Janet Generally Speaking

Resolution 2012

2011-12-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

I never make resolutions but at the end of 2011, I am making resolutions that will help me be a better person.... for me..... for my family...... for my friends in 2012. So here goes.......

#be consistent
#no more procrastination
#follow through
#self discipline will conquer
#do the best always
#write a journal

Remembering Soggies!

2011-05-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

Soggies, known as Soggologgodoggolog for short, was our second born and came to us from the Grassy Park SPCA and when he learnt to moan, he did so with an accent not too far removed from his roots!

As a kitten his lordship let it be known that he was going to rule the roost - which he did for all of his 14 years. Even as a tiny kitten he wanted out and to roam. Cruising the outside like the 'bruiser' he pretended to be.

No sitting on laps or pretending to love his humans. His sister who is a year older than he was kept her distance and they appeared to live happily side by side for 14 years.

They definitely had the life. When we moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg and had to drive with a car full of possessions to tide us over until our furniture arrived for our new life in the big city, they flew. He knew he had one up on us, you could just tell by the crooked smile on his cute face.

Our interim stay was in Bedfordview and he thought this was heaven with the fabulous insects that there were to catch particularly since Parktown Prawns were not particularly liked by his humans!

We rented for a few years in Linden in a huge house with a fabulous garden - although he did seem to prefer the neighbours roof. By the time we moved to a complex more west of Linden, he had mellowed a bit but was still determined to strutt his stuff when he wasn't sleeping either under the neighbours garden hut in the cool and dark or on our bed.

He tolerated the puppy when she came and even deigned from time to time to pretend for play with her!

Then we moved to the big house! No more complex living for our cats! Soggies loved the new house with its fabulous garden and all the places he could soak up the sun. At the age of 14 now he wasn't really one to wander and preferred to sleep on our bed.

But, it didn't mean he had stopped wandering so we are not really sure what prompted to go through the house behind us and onto the road but that is where a car rode him down.

Rest in peace Soggies, we miss you. Although.... your sister doesn't seem to miss you! Go figure.

The Wedding Expo™ keeps getting better

2011-05-17T06:28:00.000-07:00

Wedding Gown by Kristen Masters of Garnish

The weekend of the 9th and 10th of April marked The Wedding Expo's 17th exhibition and 10th year anniversary, cementing its status as SA's leading bridal show with a record number of visitors through the door.

I was there on the Sunday morning and it was as beautiful as ever, the stands were well put together which meant that they drew attention from the crowds. Trying to get close to the fashion ramp to see the fashion show which had already started was difficult as so many expectant brides were there to find the gown of their dreams.

Having worked with the show in previous years, I can vouch for how much work goes on behind the scenes to ensure that the standard of the show keeps improving.

Keep it up The Wedding Expo team it's a beautiful show! .... and I am not even a bride to be.

Trusted Bridal Show Set to Impress Once More

2010-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

You're dreaming of a white wedding but you just don't know where to start? The SA bride's most trusted bridal expo, The Wedding Expo is the only place to start!

With a budget most would say....but those in the know confirm that the only place to get the best information and the best advice to plan your wedding is at South Africa's most trusted bridal show, The Wedding Expo.

The dates to diarise are 4 and 5 September at the Coca-Cola dome in Northgate, Johannesburg were the best in the bridal industry will gatehr to showcase their products and services to the eager bride-to-be as she searches for her favourite wedding gown, the perfect cake and the best photographer.

So, if you are looking for anything from your wedding ring, to a beautiful personally designed wedding gown, to a romantic honeymoon and fantastic photographer and more, you simply cannot miss out on a day at The Wedding Expo which is certain to help you make all those difficult decisions.

Make sure to plan your time around the 4 fashion shows, look out for the incredible win a R200 000 wedding competition (you'll find the details in the Star, Pretoria News and sunday Independent the week before the show), keep an eye on http://www.wedding-expo.co.za/ to see what competitions the individual exhibitors will be running and don't forget about the bridal workshops but you'll have to book as space for the workshops is limited.

So for the best advice, beautiful stands, spectacular fashion shows, interactive bridal workshops, awesome competitions and sooooo much more the only place to be is at The Wedding Expo!

Date: 4 and 5 September 2010

Venue: Coca-Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg

Cost: R80.00

Hours: 09:00 to 17:00

Fashion shows:

11:00 local designer couture

12:00 imported and retail gowns

14:00 local designer couture

15:00 imported and retail gowns

Bridal Workshops:

Cost: R375 per person book in advance

Includes: entrance to the show, workshop, goodie bag, catering, VIP seats to the fashion spectacular and spot prizes! Email janet@wedding-expo.co.za for information and bookings.

The Women’s Show Johannesburg

2010-08-05T03:50:00.000-07:00

Date: 27 - 29 August

Venue: Coca-Cola dome, Northgate

Admission: R50.00

The 2010 Women's Show promises to be a world class event in a world class year!

Discover an array of products and experiences over 140 live performances, informative talks as well as interactive show zones, all dedicated to what women want.

Once again, the Women's Show will be hosted alongside the Natural and Organic Products Show. This means two shows for the price on one! R50.00!

The How To Stage will bring you 3 days filled with great infomration, innovative solutions and inspirational ideas interspersed with live performances, fashion shows and more.

It's time to take care. The Bonitas Health Stage will focus on nurturing a healthy balanced lifestyle to keep you and your family protected.

Natural & Organic Products Exhibition Johannesburg

2010-08-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

Date: 27 to 29 August

Venue: Coca-Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg

Admission: R50.00

Now in it's 7th year, the Natural and Organic Products Show is the largest conscious consumer event hosted in South Africa. This event showcases a broad spectrum of new natural, chemicall free and environmentally friendly products and services.

Join fellow environmentally concious consumers, business owners and industry experts as they come togehter to learn about, discuss and get involved in one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. See why a sustainable lifestyle is good for you, good for business and good for tomorrow.

Thinking of renovating soon? Do not miss this opportunity to make the right choices for your home, family and the environment at The Green Home Exhibition an extension of the Natural and Organic Products Show, offering simple solutinos that save energy and money.

Once again, the Natural and Organic Products Show will be hosted alongside the Women's Show. The combined How To Stage will showcase live events, including movement, theatre, fashion, cooking and health talks.

Go Natural and Organic or go home!

Beautiful gowns on the fashion ramp at The Wedding Expo

2010-04-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Expo Endorses the SA School of Weddings

2010-03-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Expo will cement its endorsement of the SA School of Weddings by speaking to students about the importance of marketing their business.

Amanda Cunningham, owner and exhibition director of The Wedding Expo says that they have a long history of supporting the bridal industry and supporting SA School of Weddings is another example of that.

"The bridal industry is largely made up of small entreprneurial business, it is therefore imperative to understand that going into the bridal industry may very well mean starting your own business. The knowledge to market your own business is therefore an important part of making it a success," says Cunningham.

Khali Collins owner of SA School of Weddings is passionate about both the bridal industry and educating those who have a desire to enter the industry. Collin's has a background in the re-development of a Conference, Events and Exhibition Management Course at a large educational institution and is owner of her own wedding planning and decor company.

"It is vital for students who want to get into the exciting industry of weddings to get the practical knowledge of what is involved in the planning and implementation of a wedding" says Collins.

The SA School of Weddings currently offers a Certificate in Advanced Wedding Planning which includes the basics of flower arranging, draping , stationery and cake decorating. After the course students can choose to do a more advanced course and will then be able to choose from different areas of the industry.

All specialist areas of the course are facilitated by experts in their field and a module to be added in the near future is a short course in wedding photography and a bridal hair and makeup all facilitated and developed by professionals in the wedding industry.

In addition, the student who comes out top of the class will work with The Wedding Expo and Independent Newspapers win a wedding competition winner to plan their wedding. Khali will work with the student through the process and the student will gain valuable experience working with their very first bride.

The course is four months and runs concurrently in Pretoria and Johannesburg; with the first course fully booked, SA School of Weddings is off to a good start.

You can find SA School of Weddings at The Wedding Expo at the Coca-Cola dome, Northgate in Johannesburg on 10 and 11 April 2010.

For more information on the SA School of Weddings, visit http://www.saschoolofweddings.co.za/ and for more information on The Wedding Expo visit http://www.wedding-expo.co.za/ or call 086 111 3997.

Great Green Cow in Ermelo

2009-12-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

We have almost finished our December holiday for 2009; a week in St Lucia and a weekend in Durban to see friends. We drove from JNB to St Lucia through Mpumalanga to the border of Swaziland and then down into Kwa Zulu Natal. On the way, we obviously had to stop for toilet breaks and food.

Breakfast for us was in Ermelo at a fabulous coffee shop called the Groen Koei. Yes, that's the Groen Koei above and as my eight year old says.... 'that thing freaks me out!'

But the coffee was fabulous and the toasted sandwich breakfasts were the best we have had in a long time and we could be prompted to visit the Groen Koei Coffee Shop for breakfast more often; if only it weren't in Ermelo!

New client: Firehouse destination store in Dunkeld West

2009-11-14T01:35:00.001-08:00

A Special Holiday

2009-10-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Friday 16 October was the day we packed up the car - took a whole bunch of stuff to put in a friends trailer and set off for a long weekend!

With us on this holiday (the friends I mentioned) were close friends who we had never been away with before although we have been in and out of each other's homes for over eight years and shared ups and downs and the challenges of child rearing!

We were going to Qwantani on the Sterkfontein Dam in the Sterkfontein Nature Reserve so we headed for Harrismith, the nearest town before taking right towards the resort. The drive was fairly uneventful and the roads were pretty easy, even the 5km of dirt road and the tarred but potholed approach to the resort.

What a scenery, the picturesque mountains seemed to have been painted with colours from different coloured paints in certain places and when we caught sight of the dam it was magnificent. You can't imagine such an enormous body of water in the middle of what seems like nowhere - but there it was.

Once there and checked in, we made our way to our bungalow at the very top of the resort overlooking all the other bungalows and the dam and mountains as far as the eye could see. We had hardly unpacked than the kids were off on their bicycles and the urban paranoid parents tried hard to relax with the kids out of sight!!

The bungalows are three bedroom units with a kitchen open plan onto the lounge which opens onto a veranda which has a braai and a table and chairs for eating at - fabulous for hot summer suppers!

During the weekend, I was reminded all the time of a previous holiday at the same place. Eight and a half years before we had met up with a bunch of really good friends, all with no kids although I was heavily pregnant at the time! We had always remembered Qwantani as a great resort with lots to do if you wanted to or a great place to simply relax and watch the scenery and our memories were definitely not disappointing.

Over the weekend, we played tennis, went on a hike around the closest mountain, read magazines, talked and laughed and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The weather reports had threatened rain and cold weather but thankfully apart from a fabulous storm on the Saturday, we had warm clear weather!

All to soon, it was Monday morning and we had to pack the trailer and attach it to the back of our fabulous Peugeot and make our way back home. With a full car of children the journey home was interesting and towards the end a bit fraut but nothing could take away the warm glow a fabulously successful weekend with close friends brings!

Sneak preview at MIC

2009-10-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

As you know, I sometimes get the opportunity to experience fabulous things and recently, I was invited to a sneak preview at MIC. Now if you don't know, they distribute Maxwell & Williams among other brands and it was fabulous to be hosted in their showroom amongst all the beautiful dinnerware and kitchenware items.

Have a look at some of the things I loved the most.

Elegant dining on the Blue Train

2009-10-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

On confirmation of your trip, you are advised of the dress code on the train – elegant evening wear for dinner. The suite was still set for the day leaving plenty of room for getting ready. The hot shower taking the last of the chills from Kimberley away!

Dinner was delicious – so much so that we didn’t swop and share this meal! We started off with a prawn and avocado salad, followed by the Blue Train specialty - Butternut Soup. Then it was time to decide and I opted for the Grilled West Coast Sole on a bed of coriander basmati rice served with a white wine and batter reduction! Delicious!

By the time we finally got back to our suite at the end of the night, the magic fairy (our butler Israel) had made our beds; tired from our early morning arrival at the station and the excitement of all that was new, we eagerly dived into our soft duvets and fell into a contented sleep rocked gently by the movement of the train.

Breakfast was no surprise! The food was once again fantastic – a selection of fruits, yoghurt smoothie, muesli, scrambled eggs wrapped in smoked salmon, champagne sausages, hot field mushrooms on toast, Chef’s choice omelettes to order, selection of baked goods and more! Oh, and of course, coffee and juice.

The journey through the winelands is picturesque but at the same time you get the chance to see the people going about their daily lives. We were by now approaching Worcester and snow-capped mountains with very dark clouds above them. It was a fantastic sight to see.

By the time we reached Welling ton the scenery had become a mixture of urban and rural winelands! Of course, as we neared Cape Town, we were back to industrial areas and more frequent stations. But on board the train, we were enjoying the great service which continued to ply us with coffee and drinks!

All too soon, it was over and we had to bid farewell to Israel thanking him for helping to ensure that our time on the Blue Train was the elegant and romantic world class journey that everyone talks about.

High Time on the Blue Train!

2009-10-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

We had by now gained our ‘train legs’ and moved quickly towards the observation car at the back of the train which has large windows allowing you to sit in comfort enjoying the scenery – we had by this time passed the industrial areas and were out in the ‘wilderness’.

As we relaxed enjoying each other’s company – the other people in the observation car involved in their own quiet conversations and backgammon. The quiet privacy on the train (even in the company of people) is great; there is nothing to distract you and so conversation, connecting and simply being together is the order of the day. Perfect for a couple on honeymoon!

And then it was time for high tea! Tea, coffee or a drink with a spread of cakes, pastries and sandwiches in the lounge car - we had the most divine chocolate cake both agreeing that it was the nicest cake we had ever eaten, light moist chocolate with fantastic icing.

The train stops in Kimberly where everyone is transferred in busses to the Kimberly mine to see the big hole. The tour was fairly short but was packed with information. I had never been to Kimberly so I found the trip interesting and educational. Back at the station, we were hosted to a glass of sherry and were able to bring back the Blue Train branded sherry glasses as a memento!

Because you return from the tour about half an hour before the first dinner sitting you would need to rush; opting for the second sitting, you have time to have a drink and warm up from having been out in the cold!

Romancing the Blue Train

2009-10-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have been lucky enough to have travelled on the Blue Train for business twice before. But I was excited about the wonderful opportunity I got recently through the magazine to travel with my husband.

So here is the story...... (keep an eye out as it will definitely take a couple of blog posts to get the story down!)

The train departs from Pretoria at 09:00 and you need to check in between 07:30 and 08:30. We arrived well in time and once we had received our boarding pass we relaxed in the lounge with coffee and a fabulous breakfast buffet spread of small rolls with salmon, little quiches and more!

After a briefing on the rules of the train such as don’t open the doors whilst the train is moving, we were escorted across the station to board the train where we were introduced to our butler, Israel. He was to be on board to assist us with anything we would need during our journey.

We found that we didn’t need to call on him for anything special but we constantly felt his presence in our suite throughout the trip. Like a magic fairy every time we returned to our suite, it had been put back together – cushions plumped and properly placed on the chairs, the toilet paper end was back in a triangle, papers and magazines were tidied up and new bottles of water were in place for us to enjoy.

Our compartment, a twin with shower, was set for the day with three easy chairs and a table. We were able to sit comfortably watching the world go past. Because the train doesn’t exceed 80km per hour, the world doesn’t whizz past you and you get to experience South Africa in an entirely different way.

Being an adventurous couple, we didn’t at first spend much time in our suite preferring to explore the train and find out where everything was.

Having seen a fair number of people in the lounge before boarding the train, it was surprising to feel as though we were the only couple on the train. We sometimes saw people in the lounge or observation car but by and large, we felt as though we were private and on our own enjoying the great South African scenery and the fabulous personal service.

Apart from relaxation and great scenery, much of the trip is about food and drink and so the time for our brunch sitting soon arrived. Having changed out of our travelling clothes and into something more comfortable yet smart as was required, we made our way to the dining car where Fanie the food and beverage manager showed us to our table and introduced us to our waiter, Leon who was to serve us superbly during our meals on board the train.

From the four course brunch menu we chose Smoked Salmon Savoury Waffles and Classic Blue Train Eggs Benedict for starters, Tournedos of Beef and Chicken Liver Parfait and Cape Malay Line Fish for the main course; we skipped the Blueberry pancakes and Duet of Blue Train Desserts opting instead for the cheese corner! We took the opportunity to share and experience each meal which we both agreed was out of this world.

Another Consumer Show

2009-06-26T12:00:00.001-07:00

The other day I found a ticket to the Woman's Show in Femina magazine! Now on a professional basis, I will be at the Women's Show on Saturday and Sunday morning manning our Wedding Inspirations magazine stand (we're there to sell our Autumn/Winter issue at a discount and to promote the Wedding Expo in September) but as I was not needed today, I decided that I would use my ticket and go in the front door.

My ticket allowed me to go straight through but I had to fill in a form before finally getting my visitor bags (one for Women's Show and one for Organics Show) I turned right and started to explore the show which is actually quite interesting.

I loved the African Extracts Rooibos stand where I got a couple of samples - facial wash is great. Dr Eve was also there with a fabulous looking stand with all sorts of interesting 'goodies' on it. While I was at the show, she was presenting on the stage to a full audience which I thought for a Friday was great.

I lingered at the Simply Gorgeous lingerie stand - there were fabulous bra and knicker sets and all the great funky colours that I love! If you go through the Women's Show, take a turn past the Decorex stand - I got a discount voucher for Decorex which comes up in August.

The Organics Show side was really busy and had a lot of interesting stands from organic food organic beauty products. I took quite a bit longer on this side and am now going to have a look at ecomonkey recycling.

So I am looking forward to manning the Wedding Inspirations stand tomorrow and Sunday morning and will definitely find an opportunity or two to wander past the stands again. Wish me happy selling.......

Attention Economy

2009-06-16T00:17:00.001-07:00

It seems so long ago now but last week I attended a conference on Social Media Marketing (Creative Events) which was enlightening and cemented everything that I knew already and gave me new ideas and tips on implementing a strategy both for myself and for clients.

One of the things that came up was the fact that we are living in an 'attention economy' where everything is fighting for our attention all of the time. We are having to divide ourselves up and as a result we are not focusing on any one thing for very long.

Do I still have you?

This of course means that any message you send out whether it is by blog, micro blog (Twitter) or even traditional media needs to make the loudest and most profound noise in order to catch anyone's attention.

A while ago I was driving up the M1 towards the interchange where I could head towards the West Rand and home when I nearly drove up someone's backside. Why? You ask. What where they doing? You ask. Did they stop in the middle of the highway? You ask.

Answer? NO!

I was so busy being distracted by the posters in the middle of the road - there are so many of them it is as though you are reading book of short stories - that I didn't realise that the car in front of me had suddenly become a whole lot closer than before!

Crisis averted and I took the off ramp onto the on ramp for the next highway and relief - the only thing I had to worry about was the speed limit and the traffic back up at the Rivonia Road and William Nicol Road offramps!

But that is not all. Traditional media is only one of the mediums vying for our attention between the constant chatter on the radio, the beeps on my cell announcing yet another spam message you can't unsubscribe to, the unsolicited email that piles into my inbox, it is no surprise that sometimes my brain runs faster than my body!

So how do we remain ahead of the crowd to ensure we get our messages and our clients messages out there?

It's something I am still working on but in the meantime, we have to know what is going on not only in the world in general but in the marketing world, in the technology world and any other world that we have access to. We need to listen first and then forumalate a reply; and when we reply, we need to be at our most creative.

Fabulous Fragrances and Marvellous Makeup

2009-06-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I had one of those fabulous moments where I had been invited to the Jo Malone store in Hyde Park to visit their tasting bar and then onto Bobbi Brown for a make up lesson.

Jo Malone
If you don't yet know that Jo Malone has arrived in Gauteng with a store in Hyde Park, you really are missing out on a fabulous experience. Be warned as a premium brand, it is not something everyone can afford, but the products and a visit to the tasting bar is something special for mom-in-laws and moms, for bride's maids, sisters, etc. I think you get the idea.

OK ....... so we (my friend Kim and I) arrived at Jo Malone (opposite Woolworths) and were welcomed by the Jo Malone stylists and invited to the tasting bar. The bar is modeled on a coffee bar where you sit at a counter to experience the different fragrances. My special favourites are the citrus scents and I was not disappointed their new fragrance sweet lime and cedar is particularly fabulous!

Once you have gone through the fragrances, you create your own bespoke signature scent by combining two different fragrances. Spray on one cologne, let it dry, then spray a different fragrance over the top.

We were able to choose our favourites from the bath and body collection for our hand and arm massage which was fabulous and meant that the rest of the day we smelled gorgeous. My bespoke fragrances were a mixture of nutmeg and ginger with sweet lime and cedar - on the right hand and grapefruit with white jasmine and mint - on the left!

Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown is unfortunately NOT in every store in South Africa but her fabulous make up counter can be found at Edgars in Sandton! I was fortunate enough to have received an invitation for a make up lesson and had booked a time with the ladies at the counter. If you get the opportunity to to have this experience, grab it with both hands - it is great.

First things first of course, they take off the make up you have on and your face is then bare, naked, available for all to see!!!! A bit daunting as you are sitting in public at the counter but having said that, you are soon absorbed into the conversation and what is being done.

I learnt so much and as I love the simplicity and naturalness of the Bobbi Brown make up philosophy, I was all ears.

Foundation isn't always necessary all over your face and you shouldn't be using it under your eyes! Use a concealer and even a corrector if you have really dark circles under your eyes. Choosing the foundation suddenly made sense - we checked different colours on my face, not the hand and made sure that it was the same colour as my skin once it was blended in. It was also easy to blend in.

Once the foundation was on (Beige number 3) we skipped the powder step (didn't want powder as it drys my skin too much) and moved right onto the lips and chose 3 colours which most matched my lip colour. Once we had the best colour, we looked at the lip colour chart and chose a colour which would suit me. Awesome!

So now the lips were done and it seemed soooo funny as I usually do the lips last! Now my eyebrows are really light blonde and I suppose I really should dye them BUT no more! You simply use the correct colour eyeshadow. Then moving onto apply the eye shadow - light colour all over the lid first and then the darker colour on the lower part of the eyelid below the crease. This wasn't really new to me but what really impressed me was the difference eyeliner on my top lid makes to my eyes even behind my glasses! Wow what a difference.

Mascara only on the top lash so that you don't get smudges underneath your eyes really making you look as though you have been punched. We did add a soft very thin line of eyeliner to my bottom lid as my eyelashes just dissappear if there is nothing on them!

At the end of your make over and lesson, the consultant does a 'map' of what was done on your face and you can't see it in the scan on the left, but it also lists all the products and the brushes that were used so you get a great template of what to do next time.

We left feeling gorgeous and definitely had the urge to be taken out on the town that night - oh well, off to school to pick up the kids!!!!! But it certainly was a fabulous morning with Jo Malone and Bobbi Brown.

On The Road Again!

2009-05-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Oh my heavens! I have been on the road so much this week I have been reminded just how selfish we all seem to be. I say we but of course I am referring to the collective we and am generalising and I am sure that you will not only understand but agree with me.

What is it with SO many people not waiting until the light actually changes from red to green before taking off and crossing the intersection instead of waiting and avoiding death, destruction and mayhem on the road.

My other half was arrested a while ago for driving too fast which we understand (although in this situation it was quesionable as to the validity of the trapping - you can read all about his experience http://www.jongericke.blogspot.com/). But as I dutifully stopped at a red traffic light so as to remain within the law, be courteous to fellow drivers, oh yes, and stay alive a car shot past me with no regard for oncoming traffic and the lives of those people driving them.

Thankfully all was fine as the drivers on the oncoming side where wide awake and were able to avoid any kind of accident - oh, I know what you're thinking..... it wasn't a taxi! Surprised? Well I am not. I have noticed that people are in such a hurry they are not taking care of their own lives, they don't have respect for fellow drivers on the road and they clearly have no respect for their loved ones who they would leave behind when they kill themselves - for they surely will.

Wow - that was a bit of a rant. But seriously..... seriously? Can everyone not just take a little more care.

South African jewellery par excellence!

2009-05-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last night (Thursday 21 May) I attended the launch of Veronica Anderson Jewellery's Sandton store. It's in the very elegant Michelangelo Towers Mall and shows off the jewellery to superb effect.

However, by the time arrived at the elegant destination, I was irritated with selfish drivers and huge cars. Why is it that people must drive huge cars! They take up space, generally destroy the environment and intimidate everyone around them - but that is for another blog.

I got caught in the awful grid lock which was Sandton yesterday evening and while I should have arrived early - I didn't.

Once there and armed with a whisky, I set out to explore the jewellery on display.

Veronica Anderson Jewellery is one of South Africa's leading jewellery galleries where you can see collections from South African jewellers and goldsmiths. Each one off piece is handmade and reflects the talent and creativity that is the South African talent.

I was in my capacity as features editor for The Wedding Inspirations magazine and there were just so many fabulous pieces that it is going to be very difficult to decide on what we are going to feature!

So, if you like South African, unique design it is well worth popping into the store and seeing the pieces in the flesh - so to speak.

A moment for me!

2009-05-12T02:37:00.001-07:00

So this morning (Tuesday) I had a meeting with Evolution Cosmetics set up to introduce them to the magazine I am features editor for (www.weddinginspirations.co.za) and was given the fabulous opportunity of experiencing my first peel!

So after Tanya (from Evolution Cosmetics) and I had chatted about the magazine and the product, I was spoilt. This Innovative Facial as it is called is apparently not like a traditional peel in that your skin doesn't flake and peel off. Well, I'll keep you posted tomorrow to let you know.

First there was the resurfacing masque which is clinically formulated with Glycolic Acid and a list of other acids and vitamins as well as green tea extracts and pumpkin seed extract. That tingled at first and then stung a bit on the really sensitive bits down the middle of my face.

As it was my first peel, the product only stayed on for 3 minutes and then there was a bit of relief with the rejuvenating masque which is hydrating and invludes Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Vera, Japanese Green Tea extracts amongst some of the ingredients.

Then there was a cleanse and because of my sensitive skin, Tanya put on a healing serum with Vitaman C which instantly soothed the tingling stinging sensation on the skin from the peel.

Looking a bit red in the face, I waved goodbye promising to feedback what happened and how it all went!

I am happy to say that whilst still a bit red, there is no stinging or any other sensation except a smooth skin. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

One of the perks of working on a magazine is that you get to have these experiences and gain an understanding of products and about you that you may not have the privilege to otherwise.

Now back to PR and my social media learning curve!

The Wedding Expo

2009-05-10T04:06:00.000-07:00

One of my clients it The Wedding Expo (the largest bridal show in SA) and on 4 and 5 April, I was working at the show. Here's a review.

Awesome gowns! Beautiful cakes! Elegant tables! Crisp invitations and So Much More at The Wedding Expo

Brides-to-be and their families and friends came through the high quality professional The Wedding Expo bridal show in their droves.

The Coca-Cola dome in Northgate once again played host to the fabulous The Wedding Expo which as usual showcased an exceptionally high standard in products and services from the exhibitors.

The Wedding Expo is the largest bridal exhibition in South Africa showcasing over 250 crème de la crème bridal suppliers in one place and the visitor numbers reflect just how this bridal show is the SA bride’s favourite bridal industry resource.

A major draw card is always the beautiful Fashion Spectacular and this show was no exception with more seating than previous shows and a brand new flat run way in the style of international fashion shows.

“The fashion shows are an important part of The Wedding Expo showcasing one of the most important things a bride-to-be looks for. It is what brings her princess dream to life and seeing them in real life on the runway helps her to choose her gown,” says Amanda Cunningham, owner and managing director of The Wedding Expo.

The Fashion Spectacular drew attention to the difference between a personally designed South African couture gown from guy Granger, Sophie Malone or Garnish, and a ready-to-wear gown from for example Bride and Co, Olivelli, Amaya Wedding Emporium and Creative B Designs.

This show also saw a fantastic number of prizes given away by the exhibitors from a R10 000 wedding gown from Perfect Bridal Gown to an ante nuptial contract from Bregman’s Attorneys.

So from invitations, rings, limousines, bachelorette parties, venues, cakes, flowers, to wedding gowns, grooms wear, photographers, make up and honeymoons you could find everything you need to plan the most amazing wedding day to realise all you dreams!

Newly launched at this April The Wedding were bridal workshops which was a roaring success. Providing brides to be and even a few grooms insight into room décor, make up, wedding gowns, legal contracts and even finance – in between which they got the opportunity to sample cake!

“We are always looking to add new and innovative value to the The Wedding Expo and our valued clients, the exhibitors and this has worked perfectly for both. We will definitely continue to hold these workshops and will look to expanding and enhancing them over time,” says Amanda Cunningham.

“Brides-to-be are looking for as much information as they can get about planning their weddings and we are happy to help them. They cannot miss out on our workshops and we look forward to meeting many brides-to-be at the September show.”

For tips, ideas, photographs and more from The Wedding Expo, go to www.wedding-expo.co.za or to the Wedding Inspirations magazine online at www.weddinginspirations.co.za.

So much of everything

2009-05-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

There is just sooo much of everything today.

This morning a friend took me to an unbelievable factory fabric shop and the choice was overwhelming. I was relieved that she was the one looking because at every turn there was something else that I really liked or could see in my house.

Then I go online this evening for the first time in about 24 hours and oh my goodness... so much had been happening. So much of everything!

The swine flu outbreak is growing and we see pigs being disposed of on CNN by men in white haz mat suits. They are already talking about survivor's stories. There is even a line of posts on Twitter where everyone is talking about the H1N1 virus aka Swine Flu.

And then there is Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace and there are so many others that we haven't even looked at yet. So much of everything!

But I have had a great evening sitting on the couch watching TV, relaxing and reading posts, questions, emails and stuff while the house is quietly sleeping. With the dog in her bed next to me and a cat snoring not so quietly on the couch next to me. I can hear my husband snoring from the bedroom - he has to be at work at 4 am tomorrow (Sunday).

There is so much of interest to read from everyone that I am currently linked to that I am having to skim a lot of stuff. So much of everything!

I have logged out of everything now but my eye keeps catching incoming mail alerts from the bottom right hand corner of my screen. Really must figure out how to stop that!

So much of everything!

I've got that blogging feeling

2009-04-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have been reading other peoples blogs for a long time and know what blogging is all about but have been nervous to join as I am concerned that I won't always have something to say. Which is silly really. I am a communications professional and should be amongst those who know and understand all media well.

The long and the short of it is that I don't really and find it all quite a steep learning curve. From FaceBook to LinkedIn to Twitter and beyond there is so much to know and so much to be wary of that any company or person can only be nervous of entering the frey.

Well, I am on FaceBook and I Twitter or Tweet or whatever it is that we do. I must admit that I am enjoying the microblogging experience that is Twitter and have been put in touch with fabulous articles around the subject of social media and networking from a business perspective.

One of my clients.... can I mention the name.... see, not quite sure about the exact rules here. Anyway, The Wedding Expo is the largest bridal exhibition in South Africa and as the target audience is the consumer, social media is all very important to reach the bride to be. But of course, this all takes such a long time to get up and running - we have a group on FaceBook and there are only a few members and no-one is yet contributing but me.

Does that mean that the content is soooo boring as to put readers / members of the group to sleep?
Or does it mean that they are simply not really following the group now that they have joined?

I have another client (whose name I won't mention) but they are a multi-national IT vendor and social networking is not really going to cut it. Or will it?

And of course, like the cobblers children who never have any shoes.... my website hasn't been updated for... well I won't admit to the length of time but some effort really needs to be placed there.