designer showcase: character design

Name: Sam Fout
Claim to fame: Animation, Cartooning and Character Design
Location:  Columbus, OH, United States
Website: http://www.moontoadproductions.blogspot.com/

designer showcase: paper work

Name:  Filippo Perin
Claim to fame: Character and Toy Design
Location:  Conegliano, Italy
Website: http://www.behance.net/philtoys

designer showcase: beautiful illustration

Name: Leandro Lima
Claim to fame: Illustrator, Digital Artist and Designer
Location:  Milan, Italy
Website: http://www.leandro-lima.com

yummy roast chicken

Last night I finally made something I've been dying to try for so long now... a good old roast chicken. Yes, I know, why have I waited so long, it's really not rocket science to cook a chicken, but it was just one of those dishes I've been intimidated to try. So I thought "Enough is enough", asked everyone I know how they do theirs and went for it. I use my friend Samara's recipe. You simply mix some fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, basically whatever you have at hand) into some butter, part the skin from the breasts and stuff that in there. I also halved a lemon and put it into the cavity with some more rosemary and then just cooked it in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

I am proud to say that it came out great and I will definitely be doing it again soon. The image in this post isn't our chicken as we devoured it before I'd even thought to take a picture :)

only 2 weeks left :D

I can't believe there are only 2 weeks til our wedding. Time is really flying by now!

this & that by Oh Joy!

I've really gotten into the blogging thing the last couple of months and there are so many great blogs that I'm following at the moment. I love opening my google reader first thing in the morning, before all the hard work starts, and just having a look as the great things my fav bloggers are posting. One of my new favs is Oh Joy! and I just love these this & that posts. It must take so long us to find exactly the right images to combine.

mirror image

This is such an amazing photo.

the golden bunny

I've been going through quite a bit of work and wedding stress the last while and was feeling a bit down today. So my wonderful, amazing and always intuitive fiancé bought me one of these little darlings :). It instantly brightened up my day. There's nothing that a little love from your guy (and a lot of chocolate) can't cure.

designer showcase

I love surfing around on deviantart.com for design inspiration and to admire all the amazing artists out there. So I've decided to showcase some of what I find. Check out this designer...

Name: Johathan Haggard
Claim to fame: Designer & Photogarpher
Location: San Francisco, CA
Website: http://jonathanhaggard.com

cute kids wallpaper

I love wallpaper, and even though it is quite pricey, I promised myself that I would have at least one wall in our home wallpapered one day (when we finally own our own home). Isn't this just so cute for a kid room? Absolutely adorable!

more beautiful things from amenity

I really want some of this linen. Pity we don't get it here otherwise it would go on our wedding registry ;)

Fields

Kasteelberg Clouds

Riebeek West Sky

“I think that the ideal space must contain elements of 

magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery."
Luis Barragan

sushi and cocktails

Rudi and I went to Tank, in the Cape Quarters, yesterday for a late lunch. I've been dying to try it out as I've heard good things about it and I just love the ambiance of the place. And yesterday it was wonderfully quiet.



We were so happy to discover that the sushi and cocktails were all half price from 12am to 6pm, so I had the opportunity to order some of the more expensive sushi that I normally wouldn't.



The sushi was definitely the best I've had in a long time. Those two dipping sauces in the pic just made it. The one was sweet chili and the other a honey glaze. With the wasabi, ginger and soy sauce it was just amazing. We will be going back there as soon as possible.



The cocktails were also yummy. All in all it was a great way to spend Sunday afternoon.

flame

Rudi found a very cool app on the net and I've been having loads of fun with it. Go check out all the funky effects you can create. http://www.escapemotions.com/experiments/flame

crocs: are they evil or are they a little piece of heaven for your feet

I was always one of those people that believed that crocs should never be worn out in public, under any circumstance. I would look at those around me wearing those hideous pieces of footwear, sometimes decorating them with little butterfly's and flowers, and wonder "even if they are supposed to be so unbelievably comfortable, who would want to be seen dead in something that looks like it belongs in a old age home or hospital?".

But then crocs got with the program and actually came out with something that I would proudly wear. And after umming and ahing about buying them for more than a year now (because even though they are really cute, they are still crocs) I finally got myself a pair yesterday. And yes, they are unbelievably comfortable... and at least these are also cute.

DIY - create your own bokeh

An interesting article on how to create your own boke. Now if only I had the right lens to try this out with

3 weeks and counting

Only 3 more weeks till our wedding *grin*

wedding preparations

It's been a busy week for wedding stuff. Tuesday we went to see our wonderful photographer, Lizelle Lotter, in Stellenbosch to discuss the final timing for our photos on our wedding day.

Wednesday I went to have eyelash extensions put in. I really like how they came out, but after lying there and not being able to open my eyes for 2 1/2 hours I don't think I'll do that again fast.

Thursday I went for my first Body Stress Release session and I must say I really think it worked. I'll have to go back for a few more sessions to sort out all my back problems (from sitting in front of the pc all day), but I already feel a difference.

And Friday me and my mom went to Malmsbury to do my hair trial. I love how it turned out and it's really a no fuss hairstyle that won't be bugging me the whole day.

Between all of this I've been designing and printing the rest of our wedding stationery, so it's been a busy busy week.

web comic: hanna is not a boy's name

I love good illustration and I was very pleased to find this comic by Tessa Stone, which is full of wonderful colour combos and great typography. It's worth checking out if you're into "sugarcoated horror".

http://hanna.aftertorque.com

tv favs

Just a silly post about some of my fav tv shows at the moment. Here they are, in no particular order:

The Big Bang Theory
The Fringe
House
How I met your mother
Supernatural
Battlestar Galactica
Californication
Being Human
and True Blood

DIY flower containers

Another wonderful post on the Wedding Chicks blog. It's amazing what you can do yourself when it comes to wedding decor. It doesn't have to cost a fortune, but it can still look amazing.

bridal showers & buttons

The Wedding Chicks is one of my fav wedding related blogs and I visit it almost everyday. I was absolutely delighted to find this gorgeous button inspired bridal shower, seeing I'm just a little obsessed with buttons at the moment. Aren't all these things just so cute.

tea

“Where there's tea there's hope.”

Arthur W. Pinero

I love a good cup of tea, and Rudi makes the best! Even our dogs love tea. There's nothing like a warm cup full to make life a little better.

lust haves

There are a few things that I am coveting at the moment. The first is new decor for our bedroom. Isn't this beautiful? It comes from an American company called Amenity, but with the duvets costing somewhere between $20 and $30 I'll never own one of these lovely sets. I also don't really have any spare cash to work on decor projects, with the wedding just around the corner, but I really want to try and do something about our room and soon, as I believe that a bedroom should be a sanctuary and it should be filled with beautiful things and luxurious fabrics to make you feel at peace.



The second is a new hairstyle. I've been growing my hair out for the wedding, but I am so sick of it I can't wait to cut it. I've decided on a bob and I'll be cutting it the week after our wedding. It's going to be so nice not having to deal with my mop of hair



And the third thing is some furniture from Mokki. I know that their furniture is for kids and teenagers, but I love their use of colour and their desks and drawers are just so great. Maybe one day I'll be able to buy some for our office.

Weekend Overview

This weekend was very relaxed. Rudi's dad came to visit us and we took him to see my mom and dads new house. They arrived on Friday and are now officially Capetonians. I don't think it has sunk in for them yet, but I'm so happy to have them here.

We drove out to Stellenbosch on Sunday and it was a beautiful day. I absolutely love this town and I'm very glad I had the opportunity to study there.

Other than that we just took it easy.



The flowers Rudi planted for me are in full bloom :)



And I did some baking too. I love to bake, but don't do it too often anymore as I've got a bit of an allergy to wheat and I can't find any decent wheat free recipes.

wedding hair

Next friday I'm going to have my hair and make-up trial for the wedding, so I've been doing some research into what kind of styles I'd live. The above are my farourite :)

alice in wonderland

Just Brilliant

1 month to go :)

Just a month to go to the wedding! I can't believe it, the time has just flown by. Rudi and I have been engaged for more than 15 months now. When he asked me to marry him (on the 22.12.2008 out on one of the farm road under the brilliant stars in Colesberg) I thought that we would never get any closer to the wedding, it was so far in the future. But here we are, just a month away.

Yesterday we went to choose what my bouquet should look like, see some of the decor that we are hiring and taste our cup cakes. I think Rudi enjoyed that the most :), especially seeing we are having creme soda flavoured cup cakes (Rudi's favourite drink). I'm so excited finally seeing how everything is coming together and I just know we are going to have an amazing wedding.

rest & relaxation in betty's bay

{view from the stoep}

Rudi and I had the best weekend filled with a lot of sleep, reading in bed and not doing much else. We left for our weekend away at lunch time on Friday and took the scenic route. When we got to our guest house we sat on the stoep and drank lots of really good red wine (Robert's Rock). We then went out for supper at the Whaling Station just down the road, drank some more red wine, ate great seafood and chatted away.

{view from our bed}

On Saturday we woke up pretty early, but we decided to stay in bed and read. So we opened the curtains and the sliding door that looks our onto the sea and spent the rest of the morning in bed. What bliss!



Saturday afternoon we took a walk on the beach and then it was back to the guesthouse. We had a braai and watched the sun go down and when the wind came up we grabbed out nice down duvet, cuddled up under it together and watched the stars.

{Pringle Bay}

Sunday on our way back home we stopped in at Pringle Bay and saw this amazing house. I just love it! I'd like to see what it look like inside and how it looks with the shutters open.



All in all it was a wonderful weekend and we'll definitely do it again soon.

{Romanza Self Catering Guest House}

cute & fluffy

This photo makes me feel very peaceful. And it's so cute

wedding and whatnot

I've been a busy bee this week with all the final design stuff for the wedding. I've still got a lot of cutting out to do, but at least most of it is designed and printed. I had a lot of fun doing all the design and I just let my self enjoy it and didn't get too crazy about making it perfect. If I'd given myself half a chance I would have spent months on the design and driven myself batty. But I'm really happy with how it's all turned out.



Then the notice board I made a couple of months ago finally has some stuff on it (all from the design indaba). I wanted to do a paper cut-out background for the board, with birds and trees and clouds, but I'm glad I just left it plain as it works so well now. Hopefully I'll get a few more things to stick up on it soon.



I bought myself some bead flowers from a street vendor awhile ago and I've been hunting for the perfect vase for them. I only have 3 stems and I needed a vase that had a really narrow neck to keep them all together. I finally found just the right on at @home this week, and best of all, it was marked down half price.



The flowers Rudi planted for me have been growing and they finally, after having survived two Betsie digging attacks (why she has to dig in a pot is beyond me)they have little buds on them. I'm hoping they'll bloom soon.

Well, it's almost the weekend and I'm really looking forward to lots of rest and relaxation. We're off to Betty's Bay tomorrow and I can't wait :)