Tag Archives: ceramics

Nature meets beautiful homeware with Love Milo

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How gorgeous is that?

I’ve done a brief mention of a ceramics & homeware brand called Love Milo before.  I first spotted some of the range’s pieces at Kamers vol Geskenke last year and I immediately fell in love…

I’m totally obsessed with beautiful ceramics and it’s my favourite thing to give (and receive) as gifts.  So naturally I was very excited when I heard news of a Love Milo store which had opened in Loop St.

Love Milo is the creation of designer Nicki Malherbe and Milo is actually the name of her first son. (apparently she got all her creative inspiration while pregnant with him).  Her designs are created by using photographic images rather than being computer generated which ends up giving the pieces a unique feel, and she’s very much inspired by our proudly African surroundings.  The brand also promotes sustainability where possible by only using alien trees for the wooden pieces as well as eco friendly inks.

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What’s waiting for you on the inside…

Prices for her ceramics range from around R80 up to R350 for a cup & saucer set.  Wooden items range from R100 for a saucer to R500 for a large platter.  And the fabric products start at R60 for a napkin and go up to R300 for a pillow case.  She also does other things like placemats, lanterns and the cutest little wooden birdies.  But enough talking now, just feast your eyes on these:lovemilo1

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Amazing right?  And really not badly priced when you consider that these pieces are truly beautifully made and certainly not the mass-produced stuff you’d see in a typical homeware store.

I also spotted the cutest thing if you’re stuck on Valentine’s gift ideas:

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Mug + pen to write your own message. Plus you can take the message off again with Cutex remover and write a new one! (but it’s still safe to wash and all that)

The birdie’s not included, but hell, while you’re at it, snap up a set of too-cute-for-words love birds as well:

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They’ll look gorgeous perched on a serving dish, adding something extra special to your dinner party for example.

NB info to take note of:

  • Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm
  • Address: 99 Loop Street, CBD  (it’s kinda opposite the Christiaan Barnard Hospital)
  • Contact Nicki on: 082 522 4921 or nicki@lovemilo.com

Happy shopping. :)

xxx

The Abi & Scarlett pop-up store in Bree St

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A few weeks back I received a tip off about a new pop-up boutique opening in Bree St, selling all kinds of things from fashion, jewellery & accessories to ceramics, homeware & gifts.  Being so close to xmas I figured this is something I definitely needed to check out to get some gifting ideas for friends & family (and maybe myself – nothing like a gift from me to me I always say. Hehe ;) ).

The store is situated at 152 Bree St, on the cnr of Pepper St, and it’s quite easy to spot because it has these two hot pink chairs outside:

This cute summer pop-up is brought to you by Abi & Scarlett.  These two ladies specialise in finding empty retail spaces around Cape Town and then transforming them into pretty little stores with a limited lifespan.  So in a way, they’re supporting that whole “all good things must come to an end” theory… or even the “always leave them wanting more” one.  Kinda dig that…

This pop-up is only going to be running for about 2 months through to the end of December.  And they are promising new stock on a regular basis during that time.  Currently in store they have some really cute summer dresses, lovely Kenyan leather sandals (R225), bikinis selling at only R250 each, gorgeous woven beach bags & sarongs and some really pretty jewellery.  So basically, everything you’ll need to look great during the upcoming summer months.

How gorgeous is that pink sundress & woven beach bag combo? That bag btw is only R45. A total steal.

From a decor perspecitve, they also have some really great things.  I absolutely fell in love with these large Indian glass vases (R320 each), bowls & plates with quirkly hand drawn messages on them and also these really cool candels made from champers bottles daahlings:

They even have some things for the little ones.  How bloody cute are these little lion backpacks and suede booties?

Ah man, I also want a lion backpack dammit! (And queue stomping of the feet…)

So ja, lots of cool things to be discovered here.  And the pricing in general I thought was very very good.  You’ll definitely tick off quite a few xmas items in this store.

Their opening Hours are:  Mon to Fri 10am – 6pm and Sat 9am – 1pm.  And for more info you contact them on info@abiandscarlett.com or 073 290 8308 for Scarlett / 076 527 8717 Abi.

Happy shopping guys. :)

xxx

O.live lovin’

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This past weekend I popped into O.live in Kloof St for the first time ever… (even though I’d driven past there like a million times before, thinking to myself “Hey, that place looks cool.  I should check it out”, but was too lazy to do so. :) )

My reason for finally going inside?  Well I was looking for these amazing paper placemats I once saw in a tiny little decor shop in the middle of nowhere.  They were kinda like these:

But way more awesome… they had tons more detail and they were in full colour and I totally should have snapped them up right then & there, but I didn’t… cause sometimes (just sometimes) I’m a total knob head. ;)   Now you might be thinking – well why would one want paper placemats in any case?  Many reasons really:

  1. They are fun & different.
  2. You can change them up all the time.
  3. No washing / cleaning involved – just toss them away after use (and because they are paper, you can recycle!).

Someone then gave me a tip-off that I might find them at O.live.  So thus the reason for my visit…

BUT what I found there was way more amazing than my precious paper placemats.  That shop is like stumbling upon lost treasure, but for decor freaks.  They have a great mix of interesting antique / second hand finds, lotsa quirky modern stuff, gorgeous ceramics & glassware and tons of other fantastical things that I guarantee you, you will battle to find anywhere else.  Check it out:

They did in fact have a selection of paper placemats.  But sadly only black & white ones and I have my heart set on brightly coloured ones.  But that doesn’t mean I left there empty handed.  After standing around with my mouth hanging open in amazement for a period which probably started making the lady looking after the shop a bit uncomfortable…  I settled on this item from the sale table which totally stole my heart:

I got a whopping 50% off! Was R460, only paid R230.

To me it kinda feels like something that would have been used in a pharmacy from way back when to store medicine.  Or maybe you could use it in your kitchen for spices and such.  To be honest, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with it yet.  But I’ve been cuddling up to it at night, trying to figure out where it would be happiest.  I just looooove it so much.  I WILL make it work… or change up all my other decor to match it dammit!

Wanna check out O.live for yourself?  You’ll find them at nr 8 Kloof St, Gardens (across the way from the McDonalds).

Shop away! :)

xxx

The Pause Room gets me again!

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WARNING – guys will probably find this post pretty boring… haha.  But if you want to be better gift givers (and I know most of you are pretty crappy when it comes to that department – sorry, but it’s true), then you better read on!

OK, so I have a serious problem… there is this shop in Gardens Shopping centre called “The Pause Room”… and I want to own EVERYTHING they sell there!  I am drawn to that shop like a moth to a flame… my brain just turns into mush and I can just stand there for hours, staring at all the pretty, shiny things while drool is dripping out of the side of my mouth. :)

They stock lots of beautiful decor items, handmade ceramics, bath goodies, jewellery, hand bags and… well pretty much anything a girl could ever desire (except shoes).

Just look at how damn pretty this shop is:

You see what I'm dealing with here?

Here you have a closer view of some of the ceramics & jewellery – oh and they also have the coolest gift tags & cards!

I want that, and that, and that and...

This is what you see as you enter the shop:

You will not leave here without a purchase... they will suck you in!

And here is the awesome bath & body goodies wall:

If only my bathroom was big enough to hold all this loot...

This also happens to be a favourite shop of mine to pick up birthday gifts for friends & family.  Although, every time I buy something as a gift here – I do end up going through a bit of an internal battle… “Should I just keep it for myself?  It’s soooo pretty. They will never know… I can just give them soap on a rope instead…”  haha. Mostly I am able to go through with it and let these special items go to another home.  But I do clench onto that package pretty damn hard before finally handing it over.

Here’s some of their ceramic items that I already have at home – I totally love this red heart range of theirs with these beautiful sayings on them:

"Love with your whole heart and soul..."

Some smaller bowls:

"Home is where the heart is" and "May your home be filled with love & laughter"

And finally, the new addition to my collection, which I snatched up this evening!  Six of these stunning green heart mugs:

I heart my new mugs!!!

They weren’t cheap… but you have to remember that they’re hand made and crafted with love.  Say it with me… Aaahhhhhh. :)    I had my first cup of tea in one and it tasted better than ever!

SALE ALERT:  The Pause Room sale kicked off today and is running until Saturday!  So what are you waiting for!?!  Get your asses over there!  Sadly my lovely mugs weren’t part of the sale… but I didn’t really care!  I still really really love them…

Anyhoo, let me know if you wanna come over for a spot of tea! (or even a coffee – I could even spike it with something if you’d prefer) My fancy pants mugs are dying to be shown off…

xxx

PS: Forgot to mention – they do FREE gift wrapping. Yay!  Perfect for lazy folks like myself or for the men out there who think a plastic packet will do the job…