Weekend List!

Sarah's List:

Women: Stop what you're doing and read this article, The Confidence Gap. If life were one long grade school, we'd be winning. But it's not and the boys are kicking our butts.

By J. Howard Miller, artist employed by Westinghouse, poster used by the War Production Co-ordinating Committeemodified 
by Tom Morris [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Jill and I read this birth story a collective 30 times this week. Then we read it to our husbands who didn't really care. It's an excerpt from this book of birth stories from women writers. I think birth can be best summed up by this:

"Every time I had a contraction I thought, you have got to be fucking kidding me! 

It seemed preposterous that this was the way birth got done. 

I felt solidly and profoundly connected to all the female mammals of the world. 

Not just the women who’d birthed, but the cats and the bears and the lemurs too."

Has your life been taken over by Frozen? Even in Congo we are not immune. Nor is the rest of the world. Now you can get Let It Go in 50 different languages. Libérée, Délivrée, anyone?

Mac keyboard tricks. I'm an, Edit, copy. Edit, paste girl myself, but if you're into taking shortcuts...

An interview with the real Alex of Orange is the New Black. 

Mama Youyou's recipe for nyanpul has been published! Every order of the cookbook Giving supports Women for Women International. Follow the instructions here to get your copy. Or if you're in the greater Harrisonburg area, let me know and I'll place a bulk order.

This week I subtly came clean about my love for Celine Dion. (Don't judge. I have my reasons.) Did you know there was a whole, serious book that studies the hatred of her? And it's just been reissued with new analytical essays. Sorry, Celine.

Jill's List:

We got to see/hear this guy last night:

I can vouch for the awesomeness of medical tourism.  My five-day South African hospitalization (complete with nightly rooibos tea and complimentary handsome window washer) cost less than a ride in an American ambulance.   Try these winners if you're interested.

Tea and rusks.

I'm in that pre-move limbo land where it's too soon to do very much except for worry about what there is to do. So, I'm studying this site and taking mental notes about how to live elegantly in impossibly small spaces (i.e. buy beautiful cleaning supplies).  Unfortunately, these instructions do not dial in the "child variable." Sigh.

Chaos by children.

The maybe reality of 40K::

 "Although most New Yorkers probably feel that housing in the city is too expensive, it is primarily those earning under $40,000 who literally may not be able to find an apartment they can afford."

"Here are some rich people whining about feeling poor."

Being poor, a child, and invisible.

Being poor, an immigrant, and living in 65 sq feet.

Important stories about being poor in America.


Proud to be separated by only two degrees from these beautiful garments.

Cistanthe gorgeousness in global fabrics.

Thanks to Bailey at Cistanthe for turning our attention to Alyssa at Pokuasi.  Community support in Ghana through small batch jewelry creation. Brass and glass beauty. (The website is currently under construction, but check back soon!)

My own glass beads, procured from Ghana.  Go here to see some incredible pieces by Pokuasi and community.

Do Walmart and schools mix?

School integration without gentrification? 

I have always wondered!

Stocking up at Lambada on Rue de Commerce. (Bonus: The story of Vlisco in Kinshasa + a great list of places to shop in Kinshasa).

And. Tigerfish: craziest creature in Congo. Maybe.

Image and caption from i fucking love science's Facebook page.

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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!

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