DIY: No more Joe Soap

Soap ~ {A cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats}

Trying things for the first time is exciting.  You give your mind and body the opportunity to venture where they haven’t been before.

I love experimenting and sometimes I get ideas that have never been tried before.  This time around I tried reusing soap for the first time.

Inspired by candy sweets, I decided to make a pair of costume earrings.

Step 1:

Gather all your small pieces of leftover soap bars.  Luckily I always buy the same colour soap for health reasons.

Step 2

Get cookie cutters preferably in small dainty shapes.

Step 3

To soften the soap, dip in hot water.  Also dip the desired cutter to make the cut easier.

Carefully press the cutter on the bar and steadily press out the shape.

Step 4

While the soap is still wet, draw another heart on the surface to give it some detail.

Step 4

Use a glue-gun or quick-setting glue to paste an earring finding to the back.  Seal it with a gloss sealer.  You can make all kinds of shapes and colours.  Experiment and enjoy your new, affordable adornment!   You’re no regular Joe Soap with these little babies!

Weekly Photo Challenge: From above

From above ~ {from a higher place}

Last winter I experienced my first snowstorm!  It was really unusual as we don’t generally have such severe weather in winter in Jozi.  It was really exciting!

A really special one…at the beach with my daughters.  Toes all around!

Creative genius: Multi-functional wire basket

I love supporting local artists and I had to share this genius hand-made product I bought last week from a street vendor.

By just pulling the basket in different directions and shapes, you can create various forms for function.  This is amazing, check this out:

Flower vase

Egg basket

Fruit basket

Pot trivet

Cake stand

Wall art

Light fixture

Different shape light fixture

This street vendor, called Gerald, made this basket himself and I think it is pure genius.  It is so easy to play around with.  And I’m ashamed to say he only charged me R50.00 (just under $6).

Proud to be South African!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Culture

Culture ~ {The attitudes and behaviour that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization}

Rugby ~ {A form of football played with an oval ball}

The people of my country are sports crazy.  Considering our volatile past, the different cultures always looked to music and sports as an outlet.  In an act of bravery, our then President, Nelson Mandela united the National Rugby Team and ultimately united a nation when we won the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

A proud moment!  Nelson Mandela congratulating the captain, Francois Pienaar.

My husband is a huge rugby fan.  In August 2010, the All-Blacks played South Africa at Soccer City.  I went along for fun.

It was electrifying to see all the cultures come together to support our National Team.

 

 

I’m proud to be South African!

Clever decorating tricks: Creating areas of interest

Every home should inspire.  After all it is where we wake up in the morning, and recline to at night.

A house becomes a home once you start living in it.  Your house can either fill you with joy or make you depressed.  Bare walls and empty rooms can cast down your demeanor, whereas cheerful, decorated rooms can fill your spirit with peace and joy!

Walking through your house should make you feel happy!

Easy ways to create a happy room is to paint the walls and put up pictures.  Also put personal memorabilia on display and create little reading nooks.

Below are some inspirational pictures of interesting areas created by home-owners.

Now, creating these corners does not have to cost a fortune.  A little imagination and creativity goes a long way.

Here are examples of how I created interesting, inexpensive little corners in my home.

Kitchen wall

Read DIY post here.

Reception room and leading to dining area

Read about how to make the funky dining table.

Travel

Read DIY post for this cool lampshade:

Reading nook in lounge area

Read DIY post for this funky lampshade:

Wall of hearts

There you go.  Prove that it style does not have to cost you a lot!  Send me some of your inspirational areas in your home!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Up

Up ~ {Spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position}

Although I have used all the pictures below in previous posts, they’re still relevant and some of my favourites!

Seagull on launching beacon

Taken at Melkbosstrand on the Cape West Coast.

Up in the sky

In transit between Cape Town and Jo’burg.

Looking up at Shrek

I had so much fun doing this one.  On my back in the red soil!

Clever decorating tricks: Using mirrors

Mirror ~ {Polished surface that forms images by reflecting light}

Every home needs a mirror…primarily for personal grooming and admiring oneself.  Then, secondary we use mirrors for architecture, decoration and design.

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with mirrors…they can either make you feel good, or you might hate the sight its reflecting!  They almost mimic the character of a best friend…and they tell the truth without saying a word!

However mirrors are a vital part of Interior Design and Decorating.  It can transform a space from drab and dreary to fabulous!  They can do wonders—from illuminating dark corners to adding elegance and drama to an area, to creating the illusion of space. They can even serve as works of art.  Here are some pics of clever use of mirrors.

Venetian style mirror above bath

Playful, yet elegant mirrors as headboard

Small square mirrors joined to form one big unit

Whilst studying, my final assignment was also my very first Interior project.  It was a newly-build house and the clients wanted a warm, cozy living room.

Before

The one side of the room had some dark corners that needed some light.

My solution: Add some mirrors on the opposite wall!

I installed two mirrors on each side of the folding, sliding door which reflected light back to the dark corners

This illuminated the whole room.

The mirrors reflected light in the direction I wanted.

I’m very proud to say that the decision to install the mirrors landed me full marks in this assignment!

Suffice to say…you can never have to many mirrors in your home.  If they are carefully and tastefully placed, they can take totally change the feel of a room, and take your decor to another level!

Have you used mirrors in any clever way before…share!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Color

Color ~ {A visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit, transmit or reflect}

As I locked the front door earlier tonight, I spotted an interesting visitor on my gate: a praying mantis.

Mantis ~ {Predacious long-bodied large-eyed insect of warm regions; rests with forelimbs raised as in prayer}

It was just as interested in me as I was in him.  I love the angle of the gate and his body movements.  It definitely added some color to my otherwise dull Friday night!

Photographer in training

Photographer ~ {lensman, artist, creative}

My eldest daughter 6 years old.  She is a typical girl her age who just wants to be like her mom. She is always talking about being an artist or Interior Decorator like me.  It’s amazing how close she watches me and what I do.

I was pleasantly surprised (and very proud) when I browsed through my iPad’s albums to find these pics:

She made these shapes using pipe-cleaners

In true fashion, she stood back and took a look at her handy work.

She lately has a fad for snails.

She made a house for the snails the day before not knowing they would escape and some of them got injured while trying to run.

Enjoying the afternoon sun over Jozi.

I love this picture.  It is very true in how I see lazy afternoons in the City of Gold.

Today was an exceptional day: I met my cyber-buddy face-to-face!

Since I started blogging a whole new world has opened for me.  I met some wonderful people on-line and today I met my first cyber-buddy face to face!

Namita Lad (whatlifesays.wordpress.com) and I met last year, on-line.  We immediately connected and had a lot of similiar interests and viewpoints.  We both were also relatively new to the blogging world.  She lives in India.  Imagine my surprise when she announced she is coming to Joburg, South Africa for a whole year on a work assignment!

We stayed connected and really tried to meet, but you know how it goes.  Time passed and life became busy.  But alas!  Today we met in person!  Whoop-whoop!

Namita and I

Now, obviously it is a bit nerve-wracking to meet new people, especially when you have created this on-line persona of yourself.  You wonder if this person would accept you and identify with the one she met on-line.  So I was a bit nervous!

Luckily, she was all that I expected and more.  She is warm and friendly and very open to living in SA (even if only for a while).

Ironically her office is situated in the city so we are literally a few kilometers away from each other. It was great!  We had lunch and chatted like old buddies!

Here’s to a many more Namita!  Let’s go to Parys soon ok?