Essence Concealer {review}

This is the second time I am featuring this concealer, and the reason is simple...it's the best one I've ever used. Its easy on the pocket, does what it claims to do and leaves me a very happy chappy.  It only comes in two shades which is a bit of pain for those of us who don't fit into either of them, but it's easily blended, meaning you could mix it in with your favourite foundation. I have raved about Revlon's Colourstay Concealer in the past, but this little guy takes the cake especially with its price tag of R35.99!

Have you tried any of Essence's other products? A review of their new BB cream up on the blog soon! xxx

Sew pretty...beauty & buttons

I took these photographs a little while ago for a friend & client...we had such fun fiddling & styling the mannequin with tape measures and patterns, and I'm thrilled that she was happy with the outcome.

{Breakfast at Toast} Home Tour

{My dream home}

These are from Chicago based Danielle Moss (a freelance graphic designer/photographer, co-founder of The Everygirl & blogger) home.  I love the mix of soft hues, and the dash of pastel coral. Whats not to like?!

You can see more of Danielle here and here.

{Me and my Desk}

I'm spending some time here today, brainstorming and thinking about future creative ventures. It's so cold here in Pietermaritzburg, but its a beautiful clear morning full of so many possibilities. Go on a grab life with both hands today!

{Buttercup Collectibles} at the Retro Vintage Festival in Durban 27 April!

Come join me at the Vintage Festival happening in Durban on Saturday 27th April at 9h00 at the DLI Hall. I will be there with my stall {Buttercup Collectibles} selling lots of lovely vintage pieces and collectibles (think typewriters, books, kitchen pieces and glass jars!). I will be putting up photo's of what will be for sale on my Facebook Page later on this week, so make sure to stop on over there.
Don't forget to tell all your friends about the event...there will be a market from 9h00 - 13h00 and a Fifties Dance from 18h00 - 22h00.   I look forward to seeing you all there!
{Pop on over to my Facebook Page *click here* for more info!} xxx

TipTop Nail Polish {collection}

A few snaps of my TipTop collection of mauves and pinks (with a dash of glitter thrown into the mix). 

You can get your paws on these awesome polishes for only R39.99 at your local Dischem or Clicks.

Click here for reviews of my TipTop collection.

#SouthernWedding {Dear Chloe Photography}

This weekend Farmboy and I headed out to Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort in the Drakensburg to celebrate a very special wedding. Jarrod met the Houston based Ria on twitter last year. They connected through their love of CrossFit, got engaged on his recent trip to the States, and here we are, witnessing true love that isn't bound by distance. Jared & Ria, we wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

These gorgeous photographs were taken by my very talented friend Chloe, who is the beauty and the brains behind Dear Chloe Photography. While not the official photographer, these photographs are a sneak peek for all of use while we wait to see those taken by the official photographer.

Chloe is branching out into wedding photography, and is oh so very happy to travel :) Have a squizz at here other work here, and check our her website here.

Farmboy and I had a little mini photo shoot ourselves, don't we clean up good ;)

{Baking Pinspiration}

Some pinspiration to get you back into your kitchen, and to the oven! 

Aren't these images just so beautiful too?! For more like these, pop on over to my Pinterest boards  and feast your eyes.

Happy Baking!

xxx

1. Call Me Cupcake 'Buttercream Ruffle Cake'

 2. Amelia 'Coconut Cupcakes'

 3. Sprinkle Bakes 'Pink Vanilla Pocky Cake'

 4. Canelle et Vanille 'Gluten free Coconut Donuts'

 5.Mowielicious 'Japanese Cotton Soft Cheescake' 

 6. Chi ha rubato le crostate 'Rose Yogurt'

Korean Samgyupsal...South African Style

A few pangs for Korean food left us with a slight longing to return to Korean soil...to combat that for the time being, Farmboy and I set about recreating one of our favourite meals, Samgyupsal. Samgyupsal is traditionally thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat, usually neither marinated nor seasoned. It's cooked on a grill by each person and eaten directly from the grill. It is often dipped into a spicy pepper paste.

Here is a photo of the real deal in South Korea (taken when my mommy came to visit!), followed by our attempt a few days ago...

Easter on the Farm

A long weekend spent collecting eggs (the chocolate and the savoury kind), eating said eggs, watching copious amounts of television, doing no physical activity and spending time with special people.

I hope your Easter weekend was just grand!

Happy Easter!

 Some cute little creatures from Sharon Montrose.

Happy Easter friends and family. Be safe over the holidays...and after all your tummies are full of chocolate and hot cross buns, take a moment to remember the real meaning behind Easter..."He is Risen" Matthew 28:6 xxx

The Philippines...looking back

While Farmboy and I were teaching English in South Korea in 2010, we spent the second of our holidays with Farmboy's brother and sister-in-law (who were teaching in Japan) in the Philippines. Here are some special photographs, taken by my wonderful husband. I learnt all I know about a camera from him.

We flew from Incheon & landed in Puerto Princessa. From there we took a 9 hour shuttle to El Nido where we spent 6 days, of which were spent on an Island hopping tour. At the time El Nido was incredibly small, with just one road of restaurants and cafes. It has since increased in size but I have heard that it is still a very special place to visit. You can now fly directly into El Nido saving you a very long and uncomfortable ride from Puerto Princessa. If you get to El Nido, make sure to hire a scooter and head of in search of Nacpan beach, a beautiful stretch of coastline.

For more info on our trip, including tips and other travel advice, click here to visit our ever so helpful (but rather old and slightly out dated) blog on life in South Korea >>> FarmboyandCityGirl.com

Enjoy

x

Letters from across the sea...

This parcel arrived for me from a very dear friend in South Korea. Claire and I first met while waiting to board our plan for the start of our Teaching English in South Korea Adventure. That was in 2010. 

We have been friends ever since, and even though vast amounts of oceans separate us, whenever we do chat over Skype, we pick up right where we left off every time. I miss you Clairebear. Thank you for the wonderful package!

Sun, Sea & Sand in {Sodwana Bay}

Hello again friends! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend, and that you all are feeling refreshed and ready for yet another short week, in preparation for lots of stuffing of faces with Easter eggs and hot cross buns!

Farmboy and I, along with our friends Kelly & Nathan headed off to Sodwana Bay (near the Mozambique border, up the North Coast) for the long weekend, with tents and blow up mattresses in tow. Apart from a very nasty incident last wednesday evening when my precious camera and Farmboy's work laptop were 'liberated' from my LOCKED car (using who knows what kind of sci-fi tech) but apart from that, the weekend was swell. Here are some snaps taken with Nathan's iPhone (ah man I really am mad about Instagram) with being without a camera and all...

{If you are ever looking for a holiday destination that feels very exotic and tropical, with incredible snorkeling and only about a 4.5 hour drive from PMB, then head out to Sodwana Bay}

{Minty Fresh}

These are a few images I've pinned onto my {pastel} Pinterest board lately...

I just love these soft hues of mint & sea green

{Flowers} from Freshly Found

After reading Nadia's lovely House & Leisure post on Freshly Found last week, I just had to do a post on the gorgeous paper roses Denise (the brains behind the brand) created for our wedding in September  last year. Denise has expanded her paper flower range which began with roses and lilies made from vintage books, to now include recycled paper proteas and strelitzias. Every single one is lovingly hand crafted, with exquisite attention to detail.

 And here are the gorgeous paper roses that Denise lovingly crafted especially for our wedding, photographed by Jacki Bruniquel...

Visit Freshly Found's blog here and their online shop here.

{Ayla Grace}

This little cutie is Ayla-Grace, daughter of Veronica & Jared. Isn't she such a sweetie?

We had a lot of fun, even though it was pretty hard work getting this little one to smile :)

Thank you Ayla-Grace for being so patient and understanding, even with a big black camera in your face all afternoon...

WholeWheat & Oats BarOne Chocolate Cookies...recipe

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup / 255g rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup / 125g whole wheat flour

2/3 cup / 45g wheat bran (or germ)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cup / 225g unsalted butter

1 cup / 185g natural cane sugar or light brown sugar

1 cup / 170 g firmly packed Muscovado or dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200g Bar One (I used 2 x EXTRA sized bars) chopped.

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180 C.

Line two baking sheets with wax paper and set aside. What worked better for me after a few tries was Holsum smeared all over the pans, finished off with flour.

In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, wheat bran, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Either by hand, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar for 3+ minutes, scraping down sides a few times along the way. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla - scraping the sides of the bowl another time or two. Add the dry mixture, and stir until everything barely comes together. Then stir in the chocolate, mixing until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Use a small ice-cream scoop, spoon, or 1/4 cup measuring cup, to make uniform dough balls. I used a metal 1/4-cup measuring cup, filling it about 3/4 full. Arrange each cookie at least 3-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. They'll flatten out quite a bit. I squashed a small chunk of bar one into each dough ball for some extra yumminess.

For extra crisp cookies, bake until deeply, deeply golden on the bottom, about 15+ minutes. Rotate the pans once about 2/3 the way through baking - back to front, top to bottom. Like your cookies a little chewier? Bake for less time. Cool on a rack.

Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Prep time: 20 min - Cook time: 15 min

{adapted from my absolute favourite recipe site: 100 cookbooks}

Being a kept woman...

As of 2 weeks ago, I am sad (and a little bashful) to say that I have again returned to the ranks of the unemployed. I was in a wonderful {temporary} post, teaching full time as a Grade 3 teacher until the Department of Education placed their permanent teacher. We all thought it would take years for that to actually happen, but alas, 6 weeks later and I was out of a job. So I am now a lady of leisure, which trust me, sounds a lot more glamorous that it is. But, in between handing our my CV and going to interviews, I do get to meet up with friends for lots of tea drinking and spend lots of time getting my bake on (watch out for a yummy Whole Wheat & Oats BarOne Chocolate Cookie recipe up later today!).

I'm hoping the lack of jobs is God's way of nudging us towards some overseas adventures :)

So this is where I am spending my morning today...

{Antiques} Lions River Trading Post...Midlands Meander

A drive around the Natal Midlands always leads to some exciting find, whether it is a lovely coffee, boutique store or Antique barn. And thats exactly what happened when Farmboy and I headed out a few weekends ago in search of a fishing spot. 

I present to you, Lions River Trading Post:

Address:

11km from Howick

-29.4632, 30.1643

Telephone Number:

+27 33 234 4098

Open 9am - 5pm daily.