Write someone a love letter
When have you last written a letter to someone? And last on everyone’s mind is a handwritten love letter.. a thing of the past! Well, this bespoke stationary is something for all lovers of beautiful items made with attention to detail.. like myself!
The Letterpress Company is a Cape Town based artisan print shop dedicated to preserving the heritage of letterpress printing using antique, hand-operated equipment and traditional craftsmanship. For more information please click here!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
It’s my 5th Christmas in Cape Town and I love it, but I must admit, it still feels strange to celebrate Christmas in summer. It makes me miss my family and friends as well as the Christmas feeling that comes automatically with winter, the lights on the streets and houses, and snow in Berlin!
2011 has been an exciting year for Bonsela! I’m looking forward to a fun and successful year ahead of us and am wishing everyone lots of love and happiness!
This postcard is part of Tracy Paul’s collection – she caters for any occasion and all the illustrations are just magnificent! Have a look at: Tracy Paul.
Bright Start
I would like to introduce this small nonprofit organisation based in Hout Bay, Cape Town to you. ‘The idea came to me’, said Sally Whitford, ‘when friends visiting from overseas noticed the success of a little boy we have sponsored these past 8 years.’ Encouraged by the words of our Great Madiba “Education is the most powerful weapon in which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela, Bright Start was founded in 2008.
‘Bright Start is an Education Support Programme, that places children from the communities into fee paying schools normally only affordable to more affluent families. ‘It is a partnership between ourselves, the schools and parents’, said Sally. ‘We believe that merely to pay for school fees is not enough, therefore Bright Start provides a mentorship programme that liaises between the schools and parents to provide ongoing support.’ ‘We see the commitment of the parents as the key criteria for selection onto our programme’. Members volunteer their time and cost ensuring that 100% of the donation reaches the child. To find our more about this project, or how to give a child a brighter future, visit www.brightstart.org.za
Long Live Startas
As a teenager I had a pair of these and was very proud to wear them back in Berlin after my summer holidays in Split, Croatia. It was more then just a souvenir from a holiday… I loved my sun kissed tan and my Startas.. no one else had a pair and it felt very special!
The story behind this iconic brand: The first Startas, a canvas lace-up sport shoe with rubber sole, was originally designed for table-tennis players in 1976, and soon became an iconic object of desire in the communist Yugoslavia. Light, functional and more than affordable Startas was an ideal socialist piece of footwear for the masses produced at the Borovo factory based in the town of Vukovar (Croatia). The original Startas sneakers were made in only 3 colors (white, navy and black) and became an instant hit, selling more than 5 million pairs annually. Startas grew to be the biggest sports brand in the former federation, so big that it was one of the major sponsors of the 1987 Univerzijada, the international student games, a major sporting event that hosted more than 3900 athletes from 122 countries all of whom were equipped with Startas sportswear.
Today, after 17 years of free-falling into oblivion, Startas sneakers have been revived, revamped and redesigned by creative tour-de-force Mauro Massarotto, head of Croatian studio Sheriff & Cherry. Bold geometric prints and strong color combinations create a brand new, heritage-inspired aesthetics – Startas sneakers are still completely handmade by workers at the Borovo factory, using original 70’s techniques and machinery, whose production has never been interrupted not even by devastating Balkan war in the early 90’s. Startas sneakers were once and are now again a sports and style icon!
For more information click on LONG LIVE STARTAS!
Vertical Garden
This is the first in the whole of South Africa – a vertical garden sponsored by Emirates! Located on Kloof Street, opposite Vida e Caffe, people have curiously tweeting and publishing articles since the beginning of the project. I’ve been watching it for months and am impressed how amazing it has become – the plants are growing fast with the aim to blow everyone away with their beauty!
The head behind this idea and project, Simon Wall from Tractor Group, he approached Emirates and the landlords with the idea and they loved it. In Cape Towns urban jungle this seemed to be one of the most positive developments out there when it comes to making our future more green! The Vertical Garden is made out of 100% real plants. Simon Wall had the idea two years ago when he stumbled across Patrick Blanc’s vertical garden concepts in Europe. He’s been working very closely with the landscaper Nicholas Whitehorn in order to try and replicate the same concept in South Africa. The plants are growing in imported felt from Europe – the vertical structure has a fully operational hydroponic drip irrigation system behind the felt, that is linked to a moisture sensor which waters the plants as and when it is required. “We made use of routed wood in an attempt to move away from vinyl and which is in keeping with the organic nature of the site. We need a few more months of sunshine and the garden should be in full bloom.” says Simon Wall.
I can’t wait to witness it and will load updates soon..
Shnit – International Short Film Festival
The Shnit Selection (a playlist from about 4000 movies out of 100 countries) will be shown in Cape Town’s Labia from the 5th to the 9th October. There are a few to pick, just go to www.shnit.org!
Croatia Amore Mio
Croatia is my country of birth where I left a part of me.. Where ever I have lived and travelled to nothing can beat the excitement of my heart when coming back to this beauty. I’ve got the pleasure of sailing in the Adria this summer and visiting some jams of the Dalmatian coast.
Stay tuned, I will be posting some more images soon..