Wedding things: Our invites

With the exception of a few people who we haven't yet had the chance to see, most of our guests have now received our wedding invites, which means I get to share them with you! {Also, the people who haven't received them yet aren't very big on social media, so no chance of them seeing it either ;) }

The invites were designed by the very talented Susan Brand from Susan Brand Designs. 

She was so patient and great! I love it!

{Please note that this is just for show and tell and should not be considered as an open invite}

Lovely, aren't they!?

Met Liefde {Interview}

When two creative minds met at a braai the flames for a new business started burning. Finding out that they lived in the same complex, they made the transition from acquaintances to friends to business partners. Met Liefde was born. I spoke to Lia and Claudia to find out more about their business.

C: It was wedding time for both of us, I had the wedding decor under control, but still needed stationary/invitations made. So who else than the wonderful & talented Lia (who is an amazing graphic designer) to design them. So Lia did me a huge favour, so when it came to her important day, I just returned the favour by lending her all my decor.

And the rest is history...

L: We just connected on a personal and creative level from the very start. We got excited about the same beautiful things and we both share a passion for hands on design and true creativity. We always said that ‘one day’ we are going to start a business together and not so long ago that one day actually arrived. It’s been a wonderful journey so far.

How long has Met Liefde been running?

C&L: We’ve been dreaming about it for about 2 years and only started putting the prettiness into action in Januray 2013, so its still a little baby!

What sort of products do you make? Do you also provide services?

C&L: We design & make table décor (for now). We have a lot of beautiful ideas that are still banked and we can’t wait to produce them all. Products include fabric runners & napkins, wood napkin rings, coasters, placemats & fridge magnets & also painted bamboo utensils.

We don’t provide laser cutting services, but if there is a special request for a product we’ll always try and make it happen. 

Where do you find inspiration for your creations?

C: Colours, blogs, photography, retro, nature & bunting. We bounce everything off each other & then after brainstorming we sometimes find the best ideas.

L: My brain collects creative information from everywhere, nature, magazines, blogs, travelling, good food, random conversations, colour and art. It then mixes it all up and stores it somewhere cosy where it grows into ideas. Every now and again I’ll get a brainwave out of the blue from my creative chamber then I quickly put the idea on paper and make it happen.

What are some of the challenges of being your own boss?

C: We are responsible for everything: hopes, dreams, finances and creative juice. This is our baby now & we have to carry & nurture it through teething problems etc.

L: We’re both juggling full time jobs and dreams at the moment, so I think it’s important not to lose sight of where we want to go with ‘met Liefde’ and work hard to make all our dreams a reality. There is so much still to learn and the best thing to do is to take it one challenge at a time! 

How do you perceive the South African creatives/design landscape?

L: I’m quite excited about what’s happening with local design at the moment. For a while the design scene has been taking off and it’s great to see that creatives aren’t nervous to start their own businesses and to follow their hearts and dreams anymore. They are not scared to take risks for what they believe in. It ‘s causing such an exciting movement in the cities and it’s spreading like a wild fire through the whole country. I’ve been to Italy and Switzerland recently and realised how much we as South African designers have to offer. South African design is at a very exciting place and growing rapidly. In a developing country there is a lot of opportunity and it’s great to see how the designers are using it!

What is your favourite colour/ material to work with, and why?

C: Beige/Grey/Blue/Green/Coral! Fabric (I studied fashion design & I get extremely inspired by fabrics & prints) the texture & feel is just amazing & wood (natural & nature, say no more)

L: I don’t have favourites, but I do get excited about interesting colour combinations that just ‘sing’ together be it brights or naturals. I love getting colour inspiration from nature. You can never go wrong by stealing a little from the Creator Himself ;)

What would you do if you won the lotto?

C&L: Quit everything else & just run this wonderful little gem. We would love to employ some people from the community & let them help us create something wonderful and truly South African. Creating jobs is definitely high on our priority list and close to our hearts.

Oh, and maybe a shopping spree, a trip around the world in a hot air balloon, free Gelato for everyone & world peace.

Where to from here?

L: Infinity & beyond! We want to go big, keep on creating and be innovating, make homes prettier, people happier, collaborate with other creatives and expand.

C: We are looking at more stores & markets where we can sell our products. Santos in Parkhurst is currently stocking ‘met Liefde’ products and we have a big market coming up in October – November. If you know of some amazing places & spaces, please let us know!

What has been your proudest moment since you started?

L: The amazing response that we’ve had so far! We’ve been able to connect with so many great people and met Liefde has been so very blessed from day one.

C: When our facebook page & all our images went up!!

...................

Met Liefde is currently running a giveaway on their facebook page. Check it out. 

Vovo Telo Bedfordview

Over the weekend, we were too lazy to cook food, or go and buy groceries. Also, I was a bit ill and didn't have an appetite, so we headed out to town in search for some grub and dropped in at quaint little bakery/coffeeshop Vovo Telo, only a few kilometres from our house.

I had a macchiato, in which I accidentally poured sweetener - it already had sugar in, while Flip had a humble old Coke. We both had poached eggs on a slice of rye toast. It was delicious. The shop also had freshly baked pastries that I would have eaten in an instant if I had not been ill. To sum it up, it was great! Enjoy a few photos from our visit, and if you ever see one, pop in! You'll be pleasantly surprised.

My favourite part about this Vovo Telo was all the bunnies. The shop manager told me that it wasn't just for Easter, but it was part of the shop's look and feel. I'm obsessed with bunnies! She also told me that the wire ones pictured below was bought from a street vendor close by. She lamented that wire art might disappear after a few years, but I think it's here to stay.

Moyo

On Saturday, my friend Idele and I decided to venture to Parkhurst for a sale at a shop that we will not mention here. We could not find what we were looking for and decided to find some edibles and a few drinks. One of my old favourites is the Zoo Lake Bowling Club, but after standing there for ten minutes and not even getting a glimpse from any of the waiters, we up and left for Moyo, which is just across the pond from the bowling club.

I would like to shout this piece out of utter excitement, but for the sake of keeping with my personal style rules, I will say it this way: What a fantastically fantastic place! This had been my first visit to the Moyo at Zoo Lake, partly because I never knew where it was situated, until I got lost on the way to the bowling club. Idele and I walked around for almost an hour gawking at the lovely African ornaments you can buy at the shop and then almost another hour just looking at the magical scenery of Moyo itself. It felt like I was almost back in a very modern Tanzania, but with an abundance in the Xhosa culture. The scenery was great, the food was yummy, the couches were oh-so-kick-your-shoes-off-and-relax and we even had our faces painted. Definitely a great place to hang out over weekends, or even have a bachelorette or wedding party!

(PS, on the day we were there Marie Claire had their Naked Issue celebration at the function venue and we tried to peer like little monkeys to see if we could spot famous people. They spotted us and we bolted. ha!)

Sotran

This shop I like. No, adore! No, love! The first time I put my feet in Sotran, I started crying because of a rocking horse. It imports furniture from countries such as Indonesia, India and other Asian countries and holds the key to my heart! The beau and I were looking for a plasma unit for our new flat in December and after walking through an astounding number of well known designer shops and not liking what we see, we eventually found our little piece of Bali-heaven, in the form of the most awesome plasma unit.

I really love this place! Let me explain. The other day, I won a R500 voucher from Sotran and I nearly started crying again. So another two trips to this lovely place and I walked away with these lovely ornaments. Just in time for my housewarming.

My blue bowl

Barbara-Anne, the crocodile

Inside Sotran:

 

 You can visit Sotran at its three branches located in Boksburg, Edenvale and Fourways.

Bull, handele, handele (or that other Spanish word)

Being the art opportunist (read copycat) that I am, I recently commissioned a friend of mine to paint me a Nguni bull on a beach. Thank you Jacky Kearns for this most beautiful piece of art!

I saw a painting at some art shop of a massive strong bull and had to have it, but the price tag read "You can't afford this even if you sell your liver." So,  I just went to MegaMica and bought a mega canvas for R300 and five days later this is what I've got:

Update: IT IS DONE!

How absolutely gorgeous is my bull? Love, love, love it :)

If only...

If I were ever allowed to have a credit card, this being banned by both the mother and the beau, I would be able to do such awesome shopperies. Such as these plates, from the etsy shop JimboBart.

 

Quiet strike

Owing to the rain, there has been absolutely no interesting events in my life, apart from me being sick on Sunday morning at 3:00 am and sitting in front of the telly, watching absurd shows and crying as I felt sorry for myself. We had a corporate braai on Saturday, for the beau's work, but it wasn't anything I ate or drank that made me sick. Oh, and there was this cute almost two-year-old who wanted me to pick her up and when I tried to put her down, she would start hollering like a cat in heat. It didn't bother me though, I think I am a bit broody at the moment, and if I were married and not six years shy of my goal age to become a mother, I would certainly have a baby now. They are just soooo freakin cute. We had one in the office this morning too, I nearly died, so pretty!

Well, to sidetrack my thoughts from my maternal instinct and premature motherhood, I will tell you about last year September, when the beau and I went to Phuket for a little breakaway.

Painting patch up

Yesterday, I gave my drawer cabinet its second coat, which it pretty much needed. But with all the rain pouring down in Johannesburg, I was in quite a hurry to finish painting and as I moved on to the last panel, I bumped the dustbin on which the can of paint was resting on. HORROR! Black paint strew all over my hands, legs, feet and the tiled floor I was painting on.

At first, my beau and I had a little laugh about it and I tried to salvage as much paint as I possibly could pick up with my paintbrush. And then I had a mini breakdown. While watching my boyfriend cleaning the mess, with a towel I had received as part of a set for my 21^st birthday, the tears just came flowing. I cried like an infant, feeling like the world’s biggest fuck up – fuck up covered in paint, that is. But thanks to the angel that is my lovely beau, the mess was cleaned up, and while tears still rolled down my face, he cleaned my hands with turpentine.

The cupboard is still not finished, as the rain hampered us to sand off the last three drawers. So, the

score is currently: one cabinet – painted; two drawers – painted; one drawer – standing miserably alone without any paint; three drawers – with all attachments and paint. Sigh!