Simple *Face Wash* {review}

Wandering the aisles of Clicks I found myself doing a double take when I came across the Simple range of products. The Simple range of skin care products have been voted the number 1 skincare range in the UK. All their products are free from dye, artificial pefume & harsh irritants and are perfect for even the most sensitive of skin.

I was very keen to try the Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Facial Wash, since it is 100% soap free, contains pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E and bisabolol. The texture is creamy and goes on smoothly, I'm not too crackers about the smell (it sort of doesn't really smell like anything, and compared to the delicious scent of StayClear (click here) it sort of doesn't really smell like anything...but I guess thats the whole idea behind it having no artificial perfumes!

It does the job well enough, doesn't leave my skin too dry after use, and definitely feels 'kind', but I won't be making this purchase again. The prices are very reasonable though, and if you are on the look our for a product that you can actually decipher the ingredient list on the back then give this one a try :)

Find it at your nearest Clicks & Dischem for +-R47

Andrew & Bianca {Wedding}

A few weekends ago Farmboy and I headed off to Balito to celebrate our sister (well, our sister-in-law's sister, so I guess that makes her our sister too?!...geewizz family titles sure do get complicated!) at Collisheen Estate.
It rained, and rained, and rained the whole day...but the clouds gave the entire celebration a very romantic ambiance.  Here are some photographs from the day...

 

 

 

My handsome hubby

 

as of a month ago...my new brother and sister-in-laws :)

The Handsome Hutton clan

#PhotoOfTheWeek...Bright

This past week's theme for our weekly photo challenge was 'Bright'. Well done to everyone whi submitted a photograph! They are really great! 

Every week, the team is given a theme (each team member is given a chance to choose the theme for the week) and then each person has 7 days to take the perfect picture. It can be as edited or as natural as you like, the only rule is it has to be submitted to me by Sunday evening (South African time) so that I can get the post up asap on Sunday night/early Monday morning! 

And we have a host of new members to welcome to the team...Tanya (you can visit her blogs here and here, and Sue-Anne. Welcome ladies! I'm looking forward to seeing your photographs!

If you'd like to join in, just drop me a line at citygirlsearching@gmail.com and I will send you that week's theme and you can get started right away!

Taken by: Kayleigh

"Hello Mr Sunshine" Taken by: Megan

"Bright Light" Taken by: Roxy

Taken by: Tanya

"Hidden Brightness" Taken by: Natalie

Taken by: Sue

"Bright Water" Taken by: Tammy

"Bright Red" Taken by: Sue-Anne

{Inspiration}

I wanted to share these beautiful images from one of my favourite blogs, A Creative Mint. Each and every photograph leaves me feeling more and more inspired. I hope they do the same for you.
This collection came from her colour inspired set of posts entitled *Spring*
Have a wonderful Sunday xxx

Rollin Vintage & Friends {Howick}

After a tiring Saturday morning spent stand up paddling with Ryan & Liesa, we headed on over to their shop Rollin Vintage & Friends to see how the shop has been coming along. And all I can say is wow! I first posted about their exciting new venture into realm of retail in May this year (click here to see where they started off) and I can only say that the shop is booming and looking absolutely fantastic! In their own words: "Rollin Vintage & Friends grew out of an appreciation for Proudly South African, hand crafted, recycled goods.

As our personal business Rollin Vintage grew, we wanted to expand our horizons and venture forth into the retail world. We bumped heads with consignment, mark ups, bad attitudes and service toward our product. One morning Ryan woke up with an idea that changed all of this for us.To start a shop where we could represent the crafter, selling their items at their prices and on their behalf, giving them the best service and value for money - Rollin Vintage & Friends was born.

We have sourced products which meet one or all of the following criteria - being hand crafted, proudly South African and Recycled. We want to promote crafters who are taking a chance on their skill and living their passion - doing what they love"
Here are a few snaps from the store, click here to see more!

{Movember Madness}

Happy 1st November everyone! Or rather, I should Happy Movember!

Last year, to celebrate, Farmboy and I held a little Movember Mixer here in Pietermaritzburg to get all our friends into the spirit of Movember. Basically it's really just an excuse to guys to grow those tufts of hair on their upper lips for one month in the year, and use the excuse of 'Im doing this for charity' when the girlfriends complain ;) but really, Movember is all about supporting and raising awareness for about prostate and testicular cancer. And it's not just for guys, girls can become Mosisters, to support hairy men (now I'm not saying you should let a jungle grow under your arms, you can sport a top tash like mine in the pictures below!).

To find out more visit www.movember.com

Here are some snaps from our bash last year, we are hoping to do the same this month too! If you are around the PMB area towards the end of November, feel free to pop in! Details of the event will be on my Facebook page....

Beautiful Wedding Dresses {Grace Loves Lace}

After hunting down my perfect wedding dress (which i eventually had made right here in Pietermaritzburg >> photo's to follow soon!) I have been really interested to see if anything similar has been done/is stocked here in South Africa...alas, to the best of my knowledge, most bridal shops stock your traditional cupcake meringue-eske dress (which I must add looks gorgeous on some) but which was just not my cup of tea.  Then I saw these images on fellow SA born blogger Jessica-Lee's blog, and I just had to share them with you. Grace Loves Lace is based in Australia, and each dress is made to order. Their prices range from +-R7000 (exl postage) and upwards. "At Grace we personally hand make stunning ready-to-wear wedding dresses from the finest French laces and silks together with gorgeous veils & accessories . The collection takes inspiration from the ‘free-spirit’ of the Bohemian era and combines it with the charm and authenticity that exists only in the most beautiful vintage & antique heirloom pieces of yesteryear."
What's not to love about them...they are each so beautifully crafted, and so easy on the eyes, see for yourself:

all images from GraceLovesLace found via Diary-of-a-Day-Dreamer

#PhotoOfTheWeek...Love

And we're back! After a 6 week break from the Photo Of The Week Challenge, we are finally back! 

How the challenge is works, is a theme is emailed out to everyone on the Monday, after which team members have until the Sunday to take one photo that they feel captures the theme. It can be as edited or as natural as you like. I just have to have the photo by Sunday evening so that I can put the post up on Monday morning.

Click here to see the previous photo's during the last 6 months of this challenge!

If you would like to take part in our Photo Challenge, simply drop me an email at (citygirlsearching@gmail.com) and I will add you to our mailing list. 

"Love: something to smile about" Taken by: Rachel

"Mourners braving the rain to pay their respects to the former King of Cambodia outside the Royal Palace" Taken by: Vicky Some quick context: The former King of Cambodia died 2 weeks ago and I have been amazed at the outpouring of love for this man. He was deeply revered by the people and many braved rain, distance and expense to come to the palace to pay their respects. Cambodians love the King deeply for securing the country's independence from France and he was referred to as King Father by the people and referred to Cambodians as his 'children.'

'Love & Friendship' Taken by: Roxy

Taken by: Keith

'Puppy Love' Taken by: Megs

If you would like to take part in our Photo Challenge, simply drop me an email at (citygirlsearching@gmail.com) and I will add you to our mailing list. The new theme for the week is sent out to everyone on a monday, and then each team member has until that Sunday evening to submit their photograph to me. It can be as edited or natural as you like...so go wild!

{Stand Up Paddling} Midmar Dam

A few photo's of what we got up to this weekend with our newly engaged friends, Ryan & Liesa (whom you may recognize as the faces behind the awesome Rollin Vintage & Friends store in Howick).
We tried Stand Up Paddling, which is a whole lot harder than it looks, topped off with some hot coffee to help our tired bodies recover...and all this before 8 o'clock on a Saturday! And now it's time for a Sunday in bed :)

{Straws}

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!

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.

A day at the beach...Durban Pier

Some snaps from a spontaneous trip to Durban beach front with my special friend Cayleigh and her bf...the gloomy weather made a very cool backdrop don't you think?!

on the hunt for some treasure...

{Blogging} How to Centre your Header Image

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!}

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}

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

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}

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

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}

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

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}

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 ;)