mug shots with Skinny laMinx

Hello everyone! Last week I jumped at the chance to participate in a creative workshop with the lovely Heather Moore in her cosy Skinny laMinx studio. Heather provided plain white ceramic mugs, scissors & a selection of her Skinny transfer-printed designs in pretty colours. Then she instructed us cut, soak & stick to our heart’s content, creating our very own unique patterns on the mugs.

The process was super simple… just choose the elements you fancy, cut them out and soak for a short time in water…

then apply the motif to the mug and press out any excess water, taking care not to move the transfer around too much. Heather will soon take our mugs to be fired in a kiln, after which they’ll ready for their first teabag. Because tea always tastes better in a mug, right?


The Skinny laMinx studio is lovely to work in. Heather draws inspiration from her surroundings and these gorgeous books and vintage Scandi fabrics are the perfect creative catalyst for her prints.




all photos my own.

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!

Elle Decoration SA

hello friends! I’ve been a bit busy lately with this lovely course and it’s also school holidays, so not too much time to read my favourite magazines. When I did have a few spare minutes to catch up on my dearest mags, the June/July issue from Elle Decoration SA really grabbed my attention. The art of slow living and the back to basics concept truly resonated with me. Life can at times go at such a frenetic pace that we lose the ability to slow down and take in the beauty around us. I photographed several features from the issue and gave them some instagram love…

This Shinda Chair, made of recycled car tyres by Jeanette Gibson, is a beauty… so delicate but with purpose. And Isabella of Natural Applications uses macramé, crochet and knitting to revive the art of fibre craft and tell a story…

The inimitable Jackie Burger, one of South Africa’s style icons and the fabulous editor of Elle SA, has a healing hideaway in the Karoo to where she can retreat for some quiet time. The catharsis of this pleasantly slow & rustically rustig part of our beautiful country is as incomparable as Jackie herself..

Elle Decoration finds inspiration from the colours of the earth and the quiet beauty of the Karoo…

The hot pink accents from this home in Amsterdam made me smile…

and this authentic Flemish farmhouse in Belgium is marvellously refreshing…

A favourite home in the issue is one in Sweden with its soothing palette of bare white, natural accents of wood and a variety of greens…

a really lovely home!

So if you haven’t yet read this copy of Elle Decoration SA, don’t delay that restful inspiration which lies within its covers…

all images my own.

dress up corner #9

A little stripe-inspired Dress Up Corner for you today, featuring 3 gorgeous pieces from one of my favourite eye-candy stores La Garconne and a stylish monochromatic interior.

1.Proenza Schouler /Long Sleeve Henley T-Shirt 

2.Acne /Pistol Short Boot 

3.3.1 Phillip Lim /Tailored Natural Slub Trouser

interior images from Decor8

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

ethereal

Natalia Grzybowski’s Hybrid collection of floral prints & origami-inspired silhouettes creates a tranquil tale of ethereal serenity in this exclusive editorial for Fashion Gone Rogue. The delicate balance of style & nature is beautifully captured by Sydney-based photographer Mikael Wardhana. Such a peaceful yet striking editorial.