Sneak Peek.

Here’s a sneak peek of what I’ve been working on for the two pairs of earrings for the giveaway that I recently held. 

The colors Cami chose.

I don’t want to show the finished pieces until the winners get them.

The colors Gina chose. You can see a bit of my work in the top.

I’ve had a lot of fun, and I’ve made more than two pairs of earrings because 

I was so inspired by the colors!

Song of the Day: Pies Descalsos by Shakira.    Here is a link for the lyrics translated into English.

If you want to see her original music video for the song- totally 90's and she has dark, straight hair, watch the one below.

The Perks of Living in Another Country.

Hi there, I've written my first guest post, and I’m really excited for Lynette to have me at Casa de Luna. In it,I’ve put together some thoughts, serious AND lighthearted, about the benefits of from living in another culture.

So make sure you check out what I wrote and take a look around her blog

right HERE!

 Here's a sneak peek of some photos...

Me at Disneyland.

Conclusion- it’s not all roses- there are struggles that you will encounter every day. There are days you’ll want to use your credit card to buy plane tickets and never look back. But some of the “perks” are priceless and will change you forever.

Thanks again for having me Lynette!
I’ll be writing more in the future about how to decide if you want to move to another country, so check me out soon!

Song of the Post:   Breathe In by Frou Frou.   I really needed to remember this today!

Frou Frou - Breathe In by FrouFrou

Doggies at the Beach.

Last month, we took our doggies to the beach for the first time. They didn’t know how to behave! Luckily, it was fairly secluded and we didn't have to worry about them wandering off. They really seemed to love it there!

 

Etta, our big girl, would walk on the wet sand, lay down because it was cool, but then get upset when water rushed in and she would quickly get up. 

Nice and relaxed, just before the water got her flustered...

Not such a happy face here....

She was so hot, she took refuge under my umbrella. I ended up getting a sunburned back- go figure!

Our little girl, Reeses, did not like the water at all. She’d get close to it only to catch her ball. If the water started coming towards her, she’d run away, leaving her ball to be swept out to sea. Several times, the hubby had to go and fetch the ball himself. 

She loves the ball.

No, she REALLY loves her ball!

But not enough to save it from a rogue wave! This is her turning around and running back to us, ball floating off to sea...

We aren’t beach people, so we were slightly unprepared. 

Notes to self: have a beach umbrella or shelter! Have an over-sized beach towel, not a wimpy bath towel. Having a beach chair is preferable. 

Kayak is optional!

Song of the post: Kokomo by The Beach Boys!! You might recognize some of the faces. And check out the clothing, they’re a blast from the past!!

Sea Kayaking Trip in Simon's Town.

Last month, we used a Groupon for a sea kayak tour in Simon's Town.

The half- marathoners.

We arose early and had to take the long way to Simon’s Town because of road work and a half marathon running race.

Waiting at the docks.

Starting off.

We were the first to arrive and waited a little to everyone to arrive. The guides provided life vests with pockets on the chest, sun block and water bottles. We were given a brief talk on how to maneuver, and we took off as a group. 

Jackass Penguins.

The Hubs and I weren’t the fastest, and often were at the back of the pack. We paddled out of the dock area, around to the south and ended up at Boulders Beach.  There, some people got out and swam. The Hubs nearly toppled us over when he tried to get back on. There were some kids snorkeling and they put an huge Abalone on our kayak (no pics)! It took some effort to get it off because it had already attached itself. Abalones are protected, so they put it back in the ocean after their “prank.”

Underwater shot of sea weed.

The penguins at Boulders Beach live so close to humans!

Can you spot the seal?

Our guide and the premier South African Navy boat.

On our trip, we saw African "Jackass" Penguins, two seals, and several types of birds.

They didn't even bat an eye when we floated by.

I expected to be very sore in my upper body and arms, however, the next day it was more of my back that was sore.  

The Hubs has been dreaming about getting our own single kayak for days at the beach. Not sure if that'll ever happen, but...

I'd do it again in a heart beat!

Song of the Post: Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse.

2012 Design Indaba: Part II.

Here is my photographic review of Cape Town’s 2012 Design Indaba. You can find Part One here. To review,  Indaba means “important conference” in Zulu and Xhosa cultures. 

It was a wonderful collection of art, fashion design, furniture design, jewelry, ceramics, fiber arts, and food from the Neighborgoods Market. 

I forgot to bring a camera, so I used my cell phone camera. So these pics are not the “best.”

For lunch I had a New York Style bagel (onion with plain cream cheese) that was heavenly. Then, I indulged and got a peanut butter ice cream cone from The Creamery. It was amazing. There is nothing in SA that is made from peanut butter, so it was Heavenly, with a capitol H.

Beaded Africa!

Beaded Safety Pin artwork!

"The Green Suit" made entirely of beads.

Love Lolla!

Fun hand-made parasols.

A bench made from Magazines.

Hand made teddy bears with fine embroidery.

Some of the vendors I liked were Unwrapped, which gave out small samples of their fabric (I’m gonna use it on something soon!), Quazi Design that made earrings out of magazines, To Be pram shoes for babies, and Love Lolla, who I’ve mentioned before. You should follow her on pinterest- she has great style!

I loved these bears peeking out!

Doggie Beds made from recycled water bottles!

ABSA Bank had an art exhibit with these odd figurines that different people disgned. There was also a large one for Indaba visitors to write on.

All the artist information were on those hospital tags.

Those were real animal ears on it.

Mowhawk!

She was my favorite. Such intricate painting!

The huge figure that people could write on.

 

 I hope you enjoyed the journey!

Make sure to check out Part One here!

Song of the Post: Careful by Guster.

Winners of the Handmade Beaded Earring Giveaway.

Hi there! So I got such a great turnout for my second giveaway that I just had to have TWO winners! 

The winners of the handmade beaded earring giveaway are Cami of First Day of My Life and Gina of A Bit of This and That! They both have great blogs and you should check them out!

I will be working on the earrings in the next week, using the colors light pink, sky blue, lime green (that matches a nice bright pink) for Cami and black, grey, white and red for Gina (colors that suspiscoulsy match her blog design!).

As for a brief update on me, I’m just getting over a horrible stomach bug. I’d feel fine during the day, but then had horrible tummy aches for half the night. Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep because I was in so much pain. I finally threw up the water I’d been drinking, which helped a little bit. Today, I have a head ache and mild tummy discomfort. I’m so lucky to have a hubby that takes care of me like he does. At least when he is awake- last night, he’d wake to my sounds of discomfort, say something, then fall back asleep. I can’t blame him though. Today, I missed out on a belly dance performance that I’d been looking forward to in Hout Bay because I am exhausted and my tummy is sore. There is one next weekend in Stellenbosch, which I’m hoping to perform in.

Also, I wanted to share this cute video of a “middle-class” dog’s life in Cape Town. The video is sped up and shaky at times, so if you get queasy, beware. But it is a fun viewpoint to see.

Johnny Neon 'Hearts' from Dave Meinert on Vimeo.





Song of the Post: Rapture by iiO (pronounced "eye-oh").

2012 Design Indaba: Part I.

Today, I went to the 2012 Design Indaba in Cape Town.

Indaba means “important conference” in Zulu and Xhosa cultures.

It was a wonderful collection of art, fashion design, furniture design, jewelry, ceramics, fiber arts, and food from the Neighborgoods Market. The tickets were R60 (about $7.98), but I was given a guest pass and got in free. It was fairly crowded for the last day, but I was fine with it. If he had gone, my hubby would have been so irritated though!

I had been looking forward to this and planned to bring my camera, but woke up late and forgot to grab it. I had my cell phone camera, so please bear with me and look past some of the blurriness!  I really wanted to showcase some of the items on display and share them with you!

After going through all the pictures, I’m going to have to split them into two posts.

Beaded Lamp.

Paper Birds.

Beautifully tuned coffee table. The glass is above.

Star shape created from thread and bobbins.

Skeleton with curlers from the Scar booth.

Blurry, but I love this Mutant!

"Scale Dress."

Mexican art in Cape Town.

This is a ceramic candle holder. Looks like those yarn and glue bowls!

Baby print- reminiscent of buiscuts (cookies) in SA.

Protea prints.

Beaded necklace and beaded picture frame.

Flower necklace.

Sterling silver- I love the mini bus taxi!

Beaded bags.

Zipper purse.

Come back in a few days to be inspired by Part Two here!

Song of the Post: One Thing by Finger Eleven. His voice...