The Love House (ラブ ハウス)... 愛をこめて(Ai wo komete)

The Love is spreading...and I have found a home in Pretoria.  I am finding that love is hard to find if you are looking for it.  I have found a love oasis instead..a place I can chill, play scrabble (very important for me) and read books without distracting males with roving eyes.

I have also found that the Love House can host my products there. So my products have a home in Pretoria and Jozi...I'll be with you soon. But these sisters have my back.  It is an amazing space in Pretoria's Sunnyside.  It seems for all those souls that do not fit into Pretoria's uppity crowd or house peeps, a place has been created for them.. If you ask me it is the perfect place for my heart to rest and gain strength before I leap out into the world.


Love is a worthy contender in today's capital driven world. Everywhere I look, love is becoming that thing you know is loosing value now and will be selling high one day. It is often easy for one to choose something either than love, it is just easier.  But love asks us to look within ourselves. It asks us to love ourselves...find ourselves and even love others for the sake of ourselves.  It is hard to give into that feeling honestly without trying to get something out...for most people. The rest of us that give it 100% get left behind on the side of the road like deer during hunting season...or cows in the middle of main roads in villages.  We are left with our tongues out, eyes glazed...helpless till we get back on our feet.


It has occurred to me that after getting up, it may not be easy for me to love when I have intense hate.  I have an intense hate for African men(South African...African specifically). Yeah! I said it. I really hate that I have this hate cause it means it will get in the way of my loving somehow.  I don't think you can love unconditionally with some kind of hate in your heart.  I am walking my way slowly out of it...one foot in front of the other...if only men could be kinder to me as I make the journey....


So if you are looking for Beading Dancer Products...you will find them at The Love House on De Kock street, Sunnyside, Pretoria. My journals, skin products and jewels.

Love. Ai. Lerato

New pics of new tings!!

My new products

I still have these African journals and you can email me to view other designs or specify the design.  The skin products are also available. I have bath salts, scrubs, salves and foot polishes available.

ArtRising Part two....

Again, we are pushing activism. We are doing our annual youth remembrance event in Soweto. This year we have scaled it down because we would like to really focus on the Media center at Thabisang and completing the interior design.  We will be focusing on changing the space when schools close next week.

We invite those who want to see change in our schools to join us in the spirit of the youth of 76'.  We continue to fight for African systems of education. Thus far no such thing exists, we are forced to learn primarily in English and in Western ways.  The Education syllabus in South Africa is disgusting to say the least. The is no intergration of our indegenous cultures and cosmologies(including language).  Yes one can say the youth can choose Zulu at school if they wish...but does that same youth use it till tertiary and in corporate South Africa? i think not. After the youth of 76' fought so hard, education still happens from an outsiders perspective. We, I am speaking as an Afrikan...not South African(whatever that is...cause anyone can be South African these day...except Africans). We are forced to learn other peoples languages from an early age, then we have to adopt their culture, then we have to submit to the Eurocentric-male dominated world of work that looks down on us still.

The Africa that some of us picture will not exist at this rate. The Africa that says you can learn African ways of being and doing things so we can come up with solutions that work for more than 60% of the country and not the minority.

Reflection:

I get up everyday and reject the corporate world because it does not speak to my vision of that Africa.  I design, make and produce items that I believe call for a different interaction with this Africa.  Most people do not get what I do because I am not subscribing to the usual: go to university, get a qualification and work for a white man.  My spirit cannot subscribe to such. I think it is the cowards way out...I do not view myself as a half-way crook.  Bass John can come to buy books from me for all I care...I handmake my journals and everything else, I dont see why people have to go to exclusive books to get expensive-carbon footprint costly items.
It is beyond me why Africans still look to the minority in the country for validation. I am all about loving other people and their culture(love it to bits) but I am for each of our nations standing up by themselves so that we can build life sustaining, life growing and seriously world changing work.  But i dont think it will happen if we all try to be the next person instead of ourselves.

Nuff ranting:

Catch Artrising this weekend...changing our neighbourhoods one project at a time. Come support the indigo market this Sunday and begin different conversations about financial markets and trade as a whole.

Also if you are in the Kagiso(west rand) area, check out the youth March on the 17th from 8am.  Kagiso's youth rising happened on the 17th and the activists in Eternal Beat(emancipation of thoughts) chose to celebrate it on that day.

Re gopola...batsha ba Aforika!

Beading Dancer's pop-up shop

During the month of May I had the opportunity to open my pop-up shop in different markets.

The French Market

The french style market happened earlier in the month at the French Alliance in Parkview opposite Zoo lake, Johannesburg.  The market happens when it happens. I was selling my latest products and met a lot of interesting people.  There was a lady selling cheese and a condiment made from port to accompany the cheese. A lot of french people make their way here cause it also happens to be a french school.

Living Room Eco-Faire

The eco-faire was the first of its kind at the Living Room in Maboneng District on Main street Johannesburg.  The eco-faire had workshops on guerilla gardening and raw food.  The chef in the picture made some gastronomical raw cheesecakes and cookies as well as raw lasagne made from raw baby marrow. I could marry this man based on his cooking skills, that's how good he is!
There will be another faire at the end of the month.
The Living Room is at the top of the building and has a green feel about it(besides the plants that hang and grow everywhere).

Ambush was also there with some words to think about, songs and plants for sale.  Ambush people are plant people and you can sometimes find them guerilla gardening on the side of the road or abandoned places.

The Design Exhibitions(with a side order of tea and bakes).

This time we will be hosting the exhibition indoors in town. The last three have been in  my garden and Norscot Manor in Fourways.  This one will be over two days.
We feature different designers who make different items.

RainQueen Creations

This lady is amazing.  Kebo's clothing label makes grounded, accentric clothing that inspire the goddess in you. She sources the best organic fabric for her items and incorporates her own style. She also has handmade crotchet bags, belts and clothing that her mother makes from scratch with her design instruction.

These are my items...Beading Dancer.  A mix of some modern and traditional materials...with a lot of stones.

Lilliana Transplanter

Linzi makes items from upcycled material like old tyres and shoe soles to make purses, flip-flops and gloves.  She also uses trees to make earrings and accessories.  Lilliana also crotchets water bottle holders.  Her other products include painting on reclaimed wood. This lady is the definition of green.

I.C Timeless

Themba makes anything out of leather...i do believe you can ask him to make leather spoons!  This man makes bags, belts, shoes, earrings and even decor.  He uses 100% leather in different colours. I wear his creations all the time!

All of these designers can be googled or facebooked...but if you come through to the exhibition you might be sure to find them or we can get you in touch with them.
Hope to see you at the next one to catch up over some tea!

New products!!!!


Check out my new products...handmade journals and skin products...straight from the case!