Sharing the happiness that comes in the form of Coal + Co

This morning I would like to introduce you to a very dear and talented friend of mine - Danette Mulder a jewelry designer from South Africa, currently resigning in Sydney, Australia. A girl whom I miss dearly and often think of when I wear one of my many Coal + Co jewelry pieces. 

Coal + Co is a hand made accessory line that was started in Johannesburg in 2012, almost accidentally when Danette was between living in Jozi and moving to Sydney and needed an income. She designed and hand made an easy to wear range and hosted a pop up shop with a few friends. This is here where things worked out quite well and she is still designing and making jewelry - and delivering quite frequently to South Africa - happy me! 

As Danette will tell you, the name Coal + Co originated from growing up in a coal mine town, where "fun resources" were limited. But she believes that it is exactly this limited exposure that fueled her creativity and shaped her as an individual. "Coal + Co celebrates my roots and all that went with it".

Here are a few pictures from the latest Coal + Co catalogue, look at these beauties:

As mentioned I have quite the Coal + Co collection already, but I get childishly excited every time that I receive a package from Danette and the happiness to wear something handmade, precious and beautiful NEVER wears off! I am actually expecting a pair of custom designed earrings from her soon and can hardly wait! Will share these once I have them in hand. Like I said, sharing the happiness that comes in the form of Coal + Co is a good thing.

You can follow her on Instagram or see her Facebook page here.

Have a good week lovelies.

What would you be confessing?

If you could anonymously make your best kept secret public, would you do it? A public art project by American artist Candy Chang, invites people to anonymously share their confessions and see the confessions of people around them in the heart of the Las Vegas strip.

All images from here

I think this is a rather bold public exhibition without the risk of being exposed...

Natural Textures

As mentioned on Friday, I spent my weekend with the husband on our family farm- Kurumakatiti Reserve. What a wonderful few days! Fresh and clean air, limited cellphone reception, open fire cooking - back to basics - and nature in its purest form.

Today I share why I love this place so much in the form of close-up shots of some of the natural textures and elements of the farm. Perhaps some inspiration for prints in my house?

There is beauty in the Zebra hide lying on the floor

There is beauty in the natural lines in the sand

There is beauty in the thatch roof details

 

There is beauty in the old scull of an elephant

There is beauty in the dappled shadow of a tree

 

There is beauty in the ashes of last night's fire.

There is beauty in a fallen bird nest

There is beauty in the natural timber all around

There is beauty in a fallen sprig of a tree

DIY Thursday _ Can you feel the love?

Put your love on display with the beautiful DIY Scandinavian-inspired wooden heart.

I saw this DIY tutorial ages ago and filed it in my to-do list but just haven't had the time to make it. What an easy and pretty item to make for your house!!

Scandinavian-inspired wooden heart, from here

For step-by-step instructions to make this heart visit the Design Sponge blog here.

From here

DIY Thursday_ Make Flying Paper Lanterns

So many of us have fallen in love with the romantic Chinese Paper lanterns and I've found a really nice tutorial on how to make my own... Perhaps you want to give it try?

See how to Make Flying Paper Lanterns here and you will be able to create beautiful evening skies like these:

From here

From here

Putting pen to paper

 

If, like me, you enjoy putting your thoughts, ideas and dreams in notebooks and sketchbooks. Perhaps you will like this AWESOME Sketchbook series by best friends Teela Cunningham (graphic designer) and Nina Roefaro (interior designer) who dreamed of starting something artistic together.

I am a big fan of anything to do with a letterpress, so I love these sketchbooks of Lettersketch!

Don't you just love the packaging!

 Less is more and it is the small details and creative patterns that make this such a special collection!

Local Inspiration

Meet Ingrid E Uys, an independent artist and creative who lives and works in Jo'burg. She spends her days making the most beautiful paintings, teaching art, to invalids like me, looking after her muched loved pets and being husband Pieter's biggest fan. But it is on her art work that I would like to put the spotlight today.

I was introduced to Ingrid by another close friend and since I have now been painting in her studio on a weekly basis for the past 7 months I have gotten to know and appreciate this angel woman, with her love for all that is beautiful and good. I find her passion for art and life inspiring and like a breath of fresh air in this fast city life we are living.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I absolutely LOVE her birds range

I own this work

A beautiful collection of paintings using her wedding as inspiration

The studio where she teaches

To find out more about Ingrid please visit her blogs for the love of a blank canvas and one swallow does a painting make.