How to Get a Day Right

Today started as crap, at 10 AM I was already sure that nothing is going to change this easily. Well, not easily, but it happened in the end: we bought 4 tickets (ladies only night) to an upcoming ballet performance at the Budapest Opera of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", with the music of Mendelssohn. I just love the opera and love dance arts so I can't wait to see it, especially in such a great company.

And then in the evening we took a nice walk with Orsi, you know, the author of the guest post here, in search of banana turmix for me. It took a while but we wound up not only drinking turmix but eating the best rakott palacsinta (crepes cake) of the city.

So whatever strangers/work/conditions/etc. mess up, true friends can always make it right!

Back to Reality

I am back to life, back to reality - as the song says.

Yesterday I celebrated this with another piercing. They say once you start getting a tattoo, there is no more stopping to getting more (we'll see that) and more and as I see the same seems to apply for piercings. It was just a small one now but it made me so happy!

Today I celebrated the second day of this by making this bracelet. It has been a while now that I last had worked on a bracelet even though I had several ideas on my mind.

Red ceramic beans

My friends have named this pair of earrings countless ways. It seems that the red ceramic pieces remind everybody of something - for some they look like beans.

Today I was at a small birthday party where I also took my treasury chest with me so some items have found their new home again (and this exact pair of earrings got some new names as well). This is lovely news especially considering that I kind of make up for the loss I had thanks to the rain that poured down on us on Sunday just as the fair started to get crowded with people.

But at the same time this means I need to get kick-started again and work on many new items for the next fair! I am not sure when it will take place as this weekend I cannot go to Káptalantóti but I will let you know here in case you would like to come and visit me or the marvellous market itself.

Fair at Liliomkert

There is a fair in one of the most beautiful regions of Hungary that is a kind of bio-market and though theoretically it is legal, it faces a lot of harrassment from the authorities because of its philosophy. And despite all of this, the market is thriving and growing. Once you go an visit it, you will want to go back every Sunday.

The place is called Liliomkert and is located in Káptalantóti, near Lake Balaton, among the hills and fields of the wonderful Káli-medence (basin).The fair is organized every Sunday morning until 2 PM. You can watch a lovely short video on Liliomkert by clicking here (length: 1:37).

The main idea which I always agreed with is that we need to stop pouring all the plastic/fake/unhealthy/overtreated food and things of all kind into our lives and must make a step back and eat whatever can be found in bio-gardens, eat real meat, taste cakes made by our grandmothers and recycle whatever we can.

So far we have only been visitors/customers here but today I am proud to announce that this Easter Sunday I will also take part and exhibit my jewelry for sale in Liliomkert.

It is the most beautiful market I have ever been to. You cannot imagine just how happy I am! Come and visit me and all the people there, I am sure you will also make a lot of friends and understand why it is highly important to cherish markets as this as long as we can. See you this Sunday in Káptalantóti!

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Coconut collection

Don't forget: tomorrow between 10 AM and 4 PM see you in Bálint Ház, Budapest, within the framework of the Nyitni Kék program, at the Design Fair!

And until then, this is a handful of my latest bracelets, all collected in a coconut-shell. All natural, all colorful, all adjustable!

And all waiting for a new owner to meet tomorrow maybe.

Getxo

Some places mean more, some places you will always remember. Some places make you sad but teach you a lot, some places show you happiness, some places do all these at the same time.

This is what Getxo was for me, several years ago. Want to know where it is? Not far from Guernica, not far from San Sebastian, but very far from here.

I will go back one day to see the place again where my life took several turns, very slowly, very subtly, almost innoticeably. But it did.

Bracelet alliance - Part 3.

Such a long time since I last presented a bracelet here so high time I did it again.

Christmas was long time ago too but as you see, it is not that easy to collect all the bracelet alliance pieces. One "member" was presented here and the other here later on.

The one I show you today was made for the same person who has been proposed when she was wearing my necklace for the first time (story here). The main theme of the wedding will be green, just like it is the main color of the bracelet she got from me.

Note the ring on her finger as well!

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Ágnes

Ágnes has her own ideas, she knows what she wants - from me. And when it is done, not many people can you see more happy than her. Remember the cherries earrings? She is the owner.

This time again it was earrings. I had to adjust them a bit as I felt like the original idea would be too heavy for the ear especially on the long strings but she felt OK with my changes. And then as I left my desk and I was coming back, I found a box with "somlói" (a Hungarian dessert) inside with a thank-you-note sticked on top of the box. So nice!

You see, it's small things that matter in life. We should never forget this.

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Moss

It was raining today. Almost everybody was complaining but to me the changing of seasons is so amazing that I was actually happy to see rain instead of dry cold let alone snow. Rain is the start of spring, the start of a new life. Even if we have to stay inside the house for these few days I am happy about this.

Because then, soon, the sun will shine again and everything will be in bloom - I can't wait!

The color of friendship

Soon I'll be a bridesmaid first time in my life! And guess what, we will dress in green. It is not my wedding though and yet I am so excited - not about the formalities or the event itself but the things that are the basis of all this, the love they share, the passion, and of course, what will make me become a bridesmaid: friendship.

We met under quite funny circumstances five years ago. During these years so many things have changed and we have changed a lot too.

This is what I was thinking about when making these earrings today. Something simple, something colorful, something unique - just like our friendship.

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Step into the world

Some of these beads have been waiting so long that my heart was aching every time I looked at them in my bead collection. Now it was their time.

In my first post here I already mentioned that green is my favourite color. No wonder that this time again I built up the necklace around one single green bead, made of ceramic.

The best advice I ever got or read anywhere was not to create average stuff for average people because that is not what I am supposed to do. I have been thinking about this advice for the last days and I try to incorporate it into my works as much as possible.

I am sure that anyone willing to buy and wear handmade jewelry cannot be average, for they could as well buy plastic jewelry in Tesco which could still look good - but never unique or valuable. There is so much to discover in the world as well as in ourselves that we just cannot stop at any point in our life to develop in this process and we should never be afraid to get deep into what and who we really are - opposed to what and who the people and the world wants us to be seen. You just cannot spend too much time or energy on this. Be brave, step out of that circle you live in, step into the world, step into your world and find out what is there!

Normally I love delicate and bold jewelry too but I prefer bold pieces. This wooden necklace is an example for that.

I will put it on sale soon hoping that its new owner will wear it in good health and that my necklace will make her a little bit more herself: a braver, less average self.

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Winter earring

Today I compiled a shopping list before going to my usual jewelry supply shops. I was already running out of time as they were almost closing (I don't know why they close so early, at 6PM) and I had to come out of both of them without having the most important things in my hands. So I searched further and found a really great store nearby. The staff were nice and friendly, even when I entered two minutes before 6, and I found all the things I was looking for and even more! Fortunately there was not much time left to take a look around, otherwise I'm afraid I would have spent more than just whatever was on my shopping list.

But these earrings were not made today. As you see, they are also winter creatures. Again I used the lotus flower as the basis and added everything else to it. I think that paired with a matching colour and material this little crop sells just about anything - so light, so special, so feminine.

Here it is - another photo taken with the help of my two lovely (and kind of hairy) assistants: Marvin and Indy.

The silk bracelet

I don't have many bracelets and as you see, it is not the main thing I usually make. But the ones I have are really bold pieces sometimes and they can make a whole outfit - you put on a black top and a bracelet that stands out and that's it. The same goes to earrings of course, but bracelets are sometimes more visible.

So I made this one to have a feminine black piece. I have a black one, my roommate with whom I was living together in Italy left it in the flat after moving out which means it is not really "mine".

The beads you see here are made of the usual stuff: ceramic and wood. The double thread is textile and silk. This one goes best with a suit or a simple blazer, I wore it only once so far matched with a white blazer.

Some of my faves

Three of my favourite materials here: wood, ceramic and shell. Two of my favourite colours: green and beige. And in the background: one of my favourite scarves, from Mexico. If I ever go back there I will buy it in every colour combination that exists, for sure.


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Another member of the alliance

Do you remember my post Bracelet alliance? There I told you about four similar bracelets I made for Christmas, for my three friends and myself.

The one you see here is another piece of this tiny collection, with the main shade in pale blue and silver. The beads are of course made of ceramic again. The owner is "R", the same girl who got this necklace. As you see, in my eyes she is a light blue lady even though this is not the only colour she wears of course, but for me this is the shade that best suits her.



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Blue stars

As I have told you in my first post, I am just a beginner in making jewelry and there are many things to learn. One of them is to be faster and to have all the moves already "in my hand" so they become more fluid and more like a routine. Of course, sometimes I have to think about how to solve and realize an idea, but the general moves and tricks should become less the moves of a beginner.

So I was very happy to have this feeling when making this earring: it took me only a few minutes to finish. I hope this did not show in the quality of them. The recipient was a colleague of mine (another one) again.

These are a bit heavier due to the ceramic beads (the star) and the minerals (the white cube).

Please also pay attention to the star-shaped little plate that I used for the photo shoot: I got it for Christmas from my boyfriend, after longing for it each time - and a long time - I ever entered a Butlers shop. Lovely, isn't it?

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For R

Today finally I had the chance to give somebody a necklace I have made especially for her some weeks ago and could hardly wait to finally be able to present her.

Her wish was a white necklace slightly longer than the style she usually wears. When I started to make the necklace I already knew that the white thread is not enough and I will need to give it a bit more emphasis but I was not sure if she will be happy with the black lace or not. In the end it turned out (well, according to what she told me...) that she liked the idea.

You can find everything from ceramic beads to a small metal star on this piece. I do not like over-constructed things without any freedom or spontaneity so it was obvious that the beads will not be symmetric.

I am sure I will experiment more on this style, already bought some more textile threads!

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Oh happy day

Today was a good day in the life of La Kukac, let's see why:

1. I met the lady who was the recipient of the earrings in my post called For Gabi / Yo también and she was wearing them!
2. The necklace presented in my post For anyone out there met its new owner.
3. I learnt the origin of the crop which I used here - it is the crop of the lotus flower.
4. I wore the brand new necklace pictured below and got some compliments, thank you. Just according to my promise, it was made using the above mentioned lotus flower and some other wooden and ceramic beads applied on a leather string.




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Bracelet-alliance

Last October I was on a business trip with two of my colleagues. We had a couple of free hours in an afternoon and went to do some shopping as we had a long wishlist from the office and our family. In one shop we all received a free bracelet from the shopkeeper and we decided to found our "Bracelet-alliance" right there. This was the bracelet that inspired the Christmas present for three of my friends. I made similar, but not identical bracelets for the four of us. Each was made on the same scheme by using small black beads with three more emphasised pieces but they all wore a bit of the style of the owner thanks to these three beads that were different.

The one I show you here is mine. For myself I chose this natural, beige colour. The beads were applied on a fine silk thread but even this thin thread was too thick for some of the creamic beads so I had to work on them to enlarge the hole a bit. This is why you see some white powder on the ready piece above, this powder of course disappeared at the first wearing.

Very simple, easy-to-make bracelet, with a lot of variations. Can go with smart clothing and with casual as well, it all just depends on the three major beads. I might be doing a lot of this style later on...

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Casi casi

As I promised on the first day, I present you the sister-piece of the first earring. And really it is a sister as the recipient was my sister this time.



The concept is the same but the pieces that make it are different this time. I used a small pink star instead of the brown wooden rolls. The medium sized bead matches the big one in its glittering glaze. So nothing new, just another interpretation of the same idea.

And here it is, another film I have just seen. Normally I do not watch so many Spanish films but again we chose a new one from this country. As I see it, Spanish cinema had its golden era in the 80s and 90s, since then there have been new arrivals at the top of the world's filmmaking and Spain lost some of its glory. It might be the reason of using up all the exciting topics after the end of the Franco-era and not inventing new ones, or it could be just that the main Spanish directors and actors have stayed in the same old stories and roles and the new generation has not arrived yet. There have been exceptions of course but this is my main feeling. Well, anyone can disagree.

Just as much as the last one, "Yo también" has had its huge effect on me, "Gordos" ("Fat People") was a bit of a disappointment. After reading about the awards it was nominated for or even won, I expected something more. Well, this is not the right word - I expected something less, but (using an especially appropriate word here) heavier.

The idea is not bad: take obesity and the society, obesity and our inner self, and you already got the picture. The goal of the director was to show us all the fears that make us gain weight. This time my general feeling was that the authors wanted to grab a lot but could not handle all of it. A little less talking and a little less action could have done good to the film itself as it felt a bit overcrowded with all these people and their lives happening at the same time. You can follow, it is not the problem - but you cannot really feel what is going on underneath in all these souls. You know their reasons, you know their life stories but because they all tell you right in the face and leave nothing to the viewer's imagination or wit.

Still, having said all this, it was not a terrible movie. Just a totally average one. I just expected more laughs or more drama, but this movie could only offer the two in a more American way than it would have felt right. Mr Daniel Sánchez Arévalo can do much better.

An interesting fact is that not all the actors actually had to gain weight - Maria Morales, the actress playing Leonor had to gain 20 kilos when at the same time Leticia Herrero, the debuting actress playing Sofía had to lose 24 kilos for the film, as according to the storyline she succeeds in losing all that weight before her life takes a different turn again.

In case you go and see it: listen to the song which is repeated some times during the movie, called Casi casi, in its new version sung by Raphael. Well, this one is georgeously fitting into the film!