Loads of Ladybirds and Lilac Lovelies

Last week we had our inaugural "Ladybirds" class at the local gallery and some gorgeous ladybird paraphernalia (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, box decorations and keyrings) was produced.  I decided ladybird beads would be nice presents to take to the children in my life back in Nepal (there are over 25 of them) so I will unstring this necklacebefore I go next time (#26) and pop one ladybird with beads and findings and make kits that the chilren at Sonrisa can make up with the next lot of Colourful Journey travellers passing through in November.  Kopila's daughters, Bibhuti, Bina and Meena in Birtamod will also love these I know!  (I know because she told me when I showed Kopila in our last skype session!)With a run of classes finished for a couple of weeks, I set aside time this week to make up two or three necklaces in a design I played with ages ago and wanted to wallow in again. (I'll just count one as necklace # 27 in my year of necklaces goal!) This style of necklace gave birth to the unique necklaces that the Samunnat ladies make when we have finished a colour run.  We all give our selves time to make the most intricate beads we want, using up little pieces of cane and colour and dipping into our vocabulary of symbols and images.  For the ladies, this often means rediscovering and reinterpreting motifs characteristic to their own ethnic groups.  At first they were surprised when I encouraged them to change or alter designs, or to look at what they wanted to make.  So often in Nepal, artisans are valued for their ability to copy something exactly, rather than create something new...inspired by old ideas perhaps, but expressing something significant for the artist.  It is still a source of deep joy for the ladies that pieces that are uniquely theirs are so highly prized by people in the west.In the next post, I will be updating you as to the progress of another of my long term projects - the mindfulness tiles.