Frankie Spaces Volume 2

We were recently surprised by an awesome present in the post, all the way from Frankie magazine!

As long time fans of this gorgeous craft bible, we were soon oohing and aahing over their latest issue of Spaces in amongst the shredded packaging (think birthday girl at the gift table).

257 pages of beautiful spaces by super creative people - these aren't the super styled interiors you'll see in an edition of Vogue Living though. They're actual, real homes, carefully crafted with love and over time, and reflect decor as unique as the people that live there.

Each detail tells a story, which makes this all so much more special. Not only do I want to pack my bags and move in - I actually want to be besties with the owners, hang their art in my lounge, and talk about foreign cinema over hazelnut lattes on a Saturday morning. (Truly - they don't know it yet, but they're all my spirit animal and we're meant to be bff's. Every single one of them. I'm not crazy.)

They sent us some beautiful professional photographs of the issue and of some of the content that does it quite a bit of justice. Grab a cup of something and just sink into their prettiness. AND, while you're at it, there are two totally swoonworthy videos about featured homes, here and here. Watch them, really. You won't regret it.

Then once you're done mentally revamping and refurnishing your entire house, order yourself a copy - it's gigantic, beautifully printed, and basically belongs on your coffee table: http://www.frankiepress.com.au/shop/frankie/spaces-volume-two

*sigh* So many feelings.

All That Glitters

What better way to keep track of something than by pinning it front and centre with a fabulous glittery thumbtack? These beauties are also available in pink. You can get yours from Peg & Pencil here.

We featured these in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of our favourite sparkly things. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

#WDC2014 Desktop Wallpapers! - part 2

We loved last months WDC2014 inspired downloadable wallpaper so much, that we're doing it again!

This month we have the lovely Lilian Fairall treating us to not one, but TWO gorgeous hand illustrated wallpapers:

1. Download HERE

2. Download HERE

Gorgeous or what? It's so hard to choose a favourite!

Send us a photo of how you're rocking your wallpaper this month - remember to tag it #hpwdc14, and visit the Lilian Fairall Hello Pretty store to check out more work by this talented lady: http://hellopretty.co.za/lilian-fairall

Pretty Personal with Rhett Baker

Living in sunny SA, we all know the importance of a good pair of shades (even in winter!). So you can imagine what a design crush we have on Kraft Eyewear - handmade with reclaimed wood and a lot of love. The crafty Rhett Baker is the man behind Kraft, so we had a few questions for him.

Pretty Personal with Rhett Baker

Products shown:

The Point wayfarer style wooden sunglasses

"The Hill" - wooden sunglasses

Kraft wooden Sunglasses ''the Benjamin"

The Florida - wooden sunglasses

"The Pines" - wooden Sunglasses

Hello Rhett! Tell us a little about yourself.
Kraft is me and my wife Kerry. I have a background in graphic design and finishing carpentry. At the beginning of 2013 I was in a job in sales, least suited to me, driving round endlessly looking for clientele which were driving me insane. I had been in the building/carpentry trade for the last 8 years, and was yearning to do something with my hands again. One day I went for a hair cut at Durban's finest barber (Ed. note: Hi Nev!) where the coffee shop owner from next door came in. I noticed he was wearing a pair of glasses made from bamboo, and that really got me thinking - I could make those out of wood! I immediately went home to Google if anyone had thought of that. To my surprise wooden sunglasses had been a trend in the US and Europe for quite a few years. I set out to make my first pair, and the rest is history.
That's a great set of coincidences - Kraft got started because you were getting a haircut in the right place at the right time! Why the name "Kraft"?
The name Kraft speaks for itself. Each pair of sunglasses we put out has been individually handmade with care, using old techniques inspired by the craftsmen of the past. We aren't reinventing the wheel, just trying to put out a truly handcrafted product.
What inspires your designs?
We are inspired by our surroundings, all the thought and love that goes into the creation around us, as well as the amazing bespoke manmade creations we find. Anything bespoke and natural.
We're living in a great time for design. Can you tell us a little more about your amazing sunnies?
Our products are made from quality natural products. Wood is salvaged from unused offcuts from local furniture manufactures and repurposed, rather than buying new products. Recycling in this way reduces the wastage of our earth's resources.
Every part of the making process is done by hand using small hand-oriented machinery as opposed to the large scale CNC milling or laser cutting done by most companies.
Every pair is hand cut on a scroll saw, something that takes a lot of patience and coordination, but makes the outcome is a truly hand crafted product. The cutting process also ensures that each piece is unique and easily customisable.
We use the highest quality hinges available as well as quality polarized lenses - all come standard with your pair of Krafts.
And is there a story behind the style names?
As a Durbanite, born and bred, I really love this underrated city. There is so much talent coming out of this place. All our models are named after old street names and landmarks, as a homage to this wonderful and colourful city . With my product I hope to lend to the pool of talent coming out of this awesome place.

His future's so bright, he has to wear shades - a pair of Krafts, naturally. You can get your very own pair here, and stay in touch with Kraft's news on Facebook.

Paint it Black

Black Heart Ring by Kosbaar on Hello Pretty

When in doubt, you can't go wrong with black. But there's no reason to limit yourself to an LBD - indulge your dark side with gorgeous black accessories and homeware as well. This dainty maple plywood and fabric ring is from Kosbaar - get your here!

We featured this ring in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of black and charcoal items - perfect for winter. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Take a photo with Hello Pretty

We all dabble in some photography here at HQ, but nothing makes us feel quite so fancy as the complimentary gadgets - if you have a photographer in your life, we have all of your gifts sorted. You're welcome!

Happy shopping!

Save the Date

Personalised Statement Ring by Thula on Hello Pretty

This week, we all fell head over heels with this gorgeous handmade, hand engraved, personalised statement ring. This swoonworthy piece would make the perfect gift for any special occasion. Get it engraved with a meaningful date, and you and your sweetie's initials - perfect! You can order yours from Thula here.

We featured this ring in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of wedding-inspired items. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Vote Hello Pretty in the South African eCommerce Awards 2014!

You know how much we love South African design. That's why we've spent the last year couple of years working our little heinies off to bring you and gorgeous locally made things together.

So, we'd like to ask you a small favour. We've been entered into the 2014 eCommerce awards, which is pretty darn awesome and makes us feel like a big deal.

If you like what we do, and want to stand the chance of winning an iPad, we'd love it if you'd take a second to vote for us. All you need to do is fill in this form:

* indicates required field

Win with Hello Pretty and Bvbblegvm! (Closed)

We have to confess something: We're not designers ourselves. We prefer to spend our times swooning over the gorgeous things other people make. That's why we get a little giddy when we see things like these delicious strawberries and cream inspired ribbons from Bvbblegvm.

They're a set of vector ribbons - that means that you get a file usable in any number of design programs with lots of different banners, ribbons, and little extras for you to use any way you like. So, even if you're more finger painting than fine art, you can create beautiful things using these. And, designers, you'll know exactly what to do. So, do you want 'em? Course you do. Here's how:

Like Hello Pretty and B vbblegvm on Facebook
Leave a comment on this post telling us what you'd do with these!
Get an extra entry by tweeting @HelloPrettySA*

Entries close at midnight on Thursday 27th June. Please note that Hello Pretty's standard competition Ts and Cs apply.

* Please note that only one tweet per person will be counted.

Show our logo some love and win!

So you guys, we're kind of awesome on Instagram - I kid! We're not thaaaat vain. But if you think we're awesome on Instagram, we won't turn down your nice words. In fact, this is one situation where flattery will get you EVERYWHERE.

We want to get your creative juices flowing - show us your best interpretation of our logo and you can win a whole bag full of Hello Pretty goodies. Great awesome hey?

How to do it?

Like Hello Pretty on Instagram
Like the super cool paper shaper Ross Symons aka @calvinrockstar on Instagram - he is the whizz behind our awesome origami logo!
Post your masterpiece on Instagram (if you don't have Instagram then Twitter will do - please note that only entry per person will be counted though), tag @helloprettysa and #HPLogo, and wait for the praise to come rolling in.

Easy right? Right. So now for the good stuff. What do you win?