Category — ethiopia

Sunday 30th

Sarah’s class – intro to colour reactions
Sarah Hornik’s class – Intro to Colour Reactions. Class starts at a compromised time between Q’s time and Night Owl Sarah’s time – 10am. Nice time to start actually. I could get some shopping done before class J It’s a fun class for me to see all the colour reactions happening. I have all these reactive glasses at home but I’ve never used them together, if at all. So many ideas start flowing into my head.

Tonight is the last day for our Magic sisters, Esther and Nachuma, so we head out to Venice for a good bye dinner. We hit our new favourite restaurant, I think it’s called Del Alviso, and I order the fish soup that Indie had the other night. For 13 euro it’s great value and an amazing dive into Venice marine life. You don’t need a ride in a glass bottom boat at all.

I tell the girls about Mike Frantz’ new odd lot colours for sale back at the apartment. Mike and Corina are leaving tomorrow morning so we know that they will be awake packing for it. After dinner we make the trek to Corina’s apartment (where the glass is) and pull Mike out of his apartment to wheel and deal with us. The girls finally leave around midnight with happy bundles of new glass.

Daylight savings arrives tonight. We move our clocks forward from 12am to 1am, groan and hit the pillow.

Monday 31st
The next morning Marianne shows me the necklace she bought off Corina. It is a stunning Quark necklace. We hear Mike and Corina moving around getting their last things packed. We open our door and become the happy recipients of some food and some small rods of glass. I buy a bracelet off of Corina too – it’s one of her Quark bead bracelets. The quarks are gorgeous. She gives Marianne and I a string of her beads to share amongst us. How sweet! These are great examples of Corina’s fine stringer work and wee beads. Marianne and I hug Mike goodbye and leave for class with the glow of glassy goodness in our cheeks We spot Corina walking back to her apartment with Davide Penso. We hug her goodbye and say hello to Davide.

Sarah H’s class – Focals. I’ve been looking forward to this class. I love wigwags. I love her faux reticello beads. I have regretted not buying one of Sarah’s faux reticello beads months ago, but then Sarah told me I already own one. What?? I look down at the pile of Sarah beads I have around my neck. And there is one there – called Archaeology. How silly am I?

Esther and Nachuma leave today too. There’s tears and hugs as we say our goodbyes. A flurry of signatures and email addresses are swapped and then they’re off. Sigh. The class room is quieter without their sound of their chatter and exploding glass

This afternoon we get a visit from Davide Penso. We don’t get to speak to him, he mainly chats with Q. Davide is a jewellery designer so his beads are made to fill his designs. His style is unique to the other Muranese glass bead workers.

Tonight is Di’s last night – so off to Venice again to farewell a friend. We hit the pizza pub tonight and I witness Di’s unique way of eating a pizza. I join in following her lead, but she looks cuter and more impish doing it than me J

After Venice, I head back with a few people back to the studio to make a faux reticello bead. Fatigue hits me hard and I don’t get to finish it. Guiltily I shove it straight into the vermiculite and I drag my arse home to catch up on that hour we lost last night.

Tuesday 1st April – April Fools Day

In Italy, it’s tradition on April 1st to give out fish-shaped chocolates to everyone. Ursula, our Italian Magic sister, brings a very large bag of some very good chocolate fish. We also have Susan from Switzerland who brought us a big bag of mixed Lindt chocolates to share. So the kitchen becomes a frequented spot for me today J Q also brings out a box of Belgian chocolates every few days too. So Q and Susan have a mild discussion on who has the better chocolate – Belgium or Switzerland. I think I’ll have another chocolate and mull over whom I should agree with.

I hit Carlo Dona’s shop again today. This time I’m buying for Pati – I have some tools on order with Roberto already so I try to avoid looking at anything else hanging on his wall. Pati asked me to pick up a stringer holder for her. Roberto has to leave and close the shop shortly so I end up buying in a hurry and got the wrong thing – a rod holder. I had offered to meet Tove and Susanne (Swedish) this morning and take them to Carlo Dona’s, but instead we hit the coffee shop.

Sarah H’s class – Silver secrets. Again, another fun class for me, as I haven’t had much experience with playing with silver. Di East leaves for home today. I have off loaded her of things as best as I could. I bought a lot of her beads that she made during her stay here. We all hug her goodbye, Sarah H is teaching in the UK later this year so will be meeting up with her then. Q takes Di to the vaporetto stop.

When Q gets back he tells us some frightening news. Pati Walton phoned him while he was out with Di. She said she had the flu and wouldn’t be able to do her masterclass the next day. Q said he almost fell into the canal. Then he realised – April Fools day! Pati and John got Q with a good one. Pati did have a cold the day before but she had recovered well and will be in for class. LOL! Poor Quinton J

Pati and John actually make it to the studio today for a visit. After class we stay back for drinks.

Well my Africa trip is definitely over now. I’m sitting at my friend’s apartment in Wroclaw, Poland, wrapped up in layers of garments while watching the snow fall. I arrived in Poland yesterday having left Africa 2 days ago. And man is it freezing!! I could not feel further away from Africa than I do right now. A cold snap has moved over Europe so I’m feeling the cold right now. And to make it worse, every European country is experiencing winter-like temperatures instead of spring temperatures right now. I so hope Venice is warm!

Talking about Venice, I’ll be there in 2 days time. Very exciting! But I thought I’d better get some photos I promised up onto the site before hand. I bought some beads and tribal jewellery while travelling through east Africa. And I’ve photographed them and have put them up to share with you. I have got some ideas to put them into picture frames to display them when I get home. I’ll hang them up in my office to remind me of my trip and to inspire me to make something.

So here are the photos - Enjoy!

I just wanted to let you know that I’m currently traveling in Africa, so I haven’t done any updates or desperately needed fix ups on this website of late.  I will be in Italy on March the 21st, from there on I hope to give you some good blog updates on the big Murano Magic Workshop Extravaganza.

So, today I’m in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I’ve been here for about 2 amazing weeks and though they don’t make glass beads here, it’s been fascinating to see the tribes of the south wearing great beaded adornments that they make themselves with bright seed beads.  I have managed however to buy a red white-heart beaded necklace from Sidane (?) and also some loose red white-heart beads and from an antique shop today.  I’m quite happy with these.  But I’ve been told that Kenyans make glass beads so maybe one day I’ll get there to see it for myself.

Tomorrow I’m off to Tanzania to do a safari - hopefully we’ll get to see a part of the wildebeest migration!  After that we’re off to Rwanda to track gorillas and hopefully get to sit with them for abit.  This will make great photos to show, but alas no beads.  When I can get to some faster internet connection I will post photos of the beaded adornments I’ve bought here so far.  They may not all be glass but they’re beads at least! Oh and some photos of the tribal women looking fabulous in their beads.

That’s it for me now.