Dotty Didis
Since we have had many requests about producing “loose” beads for those who make their own jewellery, we are very excited to announce the arrival of the Dotty Didis. Didi is “big sister” in Nepali.To date, our colours come in five ranges - one for each season of the Western Calendar and a range especially for Christmas. We will make only a limited number of beads for each range each year. They will truly be collectors’ items! The next year’s range will differ in colour.Did we mention being frantically busy? We have been able to make a small quantity of our first range - the 2010 Christmas didis shown here - and these are in traditional Christmas colours of vermillion, emerald, jungle green, gold, and scarlet with a Nepali twist. They will are available from the wonderful Heather Richmond at “Over the Rainbow” jewellery and polymer clay supplies on www.polymerclay.com.auThe beads can be purchased with accompanying tube beads and we’d love to see what you make with our “didis”! We hope people will send photos to us and we can post some here on our website.Like the bahini beads, each didi is a small work of art and the result of days of skilled creating. The technique used is totally different from the way sari and lariat beads are made. Didis incorporate the “millefiore” or caning tradition. The ladies begin by making blocks of the graduated colour blends in colours inspired by our environment and traditions.Then the colours are made into various “dotty” designs. Finally the dotty patterns are arranged around the complex cane which makes up the face. (The ladies don’t make the face cane yet...it's a bit tricky.) No paint is used.We hope to have a outlet in the US for our next range by Autumn 2011.We have also made some of the wonderful Haunani petal necklaces and every rupee made from these is going towards storage. An aside: a lot of time is spent writing up funding proposals and we spent ages on two to different organisations which we hoped would result in some money for our increasingly urgent storage issues. Unfortunately, these attempts were unsuccessful. Undaunted, we will press on! Petal power prevails!We hope to make around 30 necklaces and these will be sold in Australia when I go back in mid-December. If anyone is travelling over here and wants to courier some to sell elsewhere, we’d be very grateful!! Let us know. We will be possibly co-opting some of our US travellers on the Cultural trip in March so strap yourselves down. We are getting organised with our deliveries but you know, these things take time and just occasionally, the urgent pushes aside the important.There is a lot happening and even when you don’t hear about it, please know that your interest, love and support is so valued and powerful. We love hearing from you and have had some amazing experiences reading emails that are sent.We hope you love our “loose big sisters” as much as we do!