Previous Clients: Bespoke Brand Photography for Wonderland Graphic Design

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Previous Clients: Bespoke Brand Photography for Wonderland Graphic Design

Earlier last year, I had the pleasure of working with Sarah from Wonderland Graphic Design.

Sarah is based in the UK, and had purchased one of my images on CreativeMarket and had had a slight problem with her download. I quickly sorted out the issue for her, and we got chatting over Facebook and realised we had a couple of friends in common and that she lived in the same area I used to live in over 15 years ago! What a small world!

Soon afterwards we began chatting about my new service offering, Bespoke Brand Photography, and the rest they say, is history! 

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Beautiful & Free Feminine Styled Stock Photos for Bloggers, Creatives & Business Owners

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Beautiful & Free Feminine Styled Stock Photos for Bloggers, Creatives & Business Owners

It's the start of a new year (even though we are already heading towards the end of January...how is this possibe?) and make your life a little easier when it comes to your blog & social media, I've created a set of feminine styled stock photographs just for you.

If you're new around these parts, you might not know about the CGScreative Resource library; a treasure trove of resources for bloggers, creatives & business owners. 

The CGScreative resource library is a FREE online space filled with blogging worksheets, business resources & helpful printables.

It's also filled with what has made my library famous; my unique selection of styled & natural stock imagery.

Here's a little sneak peek into what's inside:

 

The CGScreative resource library is a pretty space for bloggers, creatives & business owners & is  designed to be a place that helps you grow your blog or business and a place to visit to feel inspired.

And now I'm sure you're probably wondering how you can gain access. To keep the library exclusive (and to make sure that only serious creatives have access) you only need  pop your email in the little space below.

Join the CGScreative Resource & Stock Photo Library!

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By popping your email address above you'll be joining the  CGScreative mailing list. From there I'll be sending you the password for the resource library will allow you to log in.

You'll be able to download any and all of the resources and you can rest easy with regards to image copyright as my photographs are licensed under a creative commons license.  This means you can use the photos for all non-commercial purposes i.e you can use them for anything related to your blog or business that you are not intending to sell.

Feel free to crop the photos, add text to them or layer them with other images and graphics to create the perfect visuals for your site.

Here's a pretty Pin to add to Pinterest so you can ave this post & come back later. Simply hover your mouse over the image and then click the little red Pinterest button in the top left corner.

Beautiful & Free Feminine Styled Stock Photos for Bloggers, Creatives & Business Owners

I add new items to the library every month, so the content always stays fresh. I hope you find these resources useful to you in your blogging or business journey and I look forward to seeing how you use them.

If you do enjoy them, post a photo on Instagram of your experience with these resources and use the hashtag #CGScreative. I would love to share your images on my social media accounts (with your permission of course!) for extra exposure to your blog or business.

Happy blogging friends!

Join the CGScreative Resource & Stock Photo Library!

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More posts on blogging
Beautify Your Blog - my free gift to you to help you up skill during the stay-home period.
Unique & Feminine Stock Photos for Bloggers, Creatives & Business Owners
Beautiful & Free Feminine Styled Stock Photos for Bloggers, Creatives & Business Owners
Beautiful & Free Christmas Styled Stock Images for your Blog, Business or Social Media posts
#FromBlog2Biz How to make money from your blog
Free Stock Photos to help you beautify your brand - Welcome to the CGScreative Resource Library
Welcome to the new CityGirlSearching - A blog by CGScreative
Why you need to build an email list: Email Marketing for Beginners
What is Brand Photography and why you need it to grow your business
The #CGScreative June Photo Challenge - An Easy & Fun way to grow your Instagram Account

Natal Midlands - Art Therapy Class with Terry Angelos

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Natal Midlands - Art Therapy Class with Terry Angelos

Just before wrapping up the end of 2016, I spent a most wonderful morning attending an art therapy class hosted by Durban based artist extraordinaire, Terry Angelos.

Terry uses nature as her inspiration, and creates the most beautiful works of art. She also owns the clothing store, Anthology, which is in the Windermere Shopping Centre in Durban.

Terry has just started doing art therapy classes here in Natal, hosting one in Durban earlier last year, and then finishing off with her second one for those of us who stay closer to the Natal Midlands. The class was all about watercolour painting and aimed at beginners (thank goodness!). Most of us hadn't spent much painting before, and Terry really showed us that anyone can paint and there really is no secret to it all. It's all about having fun and putting paint to paper.

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Joburg to Cape Town roadtrip via Poffadder, Springbok, Kaamieskroon, Bitterfontein & Yzerfontein with our dog to see the Namaqualand flowers!

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Joburg to Cape Town roadtrip via Poffadder, Springbok, Kaamieskroon, Bitterfontein & Yzerfontein with our dog to see the Namaqualand flowers!

A few weeks after arriving back in South Africa from living in South Korea (click here to ready more about our 4 years spent teaching English in Korea), Farmboy and I headed off on a 6 week road trip around South Africa. We started our trip in Johannesburg (where my family are) and ended on the farm in Kwazulu Natal (where Farmboy's family are). 

During those 6 weeks we visited about 15 towns and cities, some of which I had never heard of before, and had wonderful adventures seeing more of South Africa than either of us had seen before. This is a very image heavy post, so you might want to go and make yourself a cup of tea while you wait for these images to load :)

Farmboy also vlogged our trip, which you can watch by heading over to his youtube channel (click here). There are lots of fun behind the scenes videos of our trip, which I think you'll really enjoy.  I've linked them below so you can watch them right here in this post.

The aim of this trip was to see the famous Namaquland Daisies, as well as to explore more of Cape Town. When we got home from Korea, we wanted to spend time in the major cities in South Africa to see if we would like to settle and make home in any of them. This trip was the perfect opportunity to explore Cape Town and see if we could imagine ourselves making it our new home. 

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Professional Headshots & why your brand needs one instead of a grainy selfie

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Professional Headshots & why your brand needs one instead of a grainy selfie

These days, social media makes it easier than ever for you to connect with your target audience online. This means your brand is on show ALL THE TIME, and people are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing who to work with. This is why it's so important to make sure your brand makes the right impression the moment a potential client or customer comes into contact with you.

For many of us, the first time our clients see us is on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, and so these social media platforms are the perfect place to showcase your profile photo instead of your logo.

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DIY Magnetic Pen Holder for the Fridge

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DIY magnetic pen holder for the fridge

After spending countless hours searching for pens around the house when I need to jot down notes in the kitchen, I finally sat down and made my own magnetic pen holder for the fridge!

And you know what...it was SO EASY!

The only thing you might not have on hand is the magnets, but apart from those (they are sort of the main element for this DIY though) you probably have everything else lying around at home.

I found these strong little round magnets at a hobby shop a few years ago, and used them for making my own button magnets for Christmas presents a while ago. I always keep some of them around because they are incredibly useful for all sorts of fun DIY crafts.

If you do end up making one of these yourself, I'd love to see it! Share a photo over on Facebook or Instagram and tag me in it (@CGScreative) so I can see.

DIY Magnetic Pen Holder for the Fridge

DIY magnetic pen holder for the fridge
 

What you need:

  • small box (I used an old medicine box that was long enough to hold a pen)
  • super glue
  • strong magnets (I used 3 little ones)
  • various bits of fabric tape/washi tape
  • scissors
  • lace/ribbon to decorate
 
how to make your own DIY magnetic pen holder for the fridge

Directions:

1. Cut the end off of your box. Make sure to keen the other end intact, otherwise you're going to loose your pens!

2. Wrap your box in washi tape (or fabric tape or whatever fabric you have on hand). I used a sticky backed fabric tape to cover most of the box as my washi tape wasn't thick enough to cover the writing. Once the first layer of fabric tape was done, I used a pretty floral washi tape to complete my box.

Don't worry about going all the way around the box with your tape. I didn't want to waste washi tape on the back as it's never going to be seen and will face the fridge anyway.

4. Using super glue, place glue on the centre of your magnets, and then place the magnets on the back of your box.

Be careful not to stick your fingers together (I've done this plenty of times...not fun!).

5. The fun part...decorating! I used a piece of white lace to make a pretty bow and tied it around my box.

You can really go crazy with this, using string, pegs, washi tape and all sorts of other fun elements.

And voila!

No more searching your home for pens when you need to write your shopping list!

These pen holders also make great gifts too!

how to make a magnetic pen holder for your fridge

If you do try this easy & fun DIY, share a photo on Instagram or Facebook...I'd love to see what you create. 

Happy crafting!

x

 

Win a set of personalised prints from Nifty250!

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Win a set of personalised prints from Nifty250!

I've got a lovely little giveaway happening over on Facebook, where you can win yourself a voucher from Nifty250. 

Nifty250 is a local South African company that aims to revive everyones love of print photographs. Think about all those wonderful memories stored on your phone or computer. Wouldn't you want them beautifully displayed in your home or office, rather than collecting virtual dust on your hard-drive?

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Beautiful & Free Christmas Styled Stock Images for your Blog, Business or Social Media posts

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Beautiful & Free Christmas Styled Stock Images for your Blog, Business or Social Media posts

It's nearly the ned of the year (where did the past 11 months even go?!) and that means that it's one of the busiest times of the year for most of us. To make your life a little easier when it comes to your blog & social media, I've created a set of Christmas styled stock photographs just for you.

If you're new around these parts, you might not know about the CGScreative Resource library; a treasure trove of resources for bloggers, creatives & business owners. 

The CGScreative resource library is a FREE online space filled with blogging worksheets, business resources & helpful printables.

It's also filled with what has made my library famous; my stock imagery.

Here's a little sneak peek into what's inside.

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Life on a Dairy Farm - An update on our new home in South Africa

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Life on a Dairy Farm - An update on our new home in South Africa

As of October 1st, Farmboy and I have officially settled on the family dairy farm here in the little town of Creighton, Kwazulu-Natal (South Africa for all my overseas readers). We have officially been back home since the end of June this year, and spent the last few months roadtripping around South Africa, catching up with friends and exploring the different cities and towns while we decided where we wanted to be settle.

We are so happy to finally report that we officially part of the Creighton community (the town that Farmboy grew up in) and have just finished renovating the little farm cottage at the bottom of the garden of the main farmhouse where Farmboy's folks live. Never in my life did I think I would live so close to my in-laws, but I have to see I am one lucky lady and really struck gold with the family I married in to.

Not only are we given with a constant supply of farm fresh eggs and milk (we do live on a dairy farm after all), but Mum & Dad have been amazing in helping us get settled. Dale officially started working as the assistant farm manager, alongside his Dad at the start of October, and is up for milking at 4h30am every alternative week and spends his days working with his hands. He is in his element, and loving feeling useful again after our time spend babysitting/playing games....ahem, I mean teaching English in Korea.

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The Ultimate South African Christmas Gift Guide - everything you need to know about keeping it local this festive season

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The Ultimate South African Christmas Gift Guide - everything you need to know about keeping it local this festive season

Christmas is right around the corner (6 weeks away to be exact!) and to help you beat the stress and overwhelm that often takes over when it comes to buying gifts, I've put together the following gift guide.

All of these wonderful gifts are from local South Africans and buying them means you are supporting the small business trade. I love the idea of supporting small business owners, because with each gift bought for your loved ones, you are enabling that business owner do the same for their family...it's a win-win situation.

I've started the guide with gift ideas for the special ladies in your life, followed by a selection of ideas for men, and ending off with loads and loads of inspiration for the little ones.

Please do feel free to share this post with all your friends and family, and anyone else you can think of who may need a little help finding the perfect Christmas present this year.

This is a VERY image heavy post, so you might want to go put the kettle on and make yourself a warm cup of something while you wait for all the images to load. In the mean time, make sure you bookmark this post so you can come back to it if you need to.

Happy Shopping!

x

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The #CGScreative Photo Challenge, the November Edition! A fun and easy way to grow your Instagram account

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The #CGScreative Photo Challenge, the November Edition! A fun and easy way to grow your Instagram account

Are you looking for a bit of inspiration for your Instagram account? Do you want to join an awesome community of encouraging just darn lovely people who want to see you succeed? 

INTRODUCING THE CGSCREATIVE AUGUST INSTAGRAM PHOTO CHALLENGE

If you're wanting to learn tips on how to build a more cohesive feed, connect with like minded people and ultimately grow your Instagram following and influence, then you are definitely in the right place!

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#FromBlog2Biz How to make money from your blog

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#FromBlog2Biz How to make money from your blog

WELCOME TO PART 2 OF THE #FROMBLOG2BIZ SERIES

In this post I'm sharing with you how I've made money with my blog (it's probably going to shock you), ways that other people have made money blogging (plus ideas for you) and how I plan on monetizing moving forward.

Let's get started right away!

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PrettyPopUp event - Cape Town

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PrettyPopUp event - Cape Town

A few weeks ago I held my first ever pop up event in Cape Town as a meet and greet to celebrate the pre-launch of my the CGScreative. 

Although I am based near Pietermaritzburg, I have a lot of readers in Cape Town whom I was very excited to meet up with in person. 

These #PrettyPopUp events are a way of sharing more of the CGScreative brand with people, and are a wonderful way to connect in person, while building relationships & connections outside of the online world.

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Things to do in Cape Town - visit Babylonstoren for the day

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Things to do in Cape Town - visit Babylonstoren for the day

Farmboy and I just got back from a whirlwind road trip around South Africa, starting in Johannesburg and making our way up close to the Botswana border, right down to Cape Town and finally ending up on the farm in Natal. We drove over 7 500 km (that's about 4500 miles for my American friends).  We visited 15 towns/cities and stayed in 10 of them during our 6 week trip.

One of the highlights of this trip was our visit the Babylonstoren, a place I had seen mentioned by my favourite bloggers since it opened its doors in 2012. 

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Free Stock Photos to help you beautify your brand - Welcome to the CGScreative Resource Library

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Free Stock Photos to help you beautify your brand - Welcome to the CGScreative Resource Library

What do you do if you just can't seem to figure out your camera? What happens when you spend hours and hours snapping photos on your phone for your latest blog post, but all the photos you've taken leave you feeling frustrated?

This is where I step in my friend!

You see, I understand that we can't do #ALLTHETHINGS when it comes to our blogs, and so, I created the CGScreative resource library.

I created the library to help creatives, just like you. When I first started blogging, there was nothing like this available to me, and because we all have to start somewhere, I have made this pretty online space, absolutely free.

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Welcome to the new CityGirlSearching - A blog by CGScreative

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Welcome to the new CityGirlSearching - A blog by CGScreative

Hello friends!

You might have noticed a few changes around here lately, and I'm so excited to share more about them with you now.

If this is your first visit here, welcome! I'm Roxy and I'm the blogger and photographer behind CGScreative the business, and CityGirlSearching the blog.

Confused?

Let me explain.

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The Holloway Shop - Floral Designs, Beautiful Bouquets and Foraging for flowers in Cape Town

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The Holloway Shop - Floral Designs, Beautiful Bouquets and Foraging for flowers in Cape Town

I met Storm in Korea in 2013 while we were both teaching English in small towns not far from one another. We instantly became friends, not just because we are both South African (South Africans abroad tend to unintentionally seek each other out and end up forming these strange South African friendships circles, no matter how many other different nationalities we spend time with) and this was exactly what happened with us.

We worked on so many wonderful styled shoots together, with her as florist and stylist, and me as photographer (click here to see some of them) and I was very sad when she left Korea at the end of her contract. Now that we are all back in the same country again, the floral photograph can continue! Storm has started her own business (The Holloway Shop) creating and selling custom floral arrangements in Cape Town.

Of course, I couldn't wait to follow her around with my camera and capture all the beautiful things she does.

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Why you need to build an email list: Email Marketing for Beginners

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Why you need to build an email list: Email Marketing for Beginners

If you've been blogging for some time and especially if you've been looking into how you can make money from blogging, I'm sure you will have come across the term 'email list'. I'm sure you have heard loads of other bloggers and business owners talking about 'list building' and how 'the money is in the list' but perhaps you've been wondering not just why on earth you need a list for your blog but also what on earth you'd be sending those people. Can't your readers just follow you through Bloglovin' or Feedburner? Why do you need to invest your time into another form of marketing?

If you're anything like me, you've been pondering those questions. It's time to stop wondering and start doing & so today I'm going to tell why you definitely DO need an email list for your blog or business, plus I'm going to show you how you can start building yours today.

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THE #CGSCREATIVE August PHOTO CHALLENGE - AN EASY & FUN WAY TO GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

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THE #CGSCREATIVE August PHOTO CHALLENGE - AN EASY & FUN WAY TO GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

There is no time like the present to grow your Instagram following, and I'm going to make it really easy for you! 

Introducing the CGScreative 30 Day Instagram Photo Challenge

This is the third challenge I have hosted over on Instagram, and I am delighted to invite you to join in the challenge for the month of August.

If you're wanting to learn tips on how to build a more cohesive feed, connect with like minded people and ultimately grow your Instagram following and influence, then you are definitely in the right place!

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What is Brand Photography and why you need it to grow your business

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What is Brand Photography and why you need it to grow your business

Brand Photography: What is it and why do you need it to grow your business?

As a blogger and photographer I am so excited to create this post for you and to explain how powerful brand photography is for your business. When I first started my own blogging journey over 6 years ago, I was grabbing random images from Google and sites like WeHeartIt and just throwing together blog graphics without paying much attention to my brand image. Since picking up my first fancy camera 4 years ago, I have seen first hand how much beautiful & purposeful images can really propel your brand and give it an edge that sets it apart from every body else. This is what I want for you, fellow creative! I want to show you how custom brand photography can really help you to grow your business.

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