Lifestyle - Inspired Living SA

4 Things I...., Featured Posts, Lifestyle

4 Things I…from Ché Kershaw

Today my featured blogger is local lass, Ché – “just Ché” as she is known by her beloved blog followers. She is proudly South African and has a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies Degree, specialising in Graphic and Communication Design. Ché has spent the last three years teaching English in South Korea. At present she is packing up her life to leave Korea and return to South Africa.

Ché writes one of my favourite blogs “indieBerries” which is unusual, fresh and extremely witty – a great mix of fun and inspiration! It has put a smile on my face on many a bad day, not to forget her truly inspired cartoons.

[quote style=”1″]“indie Berries” is the perfect combination of all things lovely. I hope you enjoy the feast…[/quote]

Ché loves to laugh, make others laugh and loves red wine (red wine mmm….something we definitely have in common!) She spends her time taking pictures, blowing up stuff in the microwave and drawing epic cartoons. 🙂

4 Things I will miss about Korea…

The delicious Korean food.

The awkward English which is EVERYWHERE.*

The beautiful stationery and art stores on just about every corner.

The complete and utter randomness of Korea.

Thank you Ché for sharing your “4 Things I” – with us! I wish you safe travels back to South Africa and look forward to many more inspired posts on indieBerries!

Images: Ché from indieBerries

Planning Your Dream Wedding

Weddings like people come in all shapes and sizes. Every girl fantasizes about planning her Dream Wedding, pretty much from the time she is born the dream begins. The dress, the cake, the flowers – there are so many things at play and someone needs to co-ordinate it all. Having planned my own wedding, 15 years ago and having the pleasure of assisting in the planning of my brother’s wedding, you quickly realise the enormity of the task at hand.

Planning Your Dream Wedding

Every bride-to–be has her own idea of what her dream wedding should be like – all you need to do is watch the endless array of reality “wedding” TV productions to realise how different peoples ideas can be. Different cultures and religions can also influence the path that the “big day” will follow – I guess some people can handle all the pressure and stress while many opt to use a wedding planner or co-coordinator.

One thing you quickly realise is how out of control the “spend” can get when you start planning your wedding, especially if you are having a big wedding. Which is quite a scary thought, seeing as we have two daughters! Yes we probably need to start saving now. Many couples do however choose to have a smaller, more low-key wedding and successfully manage to keep their budget under control.

From personal experience there are a few key elements that should be your top priority when planning your wedding – your dress should be top of the list, followed very closely by choosing and booking your venue, next on the list should be a photographer and flowers. If you are making use of a wedding planner they will steer you in the right direction as to prioritising all these various elements.

Choosing your wedding dress is an exceptionally personal thing and can be quite daunting when faced with the vast array of styles and fabrics available. Again there are various factors that should be considered when making your choice, like the climate and venue you have chosen – you do not want a wedding dress with long sleeves if you are getting married in Cape Town, in December. If you have chosen a beach wedding – a loose flowing chiffon gown could be the way to go. As I said the choices are endless and can pretty much go wherever your imagination takes you and your budget allows.

We are fortunate to live a truly beautiful city, Cape Town, which easily lends it’s self to be a perfect wedding destination. From beautiful beaches, breath-taking vineyards, spectacular garden and mountain back drops who could ask for more? Venues vary in size and price so there is something to suit all tastes and budgets.

In my mind the major stress factors when planning a wedding are the guest list and the table seating plan – if ever you want to see sparks fly this is where it will happen. Especially when your Mom insists that you invite your long lost Aunt that nobody has seen or heard from in years and then where do you seat “Aunt Mary” seeing as nobody likes her! I think that it is advisable to take a few steps back and remember that this is your special day! In my mind nobody remembers where they sat or what they ate, they are there to see the bride and groom and witness a truly momentous occasion.

So most of all – remember to have fun and enjoy the whole experience from beginning to end, it is your one opportunity to live out your fairy-tale, so make the most of it.

I have included the details of a few wedding and event planning companies, photographers and other wedding resources, to assist you when planning your Dream Wedding:

Wedding & Event Planners:

Affinity Wedding & Event Management

Celebration

Theme Creation

Wedding Concepts

Photographers:

South African Wedding Photographers (A comprehensive list compiled by SA Venues)

Images: Pinterest Wedding Board

Featured Posts, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Art – Introducing Judith Raye

Today I would like to introduce you to a rather special lady – Judith Raye. She is a mother, a grandmother and a talented artist. I have fallen in love with her art and thought I would share it with you – I have chosen a few of my favourites!

Her passion developed whilst painting pictures to decorate her granddaughter’s bedroom – she was commissioned to paint pink party dresses, animals and princess crowns. This labour of love, turned into a passion, for painting whimsical characters using a variety of bright and pastel colours on canvas. Judith now produces a range of paintings named the Inspired by Caden Collection. They are all super cute but the Penguins are probably my favourite!

[quote style=”1″]Whether you are preparing for the birth of a new child, finding the perfect baby shower gift or decorating your child’s room (or any room in your home), the Inspired by Caden Collection is the perfect place to start.[/quote]

Judith also produces art inspired by the beauty of nature called the Life Collection. She draws inspiration from her immediate surroundings – her beautiful garden, blossoming flowers and summer sunsets. Capturing the true blessings that nature provides.

These prints would be great as a gift, especially with Christmas just around the corner. I thought I would include the Nativity Scene – in keeping with the true meaning of Christmas.

So please pop over and visit Judith’s website, Judith Raye and have a look at all her marvelous work. You can also find Judith on Twitter – @JudithRayeArt.

All Images: Judith Raye

Beauty, Lifestyle

My Beauty File – My CACI Treatment

Last week amongst all the exam prep and wedding planning activity I managed to squeeze in my complimentary CACI and Microderm abrasion treatment, from Elements on Kloof. It was wonderful and great to finally meet Yvonne, the lady behind the Elements brand. I had done a bit of research about the CACI(click on the link to read more about this) treatment and I have had MDA before and Yvonne made me feel very relaxed, so over all it was a very positive experience.

As I approach forty I have become more aware of how quickly my skin seems to age. Another problem I seem to be encountering is adult acne – who would have thought! But according to Yvonne the percentage of woman acne suffers aged 32 – 42 years is higher than the collective amount of teenage acne suffers. How is that fair, surely we should be allowed to age gracefully not looking like a spotty teenager!

My other concern is pigmentation, it’s one of those things that arrives in your life and you are not entirely sure how it got there. What causes pigmentation, well herein lies the debate – some sources blame sun damage, others hormones but my concern is not how it got here but how do I get rid of it! Well by this stage I have exhausted most options available and nothing much has worked, so it could be one of those things in life which I will just have to learn to live with.

Back to the treatment – after Yvonne’s assessment of my skin, which in spite of the pigmentation was fairly positive, she began the MDA treatment. This is a cosmetic technique that uses a mechanical medium for exfoliation to remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells from the epidermis. It is a non-invasive procedure and may be performed in-office by a trained skin care professional.

She then applied some gel and began the CACI treatment, which uses Micro-current stimulation to deliver tiny electrical impulses that mirror the body’s own natural bio electrical field. You do not feel much besides for a slight electrical tingling sensation.

So what are the results I hope to achieve by having these treatments:

Toning and tightening muscles in the face.
Smoothing fine lines.
Smoothing and decreasing wrinkles.
Stimulating collagen.
Treating skin around the eyes to reduce wrinkles.

What I can report is that my skin felt rejuvenated after the treatment and I spent the evening asking my hubby if he thought I looked more youthful – like any wise man he affirmed the fact that my skin did indeed look much perkier! The skin over my cheek bones definitely feels firmer and more elasticised.

As I said previously, I have tried various options to treat my pigmentation but have not found anything to be very successful, so I have decided that I will remain open-minded but not become obsessed with treating this problem. I will instead concentrate on the general good health of my skin, using good products, sun protection and staying out of the sun as much as possible.

I have booked a follow-up appointment for the new year and I will keep you posted as to the results achieved by these treatments. I really encourage you to make an appointment and have your skin assessed – I found Yvonne to be both knowledgeable and sincere in her approach; I never once felt pressured into doing anything or purchasing any products. If anything her approach is conservative and modest.

The salon also sponsored me with two products from the relatively new SPA, skin care range, by Charlotte Rhys, so I will see what results are achieved from these products as well.

Thank you again to Elements on Kloof for my wonderful treatment.

4 Things I...., 4 Things..., Featured Posts, Lifestyle

4 Things I… from Kayleigh Jackson

Today my featured blogger is local lass, Kayleigh Jackson, from Pretoria. Kayleigh was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and grew up in Amanzimtoti, Durban with her parents and younger brother. She is currently living with her husband in Pretoria, where she works for a non-profit organization – but is looking forward to new challenges ahead.

Kayleigh spends her time taking long walks, listening to old school music, playing with her kitties, reading and expressing her thoughts and ideas through writing.

[quote style=”1″]I love my husband; we’ll be married for three months this Sunday – 27 Nov. I love my friends and family – although some are far away – they are all very important to me.[/quote]

Kayleigh is new to the blogging world – she has two lovely blogs – A Quiet Joy, which is an inspirational blog and about being grateful. In her other blog – The Parasol and Cupcake, she shares her insights about weddings, from her own personal experiences as a bride”

4 Thing I am looking forward to at the moment….

New horizons for 2012

I am leaving my position at a non-profit organization at the end of this year and now looking at various work and study options for next year. I’s an exciting change after five years of doing the same thing.

A road trip with my husband

Both our families live in Natal – so we take many trips down there to see them. Neil prefers driving – he says it helps him to switch off from work-mode into holiday mode. I love it for the quality time we can spend together – that is when I’m not falling asleep to the hum of the engine.

Family time in Natal

We haven’t seen our families since the wedding in August so we’re looking forward to being with them over the festive period. I LOVE giving presents! So, I can’t wait to go shopping and pick out special trinkets for each of our loved ones in Durban and ‘Pietermaritzburg. 🙂

Christmas Production and Carols by Candle Light

Every year our church puts on an awesome Christmas production over the last weekend in November and then a beautiful Carol by Candle Light service on the Sunday night. This totally gets me into the Christmas spirit and makes feel like giddy child again!

Thank you so much Kayleigh for sharing your 4 Things I with us, it has been great getting to know you a bit better! I wish you great sucess with all your new ventures – I definitley be will be keeping up to date with your wonderful blogs: A Quiet Joy & The Parasol and Cupcake.

Image Source: Kayleigh Jackson, Pinterest Christmas Board, Pinterest Travel Board