Tea houses – we love them too

Finding a good tea-house is not easy these days. So when I stumbled upon dear Contessas, in Rivonia, I was pleasantly surprised. Eclectic to the max with original tea blends - Who could ask for more? There are so many teas on the menu, a concerted effort is going to have to be made in order to soldier my way through them all.

The food is pretty delicious too, and the cakes are out of this world – not exactly what a bride-to-be should be dreaming of but they are really yummo. So if you are looking for somewhere new to try, test this one out – you won’t be disappointed. (See we also cater for tea lovers on cup-of-chino).

Every time I pop in I try a new tea and so far they have all been winners. See what they have to offer http://www.contessateashop.co.za.

Grand Designs 2013 {Chino adventure}

The world of chino has been busy, busy, busy – in a good way. Last weekend chino in-hand I made my way to the Grand Design 2013 show. Iranian cherub was showing off her food demonstration skills and so we decided to head to the West Rand for the morning. Grand Designs always does a pretty awesome job with their set-up and they didn’t disappoint.

There is so much to see, it can be a bit overwhelming. Half way through we had to find a coffee stall in order to nurse our addiction. It gave us the energy to peruse through the rest of the show.  So many amazing stalls, unfortunately for us – we only have an apartment, not a warehouse – so all our purchases were virtual. But one day Grand Designs, one day I will have space for all your wonderful inventions.

Until then I guess the photos will have to suffice.

 

To see what Grand Designs had to offer, check out their link http://www.granddesignslive.co.za.

Interweb and Creative Inspirasie

I was perusing the interweb this morning and stumbled across a little creative inspirasie. Wow, people are so talented. I love painting/designing etc but battle to find the time to put paint to canvas these days. It is no excuse, which I remind myself on a constant basis but it is the unfortunate reality at the moment. So I guess I will have to just have to enjoy other peoples art in the interim. 

I was really taken with these interpretive female portraits – the integrated medium vibe is right up street and wouldn’t mind these gracing me with their presence on one of my walls at home.  

What you think? Please share any creative sources that you have, we all love a bit of creative inspirasie.

Images: http://designspiration.net/

Where’s the Chino?

I have been so incredibly neglectful of the chino. Abundant apologies. I got a stern talking to from the Iranian cherub and realised I really had let things slip. The last two weeks have been incredibly action packed, in good ways and in bad. But let’s focus on the good.

The era of babies, engagements and new adventures has begun. I became an aunt for the first time and the entire family has become slightly baba obsessed. She is the most precious little thing in the whole world, not to mention the cutest – so you can understand why we are all so in love. That’s the baby part covered.

Engagements – we have a few friends who have recently taken the leap and we are so excited for them. Last Sunday, I helped one couple with an engagement photoshoot. We took some amazing photos for their Save the Dates and website.  It is cheesy to do these things but weddings are all about cheese. The photographs are beautiful and I think it’s important to capture the important moments in life. Watch this space for the Save the Date idea… Will give you a sneak peak when I can.

The venue where we took the pics was absolute stunning. The view of Jozi is insane. You can see everything from the mines in Soweto – JHB CBD – Sandton and Rosebank centres. Pretty awesome panoramic of smog city, especially at sunset.

2013 is going to be a BIG year, with our own wedding to plan as well as a few other tricks up our sleeves. I’ll let you in on the secrets as we go along. This was just a quick hello to let you know that I am in fact still alive. I promise there will be more activity on the cup-of chino, stay tuned.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Vino's and Chino's {another Chino adventure}

Vino's and Chino's {another Chino adventure}

I realise I have been quite neglectful this week of the poor cup-of-chino but big things are on the horizon and I (regretfully) let chino slip. But here is a dose of chino for the weekend.

Last weekend we headed to Parys for a wedding – what a fantastic little town. I have never ventured to that part of the world before. It is such a quaint little place and is cup-of-chino heaven. Along the main road, there is a coffee shop every few metres, one could seriously over dose on caffeine if you had to pop into every one.

On good advise from our fellow road trippers, we had a lunch at a wonderful eclectic place called Hoi Polloi. The food was delicious and the company was wonderful. Although there is quite a treacherous exit due to the angle of the staircase – proves a little more difficult after a vino or two. Anyway,we made it out alive and all the better for it.

The shops along the main strip stock everything from mosaic frames to Granny’s rusks. You could spend hours sifting through the homemade goodies. If you are looking for a weekend getaway close to Jozi (only an hour and half away) Parys should definitely be on your list.

To find out what this little gem has to offer checkout this link: www.parys.co.za/

Creative community inspiration - Arts on Main

Creative community inspiration - Arts on Main

When the weather is good, we always try and find a spot to enjoy the sunshine.  For ages, I have wanted to take a trip into town to experience Arts on Main. So last Sunday that is exactly what we did.  Wow, what a vibe. When you reach the entrance you cannot imagine the buzz of activity. The food stalls are amazing and thereare so many choices, ranging from artizinal beers, bunny chow, prego rolls, Argentinian cuisine to roosterkoek and souvlaki.  Anything goes and the crowd is incredibly festive. We even got to watch some salsa dancing, which was unexpected and we suddenly felt the urge to take dancing classes.

Organic chocolate store.

The original Roosterkoek Queen.

The ‘I was shot in Joburg’ sign caught my eye. They have a shop at Arts on Main and the idea really struck a chord. ‘I was shot in Joburg’is a community project – using photography and creativity. They provide street children with photography training. These children then apply their creative skills and generate an income.  Royalties earned by the photographers are managed by the NGO, who supply the children with financial advise from an outsourced registered financial adviser. http://www.iwasshotinjoburg.co.za. How fantastic that these kids get a chance to express themselves through photography. It just shows no matter what your skills are you can use them to uplift your community.

View from the top.

After a few mini Prego rolls, a couple of beers and much relaxation we decided to head home. What a wonderful afternoon, we will definitely make that trip again. It is so refreshing finding these creative hubs in Jozi and can’t wait to discover a few more.

To find out more here's their website marketonmain.co.za/.

Persian delights – time to get tasting

Persian delights – time to get tasting

Nothing better than starting a Saturday morning with asurprise parcel. Even if the parcel is not for you, there is still an elementof excitement. Last Saturday, Iranian cherub received a big box from Cape Town,compliments of her parentals. The treats that emerged are amazing, especiallysince I have never tried/seen any of them before. This was no ordinary treatbox but a strictly Iranian treat box. Delicious nougat (gaz), chic-pea flour, cardamon and pistachio biccies, fruit nibbles (labashak) and chocolate covered dates.

Delish gaz - with awesome package design.

Not only were there treats in the box but Persian spices too. Tonight we are being treated – the Iranian cherub is cooking a Lamb Stew with Persian gold and all the new spices. Persian gold = dried limes. Apparentlythese limes are the business and I cannot wait for this meal.

Contents of the Persian parcel.

Our humble home is going Persian and we are loving it.