for our August issue as it is brimming with local crafts and artists. And were we pleasantly surprised! The Spanish term 'viva la vida, translated as 'live the life' gets a completely new meaning in this place where people still know how to live and breathe and take their time to appreciate the beauty of nature and every day life. The result is a type of creativity that oozes out everywhere. Whether it is a couple of succulents decorating a footpath in the garden, an ordinary garden gate that's been decorated in an unusual way or a vase with flowers at the local coffee/gift shop - everything gets the creative touch and we couldn't believe our luck.
We arrived in a very cold Free State on Sunday, 19 April and drove all the way in the dark to Ladybrand where we stayed for a couple of days. We were armed mostly with summer clothing and open sandals, which took the layering fashion to a whole new level. The next day in broad daylight, the landscape took our breath away and we just had to stop every now and again to take a picture. Here Jan Ras, our photographer, goes the extra mile to get that perfect pic.
The windmill is a very common picture in the Free State and with it comes a certain charm that only adds to the beauty of this extraordinary landscape. I fell in love with it and want to use it as a motif on everything from walls to crafts now.
In between the sightseeing we were hard at work gathering information from all sorts of locals to find out what makes them tick. The answer we found embroidered on a beautiful box - love, live, dream, hope, trust, laugh etc. Yip, they've got it.
Here Corné Eksteen is hard at work in front of the camera at Villa on Joubert guesthouse in Ladybrand to demonstrate how to make one of his gorgeous headboards featured in our August issue. He came up with this technique when he had to decorate an entire guesthouse on a shoestring budget and the result was nothing short of spectacular.
In Ladybrand these ladies come together every now and again in the coffee shop at Living Life in true 'craft club' style to embroider or crochet. Their handiwork then gets used in the products made by Living Life. On a beautiful day this is their view of the garden with its cute little caravan as a play area for the kids and on colder days the sides come down while a roaring fire heats the place up and creates a lovely atmosphere. Nice!
After two days in the Ladybrand area, we headed in the direction of Clocolaan on Wednesday, 22 April - voters day - to go and make our crosses. We arrived at a nearly empty voting station and were extremely excited about the fact that we could still vote nationally, even though we were miles away from home in Cape Town. We just had to take a photograph of this momentous occasion. Dala, our Creative Director (left), Jan, our photographer and Carla (right), our stylist in front of the voting station. The locals were not amused. (photo of sheep) Beaded wire sheep on the lawn at the Mud Studio.
In between our official shoots, clever little ideas popped out everywhere like these shweshwe embroidered skirts at Makoadi, the Angora rabbit farm in Clocolaan, the blackboard entrance to Living Life in Ladybrand, as well as their interesting jam jar lampshades in the kitchen. A 'riempie' bench on the porch at Villa on Joubert guesthouse in Ladybrand also gets a more contemporary feel with nylon string instead of the traditional riempies.
As a self-confessed addict to stylish interpretations of textured earthiness, this chandelier made from clay beads is the ultimate object of my affection and I know I'm not alone as a couple of these chandeliers hang in Ralph Lauren's showroom in New York. Wow! It was a little bit like a holy moment when I took this picture in the home of the creative brains behind these lovely pieces. These chandeliers are created by Mud Studio in association with Menwana Beads.
Contacts:
The Cabin - 082 707 2894
Villa on Joubert - 051 924 1814
Living Life - 51 924 5733
Corné Eksteen - 082 466 5786
Mud Studio - Werner (083 658 9714)
Menwana Beads - Philipha (083 658 9736)