Justin & Jody's House

This is my beautiful friend Jody!

Yes, that's me taking lots of photos of all the pretty things!

FINALLY, here are some photos of my friend's house. Justin & Jody have just finished building this modern house which they are planning on selling very soon as they are about to embark on another project.

Jody wanted a really pretty look which is a big departure from the look she had in her previous house which was taupe and natural.

They had lots of old pieces of furniture which they had collected over the years which we painted and recovered. There are some more pictures of their bedroom which we did in navy and white which I will post sometime soon as well! Hope you like this fun, happy, bright house!!

They're Coming!!

It seems I am experiencing a few technical camera/computer problems. I know I said I would post images of my friends house tonight however, it's just not going to be possible as I am so hopeless at computer problems! Here is one more image to keep you going for the meantime! Please bear with me. I hope to have the complete set of pictures posted here tomorrow sometime. Thanks for your patience!!

4 beautiful styles from Essence.com

Twist Style:

I saw this photo on Essence.com, in one of there hair galleries, and feel in love with this hair-do. I think if I ever had to cut my loc's off (heaven forbid), this is a style I would definitely try to rock!

*The following quote is from Essence.com

"Twist & Shout

To achieve this funky do, twist your lightly damp strands at night for texture and release in the morning. Finger-comb into place, spray with hydrating oil sheen and you’re ready to go. Consider a sheen like Organic Root Stimulator’s Olive Oil Nourishing Sheen Spray for optimum results without weighing down your hair."

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Textured Curls:

*The following quote is from Essence.com

"Free Style

You can replicate this eclectic curly style by braiding your hair at night for length and texture. Stylist Sabine Bellevue (sabineshallway.com) suggests braiding your hair into large plaits at night and then releasing them for a mile-high do."

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Curly Loc's:

*The following quote is from Essence.com

"Lockalicious

This spiral-curled style is far from dreadful and offers diversity to amber-colored locks. Even more diversity can be obtained by pinning up the back for a sleek updo or pulling up into a pretty ponytail with a decorative band. Insider tip: many locked sisters maintain their tresses with fresh aloe vera gel straight from the plant as a natural alternative to harsh, chemically-loaded products."

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A Natural:

*The following quote is from Essence.com

"Natural Wonder

This natural do will stand up to the heat even when you can’t. Brush hair back on one side and secure with large bobby pins or a ponytail holder. A hairdressing like PhytoSpecific Moisturizing Styling Balm will keep sides smooth."

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Kalia's Siserlock's

I have always been very curious about sisterlock's. I have all these questions, like how do you keep them from joining together? Is the maintenance much different then loc's? It is expensive to have a sisterlock specialist maintain your hair? How long does it take to tighten each sisterlock? etc...

I really admire the style, and think its very beautiful. If you also have these or other questions, please check out Kalia's blog Kalia-dewdrop's blog where she has information on her experience with Sisterlocks.

More Photos Tomorrow

I will post the photos of my friend's house, which I just finished working on, tomorrow as I didn't have time to upload the photos before I left the office this afternoon...sorry!!! However, here's one sneak peek picture to whet your appetite!!

Image - Anna Spiro

The Week Ahead

I thought I would post this pretty blue and white image to begin the new week. I love the simplicity of this little corner. I would love to sit on that gorgeous cane chair whilst I chatted on the phone to my mother or a close friend!

This week we have a number of big installations happening which will mean a very busy, yet exciting week ahead. I also have a gorgeous house to share with you all which I have just finished working on for one of my lovely friends. I hope to post photos of it tomorrow night so stay tuned...

Image - House Beautiful

A Creative Week

So I usually don't do very much with my hair, because I don't have much time in the mornings. But this week was a little different. I decided to get up a little early each day and try something new. So here is what I came up with:

Do a little twist for work! I tried this on Wednesday morning. I felt creative and started twisting the top of my hair, and then stuck the twist into a pony tail.

This was my cute and quick bun for Monday! Definitely a great pick-me up for the Monday blues.

On Tuesday, I did a half twisted bun with hair down.


And on Thursday, I went all out and did this huge twisted bun.



For this bun, I got my inspiration from the photo below from - masoesa's photostream. I originally saw this photo on http://blog.franchesca.net. At first, I thought this picture looked kind of wild, but then I got inspired.


So that's it for this week. Today, on friday - I did nothing! Just wore it down. But I think I did enough for the week. It was fun and I look forward to doing it again.

Tip for a quick bun!

Ok, so I was messing around with my locs after getting out of the shower and found the perfect way to keep my hair out of my face while either washing my face or doing my make up. The great thing about this style is that I don't feel the weight of my hair because of the way its all placed on my head. I used a huge scarf, wrapped it around the back of my head and tied it in the front, and wrapped the rest of the scarf in the back. After that I pulled the rest of the hair into a quick bun.

I like it, I think I will do it more often...

Goapele Mohlabane

I have been a big fan of Goapele Mohlabane for years now. When I first started following her, she had the most amazing locs. She would always create these cute styles,  that I would dream of trying on my own. Besides being a singer, she is also a community activist. I’ve had the honor of briefly meeting this very talented lady. It was more of a "Hi" and "Bye" kind of thing at various performances she had done in the Bay Area. But from those few moments, she has impressed me so much with her sincerity and grace.                       

Goapele was born in Oakland, CA, and her name means “to go forward in the South African language Sesotho. Goapele now sports a shorter natural style and she's still rocking it!

Wedding Hair

Before I got married, I was searching like crazy for a loctician in the Bay Area that could do my hair, for my wedding. But I did not have much luck. I knew of a lot of locticians that maintain hair, but not a lot that did fancy styles. Most of the locticians that I have seen, that do really beautiful updo's and styles are in New York or other states not close to California (if you know of any, please let me know).

So since I didn't have many options,  I decided to do my own hair. I ended up using perm rod rollers to curl my hair; and knew that when the big day came, I would just wear a big curly bun. 

On the big day, I was so out of it, that hair was the last thing on my mind. So thank goodness for my make-up artist Shonna Hall, because if it wasn't for her, I would have forgotten all about my hair! Shonna save the day for me, after she did my make up, she helped me pin up my hair. So out of all the expenses I had for our wedding, my hair was not one of the major ones. 

Weekend Flowers

I think I might break my budget again this weekend and head off to buy myself some more fresh flowers! I'm off now until next week. I have a busy weekend planned which will be fun!

Thanks again for your lovely emails and comments this week. You are amazing!

xx

Anna

Image - Flickr

Gumdale House

I have been meaning to share more pictures of the gorgeous Gumdale house I finished late last year. I was just flicking through my picture files and spotted this image of a corner of the family room and it reminded me. I promise I will post some more pictures of this lovely home soon!!

Unique!

Here a few pictures of some women that have very cool and different styles... definitely not following in any ones else foot prints.

(I love this one - I wish I had the courage to rock this)

(Yes, one of her locs is actually going through her ear lob)

Eye Candy!

So I know that in the overall grand scheme of things - you can not judge a person by their hair. But OMG! ....there is just something really hot about a man with dreads.

So here is a little bit of eye candy for the day!

I look forward to finding and share more.. he he

Pink & Red

It's no secret that I love pink. I also love pink and red together. I think it's just such an unexpected yet gorgeous colour combination!

Image via - Wide open spaces journal

My Decorating Life

You know what? I need to be really honest with you all. I would imagine that you would think my job is so glamorous and amazing. Am I right?

Well, I have to tell you that it is the most amazing job and I absolutely ADORE what I do but I also have to tell you that it is one of the hardest jobs in the whole wide world.

On a daily basis I attempt to please every single one of my clients. On a daily basis I am disappointed by goods not arriving on time, manufacturers and suppliers breaking their promises and goods being delivered faulty or completely and utterly wrong and not how we ordered them.

I just need to make it clear that even though this job is my lifelong passion I just wish that I could do it better and no matter how hard I try sometimes it's just not good enough.

I'm sure this is the same in every profession but relying on others in this profession is so disappointing and so embarrassing at times and no matter what you do, sometimes it all just ends up wrong!

I don't want your sympathy. That's not what this post is about. I just thought I'd tell you that it really isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

Tomorrow will be better. I know it will be.

Images via Vi.sualize.us

*Reminder

We all need to remind ourselves of this one...

Images via vi.sualize.us

Bed of Flowers

I fell in love with this gorgeous guest house in the Netherlands when it was featured in Real Living magazine recently. I love, love, love it! The coloured feature walls are divine and I love them paired with the floral fabrics, vintage floral artwork, white walls and vintage inspired furniture pieces. The house is aptly named Bed of Flowers!! You can stay at this beautiful place and I must say I think it is very reasonable priced. Click HERE to visit the website.

Sunday at Mum & Dads

Today we went to Mum and Dad's house which isn't unusual for a Sunday. We are a very close family and we tend to gather at my parent's house at least once a week for a family lunch or dinner. My mother is the most amazing cook and host. She loves entertaining and having her family around her.

I thought the house looked so lovely today so I took a few photos of an area outside their kitchen where we all gather when Mum is cooking. She is always arranging flowers from her garden in table vignettes and potting up her large flower pots on the deck which keeps the house looking so fresh and pretty. She constantly inspires me.