From wine bottles to vases

I bought every bottle of wine in the Protea wine range, I want to drink them, then cut the tops off and use them for something else. But my friend sent me a tutorial on Instagram where they added concrete to the tops. The next day my first attempt failed but I made these two and I was very happy with them.

Failed breakfast bars

My failed breakfast bar tray makes a great bowl of baked muesli.

Early morning, in the garden

1. Piggyback. 2. He loves me, he loves me not. 3. A banana leaf unfolds in the rain.
4. Here come B----J---. 5. Borage. 6. More rain, yay.
7. Miss M waits for me to catchup. 8. New rose. 9. Rain, again.

Hustle and bustle of an African market

Hustle and bustle of an African market is the idea behind this quilt. When they say it's so busy, I reply: it's an African market. All movement is from left to right and back again, so I have added the beads to echo the movement.

I included some strips of Chinese silk fabric to represent the influence that China has in Africa. The machine stitching reflects African design and motifs.

The top visual shows a close-up detail of the quilt, the bottom visual is a full image of the quilt on a purple background.

Zuckertüte

I was telling Nadine about the Zuckertüte because she is so worried about her son starting preschool. Will he adapt, will he cry, will he scream Mama all day? Well at least until lunchtime.

I told her that in Germany it is tradition for children to be given a Zuckertüte on their first day of school, a cone-shaped structure filled with sweets and treats to make the day brighter (sweeter). She said she wants one. Okay, then, because her son is starting school and she is starting a new job I made them one to share.

When my nieces started school I should have done one for them, but I never thought of it. I never got a Zuckertüte either, and I could have really done with some comfort that first day of school, the first year. A German child put in an English school, with no prior exposure to the language. It wasn't easy.
Dhuh khat sat on dhuh mat. I will never forget.

UFO sighting

In 2015, while I was travel along the Cape coast I spotted this interesting house perched on a dune and I wondered what it looked like up close and I was curious about the interior. It's on that strip of road between Keerboomstrand and Enrico's. You just manage to catch sight of it through the lush fynbos. And it was called K Cottage, more intrigue.

So imagine my delight when, in this year's spring issue of Elle Decoration, there is a 10-page feature on that house. So I get my glimpse inside it after all. You'll see the house exterior and interior is a synergistic concept, with no compromise. So beautiful.

I quote from the article: Architect Lesley Carstens compares it to a whale bone eroded by the sea, and yet from other angles it resembles a ship.

Elle Decoration (Oct/Nov 2016) page 126 - 135.

 

Land reclaim

I realise that nature is trying to reclaim the space my house is occupying in bolder moves. It started off slowly, and I left it because it looked so pretty but now the more I try to push it back the more aggressive it is in claiming the house.

Have you noticed how quickly an abandoned house breaks down, how quickly nature covers all trace of its existence? ;-)