Category: Craft

December 19, 2016

Christmas x

The chandelier is decorated. Tick.

New mirror inserted. Tick.

Large star in kitchen? Tick.

Christmas tree? Done. Finally got the damn lights to work.

Elves? Here. Every day. When we remember..normally in bed at midnight..

Christmas to do list? Still long – buy presents, wrap presents, hunt holly, find mistletoe, find stockings, clean chimneys, make gingerbread houses, ice cake, plant carrots. It’s still reading like something the sorcerer would leave for his apprentice except without the hope of any magic. So what am I going to do today? I’m going to add a bright pink trim to the side of our kilim stair carpet.

Just because I can.

Laters, Kate x

December 8, 2016

Make a point x

This post gained life from the previous one – those upcycled chairs from Refound? A gateway to delicious that warranted further exploration. Who thought needlepoint could be so now?

Yet on the face of it, it’s probably the worst granny chic ever.

But that’s what makes it comic, sad, happy, complicated and rather wonderful.

And it’s that nibble of lust which keeps the world forever moving.

Laters, Kate x

December 7, 2016

A Christmas Tale x

Not into rubbish? How about re-cycled? – It’s the present that keeps on giving.

All these joys are from Re-found Objects, the royalty of quirky finds.

(All pics from Re-found Objects)

Just make sure you’re buying presents for others hey.

Laters, Kate x

December 6, 2016

The alternative Christmas x

Good intentions be damned, the only thing I’ve learnt since writing this post is that they never last and the only way to go is big, bad and ballistic..

With that in mind I will be fully embracing the anti-commercialism at Pencil Agency’s Rubbish Shop.…and buying all my presents there.

Who could resist Beyonce as an angel?

A set of fine minatures?

Or four handmade napkins?

A multi-purpose iphone case for that person who always has little accidents?

Or a naivly crafted nativity scene?

(All pictures The Rubbish Shop)

Just pure elfing genius.

Laters, Kate x

December 5, 2016

Christmas Fair x

It sort of reached peak Christmas in the Bentley household at the end of last week – a festive mishmash of hosting meals for many, nights out and the culmination of 4 weeks of creative playdates with Bella and 4 friends to help produce stock to sell at the School Christmas Fair. The idea was simple – to show them the cost and effort it takes to turn raw ingerdients into real money.

But it played into my love as well – to me, sitting around a table making is what Christmas is all about.

We had an amazing amount and variety of stock. Spot the pompom Christmas puds? An excellent seller!

And we virtualy sold out – before costs, the girls made £395 on the day! Not to be sniffed at.

Damn. They might want to do it again…

Laters, Kate x

November 24, 2016

Smoking x

Remember Granby? They haven’t stopped evolving since winning the Turner Prize last year. Even better, much of what they do totally feeds into the Future Candy trend – that perfect sweet spot of imperfection.

These are their unique ceramic tiles created by smoking in a BBQ for 12 hours with sawdust, newspaper and banana skins.

The effect is tantalising, like you’ve taken something light and let it go daaaaaark.

Thank goodness for moral depravity.

Laters, Kate x

November 2, 2016

Raindrops on roses..

A few of my favourite things..

Must remember to order a roll or two in time for December..

Laters, Kate x

October 18, 2016

Penny Winter x

Looking through old posts is a bit like looking through an old address book – you see people you must catch up with again. I wonder what Penny Winter is doing now..

It’s rare that I don’t use my own words for a post…but then Penny Winter is a rare beast and an endangered species. I first came across her work when exploring one of my favourite Labels Edun – for their SS14 Collection she designed and produced the horn & crystal neck cuff as worn by Helena Christensen above at her workshop in Nairobi and it piqued my interest. So in her own words – because nothing should be left out – please meet the incredible Penny Winter…

‘I was born in Belfast and grew up there through our ‘troubles’. After studying costume design and corsetry at LCF I landed my first job at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford where I was making period costumes and pattern drafting for the theatre.I moved back to London and took a similar job at the English National Opera, before the big move to Kenya.My boyfriend at the time was a journalist and we together with our backpacks moved out without looking back.I fell in love with Kenya, he didn’t and left after a few months.

(Photo Touko Sipilainen)

My corserty came into play thereafter, I started a small workshop making 18thcentury shaped corsets from vintage Africa cloth, Bacuba cloth from Congo,raffia from Ivory Coast, snakeskin,fishskin, and Maasai inspired beaded corsets.We,(Paul, my now husband and I) travelled all over central and west Africa on the lookout for interesting trims and weaves.People heard about these unusual pieces and I produced a lot of them for cool weddings, big parties, and people also just bought them to hang in their bedrooms as art.During this time I worked on films such as The Constant Gardener, The Last King of Scotland,and local tv productions.Since then the workshop has grown and we make clothes for the Kenya jetters and international clients. Our signature coat, the Audrey coat which in it’s original form was handwoven wool/linen with a beaded cuff, has evolved and can be found this season in dark burgundy velvet.We are also known well for our evening dresses which tend to be of a more bohemian style. Our clients include names such as Uma Thurman,Sylvia Fendi, Helena Christensen, and one of our gowns was at Buckingham palace for William and Kate’s wedding evening party.

African Jewellery, Tribal Jewellery, Kenyan Jewellery, Raw Amethest Labradite Ruby Rubies Black Turmaline Afican Sapphire White topaz Light horn, Dark Horn, gold, faceted Stone, Labradorite, Bone, Moonstone Agate, Rutilated Quartz,Labradorite ring

In 2007 we were approached by SUNO to start their brand here which we got up and running, we produced the first six collections for them. In addition to the fashion label I co-design and produce the Ashley Pittman collection sold in Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, a feat against odds as we are constantly struggling with power outages,water shortages etc, and the day to day chaos of running a large scale, hand crafted business in central Nairobi. I employ around 200 people who take great pride in selling their work I design in top stores around the world.I work closely with our various teams whether it be a horn workshop in rural Kenya, to downtown chaos, busy and noisy, but always fun. I take most pride in the fact I have through relentless efforts, managed to instill the discipline and work ethic it takes, to our teams to work in the real world, providing top notch products which they can take pride in, on time, without any form of charity.We are competing with world known brands, except without any of the advantages, in Africa.

This is my first solo jewellery collection, outside of my Ngong House boutique, which is my husband’s small hotel, on the outskirts of Nairobi, just under the Ngong Hills.

My husband Paul and I have three children.(Charlie, Leyla and Amber). Apart from our work, we have built a clinic and a primary school, thanks to charitable donations in the Kibwezi area of rural Kenya, where we also have a defunct farm and tree plantation.We found the place around ten years ago on a trip back from Kilimanjairo, camped there and now have large safari tents which we use instead of a house.The clinic now has a catchment area of about 70mile radius, there are absolutely no other medical facilities in this area, and we are currently developing a maternity wing. Holidays are mainly at Amber House Lamu, which we restored from a 300year old Swahili villa, in the Old Town Lamu. My passion is sailing so that’s what I do when I go there.’

She is one of those truly remarkable people that inspires just by breathing. I can’t help but wonder when a film of her life will be made…

In awe, Kate x

October 11, 2016

Full Spectrum x

I’m being distracted by everything Mexican folk art. Not surprising with Day of the Dead just around the corner, but it’s an art form I cherish.

Honed and loved into existence, it’s a buzz that can gather and turn something simple into to a jewel.

There’s exuberance, simplicity, ingenuity and joy: It’s life.

Laters, Kate x

October 5, 2016

Pegged out..

I was talking about this to a friend today, so now I’m blogging about it: It’s a simple retro peg board discovered at Berylune complete with wooden pegs which would be perfect in Charlie’s room to carry the clutter from his desk.

(Though I’d quite like one for my study too)

It’s good, simple, honest, clever design with multiple uses. To be honest, you can probably pick up a bargain by searching ‘work shop storage’. I was being a bit anal, loving the wooden pegs. But I’m hoping I’ll be able to customise it anyways – there are plenty of websites on how to make your own.