Andrea from ziezo

Posted on June 30, 2013

Weekend Tradition

Our family lives far far away from our relatives. While we live as expats in Kenya, the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all live in the Netherlands, Germany or the USA.

Our kids are growing up in a mix of Dutch, German and host culture traditions and customs and they have been third-culture children their entire life. We have five different countries of birth among the six of us and four different nationalities (our latest addition is still in process and you can read more about it here)

Since we are so far away from our families, my husband and I feel the need to create a lot of family traditions and ground the children in their various cultural backgrounds. One of our traditions is a nice weekend breakfast! It’s an activity that involves the entire family in the preparation. Our current favourites are either thin pancakes, from a Dutch recipe that our nine-year old has down to a science, or German waffles! The latter involves a lot more adult assistance and supervision, but the results meet an exciting crowd each time.

Our waffle iron is the exact same waffle iron that my husband had waffles from when he grew up in Germany. My dear mother-in-law brought it over to Kenya at one point in time as she saw it to be more useful here in Kenya, than it would be in Germany between her and my father-in-law. Boy, was she right and her grand-kids have been very grateful for that! The 70’s waffle iron gets pulled out on a regular basis and we enjoy the German waffles!

Do you feel inspired to make waffles sometimes? Then try this lovely recipe for some yummy waffles! It was originally from a German Cookbook, but has been altered (or perfected?) to suit our family’s taste!

125 g softened butter
50 g sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar (or 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence)
4 eggs
250 g flour
375 ml buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt

First split the eggs (egg whites in one bowl, egg yolks into another small bowl). Add the salt to the egg whites and beat them until they are stiff. Place the bowl in the refrigerator.
Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until creamy
Add the egg yolks to the butter mixture and beat until creamy
Slowly add the flour and buttermilk to the butter mixture until all are incorporated
Carefully fold the stiffened egg whites under the dough

Preheat the waffle iron and put about 3 table spoons of dough into the iron for yummy waffles!

Delicious with powdered sugar / lemon juice and sugar / maple syrup / honey!

Enjoy!

Posted on May 30, 2013

Recycling & Upcycling the Kenyan Way

After Jess’ account earlier this week of thrifting the American way, here’s a brief update on the Kenyan way.

Living in Kenya provides a whole different perspective on the consumption society. Recycling and reinvention of items are the matter of the day especially since new goods are generally very expensive.

The solution for the average person here is to shop for used goods. From toys, to shoes, to furniture, clothing, etc., basically everything you can find in a thrift shop in the Western World. It is that world where most of the items here come from. Kenya is among the largest recipients of used goods, especially clothing and cars. I am sure that we all have seen containers placed in certain parts of large cities in Europe and the USA inviting us to throw in our unwanted clothes, shoes and even other items. Most of what we would throw into these containers finds its way to Africa – and most often to Kenya. The charities, who collect clothes in the containers sell the goods (=funds raised for the charity) to an intermediary, who then sorts and sells the goods to vendors here in East Africa. The goods are packed in large bundles, which then find their way to the Mitumba (which literally translates into Bundle) markets across Kenya. At a Mitumba market, the average person can pick up a nice outfit for a decent price. Depending on the quality of the item, you can get a shirt for 10 Kenyan Shillings (US$ 0,11), or spend as much as 1000 Kenyan Shillings (US$ 11). The latter items would be rather upmarket and brands of high recognition.

Impressions of Toi Market - A Mitumba Market in Nairobi — Impressions of Toi Market – A Mitumba Market in Nairobi

As a crafter the Mitumba market is ideal place for me to find nice fabrics and materials to upcycle and use in my creations. For those who know my Etsy shop, you can immediately find a combination of traditional East African materials with upcycled materials. The yoga mat carriers as well as the pencil rolls are a perfect example. My personal love for jeans as well as colourful kikoy is reflected in those items.

The ziezo Designs bunting baby dolls were born on the Mitumba Market by seeing a pile of wonderful wool jumpers, some felted, others not. The felted wool was the perfect material to make lovely soft baby dolls children across the world would enjoy.

On my most recent trip to the market I picked up some lovely flower fabrics in the form of a skirt, some pillow cases and a dress. I have plans to create a fabric bunting with these great fabrics, a different take on my traditional bandanna buntings like these:

Keep your eyes on the ziezo Etsy shop! Soon there will be more upcycled products made with the donations that started in the Western world, which were then commercially passed on to those shopping at the Mitumba markets. It might actually be made out of something that you donated!

Interested in learning a little more about living in Kenya? Visit my personal blog “ziezo – Crafting and Living in Kenya“

Posted on May 13, 2013

Mothers Day – by Little Jenny Wren

Mothers Day for me , here in Tasmania was spent travelling to the south of the island to visit my two sons who attend University in the state’s capital Hobart

We travelled through the mists and autumn leaves and small villages

and arrived in Hobart to perfect, still, sunshiny autumn weather

we ate lunch at an outside cafe then strolled around the docks

to the ice cream parlour

Such a beautiful day with my beautiful family in such beautiful surroundings.

Hope you all had a Happy Mothers Day!

By Little Jenny Wren

Posted on February 25, 2013

An Easy Horse Rein Tutorial

What is more fun than pretend play? Running around? Here’s a tutorial for you to create an easy toy for your little ones that combines the two. An easy horse rein!

Materials needed:

A cord of about 2.5 meters / 8.5 feet in length (we used a cord that my little one knitted with a knitting fork/lucet using our hand dyed rainbow wool)
Some fabric (we used part of an old pair of jeans) or a piece of felt (if you hand sew)
Sewing thread

Instructions:

1) Cut two rectangles of 17 x 25 cm (approx. 6.8 x 10 inches) out of the fabric and lay them together with the right sides facing each other. Note – if you use felt, one piece of felt will do and you can skip steps 2 and 3.

2) Sew the two rectangles together with a 1cm (1/3 inch) seam and leaving a 6 cm (2.5 inch) opening on one side. When finished, cut the corners.

3) Turn the fabric so that the right side is facing out and push out the corners. Stitch along the edges, resulting in a rectangle.

4) Tie the ends of the cords together. I used a simple knot here that will be where the kids will hold the rein.

5) Find the top middle of the cord (using the knot as the bottom) and measure 23cm (9 inches) down on each side. Pin those points to the top of the fabric rectangle, leading the cord down on the sides.

6) Sew along the sides over the cord. Sew slowly as the cord might get caught in the machine foot.

7) Re-enforce the cord by sewing the cord parallel at the bottom and top

Finished! Get your little ones ready for some running around as horses and riders!

Anything unclear or do you have questions? Feel free to contact me.

Posted on December 16, 2012

An Advent Calendar in Stories – December Traditions

Part of our preparation up to Christmas is to read a daily story from the lovely book ‘The Light in the Lantern’ from Georg Dreissig. Dreissig’s short stories (up to two pages) form an Advent calendar in itself and they commemorate Joseph and Mary’s trip to Bethlehem.

The 28 stories have been divided into four weeks and in the stories the challenges and miracles of Mary and Joseph’s journey are addressed. In addition, each week’s stories relate to a common theme. The first week they relate to the mineral world, in week two to the plant world, in week three to the animal world and the final week to the human world. The book does take into account the maximum number of days for the advent time, and thus allows for some years to read multiple stories on a day.

While the stories can be somewhat complicated for the small ones, I read it to all three of my kids at the same time. I managed to get an accompanying calendar to the book, which made it even for the 3 year old a daily adventure to open another window and move closer to Christmas. It is the third year in row now that we (re)use the lantern calendar as well.

The lantern calendar has four panels with each seven windows, and a fifth panel with one large window with the depiction of the nativity scene. The beautiful illustrations were made by Cécile Borgogno-Arcmanne.

Please note that the front cover depicted is the Dutch language version, the English version has a different illustration. A sample can be found here.

What books do you read over the advent time?

Posted on December 9, 2012

Advent and Christmas German Style: December Traditions

There are many ways of making the Advent season meaningful. In our society where the holiday season for children often means a big case of the “gimmies”, how can we celebrate in a way that brings meaning to the season? Or rather uncovers the meaning already present.

In the coming weeks we will be writing a series of posts called December traditions. This article in the series is about celebrating Advent and Christmas German Style.

Our family, an interesting patchwork, has three nationalities among it with five different countries of birth. The children identify with their countries of birth, so the flag of the country is an important symbol in our home. If had ever wanted to design it like this, it would have never worked. So nature just threw us this patchwork.

When December comes around, the celebrations of the parents’ cultures seem to take over though.

Advent is a deeply celebrated tradition in German culture. Without an advent calendar and an advent wreath, the Christmas season cannot be celebrated properly. This year, I created a modern and simple wreath without any greens, since we will be in Germany to celebrate the second half of the advent, where my mother-in-law always has a beautiful green wreath with red candles.

The creation of this year’s wreath took some glass star decorations and some clear glass marbles that my daughter and I spread over a glass plate around 4 candles. The 4 candles are lit one-by-one each Sunday of the advent period leading up to Christmas. This year the first candle was lit on December 2 by our first-born.

Another tradition we have is the advent calendar for the kids. Our advent calendar starts each year on December 1 (even though advent might start as early as 27 November, or as late as 3 December). A few years back, when we just arrived in Kenya, I created a re-usable advent calendar for the children by sewing some small stocking shapes out of 3 different kangas, clipped to a ribbon with a numbered wooden peg. Each little stocking has room for a small gift or chocolate and by opening a stocking each day we are counting down to Christmas Eve. We do only have half a calendar here in Nairobi this year as the other half will await the children when they get to Germany, prepared by their grandparents.

Near the end of advent, on 22 or 23 December, the Christmas tree is decorated. This is a true family event where we all work together, grandparents, parents and kids to decorate the tree. My husband’s family insists on using real candles on the tree, which will be lit on Christmas eve, for a most beautiful effect.

On Christmas Eve the gift giving celebration takes place. Family gifts are appear quietly under the tree as soon as it has been decorated, and to top it off, Father Christmas also leaves a few gifts for the children in the early evening. Under the candle light of the tree, we open the gifts one-by-one with each family member taking part in the enjoyment of one of us opening a package. After this, we share a lovely late dinner and later on light up the candles on the tree one more time. The next two days of Christmas (25 and 26 December) a lot of time is spend with family. We visit, walk and talk amongst ourselves to spend the goodness of the season with each other with only a few days left before we welcome yet another year into our lives.

Our children are growing up celebrating rich traditions of their root cultural backgrounds. I believe that it is important for them to be aware of these traditions as they help them in establishing their own cultural identity in this interdependent world. I also think and hope that they pick up some new traditions, or modifications, by the time that they are parents themselves, but I am looking forward to sitting with them under the Christmas tree in 30 years with them saying ‘this tradition always meant home to us’.

Posted on December 4, 2012

Celebrating Saint Nicholas: December Traditions

In the coming weeks we will be writing a series of posts called December traditions. Here is the second in the series, this time about celebrating Saint Nicholas.

When December comes around, the celebrations of the parents’ cultures seem to take over though. Our first celebration is that of St. Nicholas, the patron Saint of Children.

Preparations start in the middle of November, when St. Nicholas officially arrives in the Netherlands in preparation for his birthday on December 6. This event is broadcasted on TV and this year we managed to experience it though the internet.

In the three weeks leading up to December 6, kids are allowed to put our their shoe in the evening with their wish list, drawings and a carrot for St. Nicholas’ horse. However, since St. Nicholas, or Sinterklaas in Dutch, and his helpers ‘de pieten’ are such busy people, we only put the shoes out once a week. The next morning, the kids are delighted that they were not forgotten in the far-away Kenya, and find a chocolate coin or two in their shoes. On the morning of December 6, there is also a small gift from the good Saint and his helper, who on that day quietly return to Spain to prepare for the next trip to the Netherlands in eleven months! December 6 is also ‘Nikolaus’ in Germany, so Dutch and German culture meet that morning, although ‘Nikolaus’ does not come from Spain and has only one helper with him, ‘Knecht Ruprecht’.

Now that we live in a city with a larger Dutch expat population, Sinterklaas and some Pieten do pay a personal visit during the day and the children have a chance to meet them up close and personal! The children are excited that Sinterklaas manages to even come to Kenya with so many children already wanting to see him in the Netherlands and Belgium. Here are my three with Sint en Piet this Saturday.

Do you celebrate St. Nicholas? If so, what does your celebration look like?

More about our traditional German advent celebrations will follow soon. . .

Posted on November 20, 2012

Dyeing Wool with Kids

In our family we love rainbows, and once in a while we wish for rainbow colored wool. While pure wool yarn is not difficult to obtain here in Kenya, the colored part is the challenge, unless you are into some DIY and crafting with kids. . .

A few years back I learned that it is rather easy to dye your own wool with food color of all things. Food color easily dies protein fibers (e.g. wool and silk), but not others like cotton and man-made fibers. This makes it a great craft project to undertake with your kids as most spills in clothes will easily wash out again.

What you need for this project:

Wool yarn
Food coloring
Vinegar
Plastic gloves (food dye can stain your hands for a day or two)
Cling wrap and/or old towel
A microwave (alternatively use a steaming pot or the sun)

First, in the event that your wool is in a ball, unwind it and create a skein. It’s easy to use the back of a chair to do this. Tie the skein loosely in a couple of places with some left over wool, or another string.

Soak the skein for an hour or longer in a solution of half vinegar and half water. This vinegar bath is the mordant for the dyeing process and it is important to ensure the bath is completed before starting this craft with your kids.

Select the colors in which you want to dye your wool and mix them with some water to the desired shade. The amount of ‘dye’ depends on the number of colors and amount of wool you want to dye. I used five colors and each color was less than half a glass of fluid.

Cover your work surface with cling wrap, or if you are eliminating the use of plastic an old towel will also work well. Take the skein out of the mordant and squeeze excess fluid gently out of the wool. Place the skein on the work surface and carefully spoon the dye onto the wool. Gently squeeze the dye into the wool, ensuring that it gets absorbed well. Work color for color and be aware that the colors might blend.

Then carefully transfer the wool to a microwave safe dish or plate and cover it loosely with cling wrap. Microwave the wool for 5 minutes, check on the progress and then microwave it on high for another 3 minutes. This cooking of the wool will help set the color.

If you do not have a microwave you can also steam the wool in steamer pot, or have the wool covered with the cling wrap steam in the sun. Do an internet search for the timing and instructions for these steaming methods.

Place the wool in an area where it can dry, but make sure it is not in the direct sunlight.

Once the wool has dried, you can wind it into a ball and it is ready to use.

A fun project to undertake with kids, and there is more fun to be had in deciding together on a new project in which to use the yarn!

Happy dyeing!

Andrea

Posted on September 18, 2012

Make a Jacaranda Seedpod Gnome

It’s the time of the year where the Jacaranda tree is starting to get its summer blossoms here in the Southern Hemisphere and the seedpods are starting to fall. The Jacaranda Tree is a beautiful subtropical tree with gorgeous purple flowers that bloom two times in a year, in early spring before the leaves return, and then again in summer after the leaves have grown.

The seedpods are perfect to craft with and create cute little gnome ornaments. They are perfect for the Nature Table, Christmas tree, or just as a playful ornament around the house. Here’s a brief tutorial for a craft you can do together with your kids.

Items needed: jacaranda tree seedpods (remove the seeds if the pod is opened up) that have some of the stem still attached, wooden beads (14/15mm), felt, thread/embroidery floss, needle, scissors, craft knife and craft glue.

First, select a seedpod that you want to work with and check if the bead fits over the little stem. Shave some of the stem off with the craft knife in case that the joint is to think (be careful though!).

Cut a piece of felt in shape of a triangle that will be the gnome hat. We made a long pointy hat, but you can shape it as you want. Thread a needle with embroidery floss or a few strands of thread and sew the hat. We used the blanket stitch to do this.

Put some craft glue on the stem of the seed and slide the bead on it. Let it dry.

Take another piece of thread – this will be the loop from the head on which the gnome hangs – and thread the needle. From the inside of the hat, find the top and stick the needle through, pull the thread through and then stick the needle back into the top of the hat again – a loop had formed on the top of the hat. Take the two ends on the ‘inside’ of the hat and knot them securely together a few times so that the knot is large enough to not slip through the top of the hat.

Put some craft glue on the top of the bead and place the hat on it, let it dry thoroughly and you are ready.

In case you have no Jacaranda Seedpods available, you can also find the ready made gnomes in the ziezo shop

Posted on May 31, 2012

A walk through Nairobi (Toy on a Walk Series)

Hello all!

Greetings from Nairobi, Kenya! We are bunting baby dolls from the ziezo label and we would like to take you around our garden and neighbourhood, now that we woke from our nap under the baby pawpaw tree.

This is the flame tree, with gorgeous red – orange flowers blooming now that we are reaching the end of the long rains.

When we lay under the pawpaw tree, these are the dark skies of the rainy season. . . the sun is hiding behind the clouds.

The two of us like to climb trees and bushes, and there are plenty of those around in our neighbourhood and garden. Here we are in a baby banana tree and a mango tree, unfortunately there are no fruits on them at the moment.

Here we are in a small acacia tree. It’s difficult to climb this one, because of the long thorns. Did you know that giraffes can eat the leaves from these trees despite the thorns? There is something in their saliva to soften the thorns and then they pluck the leaves off with their tongue.

Once in a while we visit the Waldorf Kindergarten in Kileleshwa, and we then like to hang out in this lovely shrub that smells so nice and is commonly called “yesterday, today & tomorrow” (Brunfelsia) because of the different colours the flowers turn.

If you go for a ride in Nairobi, you have to be ready to wait, traffic jams are the matter of the day because of the number of cars, the state of the roads, and ongoing construction for the “Vision 2030” plan. Here’s a view of the Nairobi Arboretum at the bottom of the hill, and some of the road construction around it.

And in some places the old road has been replaced by a new dirt road to allow for road improvements, while you also can see the rapid construction of new apartment buildings that are replacing the single standing houses.

However, after a bumper to bumper drive to Karen, reknown from Isak Dinesen’s (a.k.a. Karen Blixen) ‘Out of Africa’ it is also nice to be ending up in the lovely green environment of the Nairobi Waldorf School there.

Nairobi and its environs have lots of sunshine (even in the rainy season), but one thing that is always certain as you could see in most of the pictures, there is never a lack of some dreamy clouds in the sky with many imaginative creatures.

We liked taking you on a short tour and know that we soon join our friends in the ziezo Designs shop to find a new home and explore new places on this lovely earth. However, now it is time for a nap again. . .