Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Update! Read All About It!
I very recently found the Chew Magazine... and seems I was a little late on the uptake, because the second one is now available. Download your copy NOW!
Stoned Again
Thanks to my newly-found fellow SA blogger, Mzansi Madame, I am loving Stoned Cherrie's Winter '08 collection.
Be sure to head over to the Lady From the South's site for more info, interviews and fun, and to Stoned Cherrie for more gorgeous, gorgeous style (as always).
Be sure to head over to the Lady From the South's site for more info, interviews and fun, and to Stoned Cherrie for more gorgeous, gorgeous style (as always).
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Mix It Up!
Ah, a little American phrase for a South African blog... my fellow blogger Bronwyn, has decided to give up her lovely blog, Smoke and Ochre, and start a fashion blog instead. Ooh! Can't wait to see what she gets up to!
To check it out visit, FashionAbility.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
How to Avoid Paying Excess Baggage When Flying
Start your own import business, of course!
Sharon and Ryan are two South Africans living in London, and found they were paying excess baggage fees every time they flew back from trips to South Africa. They just couldn't find the unique goods that they wanted in the UK. So, they decided to import what they wanted for themselves and other people who love goodies from the sunny Southern shores. Hence Urban Africa was born.
They have all sorts of fantastic things, from things for your home, yourself, and for your friends. Some of my favourites are the seagrass candle, kiddies' tshirts (this one is emblazoned with the label of a well known South African milk-based drink), wooden bowl (can't you imagine this on your dining table!?) and a range of glorious Rooibos products. (For those unfamiliar with Rooibos, it is a tea bush that grows in the Cape area of South Africa, which obviously makes tea, a delicious, earthy red tea- rooi bos is literally red bush- but also can be used in other natural products.)
A particular page on their website looks quite promising... it is entirely devoted to African Christmas decorations. My Christmas tree is decorated mostly in these decorations every year, so I'm glad to see it is available. You could add that extra magic to your festivities with angels, wire balls or beaded tealight candle holders.
And, of course, the thing that floats my boat the most, is that Urban Africa is also about giving back to the South African community. You can more about the people and projects that Urban Africa is involved with, and supports here.
The only snag I see is that as Urban Africa is quite new, they only sell in the UK at present. However, with such a great selection of goods I'm sure it won't be long before the business is up and running and exporting worldwide. So head on over there to see what lovely things you can get your hands on. There is also a competition to win some of things I featured today, so who knows? You might be lucky.
Sharon and Ryan are two South Africans living in London, and found they were paying excess baggage fees every time they flew back from trips to South Africa. They just couldn't find the unique goods that they wanted in the UK. So, they decided to import what they wanted for themselves and other people who love goodies from the sunny Southern shores. Hence Urban Africa was born.
They have all sorts of fantastic things, from things for your home, yourself, and for your friends. Some of my favourites are the seagrass candle, kiddies' tshirts (this one is emblazoned with the label of a well known South African milk-based drink), wooden bowl (can't you imagine this on your dining table!?) and a range of glorious Rooibos products. (For those unfamiliar with Rooibos, it is a tea bush that grows in the Cape area of South Africa, which obviously makes tea, a delicious, earthy red tea- rooi bos is literally red bush- but also can be used in other natural products.)
A particular page on their website looks quite promising... it is entirely devoted to African Christmas decorations. My Christmas tree is decorated mostly in these decorations every year, so I'm glad to see it is available. You could add that extra magic to your festivities with angels, wire balls or beaded tealight candle holders.
And, of course, the thing that floats my boat the most, is that Urban Africa is also about giving back to the South African community. You can more about the people and projects that Urban Africa is involved with, and supports here.
The only snag I see is that as Urban Africa is quite new, they only sell in the UK at present. However, with such a great selection of goods I'm sure it won't be long before the business is up and running and exporting worldwide. So head on over there to see what lovely things you can get your hands on. There is also a competition to win some of things I featured today, so who knows? You might be lucky.
New Links
I've just spent a little bit of time updating my blog roll, on the right of the screen. I quite often get tired of blogs that are written by navel-gazers, or are about acquiring stuff, so because I am a project-oriented person, a lot of the links are to people that make things, Southern Africans and others alike. I hope you find them as interesting and enjoyable as I do.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Re-Generate
I always love to see someone re-using what we already have in our world, or maybe using something ugly and making it beautiful.
Ryan Frank is a Cape Town-trained product designer living in London, and making inspired furniture. Can you see the millipede in the ishongololo chair (ishongololo is Zulu for millipede) and the chicken in the inkuku chair (you can find chickens made from plastic bags sold everywhere in South Africa)?
I also like that Ryan used graffiti to create the Hackney shelf...
To see more of how Ryan uses his past and present to create new products, check out his website.
As originally seen on SA Elle Deco's blog
Ryan Frank is a Cape Town-trained product designer living in London, and making inspired furniture. Can you see the millipede in the ishongololo chair (ishongololo is Zulu for millipede) and the chicken in the inkuku chair (you can find chickens made from plastic bags sold everywhere in South Africa)?
I also like that Ryan used graffiti to create the Hackney shelf...
To see more of how Ryan uses his past and present to create new products, check out his website.
As originally seen on SA Elle Deco's blog
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Chew-sy News
As you may know, besides running my little blog, I also work as a graphic designer and am completing a night programme in graphic design... so one could say it is one of my passions. Imagine my extreme joy today when I discovered The Chews Magazine, a magazine run by three South Africans, featuring YOU. Yep, its all driven by content sent in by readers.
I love magazines. says the editor on the first page of their first issue, And I love design. It is because of these two passions that Chew was born. The Chew team is a small three man, or rather two men and one woman, show. But you know what they say about small packages. Our dream is to give people the opportunity to send in their contributions, whether visual, verbal or interactive, and serve it up in Chew. It allows folks to experiment, explore and above all, to have fun – making this a magazine for you, by you. More importantly, it is a testament that dreams can and do come true :)
Sounds like my kind of people. Anyway, the first issue, The Dream Issue, is a feast for the eyes. There are ideas on fashion, places to stay all around the world, film, blogs, magazines, bicycles, artists... the list ... goes on!
Besides the fact that the magazine is entirely reader generated, it is only available online. You sign up on the web (great way to get your readership demographics!) and download a 53-page PDF of visual gorging. Sign up here. Halleluja.
I love magazines. says the editor on the first page of their first issue, And I love design. It is because of these two passions that Chew was born. The Chew team is a small three man, or rather two men and one woman, show. But you know what they say about small packages. Our dream is to give people the opportunity to send in their contributions, whether visual, verbal or interactive, and serve it up in Chew. It allows folks to experiment, explore and above all, to have fun – making this a magazine for you, by you. More importantly, it is a testament that dreams can and do come true :)
Sounds like my kind of people. Anyway, the first issue, The Dream Issue, is a feast for the eyes. There are ideas on fashion, places to stay all around the world, film, blogs, magazines, bicycles, artists... the list ... goes on!
Besides the fact that the magazine is entirely reader generated, it is only available online. You sign up on the web (great way to get your readership demographics!) and download a 53-page PDF of visual gorging. Sign up here. Halleluja.
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