Jess LC

Hello lovelies! How was your weekend? Have you had a chance to browse through the new issue of Rue yet? The fabulous Rue girls have done it again and produced another incredible jam packed issue. One of my favourite features was the Jess LC studio tour. It was great to get an inside peak into the studio and home of Jess, the talented jewellery designer behind the label, Jess LC. Absolutely love the simplicity and lightness of her space, it feels young, fresh and very pretty. Adore the fabric choices, the chevron curtains are such a perfect graphic contrast to the the feminine touches. Really wish my home looked something like this!

Jess' new Franklin range is so simple yet really stunning, little pendants with braille lettering on one side and the english word on the other. Lovely, positive messages to keep one inspired, definitely on my wishlist!

Image credits: studio tour images via Rue, jewellery via Jess LC

{Words to live by}

I like this...

Illustration by Jenn Renninger

The Coveted

8/3/11 UPDATE: The Coveted has been rebranded as The Coveteur so please visit their new site here! Still just as fabulous just re-named so to avoid confusion with the coveted blog.

Just discovered the The Coveted thanks to narrylikes, absolutely loving it! The Coveted takes you inside the closets of international trendsetters, showing us sneak peeks of their fabulous clothing, shoes, bags and more. Entertaining descriptions of each piece and how they came to be plus fantastic photography make this a must for any fashionista, go check it out!

All photos by Jake Rosenberg for The Coveted

I heart nature

I am so glad the weekend is on it's way, after a busy week of work, plus a few not so nice chores such as going to the dentist and donating blood... I am so ready to put my feet up! My plan is to definitely do something outdoors in nature and to plan my next baking shoot which will be a fabulous Valentines inspired shoot! So what have you got planned?

I've put together some favourite images that I've spotted recently, all with either an element of nature or touch of V Day inspiration. Definitely pop over to design*sponge for a fun DIY crochet heart garland tutorial! Have a happy weekend lovelies!

Image credits: 1, 2 & 3) Jose Villa, 4) Pale & Interesting, 5) vtwonen, 6 & 7) DIY Crochet heart garland via design*sponge, 8) Lucas Allen, 9) The Yvestown Yearbook 2010, 10) bunting via The Design Files

Heavenly Babel

A trip to Babel is a sensory heaven, delicious meals made with the freshest ingredients straight out of the garden at Babylonstoren and a menu created by top stylist and food fundi, Maranda Engelbrecht. The restaurant which used to be an old cowshed is now a beautifully simple, fresh white space. I love the tiled wall at the one end of the restaurant with the quirky bull design, it's the perfect spot to display an ever changing menu. Babel's relaxed atmosphere makes it a perfect country lunch destination, I highly recommend it! Babel is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10 - 4 for lunch.

Babel at Babylonstoren, between Franschhoek & Paarl
Tel: + 27 21 863 3852

Photography: by me

Babylonstoren

Set in the winelands, between Franschhoek and Paarl, you'll find a lovely old estate called Babylonstoren. This Cape Dutch estate has been lovingly restored into the most gorgeous farm-style hotel by previous SA Elle Decoration editor and style guru Karen Roos. Karen restored the original farmhouse and has added a number of guest suites. Karen has kept a fantastic balance between old and new, marrying the two effortlessly. You'll find luxurious designer pieces mixed in with simple classics.

I was lucky enough to stay overnight in one of the incredible self catering cottages that overlook the beautiful 8 acre fruit and vegetable garden. The garden itself is a wonder and needs to be seen, simply to understand the grand scale and design of it. Guests are encouraged to explore the garden and even pick their own fresh fruit and veg!

Impeccable design, attention to detail and five star service are what you can expect and then of course a delicious breakfast at Babel, the farm's fabulous restaurant... but more about that tomorrow! All together, a stay here is just heavenly, country living at it's very best!

Babylonstoren, between Franschhoek & Paarl
Tel: + 27 21 863 3852

Photography: by me

Rose beauty

Flourishing roses, spring floral prints, bold brights and the gorgeous Devon Aoki all make for a fabulous spring editorial. Love the mood and setting, pop over and see the rest of the shoot here.

Image credits: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 8) via Fashion gone vogue from US ELLE February 2011, photography by Carter Smith and styling by Mario Grauso. 3 & 7) photos by me

Hebron & Cederberg- holiday snippets

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend?  I'm still trying to fill you in on my holiday though, so here's the second last installment of my holiday catch up! We wanted to do something in nature and decided on camping in the Cederberg mountains. On our way up we stayed overnight at Hebron guesthouse. Hebron was a lovely cool oasis, a perfect antidote to the summer heat. An incredible swimming pool with a view of the Citrusdal valley was definitely the highlight as well as great service and a friendly atmosphere. After a good night's rest and a delicious breakfast and we were ready to head into the Cederberg mountains.

So we picked up some last supplies in the small town of Citrusdal and then made our way to Algeria campsite which is part of Cape Nature Conservation. It was baking hot and I was so relieved to see that the river and swimming hole were full. We literally spent all our time jumping in and out of the river and sitting in the shade, it was way too hot to be in the sun or even go for a hike. So plenty of reading and relaxing were in order which is actually just what I needed! I would definitely recommend a trip to the Cederberg but make sure it's not in the middle of a heat wave! Have a great week ahead, friends!

Photography: by me

{Words to live by}

Love these words...

Illustration by Fréya Art and Design