weekend birthday celebrations + lots of pretty things ☺

well, i am officially the big 2-8 today! ☺

yesterday i got reminded that 10 years ago i was having my 18th...first this was a bit of a grim thought, but then i started to think about all the things that have happened to me over the past 10 years...i have a lot to be grateful for ☺

this past weekend i had an amazing time with friends celebrating my birthday - going to all my favourite places doing all my favourite things ☺

i am a keen fan of anything pretty and crafty. something i love about Cape Town is the diversity of design here, something i haven't seen anywhere else i've been.  i was so proud when Cape Town was awarded with the World Design Capital 2014! ☺

we started off my birthday celebrations on friday afternoon, with myself and a few friends going to Kamers Vol Geskenke (which means "Room Full of Gifts" in Africaans) at Lourensford Wine Estate.  i love when Kamersvol comes round every year, as for me it has to be the most creative market i have been to.  every year is so different and i often come back wishing i could have bought everything! this year Kamersvol are running a competition with the wedding photographer Christine Meintjes.  while i was there i snapped a few pics :) if you happened to be there this past week and also have a few pics of Kamersvol you can also enter the competition on their facebook page here.

then one of my favourite places to mooch around on a saturday morning is the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town.  happening every saturday morning, this market is one not to miss!  this birthday i decided it would be lovely to go there with some friends and hang out.  my camera was also with me, so i managed to get some photos....

check out Heartworks for some African crafts - heartworks.kloof@gmail.com

next time i go to the market i want to get one of these! adore theses pendants from Skermunkil Design Studio ...got my beedy eye on the bird with the heart ♥

pendants from Skermunkil Design Studio

if you are looking for uber trendy and local made bags...then visit my friend, Caleb, at the Old Biscuit Mill where he sells his Chapel Bags, alternatively you can check out his website here. from lap top bags, satchels, rucksacks and pencil cases...all beautifully made...i ♥ these bags 

the final part of the weekend birthday celebrations, nick surprised me :) we 'bumped' into some friends while taking a stroll along the beach...which all seemed a bit too accidental to me and then i found out a guesthouse called the BlueBottle had been booked in Muizenberg and we were all going to stay there the night :) 


The Blue Bottle is my kinda dream house.  Snuck away on the Muizenberg mountain, with a stunning view of the False Bay, wooden floors and big lofty rooms :) the owners, Andrew & Taryn, seem to love collectable items as much as i do too, as the house is full of them. i loved the old fashioned radio they have. 

some of the collectables at The Bluebottle Guesthouse

as we walked through Kalk Bay in the evening to go the The Annex for dinner...i had a big smile on my face...was truly an awesome birthday weekend :)

Willow | 3 months Baby Shoot

i know i am bias, but i have the cutest God-daughter! :) 2 months have just flown by, and quick as a flash it was time for Willow's 3 month photoshoot already!  previously i took photos of Willow when she was 1 month old, as we are making an album to capture the first year of her life. comparing both sets of photos i just couldn't believe how much she has grown in so little time.  when Emily and I put her in the same basket as last time we laughed at how her little feet were sticking over the edge of the basket...and remembered how before we bundled her up and how snug she was! this time Willow was wide awake smiling and gargling at us.....she is sooo precious! :)

Andrew & Sarah | Engagement Shoot

Andrew & Sarah are like two sweet peas in a pod!  we have known Andrew for quite a few years now and when he met Sarah we knew she was the one for him!  Sarah moved here from England a few years back and works at a school in Lwandle, where Andrew often pops in and helps out.


it is so wonderful to see two people enjoying every moment together before their wedding day, and i feel so privileged to be there to capture their big day next week.  


about a week ago we went to the Helderberg Nature Reserve to do their engagement shoot.


we had a stunning day for it, and what with the stunning setting, and then also a stunning couple - i think you'll agree Andrew & Sarah are sooo in love :)

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

a couple of weeks ago nick and i decided to take a road trip.

we went all the way to east london, and then on the way back stopped off at one of nick's favourite places, Jeffrey's Bay. if you don't know about Jefrey's Bay, it has one of the best surf breaks in South Africa called Super Tubes.  While we were there many a day was spent on the beach for me, soaking up the rays, and for nick out there in the surf.  

nick has wanted me to capture him surfing for a while now...and Super Tubes is one of the best places to get good shots of surfers without getting too wet as you can sit right on the rocks near where the waves break. 

so here is just a few of the pictures i captured while we were there..

yesterday was a sad day as most of us woke up to the news that Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and Pixar, had passed away.  as i was reading the many messages that were put out on twitter and facebook about Steve i came across a speech he made at Stanford University in 2005.  An amazing speech, with Steve telling the story of his life, one paragraph struck me that i decided i would mould my life on, and i am sure it will inspire you as well...

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary" 

At the end of the speech he says;

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.  And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you"

Thank you Steve Jobs for everything you did and the life you led, my condolences go out to his family at this time.

And for the rest of you out there, let's learn from a man such as this one and "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish" :)