SS Brunch with Uzuri

I have returned from my holiday with plenty of beautiful things to share with you including the first SS Brunch of 2016. I want to introduce to you Magdel and Emre who are the founders of Uzuri, a newly launched brand that hails from the beautiful and graceful country that is Africa. They have a wonderful vision to clothe the inner dreamer, seeker and scholar and their SS16 Capsule Collection consists of timeless and elegant staples including The Moja which is a 100% leather sandal that has been locally sourced and crafted in Africa. I hope you enjoy this SS Brunch and feel inspired to tread lightly and kindly.

What makes Uzuri African?

Our leather and fabric are sourced locally and the craftsmen with whom we partner are all South African. We aim to design first and foremost for the women of Africa. Women of different ages, races and cultures – all embracing their heritage, inspiring generations to come, seeking beauty, living boldly but also seeking qualify and functionality.

Uzuri means beauty and grace. Do you have any muses that embody these two words?

We were both raised by strong and independent women, we have the privilege of being surrounded by incredible sisters and friends who are passionate about life, who are true to themselves, who pursue their dreams fearlessly. Ladies who live their lives with intent + walk in truth, in grace, in beauty. These are the women that inspire us, the women we want to dress.

What are some of the steps implemented so that your final product is ethical and fair?

We believe in buying local, even if the result is a slight increase in prices, and in  partnering with our South African craftsmen and ladies. We are involved in every single detail. Sourcing, meeting with our craftsmen / ladies, designing + the final quality control – we ensure that all the people in the production chain is honored and fairly compensated for their contribution. Uzuri is a vision that stretches further and wider than clothes + shoes. We love our country and we want to build + dream alongside contributors to continuously invest in + grow this multifaceted country of ours.

Tell me about your creative process, is there a certain time you work, a candle you burn, a beverage that you consume?

We have both been working full time until the end of 2015, so the dream of Uzuri was pursued over weekends, late nights + early mornings. We have been drinking numerous cups of tea + dreaming of a brand that is true + bold + ethical since 1999, when we first became friends in grade 8.

What are you goals for Uzuri in 2016?

Uzuri is still in its baby shoes. We want to continue building a brand without compromises- growing holistically but remaining faithful to the childhood dream. Our aim has always been to rather deliver an ethical product, that embodies beauty and quality, than delivering a bigger, more mainstream, but less ‘hands-on’, range. Of course this has its own challenges, especially in a growing market – the effect being that Uzuri ranges are always limited editions. Moreover we will continue to follow our hearts, work hard, and shine a light on the beauty that Africa has to offer.

The Moja in Nude Leather  (c/o)

If you want to learn more about Uzuri’s vision as well as visit their newly launched website, click here.  

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Nook of the Day

As soon as Christmas was over, I sprung into action and got everything straightened out to welcome the new year. I threw out a lot of junk and added some new bits and bobs to my work nook and bookcase. Here are some of my January rituals that I like to always complete:

• Donate old clothes, accessories, etc. – anything that hasn’t been worn for more than 12 months should go. I let a lot of old costumes go that I had been saving for future dress up events but I decided that I’m better off with a whole empty drawer than one filled with things that I may or may not wear once in a blue moon.
• Delete duplicates of photographs – as I create 100% of the visual content on this blog, I have a LOT of pictures in my hard drive. Whilst I like to keep a few hilarious candids, I have so many pictures that are basically the same that I like to delete as much as possible to free up future storage space.
• Unsubcribe to email lists that I don’t even open. This is a serious chore but just something you have to do. Put on a lighthearted sitcom in the background or some YouTube vlogs and get rid of all that spam.
• Get a new calendar! Kind of an obvious one but there are so many free printables on Pinterest that look gorgeous on a clipboard 😉
• Swap out your photo frames – I always have quotes in my frames so I like to change my mantras every year depending on what life goal I am aiming towards. This year mine is ‘good things come to those who hustle’.

I’m so glad I started early too because would you know it, I caught a cold on NYE ( almost didn’t make it to midnight!) and spent the next few days finishing off the last season of Friends. It was frustrating not being able to catch the new year bug and be all motivated, creative and fit. I’m on my last few sniffles and have been snapping photos, writing emails, editing and writing up drafts all day in preparation for my cruise. As you read this, I will be sailing away from all my responsibilities on the Pacific Eden for just over a week! I am very lucky to be working with P&O to bring you guys some very fun content so look out for that soon. If you have any queries as to where certain decor pieces are from, just ask in the comments but the answer will probably be Kmart or Ikea 🙂 If you are looking for some throwback SS, check out my desk decorating post from last year or my last shelfie. 

‘January’ calligraphy thanks to cable car couture

DIY Marble Side Table

Thought I would up my bed side table game by hopping on the marble trend in the least expensive way possible. Considering marble will be out of trend within the next few years, I wanted to do something that would cost me next to nothing. I have been contemplating ordering marble contact paper for a few months now but some rolls cost up to $50 on Etsy which is ridiculous since my side table was probably less than half that price!

ONE To create this side table, print off several copies of this marble print (download here). Take out your drawer and unscrew the knob. TWO Then, trim off the whites of your marble paper and affix it to the surface of your drawer using a gluestick. THREE Neatly, cut away all excess paper and fold it behind. FOUR Measure a piece of contact paper large enough to cover the surface of the drawer and the edges too. FIVE Slowly peel back the contact backing and smooth it over your drawer. If you fail at contacting surfaces, maybe practice contacting some old magazines to ensure your final product is always bubble free. SIX Trim off excess contact and re-pierce the hole where the knob is meant to go. SEVEN Screw knob back into place and you are finished! EIGHT (option lol) Artfully style your DIY, take many photographs and boast to family and friends 😉 Make sure they always stand 5 metres away so they can’t tell if its actually marble or not.

OPTIONAL: Before attempting this side table, I actually made a jewellery holder first. I printed off the marble sheets, glued them to card stock, contacted the whole thing and affixed it to my cork board using white push pins.

Handy Dandy Rings

Dandelions remind me of cacti up close which is funny because they’re so soft and delicate and cacti are prickly and hard. The word actually hails from the French word dent-de-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth”. Oh the irony! Today I’m collaborating with Elyia which is an Australian owned, Melbourne based silver jewellery company. So on Monday you got a Melbourne blogger and today you get a Melbourne brand!

I think the word ‘Elyia’ is so beautiful and the meaning behind it is too. It actually originates from the Tamil word meaning ‘simple’ and that is what Elyia revolves around; simple, beautiful and affordable pieces you can wear everyday. They also come in the cutest little tin boxes that are perfect for presents! My personal favourite in their collection is the one I’m wearing today. It’s called the Bar Ring in Rose Gold and the definition of understated jewellery. This is the ring equivalent of the very popular bar necklaces and would look lovely stacked or by itself. I am like a bee to honey when it comes to rose gold but this ring also comes in classics like silver and gold if that’s more your style!

I decided to pair my Bar Ring in Rose Gold with my also rose gold arrow bracelet and chevron and butterfly fit and flare dress. Oh and guess what!?!? I have finally learnt the secret to achieving these curls that I’ve been seeing on Southern Curls & Pearls for so so long. A lot of tutorials usually recommend brushing your hair out to get that bouncy feel but if I did that on my thickass hair, it would just be an explosion! So now I just use a one inch iron and wrap it around a tong without using the clamp as if it was clamp-less.

Bar Ring (c/o) // Tie The Knot Ring // Diamond Ring 

A Gal at Bal

According to the Urban Dictionary, definition number seven, chinos are: A type of trouser made from chino cloth. Although they are very comfortable and soft, they come in the most grotesque colours possible which really makes them stand out. The fact that they are sold in excess in stores such as Abercrombie and Jack Wills doesn’t help their reputation much either. Chinos, the everyday hipster’s choice of trouser wear. So what then are chino shorts? To me they are the conservative short, which means they are the perfect piece to go with the bustier – a garment Victorian women wore to get their va va voom on. Since I have no desire to show off too much skin, I decided to pop on this light see through chiffon shirt and one button it up all easy breezy.

There you have it, all ready to set sail! Or at least walk along the boardwalk. How lovely does Balmoral look on this cloudy Saturday? I think the cool tones are the perfect complement to my sailing appropriate look and I love how bright the pictures turned out. Sometimes, a picture sans blue sky is really okay after all! And where do sailors brunch? The Balmoral Boathouse of course! Get the quinoa bircher it could seriously feed three!

Today was actually meant to be a DIY post and the last post in my New Year series but Optus decided to cut my internet for two days because the roof of a tower fell off or something so I have been in agony for the past 60 hours. It got to the point where I turned up two hours early to a party so I could use the host’s internet (thank you beb) and stood in front of the Apple store for an hour to leech off their fast wifi. Sue me, I’m so twenty first century.

The footless seagul { :(((( } and food shot by me, outfit shot by Adela 

Wrong Way (Don’t Turn Back)

Christmas is now sadly over but I hope you all had a very merry day or week or month! There’s so much build up leading to the 25th that it almost becomes anticlimactic when we fall asleep in our santa hats with our food comas watching the ten hundredth Christmas film (for me this was Arthur Christmas!) and sucking on candy canes that we hoarded from store promotions (is that just me?!?!) I’ve had a great week filled with all my favourite F’s: food, family, friends, fairy lights, falalala music and festive everything.

Yesterday was Boxing Day. What Boxing Day means now for the modern person is just as ironic as its American counterpart: Black Friday. You spend the day before being grateful for what you have and then the next day you go and buy what you don’t need … I remember when I was younger, I thought boxing day was just a plot my parents had to delay us opening our presents and then another year I read that it was the day the box was invented but today I actually learnt a brief history about it that  sounds legitimate so I thought I would enlighten any other souls who have always wanted to know. Boxing Day is actually an old holiday where servants box up leftover food from their employers and take it home for their family. Unfortunately,  retail employees today have to get up at wee hours of the morning to ready themselves for the morning shoppers one of whom included me!

On my 7 hour trek (never again or so I say haha!) I wore this mostly pink ensemble. What kind of pink is this? Peachy pink? A light salmon? I’m not exactly sure but I know for sure that its a new favourite. For most of senior high school, I stayed away from pink clothing after going through a bubblegum pink phase in junior high where I had pink cable knit sweaters and pink plaid skirts and an obnoxious pink backpack. But now, pink is coming back into my closet in the prettiest way. Its soft and feminine but there’s no trace of lace or silk in sight.

This top is actually the wrong way around. I wore it back to front because I liked how the zip detail give the fluted hem some edge. Plus, convenience-wise, its much easier to zip on a top from the front (haha!). Perfect for making snap decisions in the change room where there’s a sea-length of impatient shoppers. Continuing on my love for this kind of colour, I wore my summer slip ons that have what I like to call ‘pony hair’ * on them and my minimalistic light weight watch. Then I have these cute little pair of pin striped shorts underneath that I wear every summer and can’t seem to let go of because they have way too many sand printed memories on them.

* I think I call it pony hair in my mind because it reminds me of a pony’s coat and it would be incredibly sad to see a pony drenched in water just like these slip ons would be completely ruined under rain. You comprende? Probably not but that’s ok because I confuse and contradict myself all the time anyway.