Tag Archives: CTICC

My Design Indaba recap

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This year’s Design Indaba which took place at the CTICC from 27 Feb to 3 Mar was a visual feast as always… DSC05032 DSC05085 DSC05078 On the day I was very much drawn mostly to the decor / interior design sections (oh and the food section  - come on now, you know me ;) ).  For some weird reason I wasn’t really in a fashion and jewellery mood, so therefore you’ll see that my recap is mostly focused on all things to beautify your home.  But don’t you worry, I have some really amazing things to show you.

I did at least catch a bit of one of the fashion shows and I totally loved the Design Indaba ramp setup this year.  Check it out:

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Cool hey? Very retro and weird and interesting…  all the good things really.

The show was for Chimpel who specialises in luxury leather accessories and whoever came up with the idea of putting all the models in simple black deserves a high 5.  It certainly ensured that the accessories and the accessories only took centre stage.

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The Chimpel stand in the fashion area

Now for the rest of my findings…

Loved these colourful “Play Play” cabinets by De Steyl.  They’re all the way from the Garden Route and for these babies you can select your cabinet size & style, what colours you want and what furniture feet you want.  They’re made from Birch Plywood with laminate faces and finished in natural oil:

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They say these are “Furniture for kids of all ages”.  Now I certainly no longer classify as a kid, but I still try to be a kid at heart at least. I loved these, they made me smile and I could easily see one of them in my home, kid or not.

Still in the category of wooden cabinets, how insanely beautiful is this piece by Andrew Dominic who does private commissions and custom interiors:

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I won’t lie, it took us a while to figure out how to open it, but you just gently push and ta da…

Lucas R Adams from Kraftisan offered up some fun, environmentally friendly lamps and laptop stands:

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And I was totally obsessed with these moustache cups from Quirky Me (they’re situated in the Old Biscuit Mill btw):

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“Do epic shit” – I agree!

Other ceramic pieces which caught my eye were these cute animals in bowls and on plates by Cath Price Ceramics:design_indaba_cathpriceAnd other intersting things included the following (apologies, I realised afterwards that I didn’t get business cards / names for all, but I’ve tried my best to add that info in where I could):

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Top: bamboo & brass lights by MOS (Makers of stuff) products, with names like “The Smile” and “The Cloud”, they were just absolutely magical; Bottom left: wooden monkey (I freakin’ love monkeys – designer unknown); Bottom right: light bulb heart light (designer unknown)

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Clockwise from top left: raw wood table with glass top (designer unknown); Graeme Bettles Design sitting lamps; graphic & colourful side tables (designer unknown); cool skull fabric by Hands that Rock the Cradle

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Clockwise from top left: Wintec Innovation (winners of the Innovation Award for their Stratflex furniture system which allows rigid boards to become flexible); Photo Blox by Jasmin on Jupiter; Meyer von Wielligh designs (loved this plant inspired book shelf);  then loved that woven chair in the middle (designer unknown)

Bjorn was very drawn to this stand by Thingking with their version of a Rube Goldberg machine which is a deliberately over-engineered machine that has to perform a very simple task in a very complex way, using chain reaction events.  For example here the ball has to travel from one end to the other, but it has to do so by passing over and through various weird & wonderful things that ensure that the ball keeps moving:

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They actually won the 2013 Most Creative Stand award…

And I was captivated by this little sheep dressed by cowgirlblues who designs knitwear made from top quality, natural & local fibres sourced from Karoo sheep & goats farms:

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Hello babba… you wanna come home with me?

I also loved these little recycled robots by Jasper Eales Original.  Don’t they just look like the possible character lineup for the next Pixar film in the making?

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Want one? Then contact him on 082 224 3749 or jabbaeales@yahoo.com

Because I’m allergic to pollen, these beautiful hand-painted paper flowers by Durban based Freshly Found were also right up my alley:

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And they won’t die!

Now you might have heard that Gavin Rajah‘s pebble dress won the prize of Most Beautiful Object in South Africa:

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Photo credit: Gavin Rajah Facebook page

And I agree, it is quite spectacular.  I couldn’t even imagine what it must feel like to wear a piece like that.  Stunning.

But my personal most beautiful object has to go to the cupcakes from Queen of Tarts  :)  :

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Cupcakes are a form of art to you know…

All ‘n all the Design Indaba was a very inspiring day out.  Well done to all the creatives who exhibited this year.  It’s so exciting to see how South Africans are pushing the boundaries of design, thinking outside of the box and creating things that uniquely African.

I sadly left there wanting to change up pretty much my whole apartment (again).  Hopefully one of those “you’ve won the <insert name here> lottery” emails will come through… ** crossing fingers **

xxx

PS.  If anybody can confirm the designers I missed above, please leave a comment below and I’ll update the post.

Things get creative at the Design Indaba

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This past Sun I checked out the Design indaba Expo 2012 at the CTICC.  This is the 9th year that this expo is taking place and it’s become a “must see” event on the Capetonian calendar.   Tickets were only R60, which I thought was pretty decent because according to my visitor’s guide, this expo is the largest gathering of SA designers in the country with over 300 exhibitors which were all pre-approved by the expo’s curators.

The expo certainly has something for everybody with everything from jewellery & fashion to ceramics, decor, furniture and arts & crafts.  You also get to check out things from established SA designers alongside what they refer to as “emerging creatives” which makes for a really interesting mix of ideas.  They even made things easy for all the moms and dads as you could drop of the kiddies at the D.I.Y (Design Indaba Youth) zone where creative folks helped them unleash their inner artist.

I really love the fact that the expo is both geared to “going green” as well as job creation.  All the stalls use energy efficient LED lighting, all food packaging is 100% biodegradable and even the expo floor carpeting is cut up and re-used afterwards.  Then according to a study done by the UCT Graduate School of Business, the expo sustained & created 1008 jobs in 2011 and over the past 3 years it has contributed over R600 million to the national GDP.

I also wanted to do my bit for the national GDP by purchasing one of these porcelain bunnies they features on the posters:

I was gonna call him Bob and I was gonna love him forever and ever. :)   But sadly Bob came at quite a hefty price – R595 to be exact, and that’s without the damn leather jacket!  Sad face.  I just couldn’t justify spending that much on one little bunny…  so Bob and I had to part ways and my heart broke into a million pieces…

Meanwhile over in the fashion area, ladies were literally floating in the air with excitement…

On the ramp fashion shows were taking place about once every hour showcasing designers such as Amanda Laird Cherry, Lunar, Tart and Magents menswear (featured below) who showed off some of their statement T-shirts.

I got a tip off from Jen at Cow Africa about “The Soft Machine” that would be at the expo – serving up some yummy ice cream made form all natural ingredients with pretty inventive flavours that was aimed to bringing back a touch of nostalgia.  I wasn’t really in the mood for ice cream to be honest, but my friend Darryn gave it a bash.

Loved the old school ice cream truck idea

He went for the Leipoldt’s Milktart garnished with Spice Snaps:

Mmmmmmm

I didn’t really spend much time in the jewellery area, but what I did pick up from my quick squizz through there was that fine, pretty silver jewellery was a definite trend.  So take note.

I was way more interested in the furniture & decor section.  First off, I was lusting over this red leather one seater:

And then quite a few stands were using this new Xanita board stuff which I found quite interesting.  Xanita board is a light hight-strenght composite fibreboard which is fully recycled & recyclable.  This is what it looks like:

Designers were using it to make foldable wine racks, trestle table bases and such and even the tables in the food court were made from Xanita Board that had been painted.  My favourite use of it was by Head On Design – they do wall-mounted sculptures of kudu, buffalo and sable heads.  They are basically a fun twist on old school hunting trophies.  This is the one I really wanted:

You can get them plain or painted, in the Xanita board or even in leather.  I’m definitely going to be keeping this baby in mind for my lounge revamp.

Other ideas with regards to recycling included using items you wouldn’t normally consider for furnishings in new ways, like this plastic crate used as a drawer in a wooden pedestal:

Bjorn hated this, but I thought it was kinda cool.

There’s also a massive trend towards using natural elements, like the various items in the pic below:

So happy that natural wood finishes are huge again – was hating the plastic / high gloss / modern trend we saw over the past few years.

After all that creative stimulation I was STARVING, so we popped over to the Neighbourgoods food area for some Flammkuchen aka “the other type of pizza” served by the lovely ladies from Piroschka’s Kitchen in Bree St:

This was amazing! Could’ve had another one all by myself.

Then on our way out I saw the best design of all… The all new, very sexy MINI Coupé!  I looooove Minis, my own baby is already over 5 years old, so been thinking it might be time for an upgrade.  Look how beautiful this new one is:

What’s that?  You wanna come home with me? OK!

For more details, check out www.mini.co.za.

So yeah, it was a very inspiring visit to the CTICC.  I got a few great ideas for my current renovating & redecorating mission.  It’s also great to see what fresh ideas people are coming up with to keep our world an interesting and vibrant place.

xxx

China town adventures at MCQP

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So last Saturday was my birthday and I turned 21!!! (plus 10 ;) )  Ag actually, I don’t really give a crap about my age – it’s just a number.  You’re only as old as you feel… or the person you’re feeling. hehe.

This year my bday fell on the same day as the MCQP party (which is only THE biggest party of the year).

So I decided to have a pre-party at my place and then a few brave souls continued on with me to the CTICC for the big “Maid in China” themed event.

Before I continue I have to say that I got spoilt rotten by my friends.  My prezzies amounted to a massive mountain in my bedroom and I was definitely feeling the love.  Love you guys! xxx

The evening was basically one big visual feast and I ended up with tons and tons of photos.  I tried my best to whittle them down to only the best, but there’s still quite a few and I just couldn’t bare to leave any out.  Anyways, seeing as it’s the holiday season and all, I’m sure you guys are quite happy to just sit back and stare at pictures without having to do any thinking. :)

I have tried to group the pics into different categories.  So here goes:

At the PRE-PARTY:

Asian lovelies – Lucy went all out like always.  Awesome stuff.

Furry, happy & smiley

A Bruce Lee fan and his hot Asian babe

Mattie gets lucky

Serious about our Asian wear

The real Bruce Lee (well kinda)

My new monkey!

Anxious to get the show on the road

But not before a quick groping session…

At MCQP – First up, me with BIG things: (get your minds out of the gutter people…)

Big boy

Big disco ball

Big ass heart

The gang with big bear

Next up – Me with fun characters:

What’s a guy to do with your phone when you’re only wearing a Speedo?

I usually prefer the green Low Sodium Kikkoman…

This is my pic of the night! His name is Dewald and he’s all the way from George. Loved this boy!

Chinese lanterns…

Guy in hot pants with blow up doggie…

Nuff said…

The dude wanted to lick my face… strange boy u!

Some venue shots:

Some more people who went all out:

These boys were faaaabulous doll. And Doug ended up looking like Mr Smith from The Matrix. hehe

Lots of white rabbits

Some Chinese take-out anybody?

These 2 had seriously insane bodies. Big up!

Not too sure what this was about. hehe

I think the signs say it all. Love it!

2AM snack attack:

My body HATED me the next morning…

Me with friends:

The Asian mafia

Punk boy # 1

Asian doll

Punk boy # 2

Hot sexy biatch

Joe didn’t really have to dress up, he’s Asian already! haha

A Hello Kitty slash Husky mix. Me thinks Mr D was a bit confused…

Being able to wear your satin night robe out… pure awesomeness.

And of course no party is complete without glow sticks / necklaces.

I had an awesome awesome night!

Unfortunately it ended with my phone getting swiped – was standing on the dance floor, this dude bumped into me and then ran off.  When I looked down my bag had been opened and my phone was gone.  Apparently quite a few people got hit in the same way that night.  A slight bummer, but these things happen.  Luckily I had my camera in my hand at the time, cause I would have been way more upset if I had lost all my photos.  And a big surprise from the BF made me all smiles again… so there… :)

Can’t wait until next year’s party!

xxx

Deadmau5 hits Cape Town

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Thu eve myself, Lara and Mike (Leigh let us borrow her BF for the evening) headed over to the CTICC for Deadmau5.  For those who are going “Huh, what the hell is that!?”  Let me give you some interesting background facts, mostly courtesy of Wikipedia:

- DeadMau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”) is one of the world’s top electro acts, a brilliant DJ who creates & plays mostly his own stuff,  using software he’s helped write to assemble tracks on the go.
That means definitely no CDs here folks!!
- He’s a 30 year old from Toronto, Canada and his real name Joel Thomas Zimmerman.
- The name “deadmau5″ originated when Zimmerman found a dead mouse in his computer while replacing his video card. He told people about it over IRC chat and they started referring to him as “that dead mouse guy.” The nickname “Dead Mouse” was too long for the IRC character limit, so he shortened it to deadmau5.
- He’s a littly shy, so he always wears a large mouse head (like the one above) when doing live acts.  These mouse heads light up and everything, they come in different colours and designs and they are really cool.  Just have always wondered how hot it must get in there.

So… now that you’re all clued up.  Back to Thu eve. :)   We got there at 7pm (doors opened at 5), but we knew Deadmau5 would only be going on stage at 10pm with some “tbc” opening act starting at 8pm according to Computicket.  Actually, Computicket couldn’t give me any details on the opening act(s) when I went to pick up my tickets the day before. I thought that was pretty bad.  I only saw after the fact on Capetownmagazine.com that it was supposedly the following lineup:

17H00 – 18H00: Tommy Gun
18H00 – 19H00: Ivan Turanjanin
19H00 – 20H00: Chris Jack
20H00 – 21H00: Roger Goode
21H00 – 22H00: Louis

Ah well, we didn’t really care too much about the opening acts in any case, we pretty much spent 3 hours at the CTICC Marimba bar drinking & mingling.  Probably not the best plan in hindsight as that was way too much time for me to transform into the evil Kandi.  hehe.

When we finally entered the exhibition area we were greeted by 10,000 people who had clearly not spent their time outside drinking, but was clever enough to get inside and get a good spot.  But I still think we did OK…  at least it was a happy bunch of people. (Really tried to get VIP tickets, but sadly they were sold in within minutes – so we only had standard tickets)

Lara, “uncle” Mike and Kandi (my drunken self)

Oh you can bet your ass there were plenty more pics of us and others, but I can’t share those with you guys.  I’d be killed.  I had that camera of mine shoved in everyone’s faces the entire evening  (much to their dismay) – trying to make sure I documented enough of the excitement. :)

The anticipation started building as the lights dimmed…

You’ll notice a mouse head in the middle there. That’s NOT him. That’s just some super duper dedicated fan.

And then BOOM!, Deadmau5 finally said hellooooooo to Cape Town! The crowd went insane, everyone jumping up and down, chanting his name.

Hello there Mr Mouse. How you doin’? (That’s the real deal mouse head)

Now electro acts are known for crazy visuals and impressive stage sets.  But trust me, this guy takes it to a totally different level.  I only have a snap-and-go digital camera, but I’ve tried to put together some images to give you an idea:

These pics really don’t do it justice at all. I mean, you have to keep in mind that the CTICC is quite a big venue and we filled halls 1 through to 4.  So the scale of the stage was seriously mind blowing.  The sound was also really good and the crowd’s energy was infectious.  I was really glad that I finally got the chance to see this guy perform live.  Mike actually introduced me to Deadmau5 a couple of months back, he showed me this DVD of one of his overseas shows and I was immediately hooked.  Since then I’ve been stalking him on Youtube and reading up all about this mysterious mouse boy.  But actually getting to see him do his thing rocked my world.

I heard that some folk were saying that the JHB (H2O, Wild Waters, Boksburg) event made the CT event look like a kids’ show.  Come now people, let’s be real.  It might have been a bigger venue and outdoors, but I’ve had a look at the clips on Youtube and it definitely did not kick ours.  How could they ever beat the Capetonian flare!? Me no think so.

You can check out the full set list here and even listen to snippets from each song.  Ghosts ‘n Stuff & Strobe were my favourites from the evening without a doubt.  This was one hell of a way to kick of the summer party season.  Keep it coming Cape Town!

xxx

My thoughts on the Look & Feel good expo

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Last Sunday I popped over to the CTICC to check out the Look & Feel Good expo.  Now I’m gonna have to be brutally honest here…  I thought in general it was a total snooze fest.  I had braved some seriously poo weather to get there and paid my R70 in the hopes of finding something magical, but instead I felt like I was just standing in a big, boring Dis-Chem store.

My main goal however was to support my darling design diva, Tatum (the gorgeous gal who designed my blog header).   Her Soulshine stand was the exact breath of fresh air I had hoped the expo would be bursting with.

Tatum had her flagship product, Soulshine Cards, on display as well as some beautiful gifting cards which are the first editions to her new venture, Soulshine Living – South African gifting.  Soulshine Living will eventually be a full gifting range, including beautiful candles and bath & body products  Look out for it in 2012.  I’ve seen a sneak peak of the packaging design and can guarantee you it’s going to be a huge hit.

Soulshine Affirmation cards in the middle (you get a pack of 36) and then some gift cards to the left & right.

At the Clicks stand, the Body Shop’s new “Baked-to-last” range poster caught my eye.  Why?  Cause it had cupcakes on it, duh. ;)

To be honest I was more interested in the cupcakes than the make up. haha

Tatum also told us to check out the Caribbean Tan display here as she was quite impressed with it (even though she has an amazing skin tone and would never need it).  So we decided to give it a bash.  My friend Nix is quite fair skinned, so we got them to do a mini demonstration on her right arm with their “Tan in a Can” aerosol product.  We were both impressed at how it didn’t smell like a cat pee’d on her arm and also the colour went on very evenly with seemless effort

The nice thing is that you can choose between 3 skin type options:  “A” for very fair skin, “B” for medium skin tones and “C” for those who want to be super dark.   The Tan in a Can product sells for only R89.99 at Clicks.  So it’s really easy on the pocket.   I think you’ll still need a friend to help you spray your back areas though.  It’s way too high risk trying to reach those odd areas by yourself.  You don’t want to end up looking amazing from the front and then dodgy from the back. haha.

Some other things which caught my eye were the self defence demonstations:

And… take that!

I think it’s very important for all women to know how to protect themselves.  I say “kick butt first and take names later”. ;)

Then I also thought the Rubybox concept was pretty cool – for R100 per month you get a monthly box filled with luxurious samples, delivered straight to your door.  This way you can try things before making a big commitment.  I like that.

It’s like a prezzie to yourself, from yourself, every month!

Then for those “frisky ladies” out there – A Pole lot of Fun! – perfect for bachelorette parties and such.  They bring their own pole and they teach you like 12 different moves.  Sjoe, you could go pro after that. Come on, these are tough economic times, a girl needs a backup plan you know. :)

Get into the swing of things…

Lastly these intriguing Violent Lips from Maskscara.  It’s basically like a fake tattoo transfer which you stick onto your lips.  They come in all kinds of crazy colours & designs.  Sure, you’re thinking where the hell would I use something like that?  I agree.  But it could be fun for a dress up party at least.  Or maybe this year’s Mother City Queer Project… Hmmmm.

Brave enough to give these a bash?  Dunno…


So… sadly… those were the only things I found remotely interesting.  The rest was just blah, blah and more blah.  On the way out we got our “goodie bags”.  This is what it had inside:

Meh…

A magazine which I know I will NEVER read, a green pencil, 3 Sunsilk conditioner samples and then tons & tons of pamphlets.  Yawn…

I don’t think I’m going to be rushing over to this expo again next year.

xxx