More from Dear Rae Jewellery. Lucky me!

Some time ago (it was October 2010) I ordered a ring from Dear Rae and received a beautiful, charming silver and brass ring and the friendliest service imaginable. I was really smitten. So when I started following Dear Rae on Facebook and saw that they were making gold heart earrings, I just couldn't believe the coincidence. I had been looking for gold heart earrings for months and these fitted the bill perfectly. I wasted no time in placing an order and again I received the friendliest service and the fastest delivery ever. And, as it happens, they were having a promotion, so I also received a linen shopping bag with my earrings. The earrings had their own box and came with care instructions and even a cleaning cloth.

Dear Rae Jewellery

Tea and happiness

Following a trip to the UK where I became converted to drinking tea (preferably loose-leaf tea which tastes the greatest), my best friend bought me a special tea pot for my birthday. It has a built-in tea strainer so I can use my loose-leaf tea and it makes at least three mugs of tea. Perfect!

Teatime is anytime.

because

Feeling sheepish

I'm totally in love with the products from Herdy and isn't this the cutest sheep you have ever seen?

January in the Lake District is wonderfully un-crowded but I was disappointed to find that the Herdy shop was closed. The B&B where we stayed had these Herdy mugs.

The Herdy company also donates a percentage of their profit to the herdyfund which promotes conservation of the Herdwick sheep and upland fell farming.

Hand-made Christmas gift

I bought this last year for my aunt and have finally made it up in time to give it to her for Christmas.

Utterly cute!

I've actually been looking for decent bookends for some time (while jars of marbles act as stand-ins). Today by chance I saw this from Fred & Pickles and it is just too cute.

Getting crafty

A little while ago I was lucky enough to visit Fat Tuesday in Kloof where I treated myself to (amongst other things) a cool set of postmark stamps. I hurriedly used them on some gift wrap to justify their purchase. Future plans for the stamps include more gift wrap and some birthday cards.

A postscript (if you will): the UNISA logo is not one of the stamps. It's just me recycling a very old envelope.

A gift

I thought this little tea caddy was so cute that I just had to get it for my niece who will be going off to University soon. 

I've always loved the robin redbreast as he's such a cheerful looking fellow.

Don't miss this...

Ez at Creature Comforts blog has created this (free) magazine filled with gift ideas. It's also got a few really lovely (free) downloads for anyone to use at Christmastime. Yesterday I spent a happy few hours browsing through the magazine (excellent layout, by the way) and today I'm going to be taking a closer look at some of the suppliers showcased in the magazine. Here http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/gifted-magazine you can enjoy some relaxed and easy Christmas shopping and inspiration. No crowds, no queues, no noise, no problems!

Shopping and writer's block

Today, right in front of me and blocking my way, is writer's block. My mind is very very busy and stringing together a coherent sentence is proving to be an impossible task. So instead of the usual text-supported by image, it is my pleasure to present (as the circus-master says) some images supported by text.

Last Wednesday, while out looking for new Globe chairs (the centre chair in the photo below)...

I popped into Caboodle at 106 Bulwer Road and got a chance to catch up with Denise from Freshly Found. She has so many charming crochet items and I fell in love with this excellent crochet bracelet which hopped into my bag and came home with me. 

Talking with Denise got me all fired up about the i heart market on Saturday where I bought this ceramic trinket box with the little heart and miniature roses. 

To my surprise and delight, the inside of the lid has a repeat of the pattern that is embossed on the outside of the box.

The market was wonderful. We were treated to music and singing while we shopped (what could be better) and the whole school was buzzing with activity.

Creativity in bucketfuls

These birdie characters are handmade by Abigail Brown in London. Her website describes her as "creature textile designer extraordinaire" and her bird sculptures are so lifelike and characterful that I have to agree. They are made with a fabric body, a wire frame, wire legs and feet and their feathers are coloured scraps of fabric. I found out about her through a lovely article in the September 2011 issue of BBC Homes & Antiques magazine (the magazine itself receives a rave review here on the Cuptake Couture website). These little fellows (particularly the robin) are at the top of my Christmas wishlist.

I'm so excited...It's time for The Package Project 2011

Nadia from Cupcake Couture is calling for participants in this year's project which basically creates links between bloggers in realtime and via snail mail by swapping packages that are put together with thought, love and care. As an experiment in social networking, last year's project was a huge success and was featured on the Frankie blog, PSFK, Google Blogs of Note and Trend Central to name a few. This year the lovely Nadia is aiming to go international, so I'm alerting friends, family and blog followers worldwide!! I've sent her my email (deadline 15 October - check out her website for comprehensive details) and I'm already dreaming up possibilities to go in my package...

Counting my blessings

I was groaning to my best friend about the tedium of the washing and then reminded my little egotistical self that I should be grateful for so many things both related to the fact that I can do the washing and live the life that I am living.

I am grateful for (in no particular order, other than the order in which they occur to me):

• tea
• writing
• being able to grumble and groan to my best friend without her telling me to take a reality-check
• internet access (and related technology, laptop, phone, etc)
• my very very dear friends
• the love of my life
• my family (and his)
• science and medicine
• music
• home
• clean sheets
• fresh air
• drinkable tap water
• having a love of books and reading
• nail polish
• having "an education"
• The Body Shop
• spellcheck and autocorrect (most of the time)
• fruit

Actually, when I get right down to it there are a limitless number of things for which I am grateful. While looking for a suitable image for this post, I came across a "Blessings Jar" which (as the name suggests) is a jar with ten small heart-shaped pieces of card. You write your blessings on the cards and when you're feeling blue (Phil Collins' "Groovy Kind of Love" pops into my head just there) you re-read your blessings. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to do the same with this post though that was not my intention when I started it.

A true friend is the one who knows everything about you and still loves you

Won't you be my Valentine?

I've always thought that Valentine's Day is commercialised even more than Christmas. Those folks over at Hallmark must be laughing all the way to the bank. Yesterday, I saw single red roses selling for R15.99. It seems that there's this huge pressure on just this one day for people to declare their love (which is measured by how much money was spent).  My husband and I meet for lunch every week and those 52 lunches are worth much more to me than an hour in February spent shopping for jewelry, perfume, flowers or a card.

PLEASE NOTE: This image is not real.
It has been created using computer graphics software.
No cherubs were harmed in the making of this photo.

Still holding on and holding out, but in the meantime...

While my heart remains stuck in my throat waiting for the results of my friend's blood tests, I'm thinking of some lines from Macbeth which often pop into my head: "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day" William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, scene 5. These lines manage to describe exactly how I feel when waiting for the results of something important. It's as though time is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out. 

Meanwhile (in other news) I visited I ❤ Market on Saturday, and must say that it was super-cool. I got some great gifts for family and friends and got this "Blogging Tea & Cupcakes" badge (left) for myself from Cupcake Couture who also presented me with one of her ribbon rosettes in exchange for the buttons for her Button Hunt. The crocheted headband bought from Freshly Found (right) will be a gift for my niece when we eventually get our trip to the UK planned. I chose the butterfly because my husband photographs insects (macro photography) and so the gift represents both him and me.

The Package Project rides again

I was thoroughly disappointed when I found that I had joined the blogosphere too late to participate in last year's Package Project, a spectacular, amazing, awesome, super cool (sub zero) initiative by Cupcake Couture.

Explanation directly from The Package Project website: The Package Project is an exchange aimed to connect bloggers around the world and to grow the blogging community even further. It is all about swopping pretty packages and handmade delights. The packaging only makes the exchange more fun so get creative...strings, manila tags and ribbons galore. Each package must be a joy to receive and each time you do receive one...pop out your camera and snap away. This way we all get to share in a bit of your excitement.

The book I've coveted for a while now is mine at last

My husband (who understands my monthly splurge on British Vogue) bought me "The Faces of Fashion Vogue Model" that I've longed for since I first saw it mentioned (I think in Vogue magazine itself).

I've only started to read it but what I've seen so far has been really good. It's not just the models who are currently at the peak of their profession, but rather a who's who of fashion models since the concept of using live models to, ahem, "model" clothes was started. These women were initially known as "mannequins" which seems to me to dehumanize them, but looking at the photos (excellent reproduction by the way) of the early models/mannequins with their haughty, sneering looks for the camera, I can see that they were giving expression to an ideal of high fashion and perhaps in that sense the word mannequin is apt.

There isn't a portfolio of pics for each model, sometimes there's only one photo and the accompanying page of text. However, the text is masterfully written and gives real insight into the model as a working woman and an individual with her own interpretation of what the work means.

Saturday's i heart market

Wow! The market was packed with people and stallholders and it was super awesome to be there. I am completely in love with the fact that almost everything is handmade and all so very original. Kudos to Anna and Saki for the concept of the market and for keeping it fresh.

So, I was supposed to be looking for gifts to go into my homemade Christmas crackers, but I ended up buying so much more. I bought:

This bib by Black Sheep for my friend's baby girl.

One of these paper heart chains from Hey Cherry

These beautiful words and phrases magnets from little mud hut designs

This Glad Tidings wood heart from Deidré Curren of Greenhouse Design
to decorate the centre of my Christmas wreath

And these, from iKhaya, are for my Christmas crackers