When we were moving from America, back to South Africa, a child asked us this question: “When do you celebrate Christmas in South Africa?” As it was asked by a child, I didn’t unleash the sarcastic side of me (always
Advent Challenge 22 – Louise Collis
Welcome to the wild paint world of Louise Collis. Louise lives and works in Wales where she paints plein air landscapes in oils. I love how the paint is evident, and yet miraculously becomes sea or cliff or beach.
Advent Challenge 21 – in good taste
The Victorian Garden is a creative idea worth sharing. Lindsay Salthouse started the company, using recipes for skin care products found in a collection of diaries written by her great-grandmother. She started out small, and has since gone from strength
Advent Challenge 20 – Joan Aiken and friends
James Mayhew posted a link on facebook to a page on the website Illustration Cupboard, where some of Jan Peinkowski’s illustrations are for sale. It was like stepping into a time machine and being whisked back to my childhood. My
Advent challenge 19 – If you give a hoot, some might think you’re bats
Having written about the importance of so called “pests” in a previous advent post, I thought these guys needed a boost. Ecosolutions is a company that installs owl boxes and bat boxes in suburban gardens. It is run by
Advent Challenge 18 – Angela Smythe
It was one of those viral things, someone likes a page on facebook, and being nosy you go over to have a look and discover someone who tickles your funny bone. That’s how I found Angela Smythe who is based
Advent Challenge 17 – Don’t get sent to the dog box
Send the dogbox instead! My favourite wine people are offering this creative alternative to getting a puppy for Christmas… dog boxes. They consist of 10 selected bottles of wine and a large Endangered Wildlife Trust Wild Dog fluffy toy. The
Advent Challenge 16 – Gerard Hendriks
If you like loose and beautiful watercolours then Gerard Hendriks is your man. His style is wonderful – it is almost as if the paint has been flung at the canvas in sheer joy and formed itself! What I particularly
Advent Challenge 15 – Angels for Africa
In our small corner of Johannesburg is a shop that I absolutely love. Art Africa stocks the amazing creative work done by small communities in rural areas. A lot of these community projects had little exposure in the larger world,and
Advent Challenge 14 – Down under
Today we travel Perth, Australia. There are quite a few fabulous designers and artists based in Perth. I found out about them by following Perth Upmarket on Facebook. How did I find Perth Upmarket? Haven’t a clue! Mokoh Design is