One day while browsing through Etsy I stumbled across beautiful beads made in the Earth Butter Studio in South Africa. Even in the photos the beads were so vibrant and colourful. Exactly my type of bead!! When my son-in-love (he is not an in-law … yet!) told me he was going to Capetown to do an exchange program I told him about the beads and asked him to check them out if he was ever in the neighbourhood… And he went! He brought me back some of the beads and they were even more beautiful in reality… I have had them on my desk in the Workshop and many clients have asked me if they were for sale and were quite disappointed when I said no…
So I decided to send of for some Earth Butter Beads so my clients who are able to come to the Workshop can choose them in person. If you fall in love with them and can’t come to Funky Frog don’t hesitate to visit Earth Butter Beads . I know you will be in good hands with Desiree Malan. Of course, if you can come to the Funky Frog workshop don’t hesitate to contact us!
To quote Earth Butter Beads web site:
You will find “unique colour co-ordinated ceramic bead sets & one-of-a-kind ceramic beads made in South Africa. Earth Butter Beads are hand shaped by single mothers from a disadvantaged rural community near Cape Town. Desiree designs, glazes and fires the beads in her pottery studio. Each bead is a small work of art and the finger prints of the beadmakers are often visible in the clay surface. This is the reason why Earth Butter Beads are so special – no two beads will ever be exactly the same!”
“Nestling amidst the lovely, verdant winelands of South Africa’s Cape Province is the quaint, rustic town of Wellington – home of Earth Butter Studio, and the birthplace of Earth Butter Beads.
Earth Butter Beads was founded by accomplished ceramic and mosaic artist, Desiree Malan, in 2009, as a means of providing part-time employment for single mothers from impoverished communities in the surrounding rural areas.
Today, what started as a humble one-woman initiative to uplift destitute local women and develop their creative talents has become a thriving micro-business, which has earned Earth Butter Beads justifiable acclaim, and elevated their range of hand-made, artisanal beads into prized accessories for home-crafters and professional jewellery designers throughout the country – and around the world.”
These beads are really gorgeous … If you are in the neighbourhood and can come and visit the Funky Frog Workshop this is a small preview of some of the Butter Beads you will find there…. Just contact me in you would like to visit the Workshop …..
I was so inspired by the Earth Butter Beads that three necklaces practically made themselves!! In one Batik Bone Beads from Kenya found their way into the necklace and in the other two it is Ghana’s lost wax Brass Beads that snuck in …. You can find these necklaces here…
