Top South African Lifestyle Blog
A few photographs that I took a little while back, after we enjoyed a bit of summer rain, the rain drops look a bit like glistening jewels on the roses. It always feels so peaceful after the rain and there is that beautiful fresh smell in the air, it is almost as if nature has restored balance and harmony to the earth!
Cape Point Vineyards in the gorgeous Noordhoek Valley is the perfect venue for an afternoon picnic or sundowners. With a view of the breathtaking mountains, overlooking the vineyards and coastline stretching as far as the eye can see – what better setting could you ask for.
Cape Point Vineyards are now offering either an afternoon picnic, served on Wednesdays to Sundays from 12:00 – 15:00 or you can have the option of sundowners and a picnic, which are served Wednesdays to Sundays from 17:00 – 20:00.
We spent a glorious evening there recently lazing on the beautifully manicured lawns sipping on bubbly and feasting on a decadent selection of cheeses, meats and preserves. There is a lot of open space to run and a jungle-gym, so definitely take the kids.
It is definitely well worth a visit and we intend to return soon, before the weather changes and the cold winter months are upon us!
Booking is essential so please call ahead of time. For more information please contact [email protected] or 021 789 0900 or visit their website for more details – Cape Point Vineyards.
Images: ©FAR Photography
There is definitely a trend, as far as the common shade of colour, that runs through most of my favourite fashion items at the moment, tangerine is big this season and I could not resist adding a bit of tangerine to my own wardrobe!
What are your favourite fashion items? Please share them with us we would love to see what they are!
Photography by ©FAR Photography
This week my Real Women – Real Life feature focuses on Kathryn and Vanessa Rheeder, from Heart and Home. Vanessa gives us a bit of insight into the lives, of two local Cape Town mom’s running an online business.
Heart and Home is an online gift shop that was launched on the 9th of February this year. I (Vanessa) was working as a finance manager in the corporate field and wanted to do something a little more creative and flexible as I am a mother of 2 boys, Josh and James. Kathryn is going to be a mom in September and our online gift shop provides us with the flexibility, of having a business while still allowing us to spend time with our children.
We both share the love of products that are unique, charming and reasonably priced. Our goal was to source products that aren’t readily available in South Africa, to ensure that we offer something different to our customers. We also want to support local suppliers so we have included some local products, which fit our signature brand and style.
Tell Me About The People Behind Heart and Home?
Kathryn and I both live in Melkbosstrand, Cape Town and are sisters-in-law, business partners and long-time school friends. As mentioned above, I am a mom of 2 boys and Kathryn is expecting her little boy in September. Kathryn is consulting full-time at the moment and I used to work as a financial manager for a listed company.
We found a great deal of inspiration from overseas websites when we were designing and developing our brand and website. We love products from the UK, Scandinavia and South Africa of course. We also love visiting food and craft markets in South Africa.
We stock both local and imported products. We especially love the local, handmade babushka dolls, owls and tepee tents which you can find in our handmade section.
We have only been trading for a month so our bestsellers change all the time but at the moment, the jumbo shoppers are our bestsellers. They come in 4 designs and are made from recycled plastic bottles so they are eco-friendly too, which makes them a practical and unique gift.
My personal style is more contemporary with a touch of classic, while Kathryn’s is more classic with a touch of vintage chic.
My advice to women, especially mom’s, starting up their own business is to ensure they have a proper support system in place and a separate office to work in. My eldest son gets dropped at crèche in the mornings and my nanny looks after James. I work upstairs in my office and I’m available to spend the afternoons with the boys.
[quote style=”1″]Ask God for a creative idea – He knows you the best and always gives you something original and helps you along the way![/quote]
Make sure you spend time on research, draw up a formal business plan with financial forecasts. It’s important to know where you are going. Ensure that you implement the proper systems for your business. Use reputable service providers for website design, development and hosting. Use good quality images and descriptions for your products as your customer relies heavily on this.
The biggest challenges I faced was not earning a salary for the last 12 months and learning to have patience as it takes time to set up the website and to make it profitable. Kathryn is still working full-time so she has had to juggle the business and her full-time job!
We would like to increase our product base in the near future. We have to manage our cash flow so we will only introduce new products as and when we can. We have a 3 year financial forecast which we hope to meet. Our vision is to be one of the leading online gift shops in South Africa.
Heart and Home are offering a 15% discount off your initial purchase when you sign up for their newsletter, check their website here for more details. If you like their Facebook page before the 31st of March 2012 and you could win a R350 Heart and Home gift voucher.
Images: Photography by Leigh-Ann Cooke of Love Life Photography
As I have mentioned before we really enjoy taking trips out to Franschhoek, it is mere 45 minute drive from Cape Town, which makes it perfect for a day trip or a weekend getaway. I love visiting the area, truth be told I would love to move there! I just need to convince the rest of my family!
We took a trip out to this beautiful little town two weeks ago, the main purpose for our visit was to take photographs and gather information for my eldest daughters school project. The added benefit, for the parents, was a wine soaked lazy lunch! Franschhoek, in my opinion is by far one of the most stunning wine regions in the Cape! The town’s name Franschhoek is Dutch for ‘French Corner’, the area is steeped in history and home to The Huguenot Monument, which you can see in the photographs above.
Images: ©FAR Photography
