Monthly Archives: October 2012

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Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life

I love shoes. In fact, love is not strong enough a word. I adore shoes. I find it very hard to walk past a pair of desirable heels, an often succumb to temptation, to my husband’s chagrin. Recently I discovered that I am not alone. There are shoe addicts out there that puts my meagre collection to shame.

Did you know that blonde “diva” Christina Aguilera has 750 pairs of shoes in which she could balance her men-ogled pins? Or that (in)famous Paris Hilton has lost count of how many she owns and believes it to be “somewhere in the region of 2,000”? And please let’s not forget the notorious Imelda Marcos, who – when she wasn’t sending planes from Manila to Australia to pick up some sand – was buying designer footwear: more than 1,000 pairs, according to Time magazine. It turns out, though, that the most shocking celebrity shoe-gatherer of all is someone that I haven’t even considered since I was a hormone-raging teen, when we shared battered copies of her books (and giggled over the sexy bits). Yes, it’s only Danielle Steel, who owns 6,000 pairs of Louboutins. That’s a lot of shoes for a woman who certainly spends more time at her keyboard than showcasing her shoes.

It doesn’t surprise me that one in four women would rather buy a pair of shoes than pay a bill. We don’t even have to discuss why – if you don’t understand, then you are not a shoe addict. Simple. One of my favourite shoe quotations is the title of this blog: Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life.

 

 

I love the feeling of a new pair of shoes. My meagre earnings don’t stretch to purchasing Jimmy Choo or Louboutin (love those signature red soles). I do have my favourites though. I own some beautiful Tsonga shoes, and my justification for buying these, other than that they are awesomely beautiful and comfortable, is that I am supporting a job-creation initiative called “Thread of Hope“. I am passionate about community development, and do similar work with Heavenly Haven (on a much smaller scale).

I also really love Skechers – these are my indulgence. I own two pairs, and wear them on alternate days when I work and have to walk a lot (all the time). It doesn’t feel as if you wear anything at all, and my feet adore me for buying these. My New Balance sneakers I simply had to buy because of the colours. Shocking pink and turqoise – what a combination!  My Nine West shoes I only managed to buy because a shoe shop closed down in our local mall, and these exquisitely beautiful shoes were selling at a third of their normal price. I own a black and a brown pair, and have never looked back when I needed to dress in style for a network function or a corporate meeting.

Recently, though, I discovered a local shoe designer, who makes outlandishly beautiful shoes. Her name is Lindsay Bennett, and she is the creator behind the Bennett & Co range. Just to give you an idea – this is my pair that I bought recently:

My poor office light doesn’t do justice to these lovely wedges. The shoes are also really affordable – my wedges cost me R450, which compares nicely to some of the other shoes I’ve been buying. These are, of course, my current favourites.

My shoe addiction is harmless – if I can’t afford it, I won’t buy it. I don’t buy shoes on account, and I certainly don’t buy shoes on a credit card (I don’t have one). I believe that an indulgence that makes you feel better about yourself and boosts your self-image is great, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. I use my love of shoes to reward myself for tasks completed or goals achieved.

For now, we can all look forward to Halle Berry’s portrayal of a shoe addict in Shoe Addicts Anonymous (coming 2013).

 

 

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Much ado about tomatoes!

I love making jams – I always have. As a little girl, I used to help my grandfather in our massive vegetable garden – we simply had loads of fig trees and rows of various vegetables. There is nothing that equals the taste of a ripe, sun-kissed fig freshly picked from the tree. Or a self-grown strawberry. And then there are tomatoes. It is the easiest of all to grow – in our own garden we are awed at the persistence of these little plants. Just scatter a few seeds, and in a few weeks you have results.

This weekend I made tomato jam according to my grandfather’s trusted recipe – it is very easy to follow. The fresh ginger can be substituted with bottled or even powdered, but as with everything, at the cost of taste. I used bottled lemon juice this time. Our lemon tree has caught a bug, so we are unable to use fresh lemons. I would recommend fresh lemons though.

5kg tomatoes
5kg sugar
5 finger-sized peeled chunks of ginger (cut into smaller pieces)
250ml of lemon juice

Cut a cross-section in the top of each tomato, then put the tomatoes in boiling water. This will make it easier to remove the skins. After removal, put the tomatoes in your pots. Add the ginger to the pots, and then share the lemon juice between your pots (quantity depends on the size of your pots). Top off with the sugar (again shared equally between the pots). Let the pots stand for two hours. This is what it should look like:

 

After two hours, put the heat on low until the sugar has melted. Now turn the heat on high, and the mixture will start bubbling, boiling away happily. This is what it should look like:

Continue boiling until the water from the tomatoes have evaporated, and the mixture starts looking a glossy red and translucent. Drop a teaspoon of the liquid into a bowl and tilt. If the liquid runs like jam, then you know that you are ready to bottle! Remember to remove the ginger before bottling, and to pre-wash the bottles and lids in boiling water.

Finally, the finished product – hope you enjoy!

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How many angels can dance on the head of a crochet needle?

I’ve always been addicted to wool. Give me a ball of yarn and a crochet hook and I will happily sit and churn out granny squares, which will then be converted into a blanket, a top, a scarf… the possibilities are endless. My husband is of the opinion that crocheting is for old people – this is, however, no longer so. Thank heavens that the ranks of the needle-crafters are swelling. Wool shops are flourishing and the crochet needle is back with a bang.

I’ve been exploring different crochet projects over the last couple of weeks, since we are currently teaching our Heavenly Haven moms wool-related skills, so that they can make items for reselling.

Teaching always starts with the basic “granny square”. This is a basic crochet square, in one colour or multiple colours (the latter, I think, is prettier). Here is an example:

A step up from the granny square, is the hexagonal:

And then, my favourite – the frilly flower centre granny square (a tad more advanced, but great fun once you’ve mastered it):

The fun with all these squares is that you can complete any number of them, add them together, and have a lovely finished product. Watch this space for some photographs as the project develops!