Events

I visited the Kamersvol Geskenke market this morning with my mom. We wondered around oohing and aahing at beautiful things, buying presents and then sharing lunch on the grass in the sunshine.

I took some my happy snaps to share with you:

Here are some of my favourite finds:

Skinny and Jezze had their beautiful wares popping up in different places. (Pic Below)

I loved this packaging (below) - soft tin sewn together with wire and lined with loose tissue paper to package bath soaps.

Aren’t these brooches and medallions gorgeous (below). If they were not material I would have wanted to eat them they are in such yummy colours.

Isn’t this a lovely flower display … (below). Aloes and other plants alike in old food tins and other odd pots such as chamber pots.

It was so much fun wondering through corridors and discovering the different areas of the market. To see more pic’s visit Jesse’s blog.

The even is definitely worth visiting. It is open for five days but I would advice that you go before the weekend if you can becuase it was already jam packed when I was there this morning.

It was a gorgeous day on Saturday and the Old Biscuit Mill was buzzing.

Pic Above: To your left is the the Kindergoods Market tent and peeking behind the cars is the Designgoods Market tent.
Pic Below: As you walk into the Neighbourgoods Market tent (food) you are greed by a stream of people. The market has gotten so big it has had to be extended out to the back (though the doors).

Pic Below: The Wren Store.

On Saturday Wren had a stall at the designergoods market in Salt River and it went very well.

It is a completely different experience selling off-line. I was extremely (and unjustifiably) nervous but after I sold my first bag I relaxed and had a lot of fun. I met some great people and saw some fantastic things (I could have spent all my money there in two ticks). Instead, I made my Christmas list. It was all so new and wonderful to me that I completely forgot to take photo’s - I’m sorry. I promise that next time (Sat 18th Oct) I will take some pictures.

Description of my stand: I had two wooden hatstands full of bags, wooden crates stained with old oak that Jeremy’s dad had organized for me with glass tops and a small mat. It was very simple but it worked well.

However, there are a few things I learnt that I will apply at my next Saturday market:

1. My products need more information on them. I am so used to etsy where there is a product description, profile page, policy page etc etc for buyers to read to learn more. At the market the buyers had no way of finding this out. They did not know my bags are made using the ends of fabric rolls, or that each one is unique, or that the coffee bags are organic. Next time, better labelling.
2. I need a stool. I thought: “agh, don’t worry, I will just stand.” I am regretting that becuase I am still nursing my swollen knees.
3. Have a space for packaging. It was very unprofessional wrapping the bags on the floor.
4. Bring extra price tags, string, tape and some clothes pegs. I did not and when I discovered the bird pouches had no price tag, I had to improvise. I also wanted to hang the bird pouches on a string between the hatstands. I could not do this so the bird pouches had to lie down.
5. I should add the store name somewhere, discreetly. The only ‘Wren’ promotion was on the labels. I need more.

These are simple things I forgot, but non-the-less, it was a very successful and I am looking forward to next Saturday.

Wren will have a store at the Neighbourhood Goods market at the old Biscuit Mill in Salt River as part of the new section called the ‘designgoods market’. The Wren stall will be there this Saturday (October the 4th) and every 2nd Saturday thereafter. I am really excited about this becuase Wren will now have an off-line place of sales.

Tonight is the opening for the Lino ’snore’ Exhibition in Kalk Bay and I will have these two cosmetic/toiletry bags on display (and for sale) there.

They are made using the scraps of David Bellamy’s fabrics. I love the selvages of fabrics: they contain information such as the manufacturer of the fabric, the name of the fabric, sometimes even washing instructions and my favourite part is the colour swatches. I have always wanted to make something out of them and finally I have. I cut strips of David’s gorgeous English linen and cotton scraps and cut off the corresponding selvage’s. I left the edges raw because I feel they add an interesting textural quality to the surface - not everything has to be perfect to be well-made.

I especially love the metaphor of the colour swatches being used for cosmetic bags. They look like rows of eye shadow pots.

The pouches are lined with water resistant fabric so they are functional too.

I thought they came out really well. Perhaps I will even make a few for my etsy shop….

Last Thursday Cape Town hosted it’s first Pecha Kucha night. I had heard about this event at the Design Indaba and thought it was terrific - and now that I have been to one, it is more than just terrific!

Pecha Kucha, translating to ‘the sound of conversion’ in Japanese, was started in 2003 in Japan. Essentially it is a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up.

The Cape Town event was hosted at the ‘What if the World‘ gallery in Woodstock. Creatives such as David Donde from Origins Coffee spoke on the the supply of commodities, D7 a group of 7 men who sang amazingly, Pixel on Interactive Design, Dylan Culhane who is a photographer and wallpaper designer from One Small Seed …and many more.

Overall, a fantastic event. I will definitely be at the next one.

Sway is one of my favourite South African design brands. They design and produce simple garments in textiles that are hand-printed with unusual African graphic images in limited print runs.

The team consists of Ida, Petra and Antoinette du Plessis (below). As first year textile design students they started hand-printing their funky designs and today, almost 9 years later, they are still going strong producing fresh, innovative and delightful designs.

On Saturday - yes, this Saturday (11 May) - together Sway with 12 other fabulous local designers are hosting a mini market in Muizenberg with lots of pretty things to see and buy. I love markets, they are so interactive and fun. Unfortunately I’m away this weekend so I will miss it which is a real bummer but for everybody else who can make it…enjoy!

I’ve just heard about a really exciting exhibition that is happening soon in the town right next to mine. Lino, a coffee-shop-come-gallery, is hosting their first exhibition of art and handmade goods all to do with wool. It will feature and sell the work of local artists Jesse Breytenbach, Karen Suskin, Liezl Trautman, Hanna Morris, Sandy Mitchell and Hilda Gertze.

This can only be a fantastic event with so many of South Africa’s top handmade artists - I’ve already got the date, May 2 at 6pm in Kalk Bay, highlighted with bright flouresnt yellow marker. Can’t wait…

P.S. lino is in colyn rd, kalk bay, up the road from the ice cafe (opposite the station).

Whenever I am in town I try and find a reason to visit my favourite bakery - Charly’s! I needed a little gift for somebody yesterday and went to Charly’s with a huge grin to buy one of their ‘Mucking Afazing’ cupcakes.

As with most great things, they start far away and humble. So it was with Charly’s Bakery…

It all began with Charly, a 16 year old boy looking for work in a small desert town called Swakopmund. He swept the floor, made puff pastry, and washed dishes day in and day out under the stern guidance of the German Master Baker, until he was allowed to learn the cakes: classics like Black Forest cake and Sacher torte.

As with most good stories, there is woman, with long dark hair and a helluva cleavage who shows up and stirs the pot.Her entrance and their union, resulted in two beautiful daughters and a move to Cape town.
First it was Charly’s in Thibault square, with food made to German perfection. Then onto the V & A Waterfront, where they were famous for “those quiches” and “those cakes!” ” that salad buffet”, not to forget the Eggs Benedict that had people queuing up for hours over long weekends and holidays. It was crazy, so they decided to sell and go smaller…

Yeah right! You can’t keep a good thing small (or down).

Now they have this crazy, classic bakery. The girls have joined them. The colours are now brighter, so is the future. The cakes are sexier, so are the woman. The German perfection and standard? Well turn around, it’s still here.

So this is the story of Charly’s… in an Almond shell. A. VDM

Below are close-up shots of some of the things that makes Charly’s Bakery not just another bakery.

The spray-painted frame around the window is beautiful, the chandeliars are absolutely exquisite and the cupcakes…need I say more. Yum.

I absolutely LOVE Charly’s and if they were on etsy they would have my WHOLE heart (and tummy).