Former teacher empowers others through creativity

Marjolein Gamble is a former pre-primary and primary school teacher who was inspired by a fondness for creativity to create sustainable products and empower local workers.

Marjolein Gamble has made a living from her pencil drawn greeting cards, as above, and shweshwe fashion designs. Most of her products are made from recyclable materials. (Image: Carte-Blanche.com)

Marjolein Gamble started with blank cards on which she drew with colour pencils and printed on recycled local paper. This is where the name ‘Carte-Blanche’ came from. According to the Oxford dictionary, this French term means “a blank piece of paper to be filled in as the possessor pleases”.

Today Gamble sells a variety of products such as: artistic blank greeting cards; notebooks made from recycled card and paper; shweshwe shoulder bags; reversible peak hats, shirts and shorts; shweshwe and canvas aprons; printed shoulder bags; and decorative glow in the dark shapes.

Sustainability is the key focus for Carte-Blanche and Gamble sources locally manufactured and environmentally friendly materials.

Carte-Blanche is in its infancy but already creates a lot of regular work and employs a few locals on a part-time and contract basis.

Carte-Blanche invites you to buy good quality products and clothes which are affordable, artistic and which support our local artisans and resources.

Their website is www.carteblanchecards.com. 

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