Crafts in Mozambique

During our visit to Mozambique I was amazed at the beautiful crafts.

At Barra Lodge we found Alex. He is the Land Cruiser guy.

These are about 20" long (about 45cm) with doors that can open,

wheels that turn and the little logo in front.

In Tofu where we stayed, I liked Enok's Zimbabwean refugees,

the school scene and the market place

Just look at the detail and the colours.

The clothes for sale, the bananas, pineapples,

paw paws and the fish.

The bags of sugar, the Omo washing powder and the packet with biscuits.

He also told me that his brother makes these batik pictures.

They were nicely displayed so that the light could shine through

then and the colours show off better.

In Inhambane there was a man that made these Coconut radios.

And it works! It opens up at the back and it works with a battery.

The  aerial comes out and the small red light shines brightly to show that it is working.

The knobs on the right hand side are for the volume and to find the station.

So very clever!

The Food at Chateau Dumas

We were treated like royalty during our stay at the Chateau Dumas with Kaari and the team from French General.

Charlotte is a chef from the UK and she made sure that we never wanted to miss a meal, not even two hours after an indulgent High Tea!!

We were fortunate to join her a few times on her visits to the local peasant (farmer) markets.

She would spoil us with the freshest ingredients

in super delicious salads and starters.

For our last dinner we even had Duck Confit that was simply to die for.

After one of our outings we were treated to a very hands-on masterclass on how to make walnut wine and french mustard, to name but a few.

How cool is that??

Elna, Lizette and I are still battling to get rid of all the extra weight we put on during our week with Lizzy, Charlotte, Christopher and the rest of the gang at the Chateau Dumas.

If this sounds like your kind of "happiness", go check out the Chateau's website for a complete list of workshops they offer.

Also go to the French General website and check for the 2013 Chateau Getaway dates due to be published very soon.

Thank you for visiting!

Ice Resin and French Beaded Flowers

During our stay in France at the Chateau, two classes

 were presented by Debbie and Shea from A Gilded Life.

A bracelet using Ice Resin and a crworn decorated with French beaded flowers.

Seeing a package like this waiting for you at your spot in the studio was very exciting.

Inside were all the treasures to make the beaded crown and the bracelet.

I really thought that I would not be able to make the crown, or even a flower,

but I started and I enjoyed every moment.

These pictures were taken of the one Debbie made....

mine is still in progress.

Lizette spent an extra few hours in the studio, and she finished hers!

I am so jealous.... but instead, I got to do her woading!!



All our bracelets turned out beautiful.

I think it was somewhere during the bracelet making process that I was completely blinged!!

"BLINGED": when an addiction starts,

on anything that sparkles

and shines when the light reflects on it.



I think from the smiles you can see that
I was not the only one blinged beyond return!

Go check out Debbie & Shea's blog for even more Bling Inspiration...

Hat-Making factories in France

We visited two hat-making factories as part of our French General week at Chateau Dumas.

Both are situated in the village of Septfonds.

The first is actually no longer functioning, but the owner, Guy, has a treasure trove of millinery supplies for sale.  He is, however, not very keen to part with it - which makes for some very interesting bargaining when you want to pay him!?

This is a bundle of straw hats in one of his sheds -
still waiting to be shipped (I think).

Our second stop was at a hat-making factory still in operation -

Chapeau Willy's.

I was fascinated by all the equipment used in the millinery industry.

Even though I "don't do hats", I am very tempted to attend one of the hat-making workshops at Chateau Dumas.

Thank you for visiting!

A desk view....

This is what is on my studio table at the moment.

I am practising my beading skills..... and sometimes

learning the hard way, but that is the way you learn,

by making mistakes.

I am trying out all the colour combinations I can think of,

but as long as it sparkles, I am happy!

If you look closely, you will see the subtle colour variations.

During our next class you will also be learning

how to make these flowers and leaves.

In the meantime, good lighting, lots of hand cream and

stretching exercises will get me through the next few days.