Since I'm a wife now...

...I am allowed to occasionally post goofy pictures of me and my husband. Technically, this photo isn't exactly a masterpiece; the focus is off, the light is terrible blah blah blah. But I love how this particular image portrays a bit of our different personalities. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside (smile).

There you go

Image from A Cup of Joe

Under the weather

I spent half of yesterday and the whole of today right here. In and on our grey bed. Came down with the 'flu and then had some sort of reaction to the medicine. Yes, the pills made it worse...
This is what I did today:

• Read a book, The Glass Castle.
• Wrote a letter to my grandma - it was so rewarding to actually write, with a pen, on nice paper.
• Feebly attempted to walk the dogs but due to sore knee and fear of bees we did not get very far. 
• Admired a few amazing blogs.

So no exciting news or inspirational quotes. Just me trying to recuperate.

Latest addi(c)tion to the film family

My husband got me a lovely new Diana Mini. Out of the blue (uhm, white). We "only" wanted to go to the Lomography Embassy store in Juta street (Braamfontein) to get new film for my Diana F+ but we walked out of the shop with a lovely little white camera. *Sigh*. I was so excited and smitten that Thys had to take all these photos.

Thing is, the Lomography guys really know how to seduce with clever, awesome, beautiful packaging. And the books, oh the books that come with these babies! Typography check, layout check, x-factor check. And the shop - I finally found my happy place...

Will post some of the dreamy, analogue photos soon (if I got it right first time).

Saturday morning in Jozi

Yesterday we went to Juta street in the heart of Braamfontein. There is some serious urban regeneration taking place in this part of town and this makes my heart beat a little faster. My husband's blog will feature a more comprehensive look at the architecture and other cool shops in Juta street. My post here will focus more on the Neighbourgoods market. These guys are doing something amazing. It started in Cape Town and finally Jozi is also blessed with the presence of responsible organizers, as well as talented and mind-blowing vendors. The space is amazing - tucked safely into the urban fabric, with really nice get-together spaces, clever design details, aesthetically pleasing furniture and good finishes.
This quote from their website says it all:

The Neighbourgoods Market is an independent initiative founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Justin Rhodes and Cameron Munro, whose aim is to revive and reinvent the Public Market as a civic institution.

Thanks to my liefie, who took some of the photos below whilst I was fiddling with my new toy...more on that later.

This market will be open every Saturday from 09:00am to 15:00. Go there, experience city life the way it should be.

Kom hier jou mooi ding

I am absolutely in love with Dear Rae's jewelry. I tried on many of her beautiful rings at the Design Indaba this year but my petite fingers (this is where you smile) were too small and I never got round to order one online. Now, Angie from Lucky Pony is giving away the exact same beautiful ring that I want.

Go over to her site but ONLY have a look and please do not comment (unless you are my husband) because I.WANT.THAT.RING. (this is where you picture my lazy eye staring you down)

image from Lucky Pony

These lovelies will be in stock at Wolves. If you didn't get the ring because I did, go over there for a cup of good coffee and a red velvet cupcake and...oh...yes...the lovely jewelry.

Urban Warrior

Her name is Candy Chang. She does profound work. When I look at it, I can see our city having everything she has to offer. According to her website she "likes to make cities more comfortable for people. She’s passionate about exploring ways we can share information in public space to improve our neighborhoods and our personal well-being. Her background in street art, design, and urban planning have informed many of her projects, which redefine the ways our public spaces can be used to incite dialogue and engage citizens with their cities and with each other."


Look at these images below. They do speak for themselves, but I think South African cities, particularly Pretoria, need this sort of interaction desperately. We are too scared to get out there and engage, we live in our security villages and cars and we isolate ourselves from the dirt, poverty and crime.

I particularly like the next set. You can by these stickers from her online shop and stick them on old shopfronts or basically any urban space in need of remedy. In this way, you get the public to voice their opinion and maybe, just maybe, the bureaucrats and red-tapers will take public opinion seriously.

Lastly, this project hit home big time. I wonder how many of us know our neighbours. These cute door hangers say that you are actually available for a quick hello and that you care about your micro-environment. You can download the pdf files of side 1 and side 2 from her website as well.

All images from Candy Chang.