WSWB: Wedaad ETC

Hello World. I’m happy to share another Women Supporting Women in Business (WSWB) post on this beautiful summery winter’s day in Cape Town. As an avid supporter of Women Supporting Women in Business I am always on the lookout for  authentic, local & ethical businesses to support.

I am excited to introduce you to  Wedaad ETC. Wedaad ETC offers paper art, laser cutting & engraving, specialises in event decor and donut walls. Her designs are always on trend at a fraction of the cost.

A few weeks ago I arranged a pop up coffee shop for The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) to launch a flagship project called Cuppa for CANSA. We got our tea expert on board The Tea Merchant who paired their tea with cupcakes from The Cape Town Hotel School.

I needed something else  to pull the entire event  together. I then thought of Wedaad  and asked her if she could style the event. She took up the challenge.

 

Cupcake pairing with The Cape Town Hotel School

Tea Pairing with The Tea Merchant

 

Her flower wall uses paper flowers & is always the focal point which I love  She decided on a vintage theme using books and bird cages for every table. We had a hit!

Flower Wall

I asked Wedaad what she is passionate about. She says”If it’s important to you….it’s important to me” is the motto I’ve adopted over time. So in living up to this, it’s amazing how I get to know and learn about my clients and eventually delivering products that suits exactly what their expectations are. My passions are design,  creativity and mostly colour! Throwing in some awesome service…and I think a great recipe for success can be formulated.”

Wedaad’s entrepreneurial spirit started at a young age & she attributes her success to her survival instinct and providing good service every time. Wedaad believes “A satisfied client will always return or recommend good service they received.”

Vintage theme

Cages & books used as decor

Fairy lights were added with paper flowers in the cages

Wedaad’s entrepreneurial spirit started at a young age & she attributes her success to her survival instinct and providing good service every time. Wedaad believes “A satisfied client will always return or recommend good service they received.”

The powerhouse that is Wedaad ETC

Amazing things happen when you support & love local! As the saying goes “When you buy from a small business, you are not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a little girl (or boy) get dance lessons, a little boy (or girl) get his team jersey, a mom put food on the table, a dad pay a mortgage. As always thank you for reading, will all my love F xx

*Giveaway*Monday Must Have’s: The Beauty Swop – Beauty Expo

Hello World. Its been a minute since I did a Monday Must Have, but lets Break one Out shall we.Today’s post is not a product review but an event review/giveaway/ teaser on what’s to come.

Last year we saw Beauty Swop or Sale group host its first consumer expo in South Africa. For a first time event it was well organised, I shopped international brands without having to pay courier costs (the cost of a general access ticket) and the goody bag (be still my beating heart) was filled to the brim with good quality products. I didn’t do a post on the goody-bag but I did review a few products I received here and here.

One of the items received in my goody-bag last year

 

This year the event will be hosted at the Protea Fire and Ice hotel on July 28th 2018 and  is a must attend event on the beauty calendar for beauty enthusiasts and make up artists alike.

Expo poster for competition on Instagram

To celebrate The Beauty Expo’s second year,I am giving away two General access tickets. This is what you can look forward too:

• Live make-up artist competitions
• Spot prize draws. With hampers from Forever Living worth R2000.00, My Natural Hair hamper worth R1000.00 and a Hair-inn hamper.
• Access to brands such as OFRA Cosmetics South Africa, Pink Cosmetics, Curl Chemistry, My Korean Skincare, Wet N Wild and many more.

Some goodies I picked up on sale at last year’s Beauty expo

To enter please do the following:

1.Follow @beautyswop  and tag 2 friends in the comments section of  the Expo poster (also featured above) post.

2.Follow @fadwawc

T&C’s:Competition closes 23 July 2018 at 00:00.Winners will be announced on 24 July, 2018. This giveaway is only open to South African residents.

 

OOTD: Cosy knits & “How to feel pretty”

Hello World. It’s time to Break Out an OOTD ( Outfit of the day post), Girl it’s another jumper/jersey post .

I wasn’t lying when I said I’m living for snug knits this winter. Paired over here with a fur gilet, it immediately changes the whole knit/legging/boot combo. To not end up looking the same I also changed up the accessories in this look , including the massive earrings, added a hat & different sunglasses.

The fur gilet was gifted to me two years ago which was bought on sale at Woolies for wait for it R100. This is on trend and will be around for a good few years still. The earrings I nabbed off my friend and is from Mr Price where it retails  for R19.90, the hat is from Trenery and sunglasses from Aldo (three/four years ago)

A few weekends ago all snug in my knit we went to the movies . I wanted to watch ‘I Feel Pretty’. A romcom starring Amy Schumer who plays Renee a woman who doesn’t believe she’s beautiful. Instead of having a makeover, or going on some fad diet, after a little bump on the head, something changes for her. What changes is the way she sees herself.

This movie is relatable in so many ways. There was a time when I was Renee, I felt ignored & definitely not beautiful . I hated being fat and thought to the world I was ugly and invisible, until I changed the conversations I was having with myself. I started loving me for who I was, an imperfect mess. I invested my time in people who accepted me for me. I spent my time doing things that fed my soul. The world slowly changed for me. It proved to me that who I see myself as is who people will see me as. And what people were seeing was someone who was loving life.

The world we live in will still judge you for being fat because people have been conditioned to believe that beauty has one standard look. And that look is a size zero. The change comes when you believe in your worth. We need to change our dialogue. Being fat isn’t being ugly, being fat doesn’t mean you are not worthy of love , being fat doesn’t mean you are invisible .

J.K Rowling says it better than I ever will – “Is fat really the worst thing a human being can be? Is fat worse than vindictive, jealous, shallow, vain, boring, evil or cruel? Not to me”

As always thank you for reading , with all my love F xx

Find your inner child & win a trip for 2 to ZANZIBAR!!!

Hello World. Its time to Break Out a travel post.

If you follow me on social media you will know I’ve been struggling with how stressful life has been lately .  “Adulting” is hard work so I have to make a concious effort to unwind & take joy in the simple things in life. I’ve collabed with Travelstart to find my inner child & possibly jet off to Zanzibar .

Bububu Beach Zanzibar picture courtesy of Pinterest

But before we get into that & in case you need help remembering what it’s like to be a kid again  here’s my top five favourite childhood memories that still works today:

1.  Bubbles

Is there anything more innocent and pure than blowing bubbles? Laying on the grass or running around trying to catch the bubbles is my top feel good memory.

2. Colouring

My nephew is three this year and when we colour it’s a constant fight because I hog his coloring book . As a child , I would get lost for hours colouring and it still works as an adult. I bought myself my own adult coloring book and I whip it out when I need to de-stress.

3.Sea, surf and sand

My best memories as a child were my days at the beach . Arriving early and swimming until you were hungry, running around till your food settles because everyone knows you will drown if you swim on a full tummy. This was on repeat until we left at sunset.

4.Forts
Another thing my nephew taught me is that there is nothing better than a few sheets and furniture . We lay under the sheets which are draped over the sleigh bed and chairs and read stories about dinosaurs and cars, it takes me back to being a little girl sitting in a “doll house” made out of the box my moms new washing machine came in.

5.Adventures

As a child my dad used say to us on a Friday afternoon “pack a bag , we going on a road trip ” and this is where my love for travel started. We would get in the car with no padkos or booking and just drive until we stopped at Engen’s Wimpy for cappuccinos. We usually found a guesthouse that had a family room for us and that was that. My travel adventures these days involve a long layover, usually some kind of drama over geckos, volcanoes erupting or a swarm of bees but I would not have it any other way . I live for these adventures.

Paper jets made by me

Finding your inner child is easy , to help you along Travelstart is challenging you to get in touch with your inner child and take part in their Paper Jet challenge here.

They have tons of prizes up for grabs but the main prize, the one that gets me most excited is a trip for 2 to Zanzibar worth R25000.00. Zanzibar has been on my bucket-list for the past two years now. I am obsessed with Stone Town & the Spice Tour but more than that I just want really fresh,  prawns & crayfish, enjoyed on the beach at one of those tables on the sand. Feet in the ocean, watching the sunset. Sounds like heaven to me.

Stone Town picture courtesy of Pinterest

If you can’t wait until the competition ends (7th July 2018) there are some really Cheap flights to Zanzibar here. Always check a few days before the date you want to travel and a few days after as this could change the price drastically. Also when planning your trip remember that South Africans don’t need a visa but you will need a yellow fever vaccination.

Darajani Bazaar Stone Town picture courtesy of Pinterest

If you need help planning your trip , let me know. Dont forget to start making those paper jets & record their flight. You’ll be sitting on island, sipping on fresh coconuts soon. Thank you for reading , with all my love F xx

Monday Must Have’s:Benefit Brow Bar

Hello World. It’s been a minute since my last Monday Must Have review but let’s Break Out a service review shall we .

If you attended my last Women in Business Cuppa for Cansa, which you can read about here, you would have received a Benefit Cosmetics voucher entitling you to a brow wax & tint in the goody bag.

Goody Bag received at the Women in Business Cuppa for CANSA 

I’ve never been before so I decided to use it before it expired and made my way to the Benefit Brow bar in Edgars Waterfront this past weekend.

Benefit Brow Bar

I met with brow expert Waseema Kippie who sat me down & talked me through the process .

Waseema Kippie Brow Expert

First she cleant my brows and then she tinted it. The tint takes two minutes before its removed.

Waseema applies the tint

Before just going in and waxing my brow she used this nifty little device to do a brow mapping which determines the shape my brow should take . She then tested the wax on the palm of my hand to make sure I was comfortable with the temperature and proceeded to apply wax starting with my unibrow.

Brow mapping tool

I’ve been waxing for a few years and not a word of a lie when she pulled the wax strip off it didn’t hurt as it usually does and I’m convinced it’s because of the strip which felt satiny smooth .

After the waxing was done and my brows neatened she then went in with the Benefit Fool proof brow powder and Gimme Brow gel to keep it in place . She also used concealer to tidy up which I thought was the cherry on top of the rainbow cake because after waxing I go extremely red and walk around with these patches convinced people are looking at me like I’m from another planet.

Before

After

 

The service I received was not only professional but it was such a pleasurable experience. Waseema asked me if I was okay throughout my session and we chatted like we had known each other for years . I am so impressed and know this is where I’ll be getting my brows did from now on.

The tint and wax take approximately 20 minutes and will set you back R280.00/21 USD /16 GBP. If you just want a wax it will be R155.00 /12 USD /9 GBP. Worth every penny in my opinion.

As always thank you for reading , I hope you enjoyed this review, let me know in the comment section below. And as the saying goes “Remember great eyebrows don’t happen by chance. They happen by appointment.” All my love F x

OOTD:David Jones

Hello World. Time to Break Out a young OOTD (Outfit of the Day post).

As a plus size woman I have always struggled to find clothes I love. Over recent years that struggle has become easier with more brands branching out, local designers offering inclusive ranges & Instagram stores filling the niche market.

My love for local designer Isabel de Villiers is apparent on my OOTD posts here , here and here. As well as new and upcoming modest wear brand Kalathea Clothing which you can read about here and here. However what about when you just need something simple, you know the staples: a white tee or jeggings. I love Mr Price but their leggings never last me more than a few months.

Thank God for David Jones! If you didn’t know David Jones is an Australian department store brand bought over by Woolworths in 2014.  I started picking up a few items here & there two years ago, I am now a big fan of the brand.

My jeggings purchased a year ago are still going strong thank you very much. At a price of about R350.00/ 27 USD/20GBP it doesn’t sound like it’s the cheapest , HOWEVER if you use my cost per wear ratio, which I use on everything I buy (this is the Total cost of the item/ estimated number of days you’ll wear it = the cost per wear) I currently pay R1.04/0.08USD/0.61GBP  a day, for jeggings!

Back to my current OOTD post.This light pink sequined David Jones knit  paired with leggings and boots for a cosy & snug fit in the chilly winter days is currently my favourite combo. Because knits and leggings are becoming my go too, I try to use accessories to change-up my look a bit.

Here I am wearing a ripped knit beanie in a darker pink from Woolworths (R120.00), tassel earrings from Mr Price (R39.90) and Witchery Sunglasses to complete the look.

I got 99 problems but (thanks to fully inclusive brands) my curves ain’t one. Spend your money with brands who value your business, not with brands who treat you as an afterthought. As always thank you for reading , all my love F xx

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, it should be though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

OOTD/Life Update/What the hell am I doing?

Hello World. It’s the start of a new week & possibly the start of a new attitude.

These past few months have been difficult for me, I find myself being anxious all the time & having angry outbursts. Starting a new high pressured job, putting pressure on myself for my blog to reach certain goals, beating myself up because my Instagram doesn’t have a theme, constantly worrying about one thing or the other,comparing myself to my peers & just general “adulting”  it’s just all too much tbh. And it’s not just me, my friends are experiencing the same feelings of anxiety , which begs the question how do we make it stop.

 

Outfit Details: Belted Melton Coat by David Jones, “I love Istanbul” Tshirt , Grey leggings from Mr Price and Stretch Gusset ankle boots from Studio W

 

So in between my outbursts this weekend,popping calmettes and trying not to lose my shit, I knew something had to change. This week I have promised I will take better care of myself. This starts by getting back to basics, going back to doing things I enjoyed doing because of how it made me feel. I started blogging because I needed a creative outlet, it’s never been about all the other stuff. I’ve been getting so wrapped up in the noise of social media that I’ve forgotten my soul purpose.

Accessory Details: Felt Fedora by Witchery & Sunglasses from Aldo (3 years ago)

Getting back to basics also means concentrating on my breathing. I find this breathing exercise helps defuse the situation:

• 1. Inhale, count 5 heartbeats
• 2. Hold breath, count 7 heartbeats
• 3. Exhale, count 9 heartbeats

Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves?! If you find yourself overwhelmed or pressurized this week just STOP for a second! Remember that our timeline is not God’s. Breathe! Then go get some ice cream.  In the end the only thing that matters is being the best version of you.Take care of yourself  in which ever way you need. As always Thank you for reading , with all my love F xx

 

 

 

 

 

WSWB:Women in Business Cuppa for CANSA networking event

Hello World . It’s been two months since my last Women Supporting Women in Business post. Time to Break out a show and tell on our last event? I think so 😀

In March I piloted an event for The Cancer Association of South Africa called Women in Business Cuppa for CANSA, which you can read about here.

I felt, nervous, scared and a thousand other things, imagining the worst. But God always comes through .The pilot event was a huge success & the feedback I received was phenomenal.

Fears laid to rest I set to work planning our second installment which took place at the Radisson Red .

Impromptu Review:” The service we received at Red was unparalleled. They are forward thinking & the future of the hospitality industry in South Africa.The decor is urban & hip (read young). It also helps that their Red Roof Bar was voted best Rooftop Bar in Cape Town for 2018 by the Inside Guide.Check them out, Thank me later .”

 

Our panel of speakers were Rushda Moosajee better known as Rushtush owner of Glow Womens Physique (I fangirled so hard I stumbled over all my words, which I’m sure she’s used too) and our resident life coach & colour therapist Lynne Kock owner of Evolution Incorporated Coaching & Consulting . The speakers addressed what it meant to be successful in business and shared some tips & tricks.

 

Pictured from left: Lynne Kock & Pictured right Rushda Moosajee

Our open mic session also known as the networking portion of the event heard Taskeen Barday introduce her organisation the New Life project.

We were also joined by  Claudell Van Eerden a sponsor & author of YouTube Channel “Coasting with Claudell“.

 

Pictured from left: Taskeen Barday, Sharon Nelson & Claudell Van Eerden

Sharon Nelson qualified NLP lifecoach & motivational speaker shared a self love exercise with the group. These sessions are my favourite.  We get to hear about all the incredible things these ladies are doing.

 

Our next event takes place just after Women’s Day on August 11 at Protea Fire & Ice Hotel and I have something special planned.

I am happy to welcome Letishia Charles from Queen Bee Marketing who will address social media in business & how best to use it to our advantage. Lynne Kock will lead us in a special vision related exercise and Dr Koebraa Peters Marine Biologist and co-owner of Kalathea Clothing will speak on what vision means in business.

Letishia Charles

If you can , join us. It’s an event that WILL inspire you , it exposes you to amazing speakers & venues and ensures you ALWAYS have a support structure available to you who will actively support  events , projects & your business. We love & support local. As always thank you for reading xx

OOTD: Little Miss Sunshine featuring Isabel De Villiers

Hello World. It’s time to Break Out an Outfit of the Day post (OOTD).

The dress I’m wearing in this post is by one of my all time favourite designers, Isabel De Villiers. I wasnt sure about this dress at first, as the colour is so far out of my comfort zone but I took the plunge anyway and decided to try something new.  This dress was the second dress I picked up on sale , you can read about the other dress I picked up over here.

This yellow Tulle Summer Dress, is the most dreamy princess dress anyone could ask for and can be styled in many ways. Here comfortability was key as I knew I was going to be on my feet all day.I paired it with a pair of olive boots & because we not really in the heat of summer I wore a boat neck bodysuit underneath.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing, it keeps your look fresh and makes you question everything. Fashion to me is about playing around with different things until I get something that is undeniably my style. Fashion also means not having any rules. At the end of the day clothes make you feel a certain way. And I always want to feel good. Feel good fashion. It’s a thing! Make it your thing.

Have you invested in one of Isabel’s pieces? Let me know if you are as inlove with her work as I am. As always thank you for reading. With all my love , F xx

 

 

 

 

 

OOTD:The Fix

Hello World. It’s time to Break out a OOTD (Outfit of the Day) post.

I picked up this t-shirt dress from The Fix two months ago. Since The Fix rebranded from Fashion Express they don’t have a dedicated plus size section wgich was a bit dissapointing.However  I popped in on a whim & was surprised when some of their items actually fit. I love that I can style this dress as a lazy summer throw over to the beach and pair it with stockings & boots for colder days. This dress was approximately R260. 00.

This past weekend because of a work commitment at Clovelly Country Club I found myself exploring Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Fishoek & this was the perfect no fuss dress. I hadn’t walked these streets for years and yet it felt familiar. The way home does. I remembered summer nights spent at Cape to Cuba and summer days spent at St James Beach swimming until you were exhausted from the sun & sea water .

What feels better than sitting on the beach eating fish and chips straight from the wrapping it came in. Sometimes it is the little things!

Being a tourist in your own city can be as exciting as hopping on a plane to go somewhere foreign. What places give you those feel good memories? As always thank you for reading, with all my love, F x