Saturday, November 19, 2011

One Day

Have you ever said to yourself "one day I'm going to be in a magazine or be a famous artist or be a mom"  Well one of my "one day's" has arrived!  I'm absolutely mad about interior/living/home design idea magazines and Sarie WOON, which I've been collecting, is my "one day"!  I got to feature in a magazine and a truly fabulous South African one at that!  Check it out over here and if you can't get to the shop to buy a hard copy you can always go online and buy it from Zinio.

The magazine is in Afrikaans, which is part of my home language.  My dad is Afrikaans but I rarely speak it as most of my Afrikaans family & friends always chat to me in English including my dad!  So I love reading the magazine as I get to practice!

Anita and Lounette from Sarie suprised me completely by giving me a mention and thank you on page 5!  Thank you ladies and thank you so much for featuring my village!

My friend Lisa and I where browsing and get to where her home is featured and it was a WOW my home looks like homes to in a magazine!!! :)

What you think?


Lisa's & Dave's dining room


Their beautiful kitchen


The view of the lounge from the dining room!


The outside view.

When I visited the Sarie website and hit the translate button to read part of the article in English, it didn't translate well at all!  The editorial in the front of the magazine that features me (2nd paragraph of "Hoe ons"), when translated, reads as follows;  "One day we received a phone call from a reader that was looking for the first edition of Woon.  She also wanted to know when the next edition was due.  We were actually busy planning the next edition and she happily invited us to visit her village.  And with this we want to say Thank you, Li Nepgen (pg 70).  You definitely spoke the truth.  There is a wealth of beautiful homes, interesting, talented and friendly people in the Riebeek Valley.  And boy can you enjoy eating in that town!


Articles club

One of the blogs I follow and love reading is A CUP OF JO by Joanna Goddard and one of her recent posts titled Articles club is brilliant.  Fabulous idea and just love the first article she chose which you definitely need to go and read over here 

Suspend Time


TAKE ME UP by Lauren Withrow

Cannot believe how time has just fast forwarded to today!!! Had Miss Nooh's 7th birthday, completed RV Tourism's second newsletter and arranging the last country fair for the year which will be held in Riebeek Kasteel on the village square the 26th November from 3pm - 7pm which will include a small opening of the holiday season by switching on the christmas lights!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Klassik Music

A great shout out to Marius who will open the 24 hour art marathon on Friday 30 September with his awesome, what I call Afrikaans Blues music!  



 

7th Shiraz and Art Weekend

I have been merrily catching up on posting and didn't notice that I had pasted the 100 post mark!  Fabulous!  Anyhoo!  Back to business!  I am the treasurer for Riebeek Valley Tourism and next week Friday 30 September is the start to the 24 hour art marathon fundraiser, which is one of the events taking place that weekend! 

Thanks to my friend Lisa, I (pictured below) got to join her at the Darling Voorkamerfest to promote the up coming Shiraz and Art Weekend.


We are doing everything possible to put it out there to the yoUNIVERSE!

 

New Studio

Moved Love Art home which is absolutely fabulous as I don't have to worry about whether or not I've sold enough art and ceramics to pay the rent!

I love my new studio!  Will definitely post some more photos once I get to plugging in my camera!



 

Friday, September 16, 2011

Fast Forward No 4

This year I'm the class representative for Miss Nooh's Grade 1 class and each year the class gets to do the food for (as a fundraiser for the school) 250+ canoeists in the Swartland Canoe Marathon.  Pick n Pay Malmesbury gave the school a donation of R800,00 worth of ingredients for the lasagna which Bertus from Allesverloren made for 250 canoeists.  I made the vegetarian lasagna and what turned out to be the best ever butternut soup!  Wicked Treats made the most fabulous little bread rolls!  Desert was good old Bar One!

 

Fast Forward No 3

Next up was the 11th Annual Olive Festival which takes place the first weekend of May.  RVT had the first country fair during the olive festival weekend which was OK!  There was loads of drama about illegal stall holders that come from all over Cape Town and set up during the night and being the fun, loving village we are, nobody had the nerve to chase them away!  Unfortunately they are taking away much needed income from the locals!  Hopefully next year will be more organised with illegal traders!

 

Fast Forward No 2

Next on the list was the MedFest, which takes place the last weekend in March, which is also Earth Hour.  Creates the most amazing ambiance in the village.  The MedFest is a festival of food and wine! Most of the restaurants in the village take part by having a Mediterranean country inspired menu and next year they hoping to create our own country for the event which will be the Swartland Country which represents Riebeek ValleyMalmesburyDarlingMoorreesburgYzerfontein, fabulous traditional South African food!


Painting by Louisa Gerryts

 

Fast Forward No 1

Grrrrrr..... just deleted all that I had spent the last hour posting about!  Lets see if I can recap?  I'm fast forwarding and giving a brief description of what I would have and should have blogged about over the last 8 months!  Started with the Riebeek Valley Country Fair, which I'm doing for Riebeek Valley Tourism, to raise funds for our Valley!  



The country fair takes place the last Saturday of every month, except for the when we have events, and it's also a platform for locals to show off their wares and hopefully increase their income!

Visit Riebeek Valley website for updated info and join our facebook!

 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Birth & Marraige

The usual happened during the month of November i.e. MOM, wife, pottery classes and ME!  December was a busy month!  My birthday the 2nd, Dad the 4th, my sister-in-law had her first little angel on the 7th and my first baby turned 27 on the 9th!  Fast forward to the big day!  My first baby got married on the 17th at a stunning historic church in Franschhoek and the reception was at Le Franschhoek


My beautiful daughter & hubby to be!


All the family and friends clubbed in to purchase THE SHOES! Christian Louboutin's for the big day!


Showing them off!  Her bridesman bought it all the way from London!  I have no idea how anyone can walk in those heals!


The beautiful bridal troupe!


Mr and Mrs!!!


Mom (Me) & Daughter share a moment!


Taken at Le Franschhoek ... stunning venue!

                               

And of course I have just spent the last hour looking in every nook and cranny of my laptop and pc for the photos that I took at my daughter's wedding and they have disappeared into thin air!!!  I want to cry!!!


Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Time

Goes by way to fast!  Filled you in on the first 9 months of the 18 months of blogging I didn't get round to doing!  Another 9 to go!  This has been amazing to look back on what I was up to!  Sure is a fabulous way to jog the memory!  

 

Breath

I was asked by Anne to be the auctioneer at a Party for Pooches, held at Ed's Diner to raise much needed funding for our local SPCA.  Me an auctioneer! Ha! Maybe after a glass or two!  My two pooches hoping that Miss Nooh would share her biltong with them!



Spent most of the month preparing for the first Riebeek Valley Country Market to be held on the square in Riebeek Kasteel and dealing with small town politics!!!

 

Journey of Taste

The Shiraz and Art Weekend was ok!  Don't think people are spending much money on art these days!  Anyhoo!  The most amazing, fantastical, fabulous etc etc etc event of the month was the birth of this little chap - Cole Andrew Gardner arrived 19 October 2010!


Next up was Miss Nooh's birthday, 21 October, 6 years old and a aunt!  Next year she's going to big school, Grade 1.  Loves the Nintendo!


Miss Nooh (pronounced like Pooh) loves Tinkerbell.  We have had Tinkerbell themed parties since her 3rd birthday.  Not easy trying to give the birthday cake a different angle 4th time in a row!  Don't think I did to badly!


On the 26th October 2010, Love Art, which is basically me, got to be on TV!!! The program was called Journey of Taste which translated for me was basically ones taste in art, food, accommodation etc!  Unfortunately I didn't receive any of the footage!  I have sent them an email request - So I suppose it's hurry up and wait!

Hello Spring

Spring has sprung and the grass has riz who knows where the little birdies iz! Something like that!  What a busy month!

Had the 2010 Shiraz and Art Weekend the first weekend of October.  So loads of stock was needed!


Sent 3 paintings to this exhibition:  Pity the gallery closed down the beginning of this year.


 

♥ Happy Birthday ♥

Meesta had his 39th birthday on the 7th August.
We celebrated Women's Day on the 9th August!
My eldest, Lia, was preparing for her wedding day, 17th December 2010 and we attended a phenomenal bridal, beauty and styling workshop.  We had so much fun, got to fool around in a photo booth!  I think it's such a fun idea for any event!  The best part is looking back on the photos!


 

Winter

Did the fan walk in Cape Town and damn was it cold!  Luckily the vibe made up for it!  Miss Nooh (my beautiful baby girl in case you where wondering) won R600.00 thanks to Spain winning the 2010 FIFA world cup!  She drew their name out a hat and it cost her R20.00 to play.  Happy little girl!

My sister-in-law also mailed me that the 6th July 2010 was the day that Marty Mcfly (Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future") arrives at in the future after hitting 88 mph in his Delorean from 1985 .  Time-dial attached for authenticity.  Just a friendly reminder of how 'young' we getting!


To escape the Cape cold winter we visited Meesta's dad and Grandpa Richard for a few days, in Durban.  The highlight was for Miss Nooh, a visit to Ushaka Marine World.


 

Life

Another addition to the family!  Meesta's sister is having a baby girl!  They havent decided on a name for her.  We celebrated Fathers Day!  South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup Football.  Had a few birthdays, the most important being my son, 23 years old and going to be a dad soon. Crazy!  Helped my mom with her trip to Australia to visit her sister Jean in January 2011.  My friend, Charlene, sent me this little quote which I absolutely agree with!!!
"Calories are the little suckers (you can change the first letter to "f') that get into your wardrobe at night and  sew your clothes tighter!"


A shot from my studio.

May Day

Wedding Anniversary no 6 came and went! The 10th Annual Riebeek Valley Olive Festival came and went!  Miss Nooh had her 1st badge testing for gymnastics and she did fabulously!  I joined Riebeek Valley Tourism as a committee member as treasurer! Can't think of anything else therefore it couldn't have been important!  Made this little postcard/business card for Love Art.


Fools Month

Loads happened in April 2010!  Got the first scan of the new addition to our family!  I'm going to be a Nan! It's a boy!  His names will be Cole Andrew.

Organizing the first workshop to be held at the Studio.  A photography workshop by Tracey Derrick. This is my all time favourite photograph of Tracey's, Eye Inside - Inmates at Malmesbury Women's Prison.


The biggest even in the Riebeek Valley is the Olive Festival which takes place the first weekend in May!  May the 1st is my wedding anniversary which Meesta & I celebrate with the Olive Festival and it's also a public holiday called Workers Day!  SO! I was pottering away to have a decent amount of stock to sell!

Wall Mural

Had to go back and check my emails to see what I was doing the month of March 2010!  I was painting a few murals at De la Pleine Square in Riebeek Kasteel!


Unfortunately I haven't been able to complete the mural as the roof above this wall sprung a major leak and the water was running down the wall!  Not cool!  They have fixed the leak so I will be going back to complete and seal the paint!



Studio

My second last post was about moving into the new studio!  I spent most of the month of March 2010, in between teaching ceramics, giving this little cottage the Love Art touch!  Unfortunately I didn't have the cash to paint a contractor so with a little help of the "elbow grease", some paint and voila ...






A year in the life of not blogging

I spent everyday of the last year with the idea of attempting to see how many posts I could do in 1 day!  Everyday came and gone!  It's now 18 months later and just maybe I will actually get it right!  So here goes!