Showing posts with label Vlisco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vlisco. Show all posts

27 February 2014

Guest Post: Chayet from Nothing But the Wax, Part II - DIY

Who has a few pieces of gorgeous pagne/wax fabric laying around that you love but don't have a clue how to use?  (Perhaps Sarah or I even gave you one of those pieces as a gift at some point...) 

If you're hesitant to wear those amazing prints, why not sit on them?

"Pimp My Wax" is Chayet's series of nontraditional wax fabric tutorials. Check out this great DIY that she put together for us as Part II of today's Guest Post series:

Today, I'm going to show you a very orange-y Pimp My Wax.  The idea was to transform a very mundane and damaged chair into something original and colorful.  Here are the stages to do the work at your home:


I found this chair in front of my flat on the trash premises. The seat was damaged but I knew I could make something of it. As for the pillow, a good friend gave it to me because she did not want it any more.



STEP 1: I began by figuring out the size of the pillow. You can just put it on the floor, take a pencil and follow outlines, making them larger than the actual pillow to allow for sewing seams. Then, I cut two pillow shapes from my Vlisco fabric. This fabric, I love it!! Real love at first sight! (Editor's Note:  OH YES! Man, do we love Vlisco at Mama Congo...)




STEP 2: Then, I sewed the outlines of the two pieces of fabrics face-to-face.



STEP 3: I added a zipper that I inserted by hand. It is so much simpler to have a pillow with a ZIP and to be able to change quickly covers or even simply wash them.



STEP 4: Next, I tried to sew and reinforce the seat of the chair. I used plastic thread - you know these threads which one uses to make bracelets in pearls - and I sewed by trying to tighten holes to avoid extensions when one sits down on it.



STEP 5: To give a little of freshness and life to the chair, I painted it in orange. I put several coats of paint, because I wanted something of really eye-catching.  No need to go to buy a big can of paint: a small 50 ml jar is enough. (France readers: I used a small jar of the mark (brand) Colours in the colour "Papaya", bought for 2,90€ at Castorama.)  For the best finish, I advise you to add a coat of varnish to shine and to protect the paint and wood.



STEP 6: To finish, I stuffed my cover with the pillow but also with the inside of another old pillow, so that it was full.  I made sure that the whole chair frame - including the seat - was painted as well.



Here is the finished result:




I am very satisfied with it! It brings a pop of colour and funky feel to my lounge. After having convinced my love that a red sofa in a yellow lounge would be very great, no need to argue to convince him that an orange chair would be very cool in the mix!!




I hope that this Pimp My Wax will also give you ideas, to recycle and give a second life to your furniture and other used objects!

Okay.  I'm going to go find some objects to wax-ify now.  How about you? 
For more Pimp My Wax ideas, go here.

Thank you, Chayet!


24 January 2014

Weekend List!

Jill's List:

I'm so interested in this article.  My exposure to modern day standardized testing is very limited. Thinking. Thinking.

Trying to learn French?  Frantastique subscriptions are 20% off this week! (Here's a review.)

19
Screenshot from Frantastique.

Combining the faces of people who are genetically related.  Craziness ensues.  Mind blown.

And these people aren't twins.

Oh shit.  Oh, nice!

Vlisco's hero fashion.



Found this gem of a bronze pendant hidden in the case at Je Gagne Ma Vie here in Kinshasa.  Never been to this great shop where the profits directly support the artists?  Go this weekend!



This is so weird and gross.  Even more disturbing is the fact that the story keeps popping up... (Go here for a calmer perspective, thanks to a reasonable reader!)

How to be present for a friend experiencing loss or tragedy.  An important piece.

Sigh. Celebrities and their "African adventures". I had a hard time with this article. (Thank you, Alice.)

Let's Save Africa! - Gone wrong.



Sarah's List:

Breaking news: Froot Loops are all the same flavor.

froot loops by Andréia, on Flickr
That's right. There's no lime, grape, orange, lemon or cherry. Just the same sweet cardboard flavor.
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  Andréia 


Here's what happens when you give poor people money.

The Central African Republic's got a new president. And she's a woman.


Here's a list of all the other women running the world. And a map.

Pink equals a female head of state. (Thank you, filibustercartoons for the image.)




Everyone over-thinks social interactions. Except for people outside the United States. The rest of us suffer great peril.

Le Baiser des Amies by simpologist, on Flickr
Just two friends sayin' hey in France. No big deal.
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License  by  simpologist 


40 Maps to Help You Make Sense of the World. Especially #36. Ah, that world just makes so much more sense now...


Dove has a new ad about selfies that's so good it debuted at Sundance.


365-336 by Canned Muffins, on Flickr
Pretty sure this is a selfie by Dove.
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  Canned Muffins


God Loves Uganda now playing in DC. Won't someone see it for us and write a review.



9 November 2013

Weekend List!

Sarah's List:

Good Congo News! A little over a year ago these guys were threatening to terrorize the country all the way to Kinshasa. But this week the M23 says they're done. Good news, indeed.


Image from Sara Rich's blog. Read all about it here.

Speaking of Sara Rich (see image above). I think I'm about to have a friend who's really famous. Check out her organization EduCorps. It's genius, really.

It still tickles me that when you search "TASOK" this is the picture comes up. Sara Rich all packed up and ready to leave us.

Russell Feingold is becoming a Congolese household name. Here's an example: "Who is this Russell Feingold? Why is he here? What is he doing? I think I should care about him. Can you Google if he is in Kinshasa and where he is staying so I can go introduce myself to him?" Absolutely!

Here's an interesting way to capture a pirate king. Play to his ego and lure him to your country in a reverse Argo-esque scheme. Here's the story.

What did New York look like in 1939? Check out this film!



A funny thing happens when you share a name with a mayor-elect.

From the department of I Still Think 1990 was 10 Years Ago, 20 songs you can't even believe are 20 years old.




Fall makes me think of college. Here are some of the most beautiful ones (and the ugliest ones). Who knew I spent 4 years at a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



I've thought about this article since it came out 4 years ago. It's resurfacing. A good read on stick-to-it-iveness.

And one more. Fascinating, beautiful, moving.




"Fall" in Congo.


Jill's List:

The other evening, I went to the closest Vodacom shop to get some credit and Loulou and I found ourselves in the middle of a bonafide, liquored-up, parking lot dance party - with laser lights.  The reason?  The grand opening of a new Woodin shop.  Controversy is great for blogs...so, here goes:  Vlisco or Woodin? Which is better?  (I'm still partial to Vlisco, but that's just because of their incredible billboards.)

Last month's Vlisco billboard on Bouldevard de 30 Juin, Kinshasa.  I want that dress.

I live with a man who hates The Sound of Music.  I know, how does this sort of thing happen?  Turns out he's not alone.  Check out NPR's A Complete Curmudgeon's Guide to TSoM.  For example:

9. The "Lonely Goatherd" puppet show is all about coerced mountain marriages, including coerced goat marriages, which send a bad message to children and anthropomorphized goats.

And then there's this McSweeny's.  Brilliant.  Almost turned me into a curmudgeon.



My first job as a nurse was at Neighborcare Health. The doctors, medical assistants, and midwives whom I worked with had an unwavering commitment to the most disadvantaged populations of Seattle.  The patients taught me that everyone deserves health care.  Check out this shout out in the HuffPost.





Kamala Khan!

Kamala Khan.jpg
From here.

Thinking of our friends in Cairo this week.  Wondering if this article is true.

Photo by Erin Velzeboer.  Remember her?

Johan has spent all morning putting together a Saved By the Bell/Jurassic Park themed playlist.  Favorites?  Johnny Cash's The Dinosaur Song, Nirvana's School, and Les Calamitésversion of The Kids Are Alright.  Keeping it real in the Congo.



Struggling with this a little.  Especially when my three-year-old wants to listen too.

Bedtime reading.  Thank goodness for iPads.  We didn't have to pack all billion pages of Harry Potter in our luggage.


And.  Best Facebook conversation ever:





Loving Orange is the New Black, especially with the shout-out to Kinshasa as a place where there are starving people because "just saying Africa would be racist."
Like ·  ·  · about an hour ago · 
Erin VelzeboerSara Rich and Jared Shenk like this.
Jared Shenk Just wait until you get to the shoutout to Waynesboro, VA 

(That last comment courtesy of today's rainstorm, which has probably knocked out the Internet.)  Going now to get the first season.  


7 March 2013

Kinshasa on the Red Carpet

Did you see this? I finally watched the Oscars last night (I know, I know I'm a week behind. Blah, blah Argo wins). And this Congolese actress rocked some pretty great Vlisco pagne on the red carpet. She was so excited to be at the Oscars, she was the first one there. My kinda girl.
 

From thegrio.com.

Rachel Mwanza is an actress from DRC and was in the movie Rebelle (War Witch) about child soldiers. You might remember this made my list as a too-intense movie I most definitely will not be seeing. She lived for years on the street here in Kinshasa before she was in a documentary about Kinshasa street kids, aptly named Kinshasa Kids. Or as I think of it, another haunting movie I cannot handle. Félicitations Rachel!

Bonus: Check out Vlisco's celebration of Women's Month. And vote for DRC as your favorite country of inspirational women. Just think of the mamas!




15 February 2013

Friday List!


 Jill's List:



Someone was just telling me about Brodeos.  I don't really know what a Brodeo is, but I imagine it to be something along the lines of this event, which included quotes such as:

He crushed putts and celebrated like, "What now, you lumpish boar-pig?"

Gotta love Bill Murray. He should come to the Brodeo.

Bill Murray, one swag-bellied apple-john of a man.
Image from BuzzFeed.

Someone sent me this article and suggested that I use it in my sex-ed class.  It's going to be the best Current Events discussion ever.

Image from BBC.


Joanna and Alex do it.  So do Sarah and Adam.  And Johan and I are totally into it.  For us, right now, it's all about Homeland.  Read about "it" here.

Image from the Independent UK.

My dress is made with Kofi Annan's brains?  Yeah, that's right.  

Images from here and here.

Are these students living with a lot or a little?  It's a matter of perspective.

all-i-own-sannah-kvist-2.jpg
Image from Grist.org.

This and this are both books along the same lines. Plus, everything you own - in one photo. Super fascinating.

Image from Material World:  A Global Family Portrait.

Image from What I Eat:  Around the World in 80 Diets.
Which reminds me of these incredible children's books:

Image from Children Just Like Me.

And saw this expat essay linked by a friend. 

Finally, the virtues of olive oil beauty by this South Sudanese DJ:

Mari Malek
Image from Into the Gloss.


Sarah's List: 

A friend passed along these maps with special attention to #9. You guessed it, Congo is big. I know Congo is enormous, but really, this big? 

Image from here.
 
To mark the release of this book, the follow-up to Bringing Up Bébé, here are a few links to other demi-Francophone Mom bloggers. And an early review of Bébé Day by Day.

Image from here.

Un:  Mommy du Jour: Raising Culturally Competent Kids
Deux: Femme au Foyer 
Trois: La Mom


Almost, almost as beautiful as Vlisco pagne, are the Cosby Sweaters. There really are some similarities, no? Here's Cosby himself reflecting on those sweaters

Images from here and here.


I really love this woman and this article was a little hard to read because I had to accept the fact that she's not actually Tami Taylor in real life. But is she really a "late bloomer?" Is 45 old? Evidence that is it not. I love how she says, "My life just got awesome five years ago."

Connie Britton. Image from here





P.S. We really love it when you send us ideas for links. Keep 'em coming small army of Mama Congo researchers.



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