**Eye-Lash** Extensions

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Now it's time for some cheesy shot's, but bear with me ok :)

Yesterday I went to get eye-lash extensions. I have heard (and seen!) great things about this 'procedure' but have alsways been a bit hesitant at the thought of tiny things being inserted/stuck into my eyes. Well, it being my mom's wedding and all this weekend I thought I'd give them a try. What have I got to lose anyways (*well apart from an eye or two I guess). Most salons offer extensions at R800 and upwards, with a 2-3 week fill at around R400. I found a place in Lonehill, Fourways, which does a full set at R380, and a 2 week fill at R200. I think the results speak for themselves...

Here's me looking cheesy:

And me looking just as cheesy, but now with ultra glam lashes:



Ok, they did take an hour and a half to do, and I did get horribly bored, but it was most definitely worth it. Just a note, I'm not wearing any mascara in either set of pic's, and won't need to with the extensions on *how great is that*. My only worry is washing my face. I have been told to remove makeup carefully with an earbud and cotton wool, and to avoid the eye area when I do wash my face (not exactly sure how Im going to do that in the shower but will let you know how that goes).

The salon I had them done in is called Magic and is situated in Pineslopes Shopping Centre, on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Forest drive, opposite Monte Casino.


Clarins *Instant Light*

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My mom is getting married on Sunday! It's all a bit chaotic on this end with last minute preparations and such, so to relax, I took my mom make-up shopping. Shopping in general, is the least relaxing thing according to my mom, who is the sweetest, most unfussy person that I know. Un-like me...but if I am going to be doing her makeup for her big day, we needs some exciting products. This was the first purchase...


What an amazing product...but at R360 a pop, it should be! Definitely not something to buy if you're on a tight budget (lucky for me my mom and I have similar colouring, so I will be *borrowing* this often!).

What it says on the box:

"In one quick stroke, this hydrating complexion perfector helps disguise shadowy area's by illuminating the eye are and smoothing facial features. Oat extract offers a skin tightening benefit, helping diminish signs of fatigue"

Who doesn't need a bit of "diminishing" and "perfecting" hey? It really does hide under eye bag's and dark circles and also contains light reflecting particles which work wonders when camera's are involved! Will be posting some pictures of how it looks when applied soon...


Get Crafty! *Vintage MakeUp Box*

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I've had this boring pine box/chest of drawers hanging around in my room for years. It used to be filled with my (*wait for it*), my rubber...sorry we don't use that word anymore...I mean, eraser collection, cassette tapes and other such nonsense. Farmboy suggested we do something with it. It has now become the UlTiMaTe MaKe-Up storage device! 

please excuse the apostrophe's...as an English major I should have know better. I couldn't even blame Farmboy as I had done the stenciling! 
It was so easy to do, I think you should give it a try!


You will need...

box/chest of drawer/anything needing a 'lift'
paint brushes
turpentine (to clean the brushes)
3 colours of paint (we just used what we could find in the shed...it was Plascon's Super Acrylic Polvin in "baby elephant" for the main colour, for the 'vintage' look we used Plascon Multi Surface Primer, and black for the stenciling)
lots and lots of newspaper
some sponges

stencils (we used an old x-ray that we traced and cut out on)

Step 1: Paint your box thingy all over with your base colour and leave to dry. Don't forget to put down lots of newspaper so as not to make a big mess


Step 2: First mix a little turpentine with your white paint to get a nice even consistency, and before you go crazy with your box, practice on a spare piece of something to get your creativity flowing. Make sure your box is completely dry and then it's bomb's away...happy spongeing! This is a bit of a process, and you will get better at it as you go along...promise!


Step 3: Tea time!


Step 4: Use your tea time to prepare your stencils. Just print out the words you want to stencil on your 'thingy', glue them onto thick card or an x-ray if you have, and then using a craft knife, cut them out...otherwise just get yourself an actual stencil to use. 
Using your black paint, get to stenciling. Use a sponge to 'dab' the paint on the stencil as it creates a much nicer effect than solid painting. Leave to dry.


Step 5: Stand back and admire your work!


Voila! The ultimate beauty storage device! 


The idea for this *make-over* came from the lovely Sacha at OnceUponATime who specialises in transforming old forgotten furniture, and does it in style...thanks so much for the inspiration Sascha!


#JoziBloggerMeetup

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Early on a recent wednesday evening, a group of 50 enquiring souls streamed into the wonder that is Wolves for a night of wine, socializing, prizes and a red velvet cupcake or two.  The reason I hear you ask? Well, three friends had an idea, an idea which would shake the very ground that Jo'burg stands upon. An idea to hold a get together for all those bloggers residing in the city of gold...

The goodies up for grabs! And of course the vino...
Then venue...Wolves Cafe, Ilovo. 

Playing around with fellow friend & blogger, Lou
 My dear friend Lou and I arrived at Wolves at a fashionably early 17:39 (bear in mind things were only kicking off at 18:00). We sat down awkwardly and ordered some tea, feeling very much like farts in a perfume factory. Luckily, Angie came over and with talk of a raffle & wine, we had made at least one new friend. At that was only the beginning...

The lovely Araffa and Lou on the left, and swopping blog url's...Sarah & Serena
Lou, Serena, Sarah and me...all smiles! And on the right, Michelle & Alma getting ready to win some prizes!
 What a delightful way to spend an evening, chatting away about life in Jo'burg, blogging in Jo'burg and everything in between.


As is the case with most events, one never get's a chance to meet *everyone*. But, to combat this little dilemma, here is a list of all those in attendance and their blog urls! Yay for Jo'burg bloggers! So go on, check them out and get commenting :)

A HuGe thank you to Angie, Nicci, Emma, Natasha & Jo for a stupendous evening! Here's to many more, and to many more amazing raffles (*let's get Mauritius on the cards this time!*)


* Tanya – tan32.wordpress.com
* Roz – jellybeanjourney.wordpress.com (email Roz at wrighttwinmommy@gmail.com for access as her’s is a private blog)
* Gina – gnatj.com
* Hayley – hayleymal.blogspot.com
* Carlette – nunuza.blogspot.com
* Paul – itsjustafantasybaby.blogspot.com (need the proper link asseblief)
* Emma – emmajanenation.com
* Michelle – smokethissxx.blogspot.com
* Lou – thetrialsofmisslola.tumblr.com (computer says no???)
* Natalie – cleomagazine.co.za
* Gareth – garethpon.tumblr.com
* Tamiya – tamiyat.co.za
* Faye – what.to.do.with.daylight.blogspot.com (Blogger does not like this?)
* Yusuf – untitledawearness.com (under construction)
* Megan – waitingformeg.blogspot.com (Second Floor Living)
* Stacey – storyscarves.org/blog
* Ricardo – (waiting for URL)
* Tamaryn – exmi.co.za
* Indianna – nicefind.blogspot.com



*CupCakes*

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I was feeling a little sorry for myself yesterday...it was my birthday and no one had made me a cake (*boohoo*), anyway! I decided to whip up some cupcakes! Bear in mind I'm not the most creative of people, so the cupcakes look a little gaudy...but what they lack in appearance, they make up in taste!

Farmboy and I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen (I must admit he does most of the actual work and I take the pictures but enough about that) check out our lemon cordial, hummus, stirfry and pasta!

The recipe below makes 24 cupcakes...



Ingredients
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup unsalted butter (I used Butro here and it worked like a charm)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
 1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Icing
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6-8 cups icing sugar

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180C and set out your cupcake cases.  In a small bowl, combine the flours.

Step 2: In a large bowl (electric mixer), cream butter until smooth. Add sugar until fluffy and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and vanilla.

Step 4: Fill the cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 mins and leave to cool.

Icing


Mix the butter, 4 cups sugar, milk and vanilla essence in an electric mixer (3-5 mins) until smooth and creamy (add a few drops of food colouring if you'd like).


Add the remaining sugar (1 cup at a time) beating for 2 mins between each cup, until icing is thick. Use an icing plunger thingy to decorate (or just use a spatula) and go wild!


Thanks to the FoodNetwork for the above recipe!


Tea & Pancakes in Aliwal North

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On a recent trip back from Grahamstown, tummies growling and needing a rest from the boring N6, we headed into "The Stable" Padstal & Coffee Shop just outside Aliwal North. What a delightful stop! With so much to look at (*and of course, purchase*) it took us a while to sit down and take a gander at the menu...pancake's and carrot cake, yum yum yum!







The Padstal also has offers accommodation, La Riviéra Guesthouse...9 luxurious and elegantly decorated en-suite rooms, click here for more info.

Directions:
On the N6 Route next to the Orange River on the Free State side, just before crossing the bridge

Definitely beats the Whimpy in town :)


South Korea...Looking Back

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This morning I found myself reminicising about Farmboy and my adventures teaching English in South Korea. We were there for a year and just got back in March this year. We had an amazing time, and are planning to go back sometime in the future. For more info on our time there and of how to go about getting there, click here :) In the mean time, I leave you with these...

The first breakfast we had during our Orientation...a sign of things to come??
One of the 'traditional' buildings we were taken to see during the Orientation in Seoul...Koreans are very proud of their heritage!

Not sure what this flag was for, but it made a nice picture!

This was one of my schools. In Korea, elementary, middle (and most) high schools are all Public Schools. They don't work on the same 'public/private' school system we have here in South Africa. 

In 2002, the Soccer World cup was jointly held by Korea & Japan. The only way this little guy understood where I was from was by the very frequent use of the expression "Namagong (which is the Korean word for South Africa) World Cup".

This is me and my wonderful Korean Co-Teacher Cindy, and some little cuties. We all teach alongside a Korean co-teacher which helsp with the language barrier

This was taken on a teachers 'friendship excursion' with some of the staff at my other school. The Korean schools love their friendship trips, going on at least 1 a term.

This was taken on a trip to a Korean Fort.
There is absolutely no space in South Korea. Veggie gardens are planted in between sky scrapers.

My mommy came to visit me! This is a typical meal for 2 in a Korean restaurant. Loads and loads of side dishes that no-one ever eats :) This meal is called "samgyusal" or pork bbq. You cook the pork on the stove in the middle, and then make a lettuce saarmie filling it with whatever side dishes take your fancy. Absolutely delish!
Pagoda's like this one are at the top of every hill/mountain all over Korea. They make good look out points, and you often find old grannies sleeping under them :)

So there you have it...a little glimpse into what life is like on the other side of the globe....


Stir-fry a la Sophie!

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Everybody loves a good stir-fry :)

Ingredients 
(this fed 6 hungry people)

noodles (we used egg noodles but you can use any type u feel like)
4 chicken breasts
2 carrots
1 pepper
250g mushrooms
2 small cabbages
4 courgettes
small fistful of raw ginger
small head of broccoli
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
(ay other yummy things you feel like adding)

for the sauce:
black bean sauce
sesame oil
maizena
Old Brown Sherry


Step 1. Chop up all your veggies (we separated them into 2 piles...those that cooked quickly like the mushrooms and cabbage...and those that took longer like the carrots and peppers)



Step 2. Sauté the chicken breasts in a little Olive Oil and add the ginger & onion to the mix. Once browned remove from heat and put aside.



Step 3. Now the fun part, making the sauce :) In a bowl, add some sesame oil, sherry, black bean sauce & Maizena (this thickens it up nicely) and stir. Adjust according to taste.



Step 4. Soak the noodles in boiling water for +-10 minutes (just check with the instructions on the packet if your using any other type of noodles). *have a bite of cupcake if your feeling peckish*



Step 4. Place the pan with the chicken back onto heat, and after a minute or 2 of reheating, slowly add the veggies. Add a few drops of water to moisten the mixture. Then add the noodles and finally the sauce.


Step 5. Mix and serve with chop sticks! Yum Yum!

"Shape" up!

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So...it's nearly spring (can someone please tell Mr Winter this fact) and that means it's nearly time for shorts and dresses. And that means getting into shape so we don't look like we have been curled up indoors for 4 months with nothing for company but hot chocolate and sweet treats. 
So, Shape Magazine & Total Sport are challenging all you ladies to a 10k run in Joburg, Durban & Stellenbosh...


Durban
This year the Totalsports Ladies Race will make its debut in Durban!


DATE: Sunday, 31 July 2011
VENUE: Kingspark Athletic Stadium (Durban)
START: 08h00 – 10km / 09h00 – 5km
DISTANCE: 5km run/walk & 10km run/walk
Stellenbosch


DATE: Tuesday, 9 August 2011
VENUE: Coetzenburg Stadium (Stellenbosch, starting in Plein Street)
START: 08h00
DISTANCE: 5km run/walk & 10km run/walk
Johannesburg


DATE: Tuesday, 9 August 2011
VENUE: Emmerentia (Johannesburg)
START: 08h00
DISTANCE: 5km run/walk & 10km run/walk

How it works



  • Register– it’s free! You will receive a confirmation email welcoming you to the programme.
  • Your first training schedule will be emailed to you on the first Friday after your registration. Thereafter you will receive a training schedule every Friday for 12 weeks.
  • You are required to run 3 times per week.
I haven't managed to run further than my bedroom to the fridge, so it will be my first race...ever! So no more excuses, get those tackies on and get out there!

For more info about registering etc click here.
Besides, who wouldn't want to look like this...

Wabi-Sabi Cacti...

/ Grahamstown, South Africa/


These sweet succulents most definitely caught my eye as I was wondering around the stores at the Village Green in Grahamstown this past week, and with such innovative packaging, who could resist!

These are on sale in Tent Number 1 at the Village Green :)

For more information on these and many more available at the Wabi-Sabi Succulent Nursery, email Celeste at wolmarans@geenet.co.za

**Chic♥Revolution**

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Chic♥Revolution, a flea market styled decor store, has it's very own spot at the National Arts Festival Village Green, Grahamstown. Furniture, Decor, Linen & Gifts are what this store is all about...so head down to Tent Number 1 and feast your eyes...


Chic♥Revolution is based in Port Elizabeth, in the heart or Richmond Hill. Click here to have a squizz at their website where everything is available for purchase online, and click here to check out their facebook group! Local is lekker :)


Rain Rain Go Away!

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Image from WeHeartIt
It rained today. Thats all it did. The whole day. They even closed the Village Green due to flooding :( And then the electricity went off in town. But apart from all of that...it was a lovely day filled with some excellent shows! One in particular, Batsumi was exceptional. A hauntingly beautiful tale of hunting, gathering and everything in between. Powerful and strong, yet unequivocally graceful, the dancers were astounding. A definite must see if you're around...click here for more booking information. The last 2 performances will be tomorrow at 14:00 and 18:30 in the Alec Mullins Hall.

So here's to good show's, no more rain and lots and lots of sherry tonight to keep us all warm!

Festival Fun...

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Day 2, 3, 4 (and right now 5) of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival have been and gone. The weather has improved, and there is a lovely buzz in the air as people are coming and going all about town. If you are here, save yourself R65 and instead of watching the Mark Banks Comedy Show, treat yourself to a new beanie or pendant at the Village Green :)

Or indulge in something a little tastier...


If you're feeling parched...


There's even something for those of us with a sweet tooth...

There really is something for everyone here at "Amazing"...and if you're still wondering what to do to keep yourself amused why not try out one of the talks at ThinkFest, the intellectual side of the Festival. For more info on that click here. We're going to hear Zapiro's talk tomorrow...should be interesting?!

**Take Care** Clothing

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Cape Town based designer Jessica Harwood launched
her label under the name 'Take Care' in Spring 2008.
Her clothing has since become known for
its simple sophistication and understated femininity.

Take Care is also around for the Grahamstown Arts Festival, if you are around and about, check out their store in Tent Number 1.
Click here for their website, and click here to visit their facebook group


The Pendant Warehouse...

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Stocking some of the most lovingly hand crafted goodies I have ever come across, I now present you with...The Pendant Warehouse.


 Founded in 2005, The Pendant Warehouse is based in Vredehoek, Cape Town. 


Each pendant is carefully and oh so thoughtfully put together by the very trendy and super friendly Hanici. If you are around for the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, you just have to pop into their store. They are situated in tent number 1, close to the entrance nearest the Student Union Building. At only R80 a pop, you might just have to make more than one purchase :)
Click here to visit their website, and click here for their facebook page.


Scavenging...

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The art of Scavenging (according to a recent episode of Jerry Springor, scavenging is most definitely an art) can be a very painstakingly slow process requiring reams of patience and dedication.  And sometimes you strike gold...like Cameron did with his wooden box.

To be really successful, make friends with the scrap heap owner...he may even give you junk, *ahem* I mean potential treasures, for free!




There are 2 scrap yards in Grahamstown for you to try your luck at, Roxcell which is located just past the Golf Club on the outskirts of town and there seems to be another one nearby Roxcell (not sure exactly where) but most scrappers seem to recommend Roxcell. Have fun!

**Little Birdie**

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From beanies to gloves, cup warmers to gorgeous hairbands...I couldn't help but make a few purchases! 

Here are a few delights from the lovely Robyn at Little Birdie...




If you are around for the Festival, you can check out her wares at the end of Tent Number 4. She is sharing with 3 other talented folk selling beautiful photographs and other hand made goodies :)

For more information you can contact Robyn at robyn.devilliers[at]gmail[dot]com 

Grahamstown Festival...Day 1

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So, day 1 of "Amazing" has come and gone. Even the gale force winds and frequent burst of rain could do little to deter market-goers from their hunt for treasures. Here's a sneak peak of what was on offer at the Village Green Market today...




Even managed to catch a sneaky show, Tellin' Tales by Gavin Bonner...percussionist, storyteller, freestyle poet. What a treat! If you're around for the Festival, consider booking yourself a ticket. He is showing at the Monument B2 Arena, tickets cost R45. Click here for more info!

A great starts to what is hopefully going to be a *warm and sunny* week of festivities :)