know exactly when it was that the faded doilies became fab dresses, but I suspect it has been for some time, and, as usual I'm a bit behind. Now, of course, I'm desperate to learn this versatile craft and hopefully whip up a few pretty things of my own.

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I've had my mum visiting from Namibia and she's done her best to teach me a few basic stitches but I'm still a long way away. To be honest, I'm actually even struggling just to hold the thread and hook correctly. Yes, a very long way away...

PastPerfectPatterns

Fortunately, being a Taurean, patience and determination are my strong points, and, thanks to a recent BrisStyle post,  I have also discovered a wonderful place right here in Brisbane called Tangled Yarns. Not only do they sell a stupendous amount of crochet and knitting stuff, but they also give classes for the very uninitiated like me.

KnittedTextiles

 I will be signing up very soon and look forward

to practising this versatile  craft!

 

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Meanwhile I will just keep admiring these beautiful

creations and allow them to keep me inspired!

Happy Easter!

Easter centrepiece

Hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing Easter weekend.

I had to work today but have the next two days off to spend with my family. Mum is visiting from Namibia and my sister is here from Canberra. It's so seldom that we all get together so I treasure these times.

My Easter Tree

Let's Go Shopping!

It's been a while since I've played along on 'Let's go Shopping'.

Been too busy playing 'I have to go to work'.

So without further ado I present to you another four of my Etsy favourites:

 First up is this Cantaloupe Bowl by Vegetabowls. So well made, so much fun!

 Their other bowls are pretty cool too.

Next is the Refuge / Home Sterling Silver necklace by TheAngryWeather,

with all proceeds of the sale going to the Red Cross to assist Japan.

 BipolarBetty's Secret Admirer Stalker Notes make we wish I was single just so that I could leave these on someone's windscreen.



And finally, if you can get past the price, this Down the Rabbit Hole necklace would certainly be a talking piece. I'm guessing that BijouxOdalisque loves it too much to want it sold!

Beading is not just for jewellery

I adore African craft! I don't think I appreciated it enough when I lived there. Now, whenever we go back for a visit, we come back loaded with unique treasures, like these cute miniature animals.

 The detail is amazing considering that only wire and beads are used, and no fancy tools.

 This 'framed' 3D picture hangs in our kitchen - it's one of my favourites! We bought it in Cape Town while we were stopping at the traffic lights - literally through the car window - for A$20-00.

The creativity blows me away and as a beader, I can really appreciate the effort that went into making it. The frame is made from coat-hanger wire and the background is chicken-wire.

Recycling, upcycling, re-using is all the rage in Australia but in Africa the locals have been doing it for years. In a future post I think I will have to share some ingenious recycled gems from Africa!

Rings for little girls

I have a niece. She's only 5, so I can't show you her face.

Everytime she comes to visit she makes a beeline for the dining room table (oh how I wish I could say 'studio') where all my beads are laid out in their various containers, packets and tubes. Unfortunately the beads I work with are so tiny (and so precious) that they don't make good toys for 5-year olds, and I always feel like the mean aunty for not letting her get her sticky fingers into them!

For months she's been asking me to make her a ring but even my smallest ring bases are too big for her. So I used some elastic cord and my biggest beads (almost) and put together this little ring for her.

I couldn't really tell if she loved it but she did wear it all day at her birthday party. Definitely the youngest supporter of Afrikitten so far.