30 Skirts in 30 Days: #26 Paisley Blossoms

Good Wednesday afternoon to you! I had the longest, deepest sleep last night and with the lovely rain coming down through the morning, I feel quite creative today. Only problem is, I have so many half projects and so many new one that I want to start, that I find myself a bit lost. I decided to start here, just because my photo's are edited and ready to be posted.

Today's skirt is an old favourite which I cannot get rid of. Every time I  throw it out, I end up packing it back into my cupboard.   

 -maybe I should add a belt to this outfit to round it off, or take it in at the waist…I don't know. Something about this skirt has made me want to throw it out numerous times. What do you think? Should I keep it or chuck it?-

-I think the reason I've been holding on to it, could be because of the pretty pattern. Another paisley/floral mixture, only this time it looks like the offspring of the two. Paisley Flowers-

~This skirt is made of 97% Cotton and 3% Spandex, which makes it a bit stretchy yet it feels very stark. I found it at Mr. Price too long ago~

Have a good Wednesday!

   

30 Skirts in 30 Days: #25 Oh So Boho!

Hiya friends! Well, I just realised something about this year. It doesn't matter how hard I've tried to plan, organise or schedule, life just kinda took over everything this year! I  had such awesome things to share, my challenges, my projects, a Christmas Collection…I wanted to start my personalised advent calendar on the 1st of December….but nooooo! I was struck down hard! Last week, our neighbours decided to start picking on us. We are the quietest people in our complex! We keep to ourselves as much as we can, consider other people in everything we do and don't complain about every little thing… Except, now, after months of an open dustbin door right in front of our kitchen window and cockroaches coming in beneath our front door… we had to complain. And now we're paying for asking that the door be kept closed, as stated in the complex rules.

Then Yesterday I was knocked out with the worst migraine I've had in years…. but what can you do? There are far worst thing happening to other people as we speak! We just have to be thankful and go on with our lives. I just want to apologise for my posts not being as constant as I wanted them to be. Hopefully next year will be better.

So without further a due… here is Skirt #25! 

 -This is such a bold skirt that I sometimes feel intimidated by it, It almost feels like I have to be in a real gutsy mood to wear it. It is also very difficult to create an outfit around it. I found this lovely silk camisole at our local Hospice shop and it turns out these two items really like each other-

-this skirt is of pure cotton and can be a bit warm for our summer days as it has three layers. The print is a confusion of modern paisleys and floral patterns. It is finished off with a satin sash which makes it pair well with my silk cami. I found this skirt at Legit about 5 years ago, it's still new as I've only worn it a few times-

When I put this outfit together, I felt an instant Boho-vibe, I quite like the outcome! I've always admired  Gypsy attire and Hippy fashion, so this is my version of Boho-inspired fashion.

-Happy Monday-

Project a Day: #24 Itty Bitty Bunny

Earlier this year, Natasha (Bamboo Blossom) gave me this really cute Crochet book for making children's clothes, toys and accessories. This is the very first pattern I used from this book. 

 -BUNNY!-

 -I put the translation of the name of the book in the description on the photo above-

-the patterns in this book are really cute and will come in handy with all our friends having babies this year and the next. I sure have a lot of gifting to do-

-some detail shots, so you can see how cute this little bugger really is. This was a very quick and easy pattern to follow. I added the little furry tail, as the pattern didn't have one. And what's a bunny without a bushy tail-

Happy Tuesday

30 Skirts in 30 Days: #24 Orange Cut-out

Okay, so yesterday was just not my day! Today was almost better… still I really do not actually feel up to blogging right now. But I have to, I've just got to suck it up and DO IT! So here goes…

Sunday was the loveliest sunny day. We haven't had many of those, after the flood two weekends ago it started raining again today. I love the rain, rainy days, the smell of wet soil, the desire to cuddle up with my crochet and a good old movie… I'm just a little concerned right now. Our area isn't used too so much rain in the summer, there's been a lot of water damage after only one weekend and now it's raining again!

Where was I? Oh yes, the skirt, right! Sunday was a lovely sunny day…

 -I've had this skirt for so long, I can't even remember where I bought it, the tag says Free Clothing. I think that's an Edgars brand. Anyway, it's a super cute little skirt with cut-out, embroidered details and a scalloped hem! What more can I say… oh, it's made of pure cotton and has a scallop-hemmed lining-

-Isn't that hem just the cutest? I not for our windy weather, I would probably wear this skirt a lot more often-

So that's it! I did it, my post is done! Have a great Tuesday:)

30 Skirts in 30 Days: #23 High Waisted and Gathered

What a beautiful Sunday we are having. The sun is shining with all it's might, there's a light breeze and it is roasting out! We'll probably go down to the beach a bit later. I just quickly wanted to share yesterday's skirt with you guys. Like many of my skirts, I found this one at Mr.Price a few years ago. It's made of 100% Viscose, as you well know is my favourite dress fabric! The tiny polkadots are designed in a random scatter, making it quite different to any other polka dotted prints I've seen.  

- I simply love, how this skirt adds vintage flair to any outfit. It light and feminine and I love wearing it. You can dress this skirt up or down for any occasion-

Ps. I will be posting todays skirt sometime tonight

Enjoy your Sunday, hope your doing something fun today!

Project a Day: #23 Removable Tea Shelf

Hello, there friends! So, I've been wanting to do this project for a while now. Living in a rented home is quite restrictive as we cannot change any fixtures. Our kitchen cupboards are built quite impractical, their deep and high but small. So what happens is everything is heaped up onto one level and you can never find anything. I then decided to make a little removable shelf that would fit perfectly inside the cupboard. Obviously I had to seek help as I don't have and wood working tools. So I went to my dad with the measurements and came home with a raw shelf made of old reclaimed wood he had lying around. I covered the shelf with self-adhesive paper and was a very happy chappy! 

 -I had to remove the existing shelf to get my shelf in and the put the original back again. it work perfectly and look so much neater-

-I simply love how it turned out, even Dave likes it-

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

30 Skirts in 30 Days: #22 Pinstripe Pencil Skirt

Hey friends, a very quick post before I go sleep… Enjoy your weekend! 

-this skirt is a perfect fit, I bought it at Mr. Price a few years ago. The style is so retro! I love wearing it but as you can see it has one great flaw…it creases like crazy :( this is from me sitting in front of the Mac working the whole day-

-have a lovely weekend-

Project a Day: #22 DIY Fishy Earrings

Happy Friday, Friends! I decided to make a DIY tuto of today's project as it is the quickest, easiest one there is! These earrings were inspired by Poppy's Dinosaur earrings in the movie Happy Go Lucky. We were out shopping and I spotted a plastic shop, I never pass one of these without having a browse through the entire shop. You never know what awesomeness could be hiding somewhere in plain site! Needless to say, we went into this particular one and I came across these cute toy plastic fish, just as I put them back on the shelf, I though: "these would make crazy cool earrings!" So I bought for little guys to make two pairs of earring with.

To make your very own pair of Fishy Earrings, you will need:

* a pair of cutesy plastic fish

* 2 jump rings

* 2 earring hooks

* 2 pairs of pliers

* a candle

* an old, thick needle

Step 1: Using a pair of pliers, heat up your needle over the lit candle.

Step 2: Aim the needle at the position where you want to make your hole, hold steady and push the needle through you fishy's fin.

Step 3: Using two pairs of pliers(one in each hand) to carefully open your jump ring. Hook the jump ring through the hole in your fishy, adding your earring hook, close the jump ring and you're done! 

Now repeat steps 1 through 3 for the other earring and you've got a pair :)

-aren't they cute? hope you enjoy making your own-

-Happy Friday-

  

Project a Day: #21 Crochet Coral Necklace

Hey there, just a quick project. I came across this half finished crochet necklace when I unpacked my beads box recently. Thought it was high time I finished it, so I did. I used a simple crochet chain stitch for the beaded parts(having strung the beads onto my crochet cotton before hand). The pretty "border" part is from a crochet book Dave's mom and dad gave me quite a number of years ago called, Hekel - Die volledige handleiding vir Suid Afrika. This translates to Crochet - The complete guide for South Africa by Heidi Fuchs and Maria Natter. This book was originally publish in German. 

-it does kinda remind me of The Little Mermaid…what do you think?-

I love crochet, it's such a versatile technique! What's your favourite technique?

30 Skirts in 30 Days: #21 Navaho High-low

Happy Thursday, Friends! It's almost weekend! I am devouring a Caramel Aero as we speak, so to say, ha! With NCIS playing in the background, man I love this series! So, back to business…

Skirt #21, I shared this skirt with you quite a while ago already here. It's just such an awesome skirt, I just had to include it in my challenge. I must say, I like this outfit better than the old one.

 -my pretty skirt is from Ackermans, it so flowy and light. I love everything about this skirt-

-I'm crazy for anything Vintage. I don't think a day goes by that I don't have something Vintage added to my outfit. The belt I'm wearing is a genuine leather, Vintage belt my Aunt gave me. She wore it back in the 1970's. What style or era do you like to add or base your outfits on?

-leave a comment below, I'd love to know your thoughts-

Project a Day: #20 Crochet Project Bag

So Project #20 is not quite finished yet, it's taking quite a bit longer than I thought. Also, taking into account that I left it lying dormant for more than a month. I started on it again this past weekend and will post the final result soon, I hope. 

 -apparently this motive is also called a Sunburst Granny Square, pattern found here. I really like how this motive looks and feels-

-The bag I'm using is from when I bought the fabric for my wedding dress. It's a sturdy Hessian bag with a plastic layer on the inside. Both the purple yarns are from a previously frogged project. I can't wait to finish this project as I would love to flaunt it around town-

-There are always ways to beautify old and ugly things, you just need to think on your feet and be on the lookout for ideas and inspiration. Which is all around us, we just need to observe and take note of those ideas that often fly right past us-

-Happy Creating-

30 Skirts in 30 Days: #20 Twisted Bubble

And so the challenge continues. As you well know, I have been struggling with Blogger's block and since it's the busiest time of the year… Let's just say it's not easy to be creative when you're in a funk and you have a backload of design jobs waiting to be handed over to clients. 

For some reason I woke up this morning thinking it's time I finish my challenges and when I started to plan it out I realised that I was picking up exactly where I left off. My last skirt from my 30 Skirts in 30 Days was #19 and today is the 20th, so here is skirt #20.

 -this is possibly the cutest little skirt I own, sadly I have only worn it out about twice. It's not an easy wear and it's difficult to pair when it comes to putting an outfit together-

-I found this little skirt at Mr. Price a long time ago. It's still brand new as I haven't really worn it. I was first drawn to this skirt because of it's unique design. It's a bubble skirt with cross over pleats and a twisted waist band. It's really cute and I hope to wear it more often in the future-

-enjoy the rest of your Wednessday-

Suzanne Vega Came to South Africa!

I couldn't believe it when I first found out! The very first time I saw a poster advertise the event, I didn't even think that it was for real, that Suzanne Vega was coming to South Africa! I first heard Luka played on the radio when I was just a little girl. A few years later, I was mesmerised by Tom's Diner (found on one of my dad's mix-tapes) just to find out it was the same artist, Suzanne Vega. I remember rewinding and playing and rewinding and playing Tom's Diner over and over again on my walkman. Many years went past and I met my high school BFF, Katinka, and we were both into the oldies, classic rock, rock, alternative and more. So one day I visited her on their farm and she took me into their parents room where her dad kept his record player and his record collection. We listened to Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and then she put this record on, Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing. Wow, we just lay on the bed listening to this record, it was amazing! Her song writing skills are so… I'm speechless right now. Her songs take me to a far off place in my imagination, it seems like each and every one is an episode I've lived and relived in my mind.

So now, can you imagine how completely surprised I was to here that she would be performing at the Paul Cluver Amphitheatre not far from where we stay?! I bought tickets right away and dragged Dave with me, a week before the show I heard it was sold out, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have gotten tickets!

 -we have been living in Hermanus for three and a half years now and have never been to this amazing venue! how crazy is that? It is about a 20min drive from our place. The Amphitheatre is situated on the Paul Cluver Wine Estate's land and has recently been rebranded as Hope@Paul Cluver. What an amazing experience! Suzanne Vega was the kick-off of their Summer Festival which run through to Feb. next year. You can pack a picnic basket and they advise you to take warm clothes and blankets. They don't allow alcohol as they supply wine and beer, they also had food available for those who don't like packing their own food. I thought it even more amazing to do the picnic thing-

 -so exited for the show to start, Dave bought us a bottle of Paul Cluver Pinot Noir. Boy, was it delicious! When we got there(two hours before the show was to start) all the seats down the middle had already been taken. Luckily for us we got this "side" seating right at the stage-

 -the supporting artist, Nakhane Touré, a young and up-coming South African musician from Port Elizabeth, was quite something to watch. Unfortunately his sound was a bit on the loud side and as we sat right in front of the speakers we got terrible distortion and couldn't hear the lyrics. Other than that I was rather surprised at his style of music and quite enjoyed his performance. I would like to see him perform again but with better sound-

-the man above right,  Charl van Heyningen, is the man responsible for Suzanne Vega coming to South Africa-

 -and there she was! what an extraordinary woman! she is so talented. She brought guitarist Gerry Leonard with her(standing next to her on stage, above)-

-I don't know what more to say, it was one of the best days of my life! I don't think any words could describe what an amazing experience this was for me! …and Dave said he enjoyed it too:)

  

Outfit Love: The perfect dress for a High Tea

Ah, I used to share my Outfit Love on Tuesdays before I started with all my 30's challenges (of which two of them I still need to complete). This one was taken on the day we had our High Tea at Delau Wellness Centre.

-I found this dress mid-winter, at one of our local charity shops, Rotary Ann's. It seems to be a 1950's style dress with a bit of a sailor theme to it. The fabric still looks brand new, like it's never been worn and stored well. The brand is Manhattan and it is my size! I couldn't believe it! I know I should probably take the hem in, I just thought it looked more vintage to leave it the was it is. What do you think? To hem or not to hem…that is the question-

Well, my Tuesday is gone now, hope you had a good one!

A High Tea and a Serious Case of Bloggers Block

Oh No! October is gone! I missed my Birthday month completely :( I have prepared some posts but just couldn't get to blogging… has that happened to any of you before? The one month I have tons to blog about and I just can't get myself so far as to write the posts.

So today, Dave is working late, again. So I've been spending my Friday nights with the gals over at the Tiny Owl Knit group on Ravelry. Stephanie from Tiny Owl Knits gives away a free pdf pattern every Friday. They call it Free-Pattern-Friday. Anyway, I'll share that some other time…what I really wanted to share with you about two weeks ago is the High Tea I attended at Delau Wellness Center. I was joined by my friends Lily and Natasha (Bamboo Blossom).

  -Ah, my lovely Friends! Lily(left) & Natasha(right)-

-There were treats galore! From red velvet cake to Crème brûlée. Hazelnut Coffee…and all kinds of yummy flavoured teas! It was so nice to be there, meet new ladies and stuff ourselves with delicious sweetness-

  

-Thanks to Karien Louw Schutz, owner of  Delau Wellness Centre right here in Hermanus. We had a great time and would gladly do it again!

Be sure to follow the links to both Bamboo Blossom and Delau for more about these lovely people

Have a great day!

Lucky Friday Finds #10

Hey Friends! It's been so long! Coming back from holiday, I was totally swamped! So Much has happened in the past 5 weeks! But I will share it all with you in future posts!

Today is my Lucky Friday Finds, feature, where I share with you awesome things, products and goodies that I find all over the place! Sometimes, I have found that you get the most awesome stuff in the most unlikely places!

I have been looking all over for a nice pair of gumboots. There are a few places who sell them in our area, but I never seem to get my size and if I do their simply to ugly. Thus, I have been searching for about three years to get the right pair. Gumboots are a necessity here in Hermanus and our surrounding areas if you like walking and spending time outside during our rainy winter season. And sometimes in the summer as well, like today and the rest of the weekend. I love the rain, the smell and the cosy atmosphere. So, with my tea brewing, I thought to quickly share my awesome gumboots with you!

 -Guess where I found them? At our local Agrimark, the last place I would have looked for printed gumboots! They were a bit expensive for gumboots so I decided to leave them and then Dave got them for me as a present! How awesome is this?! They are perfect. The day he got them for me was a sunny day so I couldn't where them. But then we had a whole week of rainy whether and I wore them every day that week! ...and I wearing them again today! Yay!-

-Aren't they just lovely? and cosy and comfy and practical... all thanks to my Dave!-

Have a lovely Friday and a wonderful weekend