**Little Birdie**

From beanies to gloves, cup warmers to gorgeous hairbands...I couldn't help but make a few purchases! 

Here are a few delights from the lovely Robyn at Little Birdie...

If you are around for the Festival, you can check out her wares at the end of Tent Number 4. She is sharing with 3 other talented folk selling beautiful photographs and other hand made goodies :)

For more information you can contact Robyn at robyn.devilliers[at]gmail[dot]com 

Grahamstown Festival...Day 1

So, day 1 of "Amazing" has come and gone. Even the gale force winds and frequent burst of rain could do little to deter market-goers from their hunt for treasures. Here's a sneak peak of what was on offer at the Village Green Market today...

Even managed to catch a sneaky show, Tellin' Tales by Gavin Bonner...percussionist, storyteller, freestyle poet. What a treat! If you're around for the Festival, consider booking yourself a ticket. He is showing at the Monument B2 Arena, tickets cost R45. Click here for more info!

A great starts to what is hopefully going to be a *warm and sunny* week of festivities :)

Grahamstown Festival 2011!!

Starting next thursday, June 30th is the annual National Arts Festival...yipee!

To see whats showing click here for the website and click here for the facebook group to stay up to date with whats going on! 

I'm going to be here in Grahamstown for at least the first few days, so look out for some pic's and other cool stuff when the Festival kicks off next week :)

Revlon's latest offerings...

Revlon's new Colour Stay Aqua Mineral Make Up Foundation 

What it says on Revlon's website:

NEW Colorstay Aqua™ Mineral Makeup delivers a burst of hydrating coconut water and an instant cooling sensation upon application. The result: your skin looks luminous and its texture smoother. With a shine-free formula that’s made with water, not oil, this lightweight powder gives you a fresh, flawless finish that lasts all day.

Fragrance free and non-irritating.

Provides medium coverage in 8 beautiful shades, with SPF 13 protection.

Although it doesn't give that much coverage it feels wonderful on my skin. And what a cool brush hey?! It's lightweight and is perfect for when you need something quick and easy to apply when you're dashing out the door. Works like a charm if your after something lightweight that lasts all day...R150

Revlon Custom Eyes Eyeshadow 5 colour Palette in "Sweet Innocence" R145 (*+- a few rand if I remember correctly)...the swatch on my hand above are the colours in the palette from right to left :)

So there you go, just some of Revlon's latest that I thought I'd share with you :)

**Lemon Cordial**

A great way to use up lemon's if you have a tree bursting with them, otherwise, an easy way to up your intake of Vitamin C this winter...

Ingredients 

12 lemons

30g Epsom Salts

30g Tartaric Acid

30g Citric Acid

1kg sugar (yikes! There really is no other way to sweeten it...but sweeten to your own taste buds)

3 litres boiling water

Step 1: Get yourself a lemon picker (or head out to your nearest fruit and veg store).

Step 2: Squeeze those little guys! If you have a food processor, then peel the rind of the lemons and zap them into the machine. If not, go the old fashion way and squeeze them by hand.

Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients to the boiling water. Sift the lemon juice into the pot to get rid of those unsavoury bits...don't forget to keep stirring until all the sugar dissolves.

Step 4: Once all the sugar has dissolved (keep tasting it and adding more if you need to) then it's time to decant! Add some labels to your creation, and there you go. Great drunk with lemonade or soda water for an extra fizz..otherwise just plain water is yummy too :)

Make your own *HuMmUs*

This is an easy peasy 5 minute recipe to make your own healthy Hummus for spreading on toast or as a dip :)

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Combine everything in a blender or food processor and voila!
If the mixture is too dry, add more yogurt to make it smooth and creamy.

*enjoy!*

*Pat on the Back* for SA Post!

At the end of February this year, my boyfriend and I (the Farmboy to this Citygirl), touched back down on South African soil after spending a year living & teaching English in South Korea (click here for more info on that!). 

And now, a mere 4 months later, all 6 of our boxes which we shipped from Korea have arrived safely in SA. Shock Horror! We had heard awful stories of things going missing as well as huge amounts of duty needing to be paid after certain individuals had helped themselves to early Christmas presents. Well this certainly was not the case for us. We had both (ok, ok, mainly just me) accumulated so much stuff from our year overseas (I blame the stationary stores) that we needed to do something with the goodies which wouldn't fit into our suitcases. So we decided to ship some boxes, and  didn't expect any of them to arrive.

So...from both of us, a *HuGe* thank you to the South African Postal Service! 

*DeepDarkAfrica*

Stumbled across this amazing online shop and just had to share it with someone...

I'm looking at making a purchase of one of these...aren't they lovely

Click here to visit the website, and here to visit the blog...Happy Shopping!

Market on Main...Jo'burg

Market On Main is the market for Johannesburg, made by Johannesburg. Open every Sunday at Arts on Main from 10am - 3pm. What a great place to meet new & interesting people, while stuffing your face with loads of yummy treats.

Directions:

Next door to The Bioscope at 286 Fox Street, Johannessburg 2094

click here for GoogleMaps

For more information, click here for their website.

More grown up than the I Heart Market in Durban, Market On Main has a slightly more modern, city-slicker atmosphere...and so it should being a Market by Joburg for Joburg. Definitely worth a visit (*just make sure to go hungry!).

Make Up: Good Quality...Nice Price

Australian MakeUp brand Essence has been around in Clicks here in South Africa for a while now, but at first I was a bit hesitant to try any of the range.  After walking straight past numerous times, I decided to give it a try (*I must admit it might have had more to do with my balance of funds than anything else*). I was not disappointed!

First up...
'Essence Mosaic Powder'

"with different perfectly aligned colours each, these mosaic powders conjure-up either a gorgeous rosy complexion or a sun-kissed tanned look. you now have a choice of the mosaic powder in a natural fresh colour combination or as a gentle bronzing powder"





'Essence Colour & Shine' Eyeshadow


"sure to satisfy even the highest demands on eye make-up: the baked colour & shine eyeshadows contain an unusually high pearl pigmentation to make your eyes shine like the stars! thanks to the triple-colored marbling, the light colors are especially radiant while the darker shades have incredible depth. the silky powder texture makes application really easy and the colors are super vibrant! apply moist for even more intensive results"




The Mosaic powder works wonderfully as a very subtle bronzer with lots of shimmer, and it lasts all day. The eyeshadows are easy to blend and are highly pigmented, so they really show up well.

Above is my growing collection...the swatch on the right are the eye shadow colours. The colour & shine shadow was from their 'Bohemia' range in "Good Old Times" and the duo eyeshadow in "Girls Night Out".

And look at these cute 'styling cards' you can download from the website:

Don'y let the young girly looking advertising put you off, with prices ranging from R30 - R80, you definitely get bang for your buck :)

Plus, Essence doe not test their products on animals (*yay*). Essence is stocked at most Clicks & Dischem Stores.

I ♥ market...Durban

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be around the Durban area, just in time to attend the I ♥ Market at the Greyville Race Course...and what a treat! The market is held on the first Saturday of every month. Click here for their blog and here for their facebook group so you can stay up-to-date with all their news.

Here are just some of the wonderful stalls selling everything from cupcakes to fancy smancy dog bowls..

Daisy-Do-Lots

 "shopping with a conscience" All products here are either made by HIV positive ladies, small communities, individuals who deserve support or are made of Eco friendly materials.  What a wonderful cause ♥
**click here for their facebook group**

Ikhaya

 "a little shop in Durban where we manufacture most of our stock ourselves using re-cycled items" 

Eco-aware products, furniture & interiors

**click here for their Facebook group**

Demode

"products crafted and hand-assembled in Durban, South Africa using wood grown in managed local forests"

click here for their facebook group 

Sophia Basckin Design 

Gorgeous hand-made earrings, rings and necklaces. So nice in fact, the one pair I bought is just not enough! I will be making *many* more purchases from the lovely Sophia very soon!

Email her at sophiabasckin@gmail.com for more info ♥

BarkyBark

Don't your pets deserve to eat out of gourmet bowls too? Dog & Cat Bowl holders ♥

Email Calire at clairewager@gmail.com

**click here for their facebook group**

Madame Dija 

Fashion Designer. 

I spent ages going through each and every wonderful item at her stall. Everything unique and just so darn pretty...

email here at khadijabassa@gmail.com for more info ♥

I Love Bokkie

Kids spaces, furniture & lovelies

Bianca Kim

Florals, love & Lipstick...BiancaKim- Clothing is inspired by New Age culture, with a vintage feel...The promise we make to you is that you will feel like a million bucks, without breaking the bank, while staying up to date with the latest trends ♥
**click here for the facebook group**

Cup Cake Couture 

Fun & fresh, the lovely Nadia not only sells cupcakes but also fabulous goodies like the fabulous corsages pictured below. You can even try your own hand at making on yourself ♥

Directions:

DLI Hall, 5 DLI avenue, Greyville, Durban, South Africa (DLI stands for Durban Light Infantry)

Drive down Marriott Rd and keep on going thru the traffic circle and down that road that goes through the racecourse and on the right hand side you will see a grand old building, that's the DLI!
And there is loads of parking around the back of the building, and grass and trees and a bowling green.


One of the nicest markets I've ever been to in a long time. It was a pleasure walking around and meeting some of the stall owners and finding out more about their goodies on sale. This is the place to be if you want to be surrounded by very chic, young individuals with loads of talent. And of course, it's the perfect way to spend a Saturday ♥♥