Drag Queens, Driving and Design

These beautiful vines are everywhere.  I want to know what they are so I can get some, even if they turn out to be weed

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A proud business owner!

The baking has to stop. Now.

I’ve been a bit late in putting a blog entry together, but I have a good reason.  I’ve started a business (yay!).  Not that I thought I would be fine with sitting around for too long – I was pretty sure I’d get bored of being unemployed pretty quickly and end up getting into trouble.  You know, like baking every day (and eating the results), shopping a lot, or obsessively doing housework (haha, as if).  I started looking for something creative to do here in Joburg, and without a ceramics studio I had to get creative about what I could create…. I started out with Paper Mache (don’t we all?) and the great idea that I could make lanterns from string and paper (thanks Pinterest!) and sell them at a local market.  Fail.  I learned some great things in that first week of making:

Aziza our dog is a big part of my business

1) Pete will always say something nice about anything I create (‘Wow – look at that!’)

2) If you read between the lines you can understand what he’s really saying (‘Wow – you actually think someone would pay for that?’).

3) Great creative ideas take time to develop and if you answer yes to the question  ‘Does this look like it was made in a kindergarden class?’, you need to scrap it and start again.

Pintrest said it would be easy...

Shweshwe

 Eventually, the cat-vomit-like the balls of string and paper evolved into a structure made of wood and fabric, and grew into 4 different sizes.  Getting inspiration from the Shweshwe fabrics prevelant in SA was great – they have lovely, colourful patterns and work well with the rustic feel of the wood.  I sorted through the various product problems that arose, including ‘How can I make this lantern safe to use with candles, so that even the least fire safe individual can operate them without burning the house down?’ They say ‘there’s no such thing as bad press’, but I was pretty sure that a burned down house would be bad press.  So I found a great flame retardant and got on with it. 

I finally had something I could proudly put my name on.  And I did: www.nikiberry.com, Internet home of Niki Berry Design.  

We got into Rosebank Rooftop Sunday Market (which is fantastic) and have Parkview Charity Christmas Market coming up. You can read all about it on Facebook.   We also have a few retail options in the works.  It’s nice to have people appreciate all your blood, sweat and tears – and believe me, I have given all these things to the lantern gods.  Including a ‘too gross for the internet story’ (yes there is such a thing) abut a splinter getting lost in my finger (my body eventually won).  Eww!

Anyways, that’s a short update about what I’ve been up to lately.  Now here’s a few more things that go back a few months.

Everyone loves a photo set!

The reason for the horrible morning after

Madam Zingara’s

Pete’s cousin Alex was raving about this crazy dinner and a show that you can go to at Monte Casino.  She said it was so great and we had to go.  I wasn’t sure what to make of it – it sounded cool, but Alex likes a lot of things, so you never know what you’re in store for… Jokes – Alex has great taste in all things so we knew it was going to be a treat.  And it was.  It was this cool dinner and drinks in this great old carnival tent with performers, like drag queens and hoolahhoop girls and a bathtub dancer (which I don’t even know how you get into because dancing in the bathtub was a definite nono in my house, for good reason), and you get all dressed up and can buy neat old stylish hats and wow I just had the BEST TIME!  Until I woke up the next day and realized that I lost my wallet.  In Johannesburg.  Plus I was a little hung over so it was the worst follow up to a great night I’ve had in a long time.  And it was Sunday so no one was working to tell me if anyone (an angel) turned in my wallet (that my best friend Steph gave me which I LOVED, and had my Canadian drivers license, and UK bankcard which they WILL NOT replace by post).  So I had to wait until Monday to find out that the angel was our waiter, who found it and handed it in to the floor manager, who actually kept it for me AND gave it back Tuesday.  Crazy. Lucky.

My First Big Fat Greek Wedding 

Pete’s good friend Alexia had a wedding at an absolutely fabulous venue Summer Place, which rumour has it, was originally owned by a Mobster who used a fountain / pool for real champagne.  It was a beautiful wedding, great people, awesome food and these little bites of wonderfulness flown in from Cypress, called Koufeta.  But these weren’t just any Koufeta – these were covered in flavoured chocolate under the candy shell, flavours like Cappuccino, coconut, orange and more!  So.  Good.

Some of the cool things you can see when you drive!

Driving

I’ve been driving more and more and think I’m finally over the fear.  I realized that I was working myself up over a small deal.  My fear came from how busy the roads are – really hectic during rush hour, and the fact that you're on the other side of the road (all that emergency driving training could kick in and put me on the wrong side of a bad situation! Literally).  But, since everyone drives here (kids, visually impaired people, dogs...), you see a lot of 90 year old people getting around just fine.  So I thought, ‘I’m not going to get shown up by little old ladies – I can DO this!!’. So I’m starting with shorter trips on my own, and building up.  I did a little running around the other day and just kept thinking ‘I feel so NORMAL!’.  Was really nice. 

Lots more to talk about, but that’s what happens when you don't update your blog regularly.

PS – I got my Life Partners Permit.  It was another fantastic example of African culture, so you won’t be disappointed with my next blog.