janetkempfashion

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Adorning Bridal Hair with ‘princess’ tiaras

I am often asked to make beautiful head pieces for brides. Here are a few of my creations. My favorite, I think, is the one I have called the African Bridal Tiara, this first one below, with the very colorful small beads covering the headband, the pearls, crystals and semi-precious stones, amber, citrine, rock crystal and amethyst.

When I had made the first one, I pranced around with it on my head and felt like a real princess. Some of my friends have ordered it for different  parties  they have been invited to. One of my closest friends wears it on days that she feels low and wants to feel special. She puts it on and almost by magic it immediately lifts her spirits, sending me a photograph wearing her ‘ princess tiara’.

Let me know which ones you love………



“Not without my Daughter”

As I sit here, ponder and write, I am filled with excitement to see my beautiful daughter who is about to arrive for a wonderful week of family celebrations.  I cannot wait to see and hug her. She carries with her my unborn granddaughter and the promise of new life. It’s gooseflesh stuff……..

We are celebrating many different things this week, first my husband is having a special birthday party where we will all sit and maybe dance too, toast him and our good fortune to have him in our lives…….Milestones like these bring my life back into alignment and the focus reminds me of where I have been, who has been with me and what my life is really all about.

An important part of these times is the gathering of the people around me, my own spiderweb. Apart from my close family, quite a few friends, across the decades, will be with us. Oh my gosh, the memories, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Was I ever that mad hatter person, maybe I still am…….. I will try, just try, to remember where, when, why and what, when I see and greet them all…..

I am already getting such great flashbacks. This moment is quiet but the hullabaloo is about to start…….a.week of family chaos, loud and festive……..and I say

BRING IT ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration for today

Oh what joy to come around the corner this morning and see this beautiful scene. I stop and take a deep breath in and my eyes move across this scene,”take it all in” screams my brain. Nature has a wonderful way of teaching me about form and design. The contrasting colours, the sunlight , and when I narrow my eyes, a little, the shadows, so much deeper.This beautiful scene is so inspiring. I just want to set my easel up, take my palette knife out and capture it all in thick globs of paint on the canvas…….

But I must get moving because I need to get home and then out again to buy a desk chair. Oh, now I need inspiration, I just want a desk chair but not a boring one, same old, same old…and preferably not brown. I do some google research for inspiration and a supplier. I have been inspired, yes, I want a ghost chair, it’s there but almost invisible. It will float alongside my desk.

The shape of the curve of the back against the straight line of my table, so nice, I like it’s form. I definitely need a cushion, because the plastic might stick to the back of my legs, but not any cushion, something that inspires my love of travel. This one, the postage stamp one. Every time I sit on it I can believe that I might be posted off, like a letter, on some distant travel to some exotic place……., so inspiring.

Passionate about “Food for my Soul” my jewellery business

When I returned permanently, a few years ago, to the place of my birth and childhood, I started to experience the most wonderful feelings of undiluted joy.  It’s not that I had been unhappy in my everyday life elsewhere but being back in my neighborhood, where I felt familiar, and with the smells that were evocative,  I had  those special moments and feelings. I was passionate that I wanted to start a business and give back to my town and my society around me.

I started a jewelley and accessories business. I identified a gap in the market, local and international, for more reasonably priced handmade jewelry. One of the local companies gave me a wonderful starting order and I was thrilled, and now when I look back I can’t believe how naive I was.  I wanted to  empower single women who needed to be the breadwinners in their families.  Through word of mouth, I formed this small group.  We started and now still work very closely together sharing, caring, having fun whilst being very creative.  I had to teach them passion for their work, they who had all sorts of ‘ real’ problem issues had to believe that passion and hard work would empower them.

It has been and still is a wonderful journey together and , yes, our group is ever changing.  We create beautiful handmade jewelry pieces that enhance the quality of your lives and better the quality of our lives. Being able to give back to women, whilst teaching them business skills is very empowering for me.
Carpe Diem