Freelance from a Desk with Benefits

I love that there is a global movement towards freelancing and collaboration. It's really such a great way to work, and the fact that it's catching on means more resources are being created for people who work like this. One such resource I mentioned a while ago is a place called The Sett, and another I've come across recently is a hot desk at Ampersand Republic, a creative design studio based in Morningside, Durban. I went by to check it out and chat to them...

If you haven't heard the term “hot desk” before, it's basically an available desk that is rented out for people to use, or as Ampersand put it, “freelance from a desk with benefits” - love that! There are even a few sites dedicated to locating available desks, such as DesksNear.Me and Desk Camping. As usual, there aren't that many easily available in SA just yet, so it's great to see the start of it happening so nearby. You can rent a desk at Ampersand on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It also includes the use of their facilities such as wifi, printers, tea and coffee, meeting rooms, etc. It's great if you're working on your own and find yourself missing office camaraderie and creative input, or just need a change of environment or use of facilities. They're a great bunch of creative people so it'd be fun hanging out there, too. Check out their site and get in touch for more info. 

Are you a freelancer? I'd love to know - always great to connect with others :)

Monday Meow 05

Coz everyone needs some cat-ness on a Monday!

cat print scarf // cats print // crunching cat // knitty kitty yarn bowl

Have an awesome week ahead! Keep an eye out for the free November calendar printable this week :)

Paintings for Ants - the art of Lorraine Loots

If you follow this blog you might have noticed that I joined Instagram not so long ago and have been finding so many amazingly talented people to be inspired by there. I'd like to introduce you to another one of my favourites: Lorraine Loots. If you look at the illustrations in this post you'll notice how beautiful and detailed they are, but what really makes them amazing is their size. Lorraine creates "paintings for ants"... they're no bigger than 30mm! That's 3cm, people. Just look at the incredible amount of detail in her work and then picture 3cm - how insane! And most of them are actually less than that, going all the way down to 8mm! It's just mindblowing. 

Less than 3cm. Yup. 

Lorraine is based in Cape Town and you can follow her incredible work on her blog or on Instagram. 

Check out some of my other favourite Instagrammers here, here, here and here, and you can follow me here. 

Vovo Telo, Durban

I've been meaning to blog about this for such a long time! A few weeks ago I popped in to check out Vovo Telo's new branch in Umhlanga, Durban. I was pretty amped coz I'd heard about them before and loved their branding so was excited to experience what they had to offer. This branch is owned by chef, Ashlee Munsie, and her dad who comes from a hotel background. Ashlee is passionate about baking and about Durban, and hopes to make this café a real part of the community.

They've got a really nice vibe going with the decor and general feel of the place. The combination of aged wood tables, eclectic art on one wall, touches of glam with the chandeliers and ceiling texture, plus their own branding works really well to create a feel that's upmarket but still comfortable and homey.

“We love putting our great breads together with the finest, fresh ingredients we can find to try and create something special everyday. We use local, artisanal products in all our bakeries, supporting producers who share our love of quality and integrity.”

The food I had was great, but I still need to try out their breads and baking which is their specialty and all looked so delicious, hopefully soon! I love the ceramic bunnies they use to accompany the cakes, it adds a really fun touch.

From what I've seen the few times I've been there around lunch time, it gets really full, so bear that in mind when you stop by. The staff are an awesome, friendly and helpful bunch and service is fast - a notable difference to many other restaurants.You can find them at 14 Chartwell Drive, Umhlanga Rocks and they're open Monday to Sunday from 7am to 6pm, and more recently for dinner Tuesday to Saturday til 9pm. You can see more about them on their site and Facebook page.

Paper Crafting

I've been playing around with some paper crafting lately and am really enjoying it! If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen some of these already. I'll be sharing a fun printable related to one of these soon ;)

Monday Meow 04

Coz everyone needs some fun cat-ness everyday!

t-shirt // cat earring // cat tail mug // cat tote bag

Monday Meow 03

Coz everyone needs to see some fun cat-ness on a Monday!

cat tote bag // cat face watch // cat coin purse // the most awesome phone accessories ever

Hope you've had a wonderful, restful weekend! Mine involved some therapeutic splurging and stuffing my face - all of which I plan to balance out this week, haha! Aiming for gym everyday this week to get things back on track. You know those times in life when all the things seem to happen all at once? That's been my past three weeks - and it's really taken it's toll. I'm hoping it's over and things can get back to normal now - let's see how that goes. 

Have a great Monday and a fantastic week ahead! :)

Wedding Stationery Inspiration 03

one  //  two  //  three

Today's wedding stationery inspiration has a painted theme going on, which I love! What do you think?

If you're in Durban, don't forget the I Love Pop Up Shop Wedding Fair this weekend at The Upstairs!

Free Printable Calendar Planner!

This month's calendar has a whole new look - what do you think?

It's my birthday month, so I've got some of my favourite things on it - cats and green leafyness :)

Get yours and get planning!

Download your free calendar planner!