Tumblr Faces: Upcycled Chokers

Tumblr Faces
Upcycled Choker

Tumblr Faces
Upcycled Necklace

Tumblr Faces
Upcycled Choker

Tumblr Faces
Upcycled Choker

What is a tumblr face? Half face with pouting lips that aim to create a dreamy allure. When I googled chokers online, most of what came up was pics of white-skinned people [resenting as women that capture half their faces while pouting their lips and wearing 90's tattoo chokers. Meh. My luscious, full, afro-black lips (wearing crayola crayon DIY lipstick) are accompanied by these upcycled chokers I've been working on. These chokers are made from the pieces of old necklaces and have been repurposed into new designs! Here's my tumblr face to add to the choker archives!

Smiles,

Tuly Maimouna

Kitenge: Profit Seeking & Cultural Appropriation

Kitenge Earrings

I have been thinking a lot about cultural appropriation lately. Is it possible that even members of a given ethnic or cultural community can participate in the appropriation of their own culture? 

I was in East Africa for a while earlier this year. I went to visit family, go to my cousins wedding and just relish in the happiness of being back home. As a part of that visit I made sure to attain as many crafting supplies as possible, mostly glass beads, vitenge, and jewelry making accessories. I can never find nice and affordable vitenge here in Canada, and all the other crafting materials are so much cheaper there than here. So I merrily went around connecting with other crafters in markets, in my home area, and with Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that support local crafting entrepreneurs to find wholesale prices. With every new product I came across I was ecstatic at the thought of the money I was saving for the quality I was getting. When I got back to Canada and found inspiration enough to get into the crafting groove I started making earrings. If y'all don't know by now, I love big earrings. Hate the heft though. So I thought that these super lightweight and boldy coloured kitenge earrings would be perfect. As I started making and selling them I had this growing feeling of discomfort and constantly thought to myself thought, 'am I selling my own culture for financial profit?' I started feeling like I was participating in the process of rendering cultural artifact to commercial product. I realized that I have absolutely no idea what the history of vitegne are within my countries of origin and instead of trying to learn their meaning I have rendered them nothing more than fashion accessory. For example, remember my post on kangas? Kangas often reflect current events. The sayings written on the bottom are not neutral or without meaning. They can tell stories of political or historical events, reflect religious values, offer advice and knowledge through proverbs, or have encouraging words. They are used during wedding rituals or when someone gives birth to carry babies. In short they have social value and meaning. Of course they are sold and produced for profit, but attached to them is meaning and purpose.

Beyond that I started looking at all the different ways that African cultures and artifacts have been appropriated as object for consumption or display. In museums, through micro finance projects in developing countries, curios shops, the north American/European fashion industry...and in all of this continental Africans gain little economically. In buying raw materials cheaply and selling finished products at a higher price am I contributing to sustaining poverty in my own home for personal gain? How am I any different from the multinational corporations who extract raw resources like oil, gold, tanzanite and diamonds then refine them and produce finished products for consumption? Am I excused simply because I have roots there? Oh Capitalism. What are the implications in representing my culture as fashion, is the financial or aesthetic trade off worth it? What do you think?

Smiles :)

Tuly Maimouna

R&S: Condom Earrings!

Ever since I was in high school I have been stacked with condoms. I used to keep them in my locker at school and give them out to students when they asked. And despite some peoples total delusion and denial toward young people and sex, there was (and still is) a really positive response to being able to get them in a judgement free way. I have stood out on streets giving out condoms, distributed them at events, parades, house parties, given boxes as house warming gifts to university students, birthday presents, carried bags of them across the world to friends who didn't have any, I even collect condoms from different conferences & places I have been in the world. In short condoms have kind of always been a part of my life both sexually and non-sexually.

Recently I decided that condoms can be, and should be jewelry! This came about as a solution for expired condoms. Condoms should never be used after their expiry date! So I can’t very well give them to people, as the latex from which they are made has more than likely deteriorated making them more susceptible to breakage…ultimately defeating the purpose of using them.

I have worked in several AIDS service organizations (ASO) & community health centers (CHC) and I have seen more condoms thrown in the garbage than I care to acknowledge. So when I was looking through my distribution stash at home for expired condoms, I just couldn't bring myself to throw them all in the trash! So as a recycle & save project (R&S) I decided to re-purpose condoms in a way that they do not have to strictly be used for sexual experiences. They can be used to make a statement, start conversations, or normalize condom carrying in non-threatening, and more importantly fashionable way! They are really easy to make, do not require many materials and since condom packages come in all kinds of fancy colours and designs now a days you can seriously have a lot of inexpensive fun with this! 

Materials:

Instructions:

1. Assemble materials
2. Poke a hole at the top of condom package
3. Use needle nose pliers to open jump ring
4. insert jump into into hole in condom package
5. Use jewelry cutter to cut desired length of link chain
6. attach cut link chain to jump ring and close
7. Open bottom of fishhook attachment with pliers to attach to unattached end of link chain
8. close bottom of fishhook attachment

Thats it!

even my plants <3 condoms!

xcited about condoms

My approach to sexual health isn't to bombard people with information in a fear mongering way, but to make it fun and accessible. If someone on the street sees me wearing these earrings and it gets them thinking or talking with their social networks then I think that is one step closer to challenging the shame & silence that has so far been of no help.

If you live in the Toronto, Ontario area here are a few places you can get FREE condoms and FREE HIV rapid tests. You do not need to have a health card or be referred to access these services!

West Toronto:

Rexdale Community Health Centre

8 Taber Road

Phone: (416) 744-0066

Jane Street Clinic

662 Jane Street

Phone: (416) 338-7272

Crossways Clinic

2340 Dundas Street West

Phone: (416) 392-0999

Central Toronto:

The Talk Shop

5110 Yonge Street

Phone: (416) 338-7000

Hassle Free Clinic

66 Gerrard St E

Work: 416 922-0566

Central Toronto Community Health Center

168 Bathurst Street

(416) 703-8482

                         Women's Health in Women's Hands                          

2 Carlton Street, Suite 500

416-593-7655

East Toronto:
Scarborough Sexual Health Clinic

180 Borough Drive

Phone: (416) 338-7438

Very Important Note: Do not poke holes into condoms you want to use for sex...

Smiles :)
Tuly Maimouna

R&S: Takataka an ode to Meja Ngeti

Takataka
[tak-ah-tak-ah]
Bottle cap necklace

When I was in east Africa anytime I went out friends they would always ask with a look of slight disgust "why are you picking garbage up off the floor?" without confidence and shifting eyes I would reply "...I want to make something..."  In reality I had no idea why I was picking bottle caps up off of the floor when I thought no one was looking, but it really did seem right at the time. On my trip back home I was acquainted with a rather strange but charismatic major in the Kenyan air force who we always addressed as Meja Ngeti. Now Meja Ngeti while obnoxious in his own right was whole heatedly generous, when we hadn't eaten and were hungry he fed us, he provided advice to young men and challenged them to think seriously about themselves, he avidly demanded that I was respected as a lady but mostly he bought us drinks...a whole lot of drinks. Now that I think about it, I am actually not sure if his obnoxiousness can be attributed to him having a few too many, but none the less his company was always a pleasure.

On one of our many encounters Meja Ngeti taught me a really cool trick, how to open a bottle of beer with another beer bottle. With every round that would come to our table he would tell the barmaid to leave them all closed and insist that I open everyone's beer. You might wonder why this newly acquired skill mattered so much to me. Well, as soon as I mastered the skill I was from then on able to collect bottle caps in a discreet fashion! I no longer had to pick them up off them floor, I just popped the caps off and put them in my pocket free of disgusted looks. Sadly, not long after I returned to Canada I heard that he had passed away, so to Meja Ngeti, asante sana kwa chaluka tamu, moto ama baridi tutakunyuwi White Cap, Sumit, Tusker, Pilsner na Amarula kwa wewe. I am sure he would be proud to see how far my beer-on-beer opening skills have come.

Yesterday as an ode to Meja Ngeti I felt inspired to make a R&S takataka 'garbage' necklace with all the bottle caps I collected on my many adventures with him, as well as some random ( and delicious) beer drinking adventures I had on my own facilitated with the help of the bottle opening skill he passed down to me. 

Materials!

It was a really simple process! I recycled an old link chain in my box of stuff and used my jewelry making supplies (pliers, jump rings & hole punch) to get this project popping.You can buy all the materials at the dollar store or your local beading store. You can get like me and sneak bottle caps from the floor into your pocket at the pub when no one is looking, or...drink dozens of beers for their caps? You'll have to get creative with that part and figure out what works for you. 

Instructions:
1. Assemble all materials
2. Flatten bottle caps with mini pliers
3. Use one hole punch to punch a hole at the top of the bottle cap
4. Use mini pliers to open jump ring & attach the bottle caps to link chain 
5. Fiddle with it to get it to sit how you want it to
Thats it!

Final Product!

  
I now get to wear all of my favorite beers on my neck! I was told it makes me look like a drunkard, but this simple project that costed me nothing but time to make means so much more than that. To Meja Ngeti, where ever you are thank you for your kindness and welcoming nature. It was a pleasure knowing you and may you have found peace and an abundance of blessings. 

Smiles :)

Tuly Maimouna

Shags: Ode to a Village Bar

SHAGS
Bamboo Bead Necklace
$20.00

Ever since I was young I always wanted to have one of those bead curtains. I think they are absolutely tantalizing! About five months ago my friend and I came across them and it was like a childhood dream come true! I snatched one up and hurried home to hang it up. When my mom saw it she said dryly with a look of distaste 'it reminds me of something you'd find in an old village bar' Dreams crushed I took it down and lay it to rest...until recently. I decided that if I couldn't hang it lavishly in my doorway I would hang it from my neck. I hesitantly cut off the beautifully strung beads and made an array of necklaces and earrings, and this is one of the many final products! As an ode to a lost childhood dream and some old village bar charm, I have appropriately called this necklace shags which is the slang word for 'village' in my mother tongue of Gikuyu. 

Now I get to carry a little bit of childhood fancy with me!

Smiles :)

Tuly Maimouna

Meno: Eco-friendly?

MENO
[meh-no]
$20.00
wooden necklace w/ teeth

 I was recently approached by a classmate of mine who asked me to make some pieces for an organization she works for. They are looking support local crafts persons who make eco-friendly products. I was surprised to be approached because I have never really thought of my products as eco-friendly, but after a short conversation I realized that being 'eco-friendly' is a large concept that encompasses many different components. If you have been following my blog for a while y'all know how I feel about recycling and saving, but my point of view was more from personal economics. I never thought that being broke helped to reduce my environmental footprint! 

Instead of throwing away a necklace of mine that had broken, I decided to take it's best parts and make something new! I love wooden beads, they have a beautiful look that no other material has. This recycled black and white double stranded necklace is detailed with four teeth, so I decided to call it meno which in kiswahili means 'teeth'. I like to wear this on days when I am feeling fierce! 

Now, not only am I saving money & looking fly, but through reusing existing materials I am to a small degree reducing my personal eco-footprint!

Reduce, reuse & look fly!

Tuly Maimouna

Duwara: Full circle

When I was in Nairobi, Kenya late last year I was staying in Eastlands mlango kubwa (big door) with a friend and both of my cameras, her camcorder and all our money was stolen...how unfortunate! But as my mom told me "it was baptism by fire" so I can now call myself a true Kenyan. You have to laugh about the situation, but be thankful that we are both still alive and well. So as a result of this loss the quality of my pictures has decreased significantly, but ultimately I'm flooded with pleasant memories every time I try to take pictures of the new stuff I have made. I have learned that it's the memories, people and experiences that make us, not the things that we acquire along the way. So in regards to that, I have been feeling like I have come full circle this year. The people I have met, the places I have been and the experiences I have experienced have all been blessings in full view. It has been such a privilege to feel the rough edges chipping away to me becoming a well rounded individual, and getting closer to realizing who I am and what I appreciate in life.  So this creation reflects that.

Duwara earrings are bright, bold, and so lightweight I even forget I am wearing them. I only make one of each pair and design so they are really one of a kind!

Duwara
[do-wah-rah]
Circle earring

  Also circles just look really cute!

Smiles :) 

Tuly Maimouna

P.S I also have to note that these earrings were inspired by the beautiful designs of Luz Arte who is making crochet jewelry inspired by Spring's flowers, nature and color, check her out!

Shamili

-Shamili-
$15.00
beaded earrings
materials: bamboo
size: o/s

My newest creation on my oldest model, isn't she's wonderful?

Smiles :)

Tuly Maimouna

Daraja

Daraja [Dah-Rah-jah]
$25.00
Pendant and Earrings
Materials: Bamboo beads
Size: o/s

When I was about 8 my aunt bought me this Jazzy Jewelry kit. It was this box filled with beads and attachments for making earnings, bracelets and what have you. At the time I was thoroughly unimpressed, but smiled in false appreciation none the less. Now check me out!

Smiles :)

Tuly Maimouna

Broke? R&S!

     I've been thinking about this idea that the way you start your year dictates the following events throughout the course of the year. Does that include being broke? Almost two months into the year, my bank account still isn't saying much, and the dent I made in my savings running all over the world is still very real. I swear every time I open or close my wallet I hear an echo...therefore, my swahili phrase of the year thus far has been 'Ah la! Mimi sina pesa!' meaning 'Oh gosh! I don`t have any money!' So I've resolved as a means of saving and decreasing debt, to not spend a single cent (Can I say that? Canada stopped producing cents Feb. 4th of this year) on buying clothes, shoes or jewelry. Now I know you're asking, 'Guuurrrrllll how you gonna do that?' Easy!

Broke+Imagination = Recycle & Save

     So here is what happened, my favourite faux gold earrings started to rust (LOL) so I had to get rid of them, right? So wrong! Coupled with being too broke to afford a new pair I decided to make entirely new ones! It is a really simple do it yourself project (DIY) or what I like to call recycle and save (R&S) project.

Materials:

1. Hoop earrings

2. Cloth of choice (I used Kente)

3. Hemp string (Optional)

4. Hot glue gun OR crazy glue

Instructions
1. Cut a length of cloth long enough to wrap around the entire hoop

2. Dab a wee bit of glue on the hoop (near the backing of the earring), press and hold the end of the cloth there and ensure it sticks!

3. Begin to wrap the length of cloth around the hoop (If you are using cloth with a pattern remember to make sure you are wrapping it in a way the the pattern is visible!)

4. Once you get to the other end of the hoop, again, dab a bit of glue on the end, press and hold the cloth and ensure it sticks!
5. Wear and look fly

END!

Optional: If you choose to use hemp as i did follow the exact same procedure

     Remember to be creative and make em as extraordinary as you like! Add beads, things that dangle...whatever! Then you can be as obnoxious as you'd like when someone asks you where you got em from! Who cares? Well think of it this way;

 1. You saved your wallet about $10,
2. You (to a very small degree) reduced your ecological footprint by recycling

3. You now have your own customized jewelry

4. You saved your wallet about $10!!!

So whether you're broke (like me) or you're simply looking for some new swag remember, anything can be an R&S project you just have to add some imaginative flavour.

My R&S Hoop Earrings

Happy crafting & saving!

Smiles :)

Tuly Maimouna