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What's on in September
GAUTENG:
Arts & Crafts at the Bokkie Park
1 October, 9.30am-3pm, Bokkie Park, Southvale Rd, Parkdene, Boksburg
Bunny Park Craft Market
24 September, 9.30am-3pm, Bunny Park, Pretoria Rd, Rynfield, Benoni
Art in the Garden
25 September, 9am-4pm, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Malcolm Rd, Poortview, Roodepoort
Field & Study Centre Craft Market
2 October, 9am-3pm, Louise Ave, Parkmore, just off William Nicol
B&B Rooftop Market
Every Sunday & public holiday, 9am-5pm, Upper Level, Mall of Rosebank
Hillfox Market
Every Saturday, Sunday & public holiday, Hillfox Value Centre, Hendrik Potgieter Dr, Weltevreden Park
Countryside Craft Market
Every Saturday, Sunday & public holiday, 9am-5pm, Gardenworld, Beyers Naude Dr, Muldersdrift
KWAZULU-NATAL:
Essenwood Craft Market
Every Saturday, 9am-4pm, Essenwood Park, Cnr Essenwood and St Thomas Rd, Berea, Durban
WESTERN CAPE:
Country Craft Market
24 September, 8am-1pm, Southey's Vines, 186 Main Rd, Somerset West
Durbanville Craft Market
1 October, 8.30am-2pm, Rust en Vrede, Wellington Rd, Durbanville
Kenridge Craft Market
24 September, 9am-2pm, Door de Kraal Avenue, Kenridge
Cape Gate Craft Market
25 September, 9am-2pm, Trade Centre parking area, Cape Gate, Brackenfell
Kirstenbosch Craft Market
25 September,9am-3pm, opposite main Kirstenbosch entrance
Rondebosch Craft Market
1 October, 9am-3pm, cnr Campground & Sandown Rd
Constantia Craft Market
24 September, 9am-3pm, Alphen Common
Camphill Village Market
2 October, 11am-4pm, Klein Dassenberg Rd, near Atlantis
Hout Bay Craft Market
Every Sunday, 10am-5pm, Hout Bay Village Green, Main Rd
Waterfront Craft Market
Daily, 9.30am-6pm, The Blue Shed, V&A Waterfront
Craft focus: PMC/Silver Clay
I haven't tried it myself (yet), but I've been reading up on PMC modelling a bit, and it seems it's becoming quite
a popular art-form. If you're wondering what on earth I'm talking about, then read on; it's rather a fascinating story.The first time Elize Gerber (of Elize Crafts) showed me a piece of silver clay before it had been worked, and then showed me some of the jewellery pieces she had created using silver clay, I was absolutely blown away. That the lump of greyish-brown clay she held in her one hand could become, with the intervention of creative hands and a bit of heat, the beautiful delicate filigreed silver pendant she held in her other, was just incredible. What is PMC/Silver Clay? Basically, silver clay is made up of microscopic particles of silver suspended in a binder substance; When heated to a high temperature, the binder burns away, and the metal particles fuse to form a solid pure (99.9%) silver object, that can be sanded, soldered, coloured and polished like conventional metal! Materials: PMC is available in a number of forms, including paste, clay, syringe and sheet. Each form has its own distinct advantages for different types of work. PMC is rolled, pressed, squeezed, layered and moulded, punched and cut, using one's fingers and simple tools. Parts can be added, removed and refined as you go, so it's a pretty creative and stress-free activity. Once it's dried, the PMC object is heated, which drives off whatever moisture remains, and burns away the binder (released as a harmless smoke). Eventually the particles melt into one another to form a solid dense metal. See more pictures here. Handmade Hope update
Well, it's finally here! Handmade Hope week begins on Sunday the 18th and runs until Heritage Day, the 24th of September. Have you made plans yet? If not, then head over to our web site and click on the Handmade Hope button to see a list of creative ideas and events that are being planned by others. Angie Wiggett of Shamwari Crafts has taken the concept to heart and has put together a series of workshops (in wire-work, beaded cutlery, fashion jewellery, as well as a few kids' workshops) at Featherbrooke Village Shopping Centre, and a percentage of funds generated will go to the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children. If you cannot get involved in Handmade Hope week physically for whatever reason, then please contact Angie now and arrange to sponsor someone to attend one of her classes. In addition, she's donating 20% of the sales made from the store and on her web site during the week to the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children. She's been a superstar in sending out Handmade Hope information to all her contacts, and encouraging people to be a part of it. Come on everyone, let's take a lesson from Angie, and get involved! A special thank-you to Craftwise magazine for helping out by publishing the dates and details of Angie's classes in the September/October edition of the magazine. Here's a simple enough idea that you could copy without needing a lot of resources: I've arranged to hold a card-making party for friends and family at my home on the 24th, and have asked each participant to bring a cash donation. I'm providing tea and some card-making materials, and the donations will be going towards fulfilling a Teacher's Dream. You can adapt this idea to scrapbooking, knitting, beading, cross-stitching, decoupage, teddy-bear making, or any other craft that doesn't require a huge amount of space. Another easy one: My mother has agreed to donate a portion of the money she will make from selling her knitted Plume scarves, to the Sarah Fox Children's Home in Athlone. If you're not a knitter yourself, but know someone who is and who doesn't have transport, buy some wool and ask them to make up a baby or child's jersey during the week, and offer to deliver it to a nearby needy organisation on their behalf. And don't think that's insignificant: one item of clothing can make a huge difference to one child's life. An idea for craft teachers: Elize Gerber of Elize Crafts is asking each person attending her Pergamano classes this week to bring along an item for donation to the Durbanville Children's Home. Church groups, quilting circles, scrapbooking clubs, school teachers, shop owners, craft market organisers, soap-makers, candle-makers, cross-stitchers, decoupeurs, beaders, knitters: please put your heads together, and find a way to get involved. Once Handmade Hope week has passed, please send us news of what you have done and the lives you have made a little brighter, so that we can encourage others to get involved as 2006 draws closer. Let's make this work, let's make it huge, and let's make it annual! Win with Candle Maker's Deli
Tips for crafters
That's all for this edition. Make a special effort to be a part of Handmade Hope week; then in a couple of years' time, when it's become a South African institution,
you'll be able to say proudly, "I was there when it all started." Please forward the Gazette to a very special person this month - your mother.
Till next time, take care.
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On the bookshelf
Kalahari.net - just can't get enough of these guys! They are now offering 20% discount on their 24-hour delivery books - which means if you order today, you can start reading your books tomorrow! That's pretty nifty, I think. Here are a few of the 24-hour crafting books on special: by Martie Lochner Was 120.00, now 96.00 by Tom Gourdie Was 136.63, now 109.30 by Dorothy Arthur Was 256.33, now 205.06 Over to you
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