{Straws}

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I've had a few friends and readers ask me where I got the coloured straws that I used at our wedding, so I thought I'd do a little post on them :)
There aren't many places that sell them, especially in the Pietermaritzburg area (you can get them at the decor/party shop at the Cascades centre here in Pietermaritzburg, but they are pretty pricey there). On the other hand, pop online and order them from In Good Company ...they have loads of different colours too!
Here are some snaps of my little collection




30 super household cleaning tips!

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This isn't usually the sort of thing that I blog about here, but...being a newlywed, these tips are just too darn useful not to share! Thank you to my favourite South African magazine, Idea's! Your monthly magazine is what I most look forward to at the start of each month :) 

You can follow Idea's for lots of design and decor inspiration on Pinterest (click here), and Facebook (click here).




1 Minimise odours in your fridge by placing an open container of bicarbonate of soda or a piece of coal on one of the shelves.

2 Remove rust from chrome by wiping it down with tinfoil that has been dipped in cola. To polish chrome, rub with a crumpled piece of tinfoil.

3 To clean an electric drip coffee maker, fill the reservoir with half water and half vinegar. Place a clean filter paper in the basket and run through the machine’s entire cycle. Repeat twice more using plain water.

4 Add half a cup of bicarbonate of soda to your wash cycle to help remove stains and odours from your washing.

5 Polish stainless-steel cutlery by rubbing the pieces with a cloth dipped in vinegar.

6 To help avoid a clogged drain, put a few tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda into the drain every couple of weeks and flush it down with hot water.

7 Before squeezing a lemon, heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds. This will increase the quantity of juice that you will be able to extract from the lemon.

8 A mixture of dishwashing liquid and sugar is effective for removing oil and grease from dirty hands.

9 Make your candles last longer by placing them in a plastic bag and putting them in the freezer for 24 hours before lighting.

10 Clean the bottom of an iron by sprinkling coarse salt onto a clean cloth placed on top of your ironing board. Set your iron to its highest setting and then iron back and forth over the salt.

11 To descale a washing machine put a cup of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser and then run the machine empty through a complete hot wash cycle.

12 Use cornflour to remove oil stains from delicate fabrics. Cover the stain with cornflour. Leave for a few hours. Shake the clothing free of the flour and then hand wash, or wash on a gentle machine cycle, using a detergent that is suitable for delicate fabrics.

13 Stop drawers from sticking on their runners by rubbing a bar of soap across the runners to make them glide smoothly.

14 Clean a microwave by adding four tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. boil for five minutes in the microwave, allowing the steam to condense on the inside, then wipe with a soft cloth.

15 Clean stainless-steel appliances by wiping with a small amount of baby oil on a napkin.

16 Remove cat and dog hair from clothes and furniture by rubbing the items with damp rubber gloves.

17 Add two teaspoons of vanilla essence to each one-and-a-half litres of paint to reduce overpowering paint smells.

18 Remove mildew by mixing one part bleach with 11 parts water. Wearing rubber gloves, use a sponge or soft-bristled brush to apply the solution. Rinse with a damp sponge and wipe down.

19 Remove rust stains on white clothes by applying a mix of cream of tartar and lemon juice. Leave to dry, rinse thoroughly then wash as usual.

20 Retard grease build-up in your oven by periodically wiping the interior with a vinegar-soaked cloth.

21 Remove rust stains on white clothes with a mixture of cream of tartar and lemon juice. Apply the mixture to the stain, leave to dry then rinse thoroughly before washing as usual.

22 Remove deodorant stains from a garment by dissolving two aspirins in a little warm water and applying the paste to the stain. Leave the paste to dry, then brush it off and launder the garment as usual. Be sure to test this on a hidden spot first to see whether the fabric dye holds.

23 Erase scuff marks on smooth leather shoes by rubbing the marks with the cut edge of a raw potato and then buffing.

24 Clean a narrow-necked vase by filling it with hot water and a couple of fizzy denture-cleaning tablets. Leave to stand overnight, then rinse and dry.

25 Sanitise a cutting board by using a scrubbing brush and a mixture of one teaspoon of bleach with one litre of water. Do not rinse. Let the board air-dry on its side.

26 Remove old paint stains from wood or plastic by softening with linseed oil. Wipe off. For tougher stains, use a razor blade and carefully scrape off.

27 Clean your coffee grinder by grinding acupofriceinit from time to time. This will sharpen the blades at the same time.

28 Make your home smell fresh by simmering orange peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves and abayleafinapot of water for half an hour.


29 After you have cleaned your paintbrushes, rinse them in a little fabric softener to make them softer for the next job.


30 To remove stains from a teapot, fill it with cold water. Add a little chlorine bleach or a fizzy denture-cleaning tablet. Leave for an hour then rinse thoroughly.

{Blogging} How to Centre your Header Image

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The first time I uploaded a header image (instead of the default text that Blogger automatically uses when you first start a blog) I was left with an image I really liked, but some rather nasty looking 'space' towards the left. Here's how to fix that :)

1. Upload your header image (Layout > Configure Header > Upload)

2. Go to Template Designer (Template > Customize) and click on the following in the top left of your screen: Advanced > Add CSS and add the following piece of code

.header-outer {
margin-left:260px;
}

Now you will need to adjust the “260″ value, depending on how large your header is, and how wide your blog is, so just play with the number until it looks right.  (the smaller the number, the more to the left your header will move, and the larger the number, the more your header will move to the right)




And there you have it...Easy peasy :) Stay tuned for more tips and tricks to help you with your blog.

xxx

Blogging Tips {new series on the blog!}

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Dear readers {friends, family and other lovely people who follow my blog!}.

 I am starting a new series here on CityGirlSearching entitled Blogging Tips which will feature simple & easy tips to help you make your blog look and feel 'better'. 

I hope this series of posts is useful to you, let me know if they are and if there is anything you are looking for in particular, and I will do my best to find the easiest and simplest way to do it.

For the time being, these tips will be {design/layout} based, there might be a few {content} based tips thrown in along the way :)

**as this blog is hosted by Blogger, I will be sharing these tips & tricks for Blogger blogs. If you are using using another blogging platform eg Wordpress, i'm afraid these tips won't be of too much use to you. But, in the future, I'm hoping to expand to include those platforms too! So stay tuned**

I will be posting the first blogging tip tomorrow!

See you then

xxx

Pretty for a Saturday...{Happiness Is}

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Aren't these illustrations just lovely? All done by local freelance designer, illustrator & blogger Fathima. I want them all printed and block mounted in my home :)

Click here to see her blog, and get in contact with her for any design work you might be wanting, or even just to tell her how great you think her work is (like I just did!). Yay for local talent!

xxx









Yuppiechef Gift Registry

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A little while ago I did a blog post (click here) on some idea's of places to open up gift registries (most particularly wedding registries) here in South Africa. After getting back from honeymoon a few weeks ago, we were absolutely spolit when a *BIG* box arrived from YuppieChef.

It was super easy to set up, I just went onto the website, filled in the registration form, and started shopping! Yuppiechef stocks everything and anything your kitchen could ever possibly need, and with brands ranging from Le Creuset to Bodum to Jamie Oliver you really are spoilt for choice!

The team at Yuppiechef kept in touch every step of the way, informing me if things were out of stock, and then giving me an option to either wait until it came in, or to choose something else of equal value...how nice are they!

Every gift that our guests ordered for us arrived in perfect condition, no bumps or scratches (and they came all the way from Cape Town! And guests didn't have to lug prezzies all the way to our wedding, but knew that when we got back from honeymoon, their precious cargo would be delivered safe and sound.

AND it's free delivery on all orders anywhere in South Africa! How cool is that :)

Here are some photo's of Farmboy unwrapping some of our wedding presents...










Thank you Yuppiechef!!


Our Honeymoon in the {Greek Islands}

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I have been staggering the photo's from our honeymoon {new readers: we got married on the 23rd September 2012 on my hubby's family dairy farm, Click here to see some of the professional pic's and click here to see the preparation and other wedding related posts}, so as not to bore people with them (and to give me enough time to sort through all 3000 images!) and I am finally done.

For our trip, we flew from Durban to Johannesburg, Johannesburg > Istanbul (click here) Istanbul > Athens (click here) and finally Athens > Santorini where we spent 7 nights in an incredible old winery converted into a villa. The last part of our trip was a ferry ride to the island of Naxos where we spent our last few days before making the 40 hour trip back to Durban.

Here are a few highlights...enjoy! xxx

CityGirlSearchingHoneymoonGreece

And we {shared} the backpack responsibilities! That blue backpack is all we took for 2 weeks! I am mightily impressed with myself for being able to pack to light 

Greece, we loved every second of you!

Heart Bunting {wedding DIY}

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In the search for the perfect bunting for our wedding {and the cheapest we could get our hands on!} my soon-to-be Aunty Marina had a wonderful idea while perusing down the aisles of Makro. Let's make our own! Ok, I thought not really that original. Let's make our own using paper plates! Um, I thought, now you're getting somewhere...

Here's what resulted from our trip to Makro:











Easy peasy lemon squeezey! I have done a post a while ago on making your own fabric bunting (click here) but I think that these make a nice change don't you think?! 

{Inspiration} Thank you gifts

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At the August I Heart Market in Durban, I spotted these really pretty vinyl stickers on little jars at the Little Mud Hut Designs stall.  I was immediately struck with what a cute gift they would make. My mind ran wild with images of buttons, ribbon & lace. These little guys were a gift from Vanessa (who is just the sweetest lady, and the brains behind the Little Mud Hut Designs). I am planning on using these to say thank you to some special friends who have been invaluable to me during the wedding planning. 

I also filled them with some pretty pieces I found at Mr Price, but really, you could fill them with anything {even ingredients to make hot chocolate or chocolate chip cookies would look amazing in these jars}. Why not reuse & recycle by visiting your local thrift store (my favourite is the Hospice and SPCA shops right here in Pietermaritzburg) and get crafty with all the different sizes and shapes of glass bottles there.









Greece {Athens}

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After a very short glimpse of Turkey {we had a 6 hour layover in which time we got a free tourist visa, managed to negotiate the mind boggling Turkish Metro, and make our way down to the Bosporus for breakfast and coffee *click here*) we landed in Athens for the next leg of Honeymoon. We only had one night in Athens, and made the most of it exploring the streets below the famous Parthenon {which just so happened to be closed for a strike, can you believe it!} But we still managed to get a few piccies around the base...
Here are some shots of part 2 of our honeymoon {the best is still to come though!}, enjoy!
xxx



Our first ride on the Metro rail in Athens...why doesn't Durban have such a cool underground transport system?!

The Parthenon!

We were hoping to catch a sneak peek of Zeus peering round the corner...

The old and the new...

Loved the look of these shutters


Our first truly greek meal...yum!

Very cool antique shop we found at the end of a side street...pity we didn't have 300 euro's lying around to make a purchase ;)

{Before} The Shed & The Barn

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Here are some photo's of the shed (which was to become our reception venue) and barn (our chapel/ceremony venue) before all the wedding prep began. The shed was where the calves were kept after being seperated from their mommy's (Farmboy's parents own a dairy farm, hence the cows) and the barn was being used as a place to shear the sheep and keep bits of junk. Still, even with all that 'natural' stuff (ahem cow & owl droppings) going on, the true beauty of the place is undeniable :)

The Shed...












The Barn...












Wedding Hair & Makeup Trial

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A little while ago I posted a sneak peak of my wedding hair & make up (thanks to my very talented mommy for the photies!). While I wait for the professional photo's from our big day, here are photo's of my hair and makeup trial, which is exactly what I had done on the day. Also a few shots of my Bridesmaids hair do's and makeup on the day...all the photo's below were taken by my mom, thanks Sue P!

Thanks to the very talented Alana who did my trial at Makeup Your Mind in Durbs!








Honeymoon Highlights {Joburg > Istanbul}

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And we are back to reality! Back to a very rainy and wet Pietermaritzburg, after 2 blissful weeks of sun, sea and sand in the Mediterannean. Here are a few highlights of part 1 of our honeymoon.

Enjoy xxx





Waiting for our plane to take off...next step is for me to get my ID & Passport doc's changed!

Breakfast on the Bosphorus

Sunrise...



The most delicious street saamie!
We only had a 6 hour layover in Istanbul, but managed to at least make our way down to the harbor to see a few of the lovely old buildings

Local brew


Magnets anyone??

Every building had one of these, ornate and golden
Turkish coffee...no one ever warned us it would be so strong!

A trip to Turkey just ain't complete without a little delight...

{Honeymoon in Greece!} see you in two weeks!

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After an incredible 6 months of very hard work converting Calf shed into our dream wedding, the day finally arrived and sped by in lightening speed! Farmboy and I are at this moment waiting for our plane to Greece where we will spend the next 2 weeks enjoying married life! I will not be blogging during that time (hubby's orders!) so i will be seeing you all in a short while.

Look forward to loads of incredible Photo's of our special day, as well as piccies of Greece!

Love,

Mrs Hutton

aka CityGirl xxx

T minus 1 day!

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This time tomorrow, all my bridesmaids will have had their hair and makeup done, and my makeup artists will be starting their work on me! Such excitement happening on this end of the world! Here is a little pic of me doing what I do best, drinking tea! It's always good to take a break every once in a while and appreciate the little things.

It poured with rain last night and I had a very sleepless night worrying about The Shed and whether Farmboy and his groomsmen had done a good enough job of weather proofing it. I'm off this morning to see for myself what damage was done!

 To my left is my very soon to be sister in law Natalie, and of course my very handsome fiance...


A Kitchen Tea {Surprise!}

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A few week's ago, one of my bridesmaids organized yet {another} surprise Kitchen Tea for me! What a special day filled with great company, yummy food and lots and lots of laughs. It's times like these that make you realise what special people surround you. Thank you to all the ladies in the photo's below, as well as all those who couldn't make it.

I am currently writing this post in bed, after a very full day of wedding DIY'ing, from putting up chalkboards, to hanging shade clot and hessian to weather proof our farm venues, and of course lots and lots of ribbon and lace tying. The last few days before the wedding have been so special, a time for family, and a time to just take a deep breathe and realise the beauty of marriage.

Enjoy the photies below, lots more posts to come before the Big Day on Sunday!

*And a big thank you to Dear Chloe Photography for the piccies!*
















Groomsmen Corsages

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Last week I headed into Durban to meet my lovely friend and creative extraordinaire Nadia, who is the brains behind the amazing blog CupcakeCouture. Not only does Nadia have a stand at the I Heart
Market in Durban every month, she also offers a creative consulting business where she will help you give your brand or business the look and feel it needs to stand out from the crowd. Click here to drop her a line to chat about your creative needs.

As well as all of that, Nadia also helps stressed out brides like myself with details to make our day something special. These are what she put together for me for my Groom and his Groomsmen...aren't they gorgeous {and by gorgeous I mean in the most masculine way possible...incase my fiance has a squizz at this post!}

Nadia even included a little extra one just for me, mine has it's own pretty flower on...thank you Nadia, I love it! xxx











Rob & Lee {Wedding}

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Yesterday, Farmboy and I headed out to the beautiful Providence Wedding venue in Nottingham Road to celebrate the wedding of my dear friend Lee. The weather was awful, cold and wet, but it did nothing to dampen to moods of those present as we celebrated the union of two very special people, before God.

It's now officially, one week to go until Farmboy and I walk to the aisle! Last night was a wonderful escape from all the hustle and bustle of preparing for our wedding.  It's really important to try and take a break from the all the 'wedding' talk, and gain some perspective into the real meaning behind weddings.

I have had to be reminded a few times by friends that you are a bride for a day, but a wife for life. It's so easy to get carried away {read: obsessed} with every little detail, and worry about this going wrong, or that not happening at the right moment. And ladies, trust me when I say this, your man is going to go crazy with all the wedding talk...make sure to schedule in some 'couple' time where the {W} word isn't allowed to crop up :)

Here are a few photo's I took of the day {you might remember the Hen's party we threw for Lee a few weeks back...if not, click here for a little reminder}
















This is a snap of me {left} and two lovely ladies {far left is one of my bridesmaids for next week!}
{The Bridenappers}

Farmboy & Citygirl
xxx