Thursday 18 December 2014

How to make a paper Protea




Buy cheap books, you'll need at least two. I just bought a bundle of Mills & Boons, yes judge me all you like. I didn't read them. Or buy some second hand ones. So two books. The paper should not be too thick or it will not fan out, or may even split. Tear the cover off completely. Take care not to damage the spine. 1. The following instructions apply to each page of the book. 2. Fold each page back into the gutter, allow from 1mm-2mm from the gutter (if you fold right into the gutter as you start finishing the book these pages will get creased and pushed back from the gutter). 3. Fold each page back again into the gutter, allow from 1mm-2mm from the gutter. 4. Fold back the little triangle that sticks out above the page so it is flush with the page.



From the top fold back into the book. Allow 10mm - 15mm from the spine for the fold. This will form the top flat area of the flower. If you wish to have a pointed flower then fold back into the gutter from the top, see two small images below. Continue doing this with each page in the book, the fanning out of the 'flower' will occur naturally as you complete all the folds.


To create the outside petals, use the second book (must be the same size as the first book) and cut some pages into squares. Fold the square diagonally, then open up again and fold the two corners up along the centre line you have created with your first fold. Fold closed along your original fold. Gathering three pages in the book and push the petal into position, allowing it to jut out as shown in the photograph. Repeat this process, allow for one free page between each group of petals. So three pages for a petal then skip a page, then three pages for the petals and so on.


To finish off your flower you can slip a triangle onto the single pages. Cut your left over squares in half. Fold the square diagonally, then open up again and fold the two corners up along the centre line you have created with your first fold. Fold closed along your original fold. Slip into position over your single page between the petals and line it up with the outside point of the page. Viola! You're done.










Wednesday 17 December 2014

The Age of Magic

Read this book while I was manning the stand at Kamers. What a wonderful book, every page had a sentence I wanted to etch into my mind forever.

"They stood there, waiting for something to happen, when in fact everything was happening."


Bayleaf wreath


Snowflakes

Snowflake decorations for Christmas.
Hung them next to last year's decorations which are still up ;-)


Monday 15 December 2014

Thursday 11 December 2014

Where is the sun?

They have stolen the sun, the moon and the stars. They have hidden their crime behind a sky filled with cloud and rain.
Please bring back our African sun.
Miss the sunshine.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Wild at heart


Warhorse

Amazing. Loved it.


Rand Club Johannesburg

About a month ago I was fortunate enough to attend a function at the Rand Club. Love the history. http://randclub.co.za What a wonderful evening. Took Uber there and back, also an awesome experience.


Bit of this and that, with some grey


Tie-dye the sky

The red patches on the clouds are from the early morning sun. Moments before all-day rain.


Art in the Forest

Art in the Forest had a lovely stand at Kamers. I loved their plates and bowls, the colours are so wonderful. I would like to have bought a whole set but only bought the one plate on the left. Sigh!


Kamers 2014, Irene

I had a stand at Kamers this year, Pretty Ugly Creatures, so there was limited time to explore. Some great stuff again. Having my own stand was an awesome experience, I learnt so much.


Monday 27 October 2014

Sunday summer lunch

The mushroom quiche was the starter. Then we had chicken kebabs, done on the braai, with the sweet potatoes and salad. Baked chocolate pudding for dessert, served with cream and the rest of the strawberries ;-) I will admit I was too lazy to bake a cake so those are store-bought biscuits. Deliciously, none the less.

Kingsway Mansions

My brother found this reference to drawings I did 25 years ago when I lived at Kingsway Mansions, that I had sent to my mother. I did these drawings from photographs I took in the flat. Whoa, long time ago but remember it like yesterday ;-)


Friday 24 October 2014

Movember 2014 launch

Such a good cause, please participate, donate. movember.com
Trish and the model from Gillette shared a joke. The food was great, the speeches meaningful.


Thursday 2 October 2014

Patchwork

Reflections | A glimpse of where we are? |  Naartje - a South African favourite | Can't see the pancake for the sugar and cinnamon | My first McDonalds burger ever | More home baked bread | Not the right way up. Oops! | Table and chairs at an antique shop. We had the same at home in the 1960s | Same. Found in an antique store and selling as retro. My brother and I had these same chairs for our desks at home in the 1970s | Spring is so pretty | Go this way | First swim of summer | books we've read lately.


Te diep in die bottel gekyk!


Braaiday

I know Braaiday was last week but I am only just getting time to blog now.
We made a fire from wood we found in the garden, and our first greens for the salad from our vegetable garden. Great, lazy day.

Many squares make a whole blanket

Okay, the blanket is not done yet, but excited about the project. Love the colours.


Friday 19 September 2014

Opening and closing

We bought these on Monday, put it in a nice big pot. In the shade but with good light and it seems so happy.


Monday 15 September 2014

Friday 12 September 2014

Holi Cow deli and cooking school

Saw it as I drove past, stopped. The best samosas I have ever had, and the most awesome Turkish Delight cake. Yum!



Monday 1 September 2014

Friday to Sunday

Long way home - The traffic was so bad that I went home the long way and suddenly I was aware of the journey. It made me look at everything and demanded change for the whole evening ;-) Saturday afternoon - Glass of wine and some chit-chat. Lovely. It's spring - yay! Lawn from seed - after the rains I scattered the lawn seed and its doing very well. Since I moved in I have been claiming the lawned areas for trees and shrubs and now I want some back. Hoping for a lovely area to have a picnic. Collector - the bees have been in a frenzy around these flowers. Sunday evening - Bidvest Hospice Black Tie Evening. Singing, dancing and magic. Great, and late. Body count - cut out 127 bodies for the PrettyUglys.


Thursday 28 August 2014

Vegetable garden

I needed a distraction from the PrettyUglys so we decided to make a vegetable garden. Not the half-baked effort of last year, ha ha. We have been out every morning before work this week and now it is ready. We are just waiting for the cold snap that is expected this weekend to be over and then we will start planting. It looks like its in the shade but remember, my darling, that the sun travels south for the summer.


Tuesday 26 August 2014

Thorn in my side

How is this even possible? Seen on our walk, Sunday morning.

From B: Supposedly the Shrike "Laksman" bird does that to prey. 
Comes back later when it is dead.



In a world gone mad

This was my very thought.
Article from City Press 24 August 2014.


Monday 25 August 2014

Groenkloof Nature Reserve

Only minutes from the city centre. A moment to relax and breathe. Thanks for the morning, I really needed the break.