❤ Lucky Packet Design: Playing with clay and ASK NANIMA EXPO

There go my hearts, all in a row...

Playing with clay is such a stress reliever.  The cool texture instantly calms you down as you knead and mould the medium into whatever you wish.


This time I played around with making tiles, tags, brooches, fridge magnets and little odds and ends.

In OTHER NEWS...

The Lucky Packet is getting ready for...

SURPRISE!  The Lucky Packet is finally debuting at the Ask Nanima Expo.  Come visit the stall to check out the new products and to also see the special category of 'Nisaa' (meaning Women in Arabic), where I will also be showcasing the amazing talents of other ladies in the community.  There will be some amazing Islamic artwork, paper products, clay products, some handmade scarves (my favourite item on show), handmade hijaab pins, etc.  I will be showcasing with Zaheda from Oranges and Lemons Health, who will be selling her herbal oils for special blends for oil diffusers, massage, and of course, her special bath salts.  Saaleha from Soul&Paper will be displaying her amazing creations as well    Please pop in to say hello! :)

I ❤ JHB : Market on Main / Emmarentia Dam / Botanical Gardens Adventure

Market on Main

The wonderful outdoors at M.O.M

I had to capture some overhead bunting

The BEST Goat's cheese ever!

     

Recently, on a perfect Spring day, a few of us ventured into the Johannesburg CBD to visit 'Market on Main' which is situated at Arts on Main.
After the GPS failed us, and after many (and I mean MANY) phone calls, we eventually reached our destination.


I am ashamed to admit that I have never been there before, but I was pleasantly surprised at the location and the venue.
Set in a very 'chic' warehouse (if warehouse's can be chic), Market on Main hosts food guru's and design mavens.  I was swept away by Fine and Raw Chocolate, the delicious Hummus and of course, the spectacular design items that I saw.
After a while we realised that our tummies were rumbling and we decided to settle on a bit of brunch.
The healthier alternative of cream cheese and salmon on a delicious olive bagel instilled a bit of guilt in me as I munched away on my over-indulgent nutella and banana pancakes.
I really think that Market on Main is a must-do if you're living in, or visiting Johannesburg on a Sunday.  I will definitely make return visits in the future!


After our adventure into the city some of us decided to head to the Emmarentia Dam/Botanical Gardens to have a look at the Spring blooms.  I am a complete novice to photography, yet I did manage to capture one or two shots which I think are sort of ok.

Market on Main is open every Sunday at Arts on Main, on Main Street in the Johannesburg CBD.
Emmarentia Dam/Botanical Gardens is on Olifants Road, Emmarentia, Johannesburg.

I ❤ South African Talent : Soul & Paper by Saaleha Idrees Bamjee

Washi tape and paper cutout = gorgeous!

I haven't done a 'South African Designer' post in a while, so I'm delighted to restart it with the most creative person I know, Saaleha Idrees Bamjee.

A writer, a designer, a poet, fellow crafter and foodie,  Saaleha has mesmerised us with her words for years.  Saaleha has now turned her creative talents to paper and has designed a multitude of amazing creations.  Her talent doesn't just stop at just paper crafts.  She writes content for media and describes herself as an 'Ideasgirl', which I think is a perfect description of her!  I'm quite chuffed that she has also helped design the spunky refreshing background that is on the The Lucky Packet today.

Saaleha is an aspiring photographer, and her latest series on Johannesburg's version of the 'Neighbourgoods Market' makes me want to run over there and gobble up all their delicious treats!

Saaleha is a multitalented gift to the world, so please do visit her Flickr page to see which card you would like to purchase so that you too can bring some of that wonderful talent into your home :)

You can contact Saaleha via the following :

Twitter:  @saaleha

Website:  http://www.saaleha.com

Email:  saaleha at gmail dot com

❤ Lucky Packet Design: Sumi-e and other surprises

I have a whole bunch of project's in the works.  Today I'll talk about just one.

Last year, while in Boston, I attended a few Sumi-e classes, just for fun.

This week, I felt the need to paint something, so I dug out my brushes and my ink stick, ground up some ink and tried to paint something, anything, if I could just remember how.

My ink stick and grinding stone :)

I struggled, made a huge mess on my kitchen table, but eventually came up with this...

Bamboo Sumi-e painting

It's supposed to be a Bamboo plant.  Terrible, I know, but maybe with a bit of practice, I can actually make something lovely!

Sumi-e is the art of Chinese Brush painting which the Japanese added their own twist too.  The artist grinds an inkstick into a grinding stone with some water to create ink which one would then use to paint.  It's very minimalist, doesn't require much detail and can sometimes use colour, or maybe not.

One day, just maybe I could become as talented as this piece of work by Haji Noor Deen:

Haji Noor Deen is a Master Calligrapher and sometimes uses Sumi-e to portray his work in Islamic and Chinese calligraphy.  I had the pleasure of meeting him in Canada and buying some of his beautiful work.

I ❤ Food: Chocolate Macarons

A client ordered up some chocolate macaron's from The Lucky Packet.

At first I was not too certain if I should make them as I'm not really in the business of making macaron's for people as I find that some clients can be quite finicky.

Nevertheless, I thought I'd give it a go...

Nutella is my trusty sidekick in all of this, of course :)  

The client requested that one batch be made up as a gift for a friend.

The leftover buttercream that was there for me to lick :)

❤ Lucky Packet Design: Altered bag

I do love messing about with fabric. Check out this plain canvas bag that I altered at Hobby-X run by the lovely Elna of Between Cupcakes and Tea, with some paint and gel medium from Dala. I adore it! :)

❤ Lucky Packet Design: Shweshwe brooch

The latest addition to The Lucky Packet.

Shweshwe, a proudly South African fabric, is amazing to work with. I acquired some fabric samples from Shweshwe and decided to create a simple brooch for an old denim jacket just to liven it up a bit.

I'm quite pleased with the outcome.