The Narrative Within

Mavis Ngallametta and Wonderful Weaving

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Art for Housewives

Mavis is the leading elder for the Wik Women Weavers working in Aurukun (Aurukun is an Indigenous community in far North Queensland, Australia). She makes baskets from found fishing nets, raffia and marine rope. Before, her ancestors would make baskets from grasses. I’ve previously posted about making coiled baskets but these made by Mavis have so much soul to them that it was impossible not to post about them.

Mavis
INDIGENOUS ARTISTS BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO GHOST NETS

Basket by Mavis Ngallametta

Making a basic coil basket is not really that difficult. First you need something to coil, like a rope, and then you need to keep the coil in place.

Making a basic coil basket

Hose & cable tie basket at Instructables

The Stories of Aurukun, more artists + Brian Jewett’s ticket bowels + basket made from newspapers tutorial on youtube +

I found out about Mavis’ work thanks to Marisa Ramirez’ tumblr.

Posted in People | Tagged Baskets, coiled baskets, Mavis Ngallametta, Weaving | 1 Comment

Orange Peels and Mosquitoes

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Art for Housewives

«If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito». Dalai Lama

This year the mosquitoes on Paros seem to be particularly huge and animated. I was told it’s because, due to lack of funding, the annual disinfectation did not take place this year.

I generally don’t have any problems with mosquitoes biting me because of the huge quantities of garlic and pepperoncino I eat. But they still come around zizzing totally disrupting my biorhythms.

Mosquitoes are bothersome and useless. Spiders, frogs and lizards may nourish themselves eating them but there are other edible insects as well. Plus mosquitoes not only bite and make you itch, they also can cause malaria.

Looking for a natural repellent, I read that the smell of an orange is repulsive to a mosquito and will keep it away. So you can rub orange peel on your skin and/or burn the peels. To burn the peels, you can make orange candles or use those plug in devices but, instead of the toxic strips, use orange peels cut into rectangles. I also have been spraying around the house a mixture of white vinegar and water that really seems to help.

Recently on Facebook, I’ve been seeing instructions on how to make a mosquito trap so I made one yesterday – will update as to whether or not it works. But this evening, the house seems to be relatively mosquito free!

Quick and Dirty Mosquito Trap

p.s. Jo of CRANKY CERAMICS suggested using carnivorous plants to fight mosquitoes. Sounds like a great idea. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about these plants but will check the net for additional info.

Posted in Living With Less | Tagged How to, mosquitoes, natural mosquito repellent, Orange peels, Orange skin, Oranges | 14 Comments

Daisy Zamora, Caresses and Rings

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Art for Housewives

On Paros, I read alot more fiction than I do while in Rome. Luckily, my friend Connie has tons of books and has no problems lending them to me. The other day, she suggested I tried reading some poetry, too. That’s how I learned about Daisy Zamora.

Daisy is from Nicaragua and, like Bianca Jagger, is beautiful! And, also like Bianca, she is a political activist. Daisy explains that “A poet must be a witness to her time.” And for this reason, her poetry is flavoured with the sensations caused by the Nicaraguan Revolution. Her father was arrested in an attempted coup against the Somoza dictatorship when Daisy was only four years old.

Connie lent me Riverbed of Memory (City Lights, 1992) and called my attention to a poem entitled “What Hands Through My Hands” (Què Manos A Travès De Mis Manos). It describes the hands of Daisy’s grandparents and of her parents and of her own hands. And it’s this history of hands that leads her to ask:

When I caress your back,
the bony protrusione of your feet,
your long sturdy legs,
what hands through my hands caress you?

So once again, an eulogy to the hands. For without them, we can’t be touched.

Why not embellish those loving hands with some rings?

ring by Doris Maninger

rings by Ingrid van de Brand

Set of 4 leather rings + Bike Tire Crown Ring + crocheted rings

For more related links, go HERE.

Posted in People | Tagged Daisy Zamora, Hands, poetry, rings, Working with your hands | Leave a comment

The Smell of Elicriso

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Art for Housewives

Via CARDBOARD RETABLOS

Took my first walk past Livadia yesterday. Actually, a walk to Krios had been planned but my walking partner couldn’t make it. And I prefer not to walk alone in isolated places. Not anymore.

It was about 20 meters past the last bathing establishment that I smelled it—a smell so strong that it sent me into a state of déjà vu. Elicriso. A scent so full of memories, of happy memories. My first reaction was to pick it and hold it near my nose as I walked. But I am trying hard to control the urge of appropriating the material as a means of dragging a magical moment into the future so I just walked on.

My memory is like a overflowing closet. Cluttered. And often invasive. So, I tell myself, a moment must remain just that. A moment. But the moment has lasted a day and the smell of elicriso is still in my nose.

Elicriso’s aroma was unknown to me before living in Tuscany that’s why I still call it elicriso instead of its name in English, helichrysum (its name comes from the Greek words helisso meaning “to turn around” and chryros meaning “gold”). The dried flowers can be used to make sachet bags as I often use to do. But recently I learned that, as an essential oil, helichrysum does wonders. Used for hundreds of years in Africa, it helps in reducing muscle tension, joint pain and is effective in treating wounds and bug bites. Helichrysum also helps stimulate cell regeneration meaning that it can help ageing skin regain some of its elasticity. So, if I learn how to transform it into an essental oil, I may soon be picking it again. But this time for a different reason!

Because it takes so many flowers to make it, helichrysum essential oil is very expensive. Generally, essential oils are made by means of a water and steam distillation process but go HERE for a very simple method of making helichrysum oil by macerating the flowers in macadamia oil.

helichrysum italicum

p.s. After seeing an ad for Helichrysum Tincture, it seemed like trying to make my own was a good idea as tinctures are fairly simple to make. However, I must do more research first as I’ve read that helichrysum essential oil cannot be taken internally–don’t know about it in the form of a tincture.

Making Tinctures+ How to Make an Herbal Tincture + All about tinctures + Helichrysum Tea Benefits + Tips for Growing Helichrysum