Wordless Wednesday.

Giveaway! British Sellers on ETSY team

An amazing giveaway from The British sellers on ETSY team. Enter to win vouchers of £150!

Follow the link to the competition.

http://britishsellersonetsy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/british-sellers-on-etsy-team-spring.html

The Ships of the Desert.

Did you know that the name camel comes from the Arabic word for 'beauty'?

Apart from some very long eyelashes my camel didn't seem particularly beautiful.She was smelly and covered in flies!

I also found out that one of the reasons camels can go long periods without water is due to the oval shape of their blood cells. These can flow when dehydrated unlike our round ones that clump together.

We rode on camels across a varied landscape. We started in a palmerie shaded from the sun then passed through an area of sand dunes before heading along a river bank back to our camp. The children loved the sand dunes. They dug holes, rolled and generally threw a lot of sand about. I seem to have brought half the desert home in my suitcase.

Mid roll!

We spent two nights camping in Bedouin style tents. These are long, low, thick brown tents made from goat and camel hair. They are supported by tall central poles and then have lower poles around the sides. Traditionally more poles represent greater wealth of the owner. The tents are designed to cope with desert life. I can't speak about the cooling properties but in the freezing night temperatures the tent kept me warm. During rare desert rain showers the tent is supposed to be waterproof as the wool and hair expand when wet filling the gaps. During the freak torrential rainstorms and flash floods that we encountered we took the added precaution of tarpaulins over the tents. Not very authentic perhaps but we kept fairly dry. It was a bit noisy though. Add to that the call to prayer, motorbikes, drumming and dogs let's say I didn't get my full 8 hours!

Crafty Folk Catch Up

After my trip I'm a latecomer to the daily listing club in the Crafty Folk Team. I'm trying to catch up with a mixture of expired items and new ones. I may get there by the end of the month! I've quickly got back into a routine and pop into the group a few times a day to favourite and pin. A few items have really caught my eye this week.

Lana from Wishes on the Wind has a new range of resin jewelry. I also love the bauble style necklaces. I think these would look gorgeous and unique as wedding jewelry.

 www.etsy.com/shop/WishesontheWind

I have a bit of a thing for notebooks and have them everywhere. This little tiny one by thepressgang  is perfect to lose in my handbag!

www.etsy.com/shop/thepressgang

The shabby chic design on this pocket mirror is fun and unique. I'm a new convert to these mirrors (not being a particularly girlie girl!) but have found them great travel items during my recent camping experience. I think these would make great mini gifts for girl friends.

www.etsy.com/shop/missbohemia

My final choice is a felted bowl by FrouFrouFelt. I am really drawn to these bowls and love the new additions around the edges. My favourite is this blue one with a co-ordinating bird.

www.etsy.com/shop/FrouFrouFelt

Here is the link to the APRIL club. No rules just do what you can to help each other. Open to all.

http://www.etsy.com/teams/10502/crafty-folk/discuss/10062040/page/176/

Wordless Wednesday.

www.highlifetreehouses.co.uk

Camels and Kasbahs

Camels and Kasbahs, the theme of a great adventure that I have just enjoyed with my family.

We travelled to Morocco with Exodus  http://www.exodus.co.uk/families and joined three other like minded families on a mini bus tour.  It's only a short flight to this North African country but it is like going back in time. Berber men really dress like extras from Star Wars and there really are snake charmers in Marrakesh!

We flew to Ouarzazate a town nestled between the mountains and Sahara desert. This strategic location was controlled at the beginning of the 20th century by the Glaoui to intercept traffic on the saharan caravan route to West Africa.

We stopped at Kasbah Taourirt, a palace built to house many of the towns population at this time. The walls are made of local red clay mixed with straw (adobe) and blend in with the landscape. 

The kasbah consists of many individual ksours (family homes) linked by  twisted stairwells and dark narrow passages. The rooms are of different shapes and sizes all with low windows so that when the occupants sat on the floor to eat and relax the breeze from the mountains wafted in to cool things down.

This is the view through one of those windows.

Some of the larger rooms had ceilings decorated with cedar wood. The patterns were intricate and geometrically inclined. Totally unexpected in this palace of mud.

The children had a great time exploring and particularly enjoyed playing on the field gun that helped to secure the Glaoui stronghold.

 

The next few posts are going to turn into a sort of travelogue about the trip. I hope they will be of interest and maybe whet your appetite for an adventure of your own. We made a point of hiring guides in Marrakesh to teach us about local crafts and met lots of local artisans. I have lots of photos of their work and working conditions that I hope will inspire you as much as me.

New product!

This week has seen the launch of a new product in my ETSY shop.  I have spent the long cold winter huddled close to my kiln experimenting with fused glass mini tea light coasters. The first pair were listed and sold within hours which was a great start.

I love the way the magic bubble mix has created a unique watery effect trapped inside the glass.

Most coasters will be sold in pairs but I have a few odd ones like this grid pattern. I had no idea that those bubbles would form in such a perfect pattern like a tic tac toe game. It was so difficult to get the round glass strings to stay in place and balance on top of each other but I think the effort was worthwhile.

I think these would match brilliantly to make a unique gift.

Handpainted decorative tea lights -
www.etsy.com/shop/MerriKitty

Each coaster measures approx 2in sq (5cm) and so they are perfect for use with tea lights.

I have added mini rubber feet to protect delicate surfaces.

These tea lights from www.etsy.com/shop/princessbuttercupsoy

are strawberry shortcake flavour and sound delicious.

These bright orange and yellow coasters make me think of sunshine.

  I am offering a new class to make coasters. You will make 4 mini coasters. You could make a set or try 4 different designs. We will be using stringers, glass chips, copper and wire to add some pizazz to your work. Please ask for more details.

Thursday 19th April – 8pm