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.)
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.
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.
I love the brilliant colors in this photo, and chose to capture some of that vibrance through this wrapped wire and bead necklace.
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.
These beautiful swirly blankets served as inspiration for my last piece, a circular bead pendant.
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!
![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)
