Awhile back I had to go to Strasbourg for another eye test and when I returned Frenchie met me at the train station and we spent a leisurely hour or two wandering the streets of Colmar. It is filled with tiny cobblestoned streets lined with interesting shops and cafes. We happened upon a Madagascar Festival that was basically just a market filled with stand after stand of wonderful craftmanship all made by the women of Madagascar and they proudly would tell you about how they polished said stone or wove said scarf from raw silk. I was astounded by the beautiful pieces on display and the prices were so low I couldn't help but select several pieces. The labradorite heart here is so colorful, I am afraid the pictures don't do it justice. It Flashes with gorgeous blues and greens. I think it is probably the nicest piece of Labradorite I've ever seen and I can't wait to make a piece out of it.

The shell in the center was an interesting piece. The woman actually had raw shells that hadn't been polished yet on display and she explained how she polished them and made the pieces. She called this the eye of Santa Lucia. I love the spiral design in the center!

The ammonites were just amazing. I picked up two matching ones and a larger single piece to make earrings and a necklace. The selection was plentiful and some of them were so big. I could have easily spent a fortune there, it was so hard to pick and chose.

Lastly, Frenchie stopped at the silk scarf stand and though I make and sell silk scarves and have a whole dresser full of silk I had to admit I wanted one so bad. Frenchie happily bought me the most beautiful scarf. It has become my favorite and I have already wore it several times. It is completely different from the silk I normally work with so I don't feel too guilty.

All it all it was a nice find. The prices were so low and knowing they were going directly to these wonderful women made me happy. I have seen some of the conditions in Madagascar. It is a poor country but beautiful. I am glad they came to Colmar and I hope they return again. Next time I will try to take pictures! 

Hopefully soon I will put a few of these to the wire and try to make some jewelry out of them. I am struggling with my jewelry right now though. Taking this long break has made me rusty. I have been trying to make a simple pair of earrings for three days and nothing is working. Please send me some patience to help me through this dry spot. I need it!

Wishing you all a restful and wonderful weekend...

Weekend Festival

This last weekend we traveled to a small town in Germany called Emmendingen to the African Music Festival. I had a fantastic time! Most of the festivals I have been to usually involve a large open space like a field that is fenced in with a stage or two, some booths for merchandise and that's it. This one was in the city center. There were tables and benches under trees and a nice grassy upraised area with a stone ledge you could also sit on. Lots of interesting African food vendors and lovely authentic African wares. The atmosphere was laid back and enjoyable. We spent the afternoon poking around in the booths and eating good food. Lots of nice beverage offers too. Prices were reasonable. The bands were good and the last band was one of my favorites 'Dub Inc'. They put on a stellar performance and even though it started raining right in the middle of their set I don't think a single person left. They were just THAT good. I was really surprised to see them at such a small event because they can draw a crowd easy. I have seen them twice at Reggae Sun Ska in the south of France and it is NOT a small event. This was so fun though, since it was small we were able to get very close to stage and it was the best fun I have had in a long time. 

     I have been cripping around all week due to pulling out my back the weekend before and I was very worried about going. I spent the afternoon being careful because I wanted to make it through the concert without too much pain. Well..when they started playing it was electric. We were all jumping up and down and I didn't stop the whole time. I was getting sore but didn't care. On the way back to the tent that night I wondered if I would be able to move the next morning. Well I woke up the next day and I felt GREAT! I think I actually popped my bones back in place. Since I arrived home my back continues to feel good so I am quite happy about it all :D Who would have known, Dub Inc, the cure for all my woes!

Dancing in the Sun

I have been meaning to post about the festival for over a week but I seem to be famous for my procrastination these days. I was SO looking forward to this! Two bands that I LOVE were playing there and another that I wanted to see.


I went to this festival last year but it was right after I had arrived here in France and I was still very worn out from all the hubbub surrounding said trip. Needless to say I spent most of that festival feeling like I was going to pass out from the heat. Well...this year the heat decided to pass us by, and so did the sun. It was basically overcast for the entire festival and the second day we had sporadic rain.

Dams and I the first night. I'm still sunburned from our trip to the beach.

Athough the weather wasn't great, it didn't stop the music from being great. I had a blast! We arrived in good time the first day and went directly to the spot we had camped at last year. There were a few tents set up there but it was quiet and no one really bothered us except one strange man who came up and asked us if we had any hash LOL! We decided not to set up the tent before we went to the festival. Why we decided this, I dont know...I later wished we had made a different decision.


I was quite sneaky with my camera on entering the grounds. Last year they took my batteries and I didnt get to take any pictures. On top of that I had to go buy new ones when I got home >.<

The band I really wanted to see was Dub Inc. D introduced them to me a few years back and I immediately fell in love with them. Well I guess everyone else is in love with their music too, because of all the bands I saw this one had the biggest and most enthusiastic draw. Dorian pulled me into the middle of the crowd as they started playing and kept going closer and closer. They got so crazy though that I started getting hurt. People were going up in the air and being passed back and forth. Lots of elbows and feet going in all directions. It was a lot of fun but a little too rough for me so I stepped back all the way to the sound tent and stayed there till the end of the concert. They were fantastic just like I knew they would be.

By the end of the night I was exhausted and ready to go back to the camp...only I had a slight problem, my dear husband had WAY too much fun and was more than a little tipsy. SO we set off into the night heading in the right direction. Unfortunately I wasnt quite sure of the way back... and D wasn't all there. We made a wrong turn. I knew it was wrong as soon as the road started curving to the right, but he was sure it would still end up where we were going. NOT. After walking for what seemed like forever we ended up at the end of someones driveway. GRRRR! I was so tired. So we turned around and headed back in the direction we had come from and had to walk all the way back to the festival grounds. Seems we turned one road too soon. By the time we arrived at the campsite neither of us was in a very good mood and Dams was already there snoozing away in the back of his van. So we proceeded to set up our tent in the dark. This is something I dont EVER plan on doing again. For one thing the rods are color coded. Not a big deal WHEN ITS DAYLIGHT! And I know they are two different lengths and so it really shouldnt be hard to do, right? It was one interesting looking tent when we finished! Fortunately it stayed upright and by that time that was all I cared about.


The second day was rainy and we spent the morning laying around the campsite taking it easy. I fixed the tent and we moved things around. I was really bumming out about the idea of spending the day in the fest in the rain but luckily right before we were planning on heading up there it started clearing up.


Everyone was lounging and taking it easy. It was a nice afternoon and the music was good.


I was waiting for Le Peuple de l'herbe to come on and luckily they played in early evening. This was a good thing because by the time they finished I was finished. I guess I'm just not as young as I used to be. Sitting on the cold ground makes my body hurt too much and this poor soul just wanted to be home in her comfie bed. So we left the fest about 11. I missed Max Romeo, who I have heard is great, but I guess there is always next year *grin*

This is a short clip of a band called Hilight Tribe. I LOVED THEM! They are a purely instrumental band that play transe music with guitar, bass, didgeridoos, rock drum and a lot of ethnical percussions. The part with the didgeridoo was fantastic. I found their performance amazing and I was really impressed. Trance is not my favorite type of music but I thoroughly enjoyed them. So I guess I found a new fav band ^__^