The Big Blog Exchange 2014

The Big Blog Exchange is run by Hostelling International and is an exciting and unique project where 16 passionate bloggers swap blogs and countries with each other simultaneously for 10 days - and share their experience with the world. The project was first explored in 2013 and was a great success engaging over 1200 bloggers across 100 countries.

Project Pedicure

High Tea - High Fashion

With the #ChariTea event around the corner, ladies have been asking me what they should wear to dress "like a lady". This blog post will hopefully give you some ideas as well as a few do's and don'ts, but at the end of the day please just wear what you are comfortable with.

Skip Fashion Exchange

Christmas In July

I am part of  a lovely group of bloggers called 'Bloggers Who Bless'. We meet once a month to encourage one another and to strengthen the bonds within the blogging community. I have met such amazing girls and I really look forward to our meet-ups each month. 

This month we are doing a "Christmas In July" themed evening and we are doing a secret santa. We have been given the name of the blogger we have to buy a present for, with R200 as our limit. To ensure we all get something that we like we have decided to put together a wishlist of about 10 items.

Whoever is shopping for me has a very easy task as I consider myself rather easy to please because I like such a wide variety of things and really am grateful for any gift that I am given! 

1. Nail Polish
   
   
   
   
   
   

Nail polish is a super easy gift that most girls would love to receive! The only tricky part is getting the colour right! With so many colours to choose from and countless trends out there it can be a bit of a daunting task trying to select the right colour for someone.   

Personally I love neutral tones and then on the opposite side of the colour chart I also love all the very dark colours such as a deep purple or plum. Of course metallic is gorgeous too and if you throw in some glitter, even better!! 

You also can't beat the classic french manicure! 

2. Scarves

It's winter, scarves are one size fits all and are always on trend! They make a great gift for all ages and are a great option for any budget! I love printed scarves and these 2 from Woolworths are just gorgeous.

3. Bath Stuff
Anyone that knows me knows how much I love my bath time! I literally spend hours in the bath and so absolutely anything bath related will be a much used and loved gift by me! 
The Body Shop always has such lovely things! 

4. Pj's 

My standard sleep wear is usually just an over-sized t-shirt ("borrowed" from my brother) and some boxers - real lady like! In winter I just wear as many layers as I can and don't care much about matching sets of anything. That said, when I stay over at friend's place it's always nice to take along some respectable pjs. Size wise can be a bit of a pain but I like loose fitting things to sleep in so even if something is too big, it will still get used! 

There are matching bottoms for this,

Mr Price have started to cater for us crazy cat ladies and have such cute pj sets at the moment! I would say I am I medium but Mr Price sizing can be very strange at times unfortunately!

5. Sweat Tops

In staying with clothes and Mr Price, they also have some really nice casual sweat tops. 

These are on my wishlist because it's something I need but never end up buying for myself. When I go clothes shopping I would much rather spend my money on beautiful outfits that I can wear at social events than sweat tops which are something I would wear casually at home or to the shops. However, when I find myself looking for something to wear on a day where I don't have much to do, I never have anything in my cupboard!

I thought this 'single' sweat top was pretty cute and funny!  

6. Kitchen Stuff

As a foodie you can pretty buy me anything for the kitchen and it will make me happy! Unfortunately kitchenware isn't cheap so with a R200 present budget it makes it a bit more difficult to find something in this department. I did find some nifty egg things on Yuppiechef which are within budget and make a super gift! 

7. Handbags & Wallets

Can you ever have too many handbags? Probably! But I certainly don't, so here they are on my wishlist. I'm a little fussy with handbags but if you stick to simple classic colours and styles then you will be safe. I don't do clutch bags or any bag that isn't practical to be carried around. I'm a small girl so I can't have a bag that is too big or else I just look silly! 

<- I LOVE this Mr Price Bowler bag! It's in a classic brown shade and will go with nearly every outfit!

 If my list of 'don'ts' has put you off then maybe opt for a wallet? 

They're cheaper and I am a lot less fussy when it comes to wallets. All I ask is that there is ample card and cash space. That's not too difficult right? 

Spree

Example of 'ample space'

8. Vitamin E

I love the vitamin E range from The Body Shop or any brand really. We need to pamper our skin, especially in winter and vitamin E is a nice gentle way to ensure our face and body gets enough moisture! It may seem like a less personal gift but it really isn't! 

9. Cook Books

As I said earlier I am a big foodie and anything for the kitchen would be much appreciated! I love reading and experimenting with new recipes so recipe books are always welcome in my home! Do remember that I am a diabetic and do not eat carbs so you would have to buy something that would be suitable for my diet! 

An example of a suitable book would be Tim Noakes' ''real meal revolution". This is a very popular book right now and is pretty difficult to find! For that reason I am not 100% sure on the price but I did see it somewhere for R220 so it may be a little over budget! 

There are other diabetic friendly cook books but if you are struggling then you could also buy a reference book of herbs, spices, different food cultures etc. I love anything to do with food so get creative! 

10. Flowers

My wishlist would not be complete without flowers! Flowers make me happy and having them in my home always brings a smile to my face. Potted plants or flowers are best as freshly cut flowers don't last very long. Orchids are a good option, everyone loves them and they are very easy to keep alive - it's getting them to re-flower the following season that's the hard bit! Woolworths always have orchids in store but for a wider selection (and better prices) I would go visit a flower shop or a garden centre.

And there you have it - My Christmas in July Wishlist. 

Good luck to my secret santa, I know I will love anything that you get me, whether it's on my list or not =) 

Hair 2 Go

I was invited to attend the launch of a new concept called 'Hair 2 Go' by the fabulous Blo Hairdressing Salon.

Jenna Brugman & Rory Sandilands 

The salon is in The Parks centre and this is where the launch was held.

Hair 2 Go is a new offering from Blo Hair Salon that teaches ladies how to transform their hair from a daytime look to an evening look in a short amount of time. Blo is offering courses to ladies which will be once a week and the offer includes a lovely goodie bag with hair and make-up essentials to help transform your look.



At the launch we were shown a few models who'd had their hair done in a variety of styles for daytime. They then had a couple of minutes (without using a mirror!) to transform their hair into a glamorous evening style. What they managed to accomplish in a few minutes was incredible!

We also had make-up artist Tiffany (@TiffanyMUA) show us how to do make-up to compliment the evening hair do's. The girls looked absolutely gorgeous with their hair and make-up all done, it really is amazing what you can do with the right knowledge and very little time!

We were each given an amazing goodie bag to take home and try out. I've tried a few of the products and they're really great, but I have a lot more to go!

Included in the bags were a little something from the talented Trinket Trove (@TrinketTrove1) sisters who make the most exquisite jewelry!

I met some lovely bloggers at the event who I know of through twitter,
@AliGraaff of www.seamsandsilhouettes.blogspot.com
@SandiSplash from www.sandisplash.blogspot.com and I got to see @Minkysblog from www.hellominkys.blogspot.com again.


I love meeting fellow bloggers, they're always such lovely people!






A big thank-you to Blo Hair Salon for a superb evening and a first look at their exciting new concept 'Hair 2 Go'. I think it is much needed and will do very well. For more information please see their details below.

Blo Hairdressing Salon - Website

Fawn
Xx

Bloggers Who Bless

Last weekend I was privileged enough to be invited to the 'Bloggers Who Bless' meeting. 

Basically it's a group of bloggers who get together to motivate and inspire one another!

We met at Park Cafe and had an absolutely gorgeous high tea. Sasha had organised it all so wonderfully, with the most amazing little goodie bags for each of us.

It was so great to finally meet some of the faces I have been following for so long on twitter! It was such a lovely group of young ladies! 

Sasha / @Face Value_ZA / Porcelain Rouge

Thea / @Madness_Nails / Madness Nails 

Shan / @youbabyandi / You Baby and I (MY BUDDY)

Chicara / @lipgloss_kisses / Lipgloss Kisses

Leanne / @arumlilea / Arum Lilea

Tash / @tandserendipity / tandserendipity

Irina / @irinadoman / I'll Take It All

Loren / @MinkysBlog / Hello Minky's

 Luzanne / @PinkPeonies / Pink Peonies (ABSENT)

Heather / @heatherdeBruin / Bloggers Who Bless (FOUNDER)

We were each given a 'Buddy' for the month and have to send encouraging msgs to each other as well as advise and support one another. Such a lovely idea and my buddy, Shan, is just great!! We were also asked to choose a few ladies to write a little note of encouragement to and at the end of our meeting we swapped notes. 

We were all very spoilt with all the things we received in our goodie bags, I'd like to thank all of the sponsors for treating us to such wonderful products. 

Dermalogica


Rain


Original cocktails


Ralo Cosmetics


Oh So Heavenly


Beauty Factory


And Five O'Clock Tea.

I'm so grateful to be a part of something so special, we aren't just faceless bloggers to each other anymore, we're friends! I can't wait to see all my blogging sisters, "Blisters"? again at the next meeting! 

You're all amazing!

Love, always,

Fawn
xx 

Liebster Award

      So, I was recently nominated for a Liebster Award by my friend Sasha -@FaceValue_ZA. I'm new to the blogging world and these sorts of things are great for finding new bloggers and just spreading the love! They're also awesome for getting to know bloggers you follow and learning all their dirty little secrets... sort of ;) 

You can see all Sasha's answers to her nomination HERE

Sasha's questions to me

1.     What is the furtherest place you have travelled to? 

        Cape Town or Mozambique.

2.     If you could invent anything, what would it be and why?

        A device that allows us to translate what animals are saying so that I can finally prove that when my   cat says ‘meow’ he is actually saying ‘I love you’

3.     What is your favourite colour nail polish?

         It’s not a colour but a French manicure is always my favourite!

4.     Jen or Angelina? Why

        Angelina, she’s my favourite actress! She’s so unique and true to herself!

5.     What is the funniest gift you have ever received?

         A dead bird (a hoopoe to be exact)

6.     What is one thing that people wouldn’t expect about you?

         I love all things pretty and elegant but when it comes to music, my favourite genre is hard dance/      trance.

7.     What is your porn star name? (Your first pets name and your Mom’s maiden name)

        Roxy Da Mota

8.     What’s the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

        Hmm, I guess tripe is quite exotic? I love it tho!

9.     What is your one makeup hate?     

        Mismatched foundation

10.  What is your favorite restaurant and why?

       No favourite yet but in Zim it’s Pistachios because it’s so pretty and so is the food!

11.  How many times did it take you to get your drivers license?

       3^rd time lucky!

11 Random Facts about me

1.       I have to sleep with my pillow a pillow’s length away from the headboard/wall.
2.       I had braces for a year and still wear my retainer to bed occasionally.
3.       Reading for too long gives me a sore stomach.
4.       When I was little I used to ask Santa to give me olives for Christmas (easy child)
5.       I’m terrified of frogs.
6.       My middle name is stranger than my first!
7.        I can’t click my fingers
8.        I have misophonia, google it ;)
9.       When I’m cooking I often pretend I have my own cooking show.
10.   I have very sensitive teeth so eating or drinking anything cold is torture.
11.  When I walk through a pet shop I have an irrational fear that all the fish tanks will crack and the fish will spill out everywhere!!!

My Questions to you

1. When you’re feeling down what do you do to cheer yourself up?
2.  If you could meet any celebrity (living) who would it be and why?
3. What is your favourite thing about blogging?
4. What’s your favourite cocktail? 
5.   If you won the lottery what would be one of your compulsive buys?
6. What’s your favourite part of your body?
7. What have you always wanted to do but never have?
8. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
9.  If you were to set up a charity what would the money go towards?
10. If you could only stay on one social media network, which one would it be?
11.  What word do you always find difficult to spell?

I would like to nominate the following bloggers for a Liebster Award

1. Justine - @punkystarfish - Justinejoyit
2. Alice -  @alicevogt - Living Life Breathlessly
3. Gaelyn - @anewweigh - Heart Of Iron
4. Cassidy - @GlamGreenGirl - The Glam Green Girl
5. Candice -  @GorgeousBlog - A Gorgeous Life
6. Sue - @Sue_Levy - Just Pursue It
7. Sarah - @green_zucchini - The Green Zucchini
8. Sam - @IAMSamW - That Place in My Head
9. Namritha - @Namritha25- My Eye on the world
10. Shendl - @ShendlArt - Shendlweinzheimer
11. Clerissa - @missfancy_panty - Fancy Pants

Good luck and ENJOY my fellow bloggers! 

Much Love to you all,

Fawn

xxx

RULES!

Remember this award is all about showing love and getting attention to the blogs/bloggers who have under 200 followers and deserve to be noticed. IF you choose to accept this award make a post with the following to keep the love going:

1. Your acceptance speech lol which includes the name and the link of the person(s) who nominated you. -They need love too!

2. Answer the 11 questions listed by the person who nominated you

3.List 11 Random facts about yourself

4.Nominate 11 of your favorite blogs (add the links)

5.Last but not least, ask 11 questions of your nominees.

Spread the love!