Dad

12 years ago today my dad passed away. He committed suicide after suffering from severe depression and my life has never been the same since. As a child, I was very close to my dad, I was his little girl and we shared many precious moments together that I will forever hold close to my heart. He used to wake me up early and we would sit and drink our tea together in the morning before anyone else was awake, telling each other stories and laughing together. Whilst I would trade a great deal to have him back for just a moment, I have grown and learnt a lot from his death. The emotions that revealed themselves on the day he died never really did go away, they just became less prominent and learning to deal with those emotions in a healthy way has been both my greatest challenge and accomplishment in my life so far. You cannot describe in words how it feels to lose someone close to your heart and there are days when I would trade my entire world just to see him for one more chat over a cup of tea, but I have come to accept his death, forgive him for his decision and continue to uphold his memory. I hope that I have made you proud Dad, I love you very much and I miss you every day.  

We get by with a little help from our friends

So today was rather successful. After a bit of photographic creativity in the morning, I was invited to join my mum and her friends for lunch. I am extremely close to my mum and get on with her and her friends very well. They are an absolute laugh and there is nothing like a girls lunch to get you in a cheerful spirit. I sat across the table from four beautiful women picturing myself staring at my own best friends some 30 years later, reminiscing about the good and the bad times and finding a reason to laugh through it all. It’s wonderful what you can learn from someone older than you, someone whose been there done that and can give you advice on finding your own way through the world. Women especially, are such wonderful teachers, there is a delicate grace in which they pass down their knowledge and as a young woman myself, I am more than eager to receive all the advice that I can get. What inspired me most about today’s lunch was hearing these women’s stories and then looking at the way they have handled all their trials and tribulations. From cheating husbands, horrible divorces, cancer, burglaries and all the other hardships that come with life, they have still managed to maintain a positive spirit (with a little help from a bottle of wine and some gin and tonic) and have emerged from those struggles with a courage, bravery and strength that is an admirable quality in any woman. It was inspiring to see how even despite the hardships that they may be facing on a daily basis, they are still able to come together and help each other laugh about it all. That what friends are for, I guess, they lift you up when you are down and keep you there. They are aways there for you, even if you only see them years at a time, and are always happy to remind you of the beauty and strength that lies within your soul. The gift of friendship is a wonderful gift, one of the best, and I can’t wait to experience my life alongside the wonderful people I call my friends and sit across a table in 30 years time and remember what a laugh we all had and will continue having.  

“Friendship is like peeing in your pants, not everyone can see it but only you can feel the true warmth”

Just some Friday loves. . . .

Andrew Berry Photography

I saw this on we-are-awesome.com/blog and I couldn't resist re-posting it! I love these images and think the are so beautifully inspiring. A new and wonderful look at fashion photography!

From Here

Kate Spade New York: "Our Spin on the Pinwheel"

In true Kate Spade Fashion: Live your life coloufully everybody :)

Have a beautiful day!

From Here

Dreamer

Ever catch yourself starring out of the window, your mind wondering around thoughts that have no particular connection to what you were actually or should actually be doing? It happens to me often, more often than not in fact, although my thoughts don’t always dance around other thoughts, they kind of just sit still, I really like to just not think sometimes, it calms me. That however is the problem, when I’m really stressed, I go into my ‘calming’ mode and I just completely zone out. I sit there, completely motionless, staring out the window, thinking about nothing in particular and I end up just letting my work load pile on. I’m a Pisces, so therefore a dreamer by definition, I can sit for hours completely entertained by the wonderful thoughts that fill my mind, or those that don’t, I can browse the internet for hours, allowing things to catch my eye, inspire me and then lead me to dream of a million more things, a chain reaction that leaves me quite frankly exhausted but I love it. I think one’s ability to think and to sit quietly with one’s own thoughts is so beautifully magical. Your private thoughts are so wonderful because they are just that, private. They are thoughts that no one will ever know, unless you share them of course, and it is those private conversations, that we so often have with ourselves, that I truly feel are what get some people through their day. I am surrounded by amazing people and I love to spend time with them but I believe that it is not until one is able to sit quietly with their thoughts and converse with them, that they have ‘discovered’ themselves and the beauty that comes with truly knowing yourself, who are and who you want to be. Discovering who you are comes with allowing your mind to tell you who it wants to be and what thrills it, it comes with listening.  So I dedicate this post to all the dreamers out there, to all those playful thoughts, those wishes upon stars and those private conversations. People may look at us and assume that we are unable to concentrate on what’s in front of us but only we know that that’s not the case, we just happen to find our thoughts more entertaining! Keep dreaming, keep believing and keep inspiring yourself to think!

The new Confezioni Crosby Spring/Summer Collection 2012

I am utterly obsessed and inspired by this brand and their beautiful collection. A 60's baby at heart, I love the retro yet modern twist that each outfit has and the spring feel brings sheer thrill to my sun starved body! If only New York was just around the corner. . .

From Here

I Am Eleven

So, I completely missed 11.11.11 today. Instead of lifting my feet and making a wish, I was biting my lips and receiving a lovely Vitamin B12 injection. Now, for those of you poor souls who have ever received one, you will know that they are bloody painful. Not something, that you want to experience often and whilst they do make you feel better, they leave you with a rather bruised rear end, not ideal, for someone who spends their day sitting on a chair...mmmhhh. But I made a wish anyway, about an hour later, assuming that it would be 11.11.11 somewhere else in the world and the wish gods would understand my plea. So, considering I can’t share my wish with you, for fear it may no longer come true, I have decided to share something else with you that truly touched my heart. It is a documentary made by an Australian mum named Genevieve Bailey that showcases the thoughts and feelings of a group of culturally and physically diverse eleven year old children. Despite having their age in common, they share with the audience their opinions on the world we live in, opinions that are extremely mature and reasoned for children who you would expect to be so young and naive. Whilst the video that I have attached is only a preview for the actual documentary it leaves you with a better understanding of the children who will inherit our world, both our successes and our failures. The reason, I am so touched by this film is because I consider myself to be very much a member of the youth of today’s society, a society that I too believe has become more about the achievement of wealth and power than the achievement of mutual respect and love.  This is a very powerful film, a film that showcases how aware our youth are, no matter what their gender or background, and how their personalities will one day find themselves in a world that will hopefully find itself along with them.

Have a look here to read more about the film 

Africa, I can see you from here.

I am a South African, born and bred. My heart is embedded deep in the African roots and I consider this beautiful continent to be far more than just my home, she is my soul mate. You would think, considering my love for this place that I would have done a fast amount of travelling in it, but sigh, that is not even near the truth, besides having recently ventured across to Thailand my travelling history comprised of. . . . well not much really. I have explored my home town of Cape Town as much as possible and I have seen what there is of Johannesburg and East London, but other than that, I have been forced to view revolving pictures of the places I dream to visit. I’m a pretty free spirited person at heart; I love adventure and the thrill of new experiences and most importantly I LOVE to travel. Even though, I haven’t seen much of the world, it took nothing more than a trip to Thailand for me to get a serious bite from the travel bug and it’s safe to say that I can no longer stand to be in one place for long, all I want to do is see, taste, explore and experience, I desperately want to travel. So, it was whilst planning my next overseas trip to Italy, that I stumbled upon a fact that I was, well, quite humiliated to realise. I began to wonder why I, and so many other young first time travellers, are so desperate to travel overseas before even exploring their own countries or better yet, the countries that make up their own continent. I am so desperate to leave home but I haven’t even given myself the opportunity to explore my own back yard. I live in one of the most culturally and physically diverse continents in the world, where every square inch is filled with beauty and wonder and I haven’t even seen it yet. So, it was with this realisation that I decided to put Italy on hold and began planning a three week trip to my neighbouring countries in an effort to not only discover what Africa has to offer but to release the inner African in me. A true “roughing it” experience is in the works which let’s be honest, doesn’t comprise of much, so this could possibly be one of the cheapest holidays I’ll ever embark on. Score. To be honest though, I really am unbelievably excited. I recently read a book called the “Elephant Whisperer” written by Lawrence Anthony about his journey with a group of “unruly” elephants that ended up on his game reserve after he was the only one who would take them and save them from a devastating fate. He formed a bond with these elephants that is like no other I have ever heard of, he was able to not only communicate with these animals but he gained their trust and their loyalty, a true feat with a herd of wild animals. The book touched a place in my heart and I haven’t been able to shake the feeling since. Now, besides desperate to see elephants, all I want to do is smell the African bush and feel the environment that houses those beautiful creatures. So, out come the old tents, sleeping bags and plastic mugs. . . I’m sure this will be one hell of an adventure and I will fill you in on its progress. 

I love this collaboration with Mint Clothing and Olga Kotova.

Images from here

Happy Birthday Mom

Hello

So, isn't it just too ironic how I decided to finally start a blog as a means to fill my spare time during the week that ends up been the busiest I've had in a while. Anyway, my fingers are back to pounding the keyboard and man does it feel good. Today’s post is dedicated to my lovely mum who celebrated her, dare I say it, 60^th Birthday last week. I would like to state for the record that she is the most gorgeous 60 year old I have ever seen and doesn't look a day over 45 ,but never the less, it was a milestone that had to be celebrated. I credit myself for being the one who kept her so young all these years. ;) In a way, that only my family can, we put together the most fantastic party in our garden, filled with blue fairy lights, sushi, champagne and a group of the most entertaining people; it truly was the most magical evening.  My mum, has been through a lot; losing my dad, surviving breast cancer, raising a family on her own, building up a now very successful flower business to name a few, have been some of the challenges the she has so courageously endured. To say that I am extremely proud of her, is putting it mildly. She is my rock in every way and is constantly inspiring me with her beauty, grace and passion for life. She lives each day to its fullest and manages to put a smile on every face that comes in contact with her. She is beautiful in every sense of the word, and I owe her the world for everything she has sacrificed for me and for all that she has given me.  With that I say, never take advantage of the love that your mothers have for you, love them like you hope your children will in turn love you and never let them forget how much they have given you, for even if it hasn't been much, they gave you life and for that, you can be eternally grateful. Thank you, I love you mom.

Inspiring pen illustrations from Hope Gangloff

http://www.art-dept.com/illustration/gangloff/index.html

Beautiful Watercolour Paintings. pure talent

From Here

Tessa and the Typecast - Painter - My current obbsession

An introduction to the world of blogging.

Hello. so this is my first time at this and thanks to the help of my cousin, Emma, I am now officially a blogger. I love to write, it's one of my favorite things, and since leaving high school its probably one of the things i miss the most. I was the one who secretly grew with excitement as the teacher handed out the task of writing a 1000 word essay. I was never a fiction writer, in fact I hate creative writing, I even hate reading about creative writing. Although I can always appreciate the talent of someone who can write so beautifully about things I never could, I am a non fiction girl through and through. Considering how much I love to read and write about the lives of others, and myself, you would think I would have caught onto the blogging phenomenon far before I actually did, but sigh, I am only crossing over now, but like they say, better late than never. A little bit about myself. I am the youngest of three children and the only girl, a fact that I love due to the murder that I so often get away with because of it. I do however, have two cousins, Emma and Sarah, who I consider to be my sisters based on the fact that we have grown up together, sharing clothes, stories, likes and experiences that only sisters can. I have a wonderful family and the best friends, who enlighten my live with each beautiful day. I love art, music, photography, film and fashion amongst many others and I hope to share all of those with anyone who wishes to see it. I dedicate this blog and all the inspiration on it to the people who inspire and enrich my life on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy all that I have to say and share, my likes, my loves and my daily musings. . . and with that i say. . ."lets blog"