Rich Mix: The African Market

Hello everyone....yes i know its been a while. Well if you have missed me the good news is you can come and see me and my clothes in the flesh on Sunday the 7th.

I loved doing the last market so much, that i jumped at the chance to do it again. A great day out for the family. Just fun all round really, with dancing face painting and lots of special things to buy.

Support your local maker and get get yourself down there.

get yourselves down to sunny streatham

Hello everyone this Saturday there will be a ale festival and farmers market at the railway pub Streatham http://www.therailwaysw16.co.uk/. The pub itself has recently been taken over by some lovely guys who are eager to promote local producers. They have also given a section of their lovely pub to me so i will be there selling my wears so if you do want to pop down it would be great to see your faces! Oh they explain it so much better than I can

"As part of the Streatham Food Festival we'll be hosting our first monthly Farmers Market on Saturday 31st March. There'll be fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, cheese and baked goods from a host of East Sussex farms. There will also be a Craft Fair, with handmade goods, gorgeous cupcakes, vintage threads and all manner of locally sourced produce on offer. If that wasn't enough, we'll also be hosting an Ale Festival in conjunction with The Ferrers, with around a dozen London brewed ales for your tasting pleasure. It promises to be a great day, and we hope to see you there!"


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some dates....there are some more to come!

OOOOPS I forgot

To tell you all about something totaly amazing that is going on at the moment but is nearly over so you need to get some tickes to the last few films......oh sorry might help if I told you what I was going on about?

So on Saterday, late afternoon I headed to the Hackney Picturehouse, one of the 3 venues in London, playing host to this years FILM AFRICA 2011.

I was not quite sure what to expect as I had done a little bit of reading about the all films showing in the festival  but had not planned to head to anything in particular just turn up and give it a go.
I am really glad I did as it was a great event. For £10 I got to see 4 great and very different films and watch and if I was brave enough take part in a Q&A with Zina Saro-Wiwa the writer of two of the films.

Zina spoke so eloquently about her films The Deliverence of Comfort and Phyllis which were already captivating and interesting in there own right. I really enjoyed the way she captured some of the themes and references of Nollywood cinema and I am exited to see more of her work in the future.

A still form The Deliverance of Comfort

A still from Phyllis

Drexcia was a haunting film about an empty swimming pool in Ghana I think the film maker Akosua Adoma Owusu captured perfectly the emptiness of the space. I could not help but be left with chills.

Me Broni Ba (My White Baby) was an interesting tale about hair braiding and the practice of learning to braide on white dolls. Black hair in the west is something that is regularly discussed and I often heard arguments regarding the virtues of weave vs natural hair. However Me Broni Ba was not attempting to cover this ground but discuss hair and how it is worn and the larger issues associate with being an ex colonial country  in a way I had not seen before.

All in all Film Africa is a great event and one tht is definalty worth a visit and its not over yet you have untill sunday to get some African Film action so check out the website http://www.filmafrica.org.uk/ and get yourself there.

Lots and Lots for us to do

I am always in a quandary when I write this because I want to tell you about things I been to but I also want to share with you thing that are coming up so today I am going to do a bit of both here we go!

I have been doing a bit of snooping around recently trying to scope out the best markets to do this Christmas because this year things are different. In the past my efforts would all be aimed at a spending spree this time they are all aimed at a selling spree. Oh yes its time to make a bit of cash and sell of the piles of hats earrings pj's children's clothes and other bits and bobs that are now starting to take over my studio.
I have decided that I am going to go with Brick Lanes Sunday up Market (date tbc) and possibly one Greenwich Market before Christmas. I quite fancy myself as a market trader I defiantly have the gob for it and the love of tea! You will all be the first to know when I get a date so you can start saving to come and spend all your hard earned cashola with me.

While I was hunting around I also came across a little craft market in Islington.....now the PDF wont load up so here is the link to the page if you fancy it? http://www.islington.gov.uk/leisure/ArtsAndEntertainment/553.asp

OOOOOH and while we are on the subject of craft I went last week to the launch of Victoria Woodcrofts new book 'The State of Craft'. The event took place in rough trade record store in east London. The organisers had set up little stalls where you could make a moustache print a bag or make a headdress. But most excitingly we got to have a peek at the book itself. It looks great with lots and lots of fun ideas you can try out! And its on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/State-Craft-Victoria-Woodcock/dp/0956205348

So I made it to one book launch but last  night I missed out on another. After a day form hell where it seems I did not bother to pick up my brain before I left the house I did not make it to the launch of 'New African Fashion' by Helen Jennings. I was really looking forward to it too! Helen is the Editor in Chief of ARISE magazine putting her in a perfect position to put together some of the great designers in Africa today. I haven't seen it myself yet but it is defiantly on my Christmas wish list!

Oh what else what else. If your in London and you fancy a bit of music......

Or some Art....

SOCIAL SPACE

Robert Rush   David Cyrus Smith   David Treloar   David Ben White
Curated by Emma Jamieson

11/11/11 - 23/12/11

Private View: Thursday 10th November 2011, 6pm - 9pm

 

you can have a peek here http://www.thefort.info/

 

 

Erm I think I have said enough for one day so I will leave you alone for now until tomorrow xxxxx

Hat Maker Hat Maker Make Me A Hat......

Ahhhhhhhhhh I have been so behind with my blogging it actually feels embarrassing to start again. But I will put my red face aside and get back on it.

First up this week a hen party fascinator class in Dorset (ok this happened a little while ago maybe even two months ago hence the red face). Me and Miss Jazz (my super star legend of a best friend) arrived around lunch time under the guise of friends down for the  weekend. We were under strict instructions not to let the cat out of the bag about the hat making class, it was a top secret surprise. So all my goodies remained in the back of the car while we strolled through the village to the local pub. Everyone else in the pub  was suitably dresses in jeans, boots ready for walks in the countryside. Me and Miss Jazz were however all glammed up in high heals, lipstick and vintage dresses. They must have been able to smell the out of towness on us!  I can only guess what the bride thought when we met her! anyway after a bit of whispering and some huge hints for the bride to erm go away she did. Leaving me and Miss Jazz to get back to the house and start to lay out all pritty things so when the unsuspecting bride returned we would be ready to go!

It was great fun to be involved in this covert operation and lovely to see the brides face when she walked in to see all of her friends waiting and a very brightly coloured table.

It was such a good day. I really fget a kick out of seeing the end product every single hat was brillant and all so so different!

It was all in all a great weekend with great people. I have to give thanks at this point as always to my partner in crime Miss Jazz and to Miranda for booking me and her lovely family for looking after us so well!

Gumboots and Beyond

Hello everyone sorry its been such a long long long time! As you probably all know its been quite a thought provoking week or so here in London. If I was to even start talking about it I would need a book not a blog post. Good god there is so much to say and so much that has already been said. So rather than be another voice in that crowd I have decided to take us off topic or maybe not that off topic........

I came across these amazing kids on you tube doing some clap step or stomp or gumboot dancing or whatever you want to call it (there seems to be 100 names).....I just call it mesmerising.

These kids are out of this world not one single person even a tiny bit out of step!


They are not however the originators of this kind of dance. Its know as South African Gumboot dancing. This was traditionally used to send messages over a short distance in the mines. The authorities did not allow the use of drums so this was a perfect and very resourceful solution in the dark wet of a gold mine. Hope your all slapping your legs and hands and trying (and failing) just like me!