Art & Soul Creative Retreat 17th - 18th November 2018 in Creighton, KZN

Hosting retreats has been something on my heart for years and years, and when Farmboy and I got married here on the farm all those years ago, I just knew that the farm would make the perfect place. After all the renovations we just completed at Bedford (click here to see our beautiful self catering guesthouse), it has become the perfect setting to finally make my dreams of hosting retreats come true.

Here are some photos of Bedford…

And now onto the exciting news! I’m hosting my first every retreats with Durban based artist Terry Angelos, whom I met last year while attending one her art therapy workshops. I then bumped into her at our local Creighton Aloe Festival and I mentioned that we had just completed renovations at Bedford and then the topic of hosting a retreat came up.

The rest as they say, is history!

The 2Day1Night retreat is happening from Saturday 17th November to Sunday 18th November and will be here on Bedford Farm in Creighton. We still have a couple of spaces open if you’d like to book your spot!

Here’s a little more of what’s on offer during the 2 day 1 night stay:

Saturday
Arrive anytime during the morning from 9am
🌿11am - art session / introduction and techniques for relaxing through art & art journaling
🌿1pm - lunch & free time
🌿3pm - art session - aloes and country botanicals
🌿5.60/6pm gin sundowners (I’ll be serving my famous Lavender & Grapefruit Gin Cocktail!)
🌿7.30/8pm - Dinner

Sunday
🌿9am - 10am picnic brunch
🌿10am - 12pm “Pleinair” painting - country landscapes
🌿12pm - free time. You are welcome to explore the area, find a lovely lunch spot on your way home or chill at the farmhouse till you are ready to leave.
Depart farmhouse by 3pm.

If you’re looking for a break away from reality and the opportunity to be creative in a beautiful countryside setting, this retreat is just for you.

Cost: R1850pp including all meals, accommodation and art supplies.

Rooms are sharing (private rooms are available at R200 extra) and there is also the option of spending the Friday night here (an extra R350pp) if you’d like to extend your stay.

Message or comment below with your email address or email terry directly to book your spot today: terryangelosart@gmail.com

Terry and I are so excited to host this retreat, and I’m sure it will be the first of many to come!

Blueberry Cafe in the Midlands - Great food in the Midlands

Blueberry Cafe is a special place. It's nestled just outside Nottingham Road in the Natal Midlands, and from the moment you start up the winding driveway, you just know your in for a treat.

This is our second visit, and even though we have yet to have sunshine on our visits, the weather never takes away from our experience.

Both of our visits have been over breakfast time, and this visit we had their Harvest Table which consisted of a blueberry pancake, muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruit and honey for starters with a 'cocktail' of fresh fruit juices that you mix yourself.

This is then followed by your choice of eggs, a side of bacon....yum! 

Blueberry cafe is most famous for it's bluebweey cheescake, but we were so full from breakfast, we didn't have any room for dessert. We did have a great cappuccino though!

One of the highlights of this cafe is a trip to the bathroom...I won't spoil the suprise entirely, but here's some photos to give you a little hint.

Pull the Wool

The cafe also has an amazing room filed with locally produced gifts and artwork. If it wasn't the middle of summer, I would have bought ALL the woollen items from cape town based Pull The Wool.

Instead, I had to make do with my camera in capturing the gorgeous colours and  textures.

You can find Pull The Wool online here >>> https://pull-the-wool.com/

Leigh Woodgate Paintings

I have long since been a fan of Leigh Woodgate's beautiful artwork, and have seen her paintings for sale all over KZN. My mom in law has a number of gorgeous roses in her home here on the farm, and I know that her work adorns a lot of the local ladies here in my town.

I'm hoping own one of them someday soon!

You can connect with Leigh Woodgate and her artwork on Facebook >>> Leigh Woodgate Art

Moth Home

And now on to my favourite things...these bags from Moth Home! How gorgeous are they?! These duffel bags make me want to jet off to a magical island right now.

Our visit to Blueberry Cafe was during our first family weekend away in the Berg. We spent one night at the gorgeous Forty Winks Guesthouse in Rosetta (blog post to come soon) and then another two nights with family in the Berg.

And finally, here are some shots of my little girl, who had just started smiling and cooing, and only had eyes for Dad...

Have you been to Blueberry Cafe? Did you enjoy it as much as we did? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

In the mean time, here are some more posts on places to visit in SA:

Sprout SA Kids Clothing - Brand & Product Photoshoot

A few weeks ago the lovely duo behind Sprout dropped by the farm for a morning of styled photographs for their kiddies fashion label. 

I had been in touch with Luke for the past week or so over Instagram, and we eventually found a date that suited us all to get together and start snapping and styling their gorgeous items. 

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A little more about the brand...

Proudly located in the heart of leafy Glenwood, Durban, Sprout is a kiddies fashion label offering an adorable, yet functional, range of kids apparel and sleepy sacks. Founded by Sarah Dalton in 2013,  the label exploded with the arrival of their little girl, Mae, in February 2016.

Sprout products are all made locally. The cotton fabrics, produced in local mills, use cotton grown from South African soil. Luke & Sarah believe in producing quality goods and spending hard earned cash locally to keep people in jobs, food on tables, and transforming harebrained dreams into realities.

They value originality. They don't do mass produced. All of their items are produced in small quantities to maintain the integrity and exclusivity of the brand.

Above all, Sprout is run by a pair of parents, who are doing our best to make a difference in their little girls’ life everyday.

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I first came across the Sprout brand over on Instagram, and it was their famous range of sleepy sacks which first caught my eye. From there I was introduced to their beautiful rompers, and their most recent additions...leggings and T-shirts.

Each item is carefully and thoughtfully created, and their fabric designs are just beautiful...see for yourself:

With my own little girl on the way, I was delighted to get really hands on the styling and photographing of each of their beautiful items. I had a wonderful time getting to know both Luke and Sarah and their sweet little Mae, who really had fun meeting all our our farm creatures.

To Luke and Sarah, you are both such kind and creative people, and I wish you nothing but the best for Sprout. I can't wait to see all that lies in store for your wonderful brand!

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If you are looking to update your brand photographs, then please get in touch! I've worked with product & service based brands to create an updated look and feel for their businesses using my camera, and I'd love to do the same for you!

Scroll through & click the posts below to see the brands and businesses I've worked with:

If you're still wondering what brand photography is and why you need it, here's a blog post that you might enjoy reading...What is Brand Photography and why you need it to grow your business.