Gossip Girl, Season 4 - Blair style

Blair (aka Leighton Meester) will be looking super cute in this weeks episode of GG. I am loving her patterned tights.....and how fab is that pink shorts outfit?

Happy Friday!

“Luxury is the opposite of vulgarity.
Luxury is the opposite of status.  

It is the ability to make a living by being oneself.

It is the freedom to refuse to live by habit. Luxury is liberty.

Luxury is elegance. True elegance is refusal.” -Coco Chanel

Have a happy friday and a wonderful weekend!

On my bucket list... by Zeanne

Today the sweet, Cape Town based blogger Zeanne (from coffee rings and other things) will be sharing a few things from her bucket list - Enjoy...

1. Road Trip of my Dreams- I want to buy a convertable with my one true love and travel from South to North down the West Coast of the United States, I want to stop in Carmel, San Francisco, the Nappa Valley and all the wonderful towns we possibly can stop at . I want to soak up the road, loud music in the car, the heat and the sights- I want to wear big glasses and a hat and be thin enough to eat all the burgers along the way I want to!

2. Fairy Garden - I want to nurture a small garden full of only white flowers, I want it to be like a fairy garden, and I want my kids to love it and for it to be full of magic for them!

3. Sagria with my Dad - I want to attend a service in the Sagria Familia in Spain, once it has been completed with my Dad. I want to sit next to him and be in awe of the masterpiece that was built in our time and that we have watched develop along the way on our trips there.

4. Architecture of my dreams - I want to design my own house with my own drawings and my own imagination and have it built. I want it to be friendly, white, breezy and light, with huge shutters, sink in couches, a long table and I want it always be full of laughter and peace.

5. Always be in Love- I want to be married forever and ever.

6. To be Stylish - I want to be mentioned in a wonderful design magazine ( Like the UK edition of Elle decor) I want to be mentioned for my fabulous style and my designs.

7.The African Bush - I want to spend 2 weeks in Manna pools in Zimbabwe. I want to get close close to wild Eelephants and Lions and be filled to the max with that wonderful feeling of being in the magical bush.

8. Antiques in France with my mom - I want to spend hours and days and more hours scouring the authentic French Antique markets of France with my Mom. I want to buy what ever I want and have it all shipped back to my beautiful, whimsical, African villa, a home filled with my treasures and finds!

9. My Pet Zebra- I want to own a pet zebra that comes to my kitchen window and eats what i give it through there. I want it to have a peacock and a small buck for a friend, and for them to be my pets in my beautiful African garden around my beautiful house, mentioned above!

10. My Sisters - I want to travel to Morocco with my sisters, Cara and Meix. I want to explore and shop and take photo's and feel like we are discovering a magical exotic land together!

Note: "On my bucket list..." is a weekly series. Each week a fabulous blogger will share a few things from their bucket list. To read other bucket lists, go HERE

Fairytale dresses: Elie Saab

I am in lust with Elie Saab's spring/ summer Haute Couture 2011 collection.

This collection is so beautiful, feminine and fairytale-like. I also think some of the gowns would be stunning as wedding dresses. Wonder if anyone will wear one of these on Oscar night? 

To see more photos of this collection, go here

Light Parisian home

The above photos are from Australian fashion designer, Martin Grant's, Paris home. Isn't it fabulous? I am loving the exposed wooden beams and retro furniture.

 - see more photos here -

Lovely & local

Here are a few local things that have caught my eye recently...

1. Pleat frill vest with floral cord skirt - from I Love Leroy

2. Homemade Pina Colada scented products -  from Body Thrills

3. Heart pendant & necklace - by Steffany Roup (available from Spence) 

4. Raw organic chocolate - by Honest Chocolate (available here)

5. Cute ceramic bowls - from Beatnik Bazaar 

6. Recycled cermaic & silver rings - by Natasha Wood

Celeb Style: Jessica Alba

I think Jessica Alba looked fabulous in Paris yesterday

Gossip Girl, Season 4 - outfit spotting

After 7 weeks without any new episodes of  Gossip Girl, I was starting to experience some serious withdrawal symptoms. Thankfully GG is back from it's hiatus and I can't wait to see what new drama is about to unfold in the rest of Season 4 :)

This week on Gossip Girl there was plenty of lust worthy winter fashion from the girls and Chuck is looking as suave as ever. Here are some of the fashion details (from  top left, clockwise):

1. Blair in a  very conservative Louis Vuitton jacket and skirt

2. Serena rocks thigh-high Tania Spinelli boots and a Burberry coat

3. Blair wearing a snuggly Philosophy coat, big scraf and a Lanvin bag

4. Chuck in a Hugo Boss tuxedo

The many faces of me

This weekend The Boyf  took some fun, photo booth inspired, photos of me...

...So, today I thought I would share a whole bunch of them with y'all ;)

(can you spot my t-rex/dinosaur face? hahaha)

Gucci pre-fall 2011

I am loving so much about Gucci's pre-fall 2011 collection.

To see more of the collection, click HERE

Happy Friday!

“Plunge boldly into the thick of life!”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Hope you have a happy Friday and a weekend full of fabulous

Pretty long dresses: Leighton & Rachel

This week two of my celeb style crushes, Leighton Meester (left) and Rachel Bilson (right), rocked long dresses (with wavy hair) for the Art of Elysum's Charity Gala.

1. Leighton wore a fringed Louis Vuitton gown, LV clutch and Roger Vivier sandals.
2. Rachel wore a coral Zac Posen gown with a gold Salvatore Ferragamo mini clutch.

Who's dress do you like best?

On my bucket list... by Phillygirl

Today the lovely,  South African blogger PhillyGirl (from Glad to be a Girl) will be sharing a few things from her bucket list - Enjoy...

Okay, here's the top 5 things on my already lengthy (although being shortened annually since it's mostly travel ) bucket list...

1. Building my own house
In about 2004 I designed parts of my future home. I am still determined to have it built, the real problem is figuring out where ... Cape Town or Joburg? Since the big goal is to eventually settle in Cape Town, it makes sense for it to be there ... but that does make it a hard goal to do anything about in the mean time. So now I've decided that the plan is to buy up a rental property, or two ro three and pay them off so that I will be getting an income from them and then use that to fund the dream home :) Hahaha, a girl can dream. Step 1 was buying the first rental unit last year.

2. A 3-month Road Trip across the USA
So this one I'm kinda waiting to have a partner to do it with ... When I travel I like to finish a country in that visit and never *need* to go back (want is an entirely different thing, but with so many unvisited place on my list, I have yet to repeat myself) and hence a whole 3 months spent driving across the States visiting all sorts of must-see places (if I time it right, perhaps even Mardi Gras in New Orleans) and (hopefully) ending with a week on some idyllic beach in Mexico ;)

3. Taking the Trans-Siberian Railway from Russia to China
I don't have much need to spend time in Russia, but I would love to be able to say I've done the Trans-Siberian Railway. And then I'd like to end in China and walk along the Great Wall and most especially, visit the Terracotta Warriors. I did spend some time researching this as a potential for 2008's trip. And I'm very happy to announce this will soon be moved from my Bucket List to my Ticked List because it's the plan for Holiday 2011 :) Although I'll be doing the Trans-Mongolian Railway instead of the Trans-Siberian one.

4. See the Moai on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
This one is tricky, I was kinda hoping to be able to pair it with last year's trip to Peru, but with spending 3weeks in Peru and the additional flights & time I'd need to have taken to include it, it was just too much to do all at once. But another time, definitely. This is one thing I simply *have* to do!

5. Stay in an Ice-Hotel and see the Aurora Borealis
Well, wouldn't this just be too much fun? The Aurora Borealis is a tricky one to pin down tho ... Was kinda hoping to see it while in Canada visiting the Polar Bears in 2009, but it wasn't the right time of year because it was too overcast at night.

Note: "On my bucket list..." is a weekly series. Each week a fabulous blogger will share a few things from their bucket list. To read other bucket lists, go HERE

Dressing dogs?

I spotted the above photo on Tumblr today and it made me laugh -  While I do find the ocassional "dog-in-a-costume" picture amusing and kind of cute, I am mostly against dogs wearing clothing.

Personally I DON'T think it's ok to dress a dog in clothing, unless....
(a) it will save the animal from freezing to death
(b) you are going to a dog & owner fancy dress party
(c) The dog is in a witness protection programme and has to wear a disguise
(d) you need to hide your dogs embarrassing haircut or rash
(e) your dog is the mascot for a sports team
(f) you are seriously afraid of "naked" animals (crazy, yes - but who am I to judge)
(g) The dog loves clothes and dresses itself
(h) The dog fits in your handbag,  is practically hamster-sized and has short hair (these dogs are not bred to be treated like "real" dogs)

What do you think of dogs wearing clothes?
Do you dress your dog?

And the winner is...

The lucky winner of the fabulous initial bracelet giveaway is... Little Miss Medic! Congrats lady - please contact me soon :)

There should be more lovely giveaways coming soon

Black & white prints

Fun and lovely prints by Therese Sennerholt. See more over here

10 things I learnt this weekend

1. Never underestimate the importance of regular hair trims
2. Rice crispy treats are as yummy as I remember
3. The TV series Persons Unknown is turning out to be pretty interesting
4. It's a good idea to surprise my sister with a pizza lunch
5. No matter how old I get I always want to borrow my mom's things
6. Strawberry daiquiri's  go very well with sushi
7. Going for a 7 am jog makes me feel fantastic the whole day
8. Oceans is such a beautiful, powerful, documentary film(read more about it here)
9. The Boyf never ceases to make me laugh with his made-up songs
10. Life is too short to worry about tomorrow

What have you learnt lately?

Fashion favourites: Golden Globes

The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards happened last night in Beverly Hills. As always, there were just so many stunning dresses on the red carpet - but my top looks of the night were from these six ladies...

1. Anne Hathaway rocked a long sleeved, low back, Giorgio Armani Prive gown
2. Carrie Underwood looked fabulous in a sequin strapless gown by Badgley Mischka.
3. Glee star Dianna Agron was breathtaking in a pleated J. Mendel gown
4. Olivia Wilde, who recently starred in Tron Legacy, really sparkled in a ombre-sequined Marchesa gown
5. Leighton Meester looked elegant in a Burberry Gown
6. Pregnant Natalie Portman glowed in a Viktor & Rolf gown.

Who's Golden Globe dress did you like best?

* To see more fashion from the Golden globes and read who won go here

Happy Friday!

"They came to sit & dangle their feet off the edge of the world

& after awhile they forgot everything but

the good & true things they would do someday. " 

- Brian Andreas (writer)

Have a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend.

It's for you...

Darlings, Its my first week back at work and I will admit that its been hard getting back in to the swing of things. My brain is still very much on holiday mode. Since  I am all over the place today (mostly mentally), I thought it would be a perfect day for an "its for you" post...

How it always works: I answer the below random questions - then you answer the questions as a comment. Why? because sharing is caring *winks*

1. Today I feel... upbeat and a bit sleepy
2. Last night... I skipped gym, watched too much TV, spent time with The Boyf, wished I had remembered to buy more wine and chilled out on the couch :)
3. This week...I wish I was still on holiday
4. Drink of the moment... smoothies and red wine
5. The best present I got this Christmas was... Chanel's Precision anti-wrinkle moisturiser and new lenses for my glasses
6. Last film you watched... Tron Legacy in 3D. It was cool
7. This year I plan to... write more, be happy and do THESE things

Celeb style: Blake & Michelle

Blake Lively and Michelle Williams looked cute on Tuesday night when they attended the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Awards Gala in New York.

1. Blake (left) wore a plum coloured Marchesa dress and turquoise accessories
2. Michelle (right) wore a sweet, lacey cocktail dress with satin heels and clutch

Who's outfit do you like best?

Movies I want to watch...

Here are just a few of the films I would like to see at the moment - hopefully they will all be out here soon (click on movie title for more info) .... 

1. Morning Glory - because Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford are great actors.
2. Country Strong - because I really do want to see Gwyneth Paltrow and Leighton Meester sing country songs (it's true)
3. True Grit - because I haven't seen a good western in a while
4. Tangled - cause it looks adorable (and you are never too old for animation)

To see my last "must-see" movie list  - click HERE

On my bucket list... by DT

DT (from Here I scribble ) is a lovely blogger that lives in India. Today she will be sharing a few things from her bucket list. Enjoy...

I don’t know whether I’ll be able to fulfill all this, but I do want to...

1. See Niagara falls, while holding his hand

2. Live in New York City

3. Adopt a baby girl

4. Shop till I drop, even if for 1 day, without having to look at price tag

5. Have a balanced life, between family and work, and my own happiness

6. Get dolled up and spend time in Paris, maybe rest of Europe too

7. Attend a live concert

8. Have a closet like Carrie Bradshaw in SATC - full of shoes, bags & dresses

9. Write a book, maybe about my life

10. Learn Ballroom dancing and maybe Salsa too.

*** Most importantly, I want my love of life to be with me through all of this, and everything else that is to come in my way, everything.

Note: "On my bucket list..." is a series. Each week a fabulous blogger will share a few things from their bucket list. To read other bucket lists, go HERE

10 things I learnt while on holiday

1. Swimming in a rainy, lightning storm is exhilarating
2. Too many second helpings of food over the festive season and no exercise will make your jeans feel tighter than they should.
3. I really need to get over my fear of flying insects
4. Hogsback, in the Eastern Cape, is very pretty and is the place that apparently inspired JRR Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings (see a photo of a Hogsback forest here)
5. Bird watching can be very interesting
6. Green Cross has nice leather bags - I recently got this classic, sling-across one

7.  Having a "Coconut Bay" scented car freshener, by Yankee Candle, makes me think of a beach holiday everytime I get into my car.

8. Nicholas Evans books never dissapoint me (enjoyed his latest book The Brave)

9. Tron Legacy in 3D was not as good as I hoped, but the costumes & effects were rad

10. I NEED to put my words into action more (and remember this)

What have you learnt recently?

So true...

Celeb style: summer & winter

This week I spotted a great summer and winter look from two celebs I like:

1. Kim Kardashian looked pretty and summery in a floral, Shoshanna dress and leather sandals.
2. Lovely Leighton Meester looked fabulous in a Missoni mini, with matching cardigan, and suede platform boots.

Must-see movie: Water for Elephants

Today I stumbled upon these great stills from the film Water for Elephants and just had to share them.

Water for Elephants, a novel by Sara Gruen, was hands-down my favourite book of 2010 (see here). So last year when I heard it was being made into a film, starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson as the lead characters, I was ridiculously excited at the prospect of seeing the story come to life.

The movie is now finished and is due to be released in USA in April 2011 and I cannot wait to see it. If you have not read the book, you really should before the film comes out :)

Have you read the book yet? If yes, what did you think?

Note: you can watch the beautiful  trailer for this film over HERE

Silver initial bracelet giveaway

Today I am happy to announce the start of a pretty giveaway sponsored by  Christine Walsh Jewellery (which is based in the United Kingdom)

The winner of this giveaway will get this silver bracelet with initial of their choice:

Description: A chunky, little hammered Pebble of recycled sterling silver comes stamped with the initial of your choice. This small but weighty charm has been suspended from thick rolo chain that has been finished with a small toggle fastener. The charm has been stamped '925' on the back.The bracelet is 7.5 inches in length.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Be a follower of my blog or twitter, THEN please comment on this post and tell me what is your favourite piece of jewellery in Christine Walsh's Etsy store
2. For an extra entry you can blog or tweet about this giveaway (and please let me know that you did)

Please note:

*Anyone may enter.
* The winner is chosen randomly
*This giveaway will end on Tuesday, 18 January 2011 and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, 19 January 2011.
Good luck, darlings!

Homemade tuna bake

Last week, The Boyf and I made a scrumptious tuna bake from a little cookbook called "Easy Meals From South of The Winterberg". Today I thought I would share the recipe with you all...

Things you will need:

• 1 onion, chopped finely
• oil ( I use olive oil)
• 1 can (200g) tuna in brine
• 375 ml  cooked rice (I like to use brown rice)
• 200ml milk
• 100ml Mayonnaise
• 4 large eggs (preferably free range)
• 5ml mustard powder (or mustard)
• 15ml lemon juice
• 25ml chopped parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste
• A cup of grated cheddar cheese 

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 C (thats 350 F) and grease an oven proof dish.

2. Saute onions in a little oil.

3. Cook rice

4. Drain and flake tuna.

5. Mix onion, tuna and rice together. Then spoon it into a greased dish.

6. Beat Eggs, milk and mayo together. add the mustard , lemon and parsley. Season to taste and then pour over fish mixture.

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and set.

8. Half way through baking, sprinkle all the grated cheese over the top of the tuna bake and continue cooking(see no.7)

Notes: * I suggest serving this tuna bake with a lettuce, tomato and cucumber side salad * This recipe serves 4 - double ingredients when cooking for more *photo by me.

Kitchen inspiration

Like the look of this cute, rather eclectic, kitchen. Love the retro chairs and think the "unfinished"cement touches are interesting.

* photos taken by Johanna Ekmark