Ahoi hoi beaders and jewerly enthusiasts,
Over the summer, I joined my first blog hop. I couldn't resist jumping in on it because of the topic: Travel. I love to travel and find most of my jewerly inspiration from the things I see on the road. The challenge, hosted by the lovely Erin of Tesori Trovati Jewelry, was to select a region of the planet that you don't live on (I chose to up the ante by chosing a region I had not traveled to) and choose an inspiration nation from within that region. There was also an option to have a nation chosen for you. I went for the latter, and was gifted with the beautiful nation of Lesotho.
(I apologize in advance for the photos of my jewelry pieces. It was late when I took them and the lighting was not good. I will repost better pics when I have some daylight to work with.)
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| Lesotho Flag Source |
In my research, I found out that Lesotho is known for its beautiful landscape, but not really for its arts and crafts. The one item of note that did keep coming up, however, was the Lesotho cone hat.
![A woman wearing a traditional hat waits to vote in Likalaneng, Lesotho, February 17, 2007. [© AP Images]](http://www.state.gov/cms_images/lesotho_woman_2007_02_17.jpg) |
| The Cone Hat Source |
Since the cone hat was such an important image (It is on the flag!), I decided to try my hand at crayon batik incorporating the image. I used the fabric I made to create this cuff.
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| Cone hat! |
While Lesotho is not known for its arts and crafts, it has its fair share of artisans. Commonly used materials for jewelry are wire, clay, and plastic beads. They also have a penchant for using bright colors.
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| Vibrant Colors Source
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And again here in these wrapped wire earrings.
And lastly, the Basotho blanket is another prominent image connected to the country of Lesotho. The blankets feature simple yet striking circular patterns.
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| Basotho Blankets Source |
Well, that's all she wrote for me. I greatly enjoyed my time with Lesotho. Most of the pieces pushed me in new directions with my jewelry, which always makes me happy. Here is a list of all of the other blog participants. Please check out their blogs!
Monique Urquhart ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.ca Burkina Faso
Niky Sayers silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk Egypt
Therese Frank www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com Kenya
Joan Williams www.lilrubyjewelry.wordpress.com Mauritania
Sherri Stokey http://www.KnotJustMacrame.com Senegal
Regina Santerre http://reginaswritings.blogspot.com Seychelles
Raida Disbrow http://havanabeads.blogspot.com Tanzania
Kristi Wodek http://livedinlife.blogspot.com Zimbabwe
Sally Russick http://www.thestudiosublime.com Brazil
Melissa Trudinger http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com Mexico
Tracy Stillman http://www.tracystillmandesigns.com USA
Sandra Wolberg http://city-of-brass-stories.blogspot.de India
Tanya Goodwin http://pixiloo.blogspot.com Japan
Susan Kennedy http://suebeads.blogspot.com Japan
Beth Emery http://storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com Japan
Lisa Cone http://inspiredadornments.blogspot.com Japan
Tanya Boden http://fusionmusebangkok.blogspot.com Japan
Inge von Roos http://ingetraud.wordpress.com Laos
Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com Nepal
Dee Elgie http://cherryobsidia.blogspot.com Phillipines
Carolyn Lawson http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com South Korea
Lisa Stukel http://carefreejewelrybylisa.blogspot.com Sri Lanka
Elly Snare http://themagicsquarefoundation.wordpress.com Thailand
Shelley Graham Turner http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com Austria
Mallory Hoffman http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com Bosnia Herzegovina
Paige Maxim http://www.pmaximdesigns.blogspot.com France
Jenny Davies-Reazor http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog Germany
Sharyl McMillian-Nelson http://sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com Greece
Evelyn Shelby http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com Iceland
Holly Westfall http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com Ireland
Rebecca Siervaag http://www.godsartistinresidence.blogspot.com Ireland
Toltec Jewels http://toltecjewels.blogspot.com Ireland
Lee Koopman http://StregaJewellry.wordpress.com Ireland
Laren Dee Barton http://larendeedesigns.blogspot.com Italy
Cindy Wilson http://www.mommysdreamcreations.blogspot.com Norway
Kathleen Lange Klik http://ModernNatureStudio.blogspot.com Poland
Shaiha Williams http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com Portugal
Jennifer Justman http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com Romania
Elsie Deliz-Fonseca http://ladelizchica.blogspot.com Spain
Lola Surwillo http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com Sweden
Kim Hora http://www.kimmykats.com Switzerland
Leanne Loftus http://firstimpressiondesign.blogspot.com The Netherlands
Patti Vanderbloemen http://myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com The Netherlands
Marcie Carroll http://labellajoya.blogspot.com Turkey
Marlene Cupo http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com Federated States of Micronesia
Ine Vande Cappelle http://jewelsbyine.blogspot.com Fiji
Tammie Everly http://ttedesigns.blogspot.com Guam
Alice Peterson http://www.alice-dreaming.blogspot.com Kiribati
Elisabeth Auld http://www.beadsforbusygals.com Nauru
Susan McClelland http://mistheword12.wordpress.com New Zealand
D Lynne Bowland http://islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.com New Zealand
Denielle Hagerman http://somebeadsandotherthings.com New Zeland
Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com Papua New Guinea
Mischelle Fanucchi http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com Samoa
Kari Asbury http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com Solomon Islands
Cece Cormier http://www.thebeadingyogini.com Tonga
Emma Todd http://www.apolymerpenchant.com Tuvalu
Debbie Price http://greenshoot.blogspot.com Vanuatu
Happy Travels!
Great job - I think you really captured the essence of Africa in your pieces!
ReplyDeleteI really love what you've done - especially the batik!! Very cool.
ReplyDeleteYour pieces are all so colorful and absolutely reflect the color and tone of this area but I love those wire wrapped earrings the best! Nice blog and great work.
ReplyDeleteSo cool! I had no idea that was a hat in the flag! I think that you interpreted the country so very well. I can feel the bright cheeriness of the Lesotho people in your pieces. I think that the way you constructed the earrings is so very clever. I am truly blown away by how you chose to approach this challenge and I am so happy that you joined me on this virtual world tour. Now I need to go and get a passport because I would so love to visit this land! Enjoy the day! Erin
ReplyDeleteI like what you have done! The beaded necklace makes me want to wear it with jeans and a white tee! You have great pictures that show beauty in a country I for one wasnt very familiar with...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking me a long on your trip to Lesotho. I had a wonderful time getting to know the people and the land. Your keepsake pieces of this wonderful country are very pretty I really like the batik cuff.
ReplyDeleteTherese
You did a nice job of capturing the feeling of your host country in your pieces, keep up the good work :-)
ReplyDeleteAll of your pieces are beautiful. I love the color in the last pieces and your beadwork in the pendant is awesome. I am taken with your cuff. I hadn't heard of crayon batik, but I love the result. The cone in the bracelet is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI love how you were inspired from the bright colors the Lesotho use in their daily life. Your pieces are fabulous, and I just love the beaded focal!
ReplyDeleteVery nice post about Lesotho! And your pieces are wonderfully representative!
ReplyDeleteThe wrapped wire is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I like the way you incorporate the unique cone hat and the vibrant colors into your jewelry. Love the designs on their blankets. Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about Lesotho! I love the bright colors of your jewelry and the fabric cuff is so unique ;)
ReplyDeleteI really like the colours and textures in your wire-wrapped and bead necklace. Can't wait to see more pictures.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job... I really love the earrings.
ReplyDeleteWow! I love your necklace!!! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI just love how you picked out the colors from some gorgeous pics and the patterns in another. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAlso you will get more comments on your blog if you get rid of the CAPCHA
How interesting that the hat is on their flag. Beautiful beadwork, love it!
ReplyDeleteOh so vibrant! You did a fantastic job on all your creations. The smaller countries we know so little of, can be so inspirational.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and bright, well thought.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a wonderful job incorporating all those bright colors!! This was my first blog hop as well - great job!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with all your pieces but I really like the circular bead pendant. I love color and woven beads at that.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first blog hop as well and I can see that I need to push even further. I am so inspired by what I have seen so far, yours included. Very nice pieces. Loved how you shared your inspiration and then the piece that developed from the inspiration. Would like to learn more about your crayon batik. All of your pieces are successful and captured the feel of your country. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI really like your pieces here. Not only do they represent your country well, they are the sort of thing that would be a joy to wear any day! Very nicely done!
ReplyDeletePretty with or without the light.Lovely and inspired.
ReplyDeleteLove and hugs Tanya
You certainly did find plenty of natural flavour to inspire your work. That cuff is really quite a standout, and all the details in your other pieces are quite evocative of those rich colours. Great work!
ReplyDeleteRaychelle, you have shown me so many things that are new in just one post! Starting with the Lesotho cone hat and the Basotho blankets, which are so unique to this nation. I don't think another country features a hat design on its flag, so this must be very special to the Lesotho people! Those blankets would have endless pattern inspiration, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteThe technique you mentioned, crayon batik, is one I am unfamiliar with, as well, but it looks fun and adaptable!
You created a wonderful variety of jewellery pieces that showcase your chosen nation... well done, Raychelle!