flavour of the month: July

I can’t believe it’s already time for another Flavour of the Month & another round up of what I’ve been up to on Instagram… July whizzed by and as we slip, slide away into the final half of the year, those of us having fun in the southern hemisphere are delighted to slip into summer. Yellow has really been catching my eye lately: aren’t these pendant lamps from Entrepo just gorgeous? And it’s difficult to ignore these madeforeachother stripes in my local parking garage…

Gemma Orkin’s cheerful handmade ceramics adorn a sunny yellow wall in Melissa’s food shop at the V&A while a healthy dose of vitamin C will hopefully keep the flu away.

There’s nothing like a bit of blue sky after the rain to entice those bright spring colours out of the wardrobe…

But I am a self-confessed lover of the monochrome… I even think I dream in black & white. I love my windmill ceramic brooch by talented local artist Tamarillo and I bought squid-ink spaghetti the other day which was darkly delicious! 

A stylish sketch by Cape Town illustrator Lauren Fowler and a set of these monochrome Bono mugs are definitely on my wish list. They say sticks & stones may break your bones, but words (& stripes) will never harm you… my consistent love of horizontal lines & the written word will always make me cheerful…

I adore finding unexpected beauty amongst the random & ordinary: oxidised metal and a determined little fern finding its niche in a wall of brick…

I spent an entire afternoon creating this cool light installation in my son’s room. He loves it but complains it keeps him awake… go figure! If you’re local & find yourself free on a Friday night with an empty tummy, then head down to the Blue Blue Garage market in Muizenberg for great atmosphere & delicious food.

I love Cape Town and am pleased to call this beautiful city home. My amazing husband & I celebrated 12 years of marriage on Sunday and spent our anniversary in the picturesque seaside town of Hermanus. A great way to end the month!

sneak peek: press play

join me for some fun & whimsy over at Freeworld Design Centre with my latest guest post… you’ll want to jump straight in & play.

Snap! 17

a soft minty, grey & yellow Snap! for you today… I’ve always loved the combination of grey with pretty much any pastel colour (must be the 80’s fashion memories from my youth) and this triangle trio necklace finds a friend in a pair of stripy knitted mittens. have a great day!

love Charlotte Love

A few weeks ago I caught sight of the talented & super lovely work of Charlotte Love over at the equally lovely Creature Comforts blog. I bookmarked her pastel & ice-cream inspired test shoot by photographer Jonathan Gooch so that I could share it with you here.

Charlotte is an illustrator & assistant interior stylist who also has a fab online shop appropriately named Charlotte Love’s Little Shop of Lovely…

her gorgeous cards are also…lovely!

hope this puts a little pastel inspiration in your Friday today. Happy Weekend friends!

you make me blush!

did you catch my post for Freeworld Design Centre last week?

Such a pretty shade of pink... blush. This magazine tear out of a rosy pink-cheeked model with sweetly braided hair was the inspiration behind this post. Blush is still feminine, but more neutral and natural than your typical girly shade of pink. Isn’t this rose-gold "M" mirrored light gorgeous? I think it would suit me just fine!

A great pair of brocade shorts teamed with a neutral blush palette seem like the perfect match for these sweet brogues. And I’ve always loved the idea of displaying vintage frocks on bamboo ladders since they’re far too pretty to be stuck in the closet.

This peter pan collared blouse strikes the perfect balance between feminine charm and classic simplicity, while the uncomplicated white crockery in this painted display cabinet makes a vintage statement in a delicate shade of pink.

A perfect polka dot knit is toughed up with a leather biker jacket and this softly sorbet pink shade on the walls is making me melt!

A gorgeous backless dress makes a ladylike expression of confidence and this softly serene room is the ideal match for this stylish lady…

One of my favourite bloggers, Jeanette Lunde, has the prettiest lounge...

and I’m smitten with this blush leather bag...so chic. It’s hard to resist a work space as neutral as this...

And this adorable red-head knows how to rock this dusty pink frock. *blush*

flavour of the month: June

Flavour of the month for June was inspired by these little neon post-it tags. They’re brilliant when you find inspiration in magazines and need to mark the page and I use them all the time. I added a neon pink tag to my shelf arrangement, keeping company with that lovely vintage spool of hot pink cotton, and most of you liked this on instagram!

The protea, one of my favourite indigenous South African flowers, sent more hot pink my way with their vivid petals. And how sweet is this little decorative birdhouse from The Space?

The cover of the July issue of Vogue UK is also popping with colour… a perfect match for this cheerful bunch of poppies which brightened up my workspace. They’re such happy flowers… another favourite of mine!

Up on my inspiration board this month are a variety of images and objects. I’m loving these cool aqua shades at the moment, tinged with lavender and green.

Craig from The Lobby Hair Shop at the Woodstock Foundry [the beautifully refurbished 100-year old heritage building you have to visit] gave me an amazing new do… a great chop to start off the new season.

And as the Cape winter begins with plenty of rain, it’s important to take heart; it wont last forever.

We love walking and cycling in the Tokai Forest and this handy rustic tree swing always provides entertainment for my boys, the apple[s] of my eye…

A fun app for the iPhone is Pocketbooth… you can see my youngest and I playing the fool. Good times.

My much-loved black & white chevron, adorning an entire wall in my studio, makes a striking statement alongside this laser-cut felt runner hung over the white door.

And a wonderfully relaxing weekend to Arniston rounds off our month of June… roll on July!

all images my own

click over to see my flavour of the month for April & May

Snap! 14

we know that the Cape winter is upon us when we I consciously go searching for images featuring chocolate…

…be it the warm, rich chocolate colour of a cashmere knit or the real yummy deal of these decadent chocolate doughnuts…

yum!

sneak peek: you make me blush!

hello everyone… please pop across to Freeworld Design Centre today for my latest guest post. It might make you blush too… *smile*

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ship shape

It’s been one of those days… busy as a bee and on-the-go all day. But I’m just popping in to share a dash of colour and a few shapes with you.

These prints full of pattern and colour from The Print Shop make me want to do a little happy dance. I’d imagine they would look amazing collaged on the wall together with other style prints, perhaps more delicate illustrations or some retro designed artwork…

have a good afternoon and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!

plum crazy

Last week my plum crazy post for Freeworld Design Centre was fruity and delicious…

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We’re not just talking about any old purple here. We’re talking about that deliciously dusty shade of purple called plum. It’s more intense and brooding than purple and it seems as if nature quite fancies this shade too. Imagine the delicate skin of a ripe fig or the powdery plumpness of a... plum. Visualise the last sip of a fine merlot still in your wine glass, or your stained fingers after picking mulberries. It’s that luscious berry shade, but slightly darker and more mysterious.

It’s a beautiful colour to wear and to use in your home, especially as the weather turns cooler and the season mellows into winter.

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Snap! #13

hello everyone. Those delicious plum shades from yesterday’s guest post seem to be creeping into this Snap! today. It’s raining cats & dogs in Cape Town today and this painting reminds me of a misty morning along a river. A neat row of gorgeous shiny Volkswagen Beetles is the perfect colour match in a retro palette.

Have a look at the rest of my Snap! series here.