These babies are modelled after the agapanthus flower, which is indigenous to South Africa, and are solid silver. They’re looking for a loving home, and who’s to say it can’t be with you?

There’s one catch: You can’t enter. Aaawkwaaard. But, your friends can enter for you!

1. Hello Alonya! Tell us a little about yourself.

   From a young age I was always interested in art and design - I took art classes from a very young age, then in high school took textiles as a 7th subject at Frank Joubert in Newlands (which is where my love for textiles began), and ended up studying textile design & technology at Cape Tech ( now CPUT).  After my studies, I worked in the fashion industry for ten years in various positions - first for a footwear and accessory importer, then started my eight year career at Levi Strauss. I started at their HQ in Cape Town, then in 2007 I was lucky enough to travel with the company - first a 3 year stint in Brussels, and then as the global accessories designer for Levi Strauss in San Francisco, up until August 2013.

2. Whoa, that’s quite a journey. And how did Cape to Cali come about?
   

   It was always a dream of mine, but I was too busy working in my “real” job, which was very demanding time- and travel-wise, which left little time and energy for anything else - and then, I had two HUGE life changing moments. First, I lost my little sister to brain cancer; and second, I became a mom - two very different experiences, both of which make you realize what’s important in life. So, from a desire to be home with my baby girl (and being a creative, I needed an outlet), I decided to take the plunge and see if i could do it! The response has been amazing! I’m so overexcited! And think the best is yet to come!

3. Quite a bittersweet set of experiences. That’s why you give a percentage of your profits to a cancer foundation, which is admirable. Family is obviously very important to you - what else do you love?
   

   I love textiles that have a story. I love beautiful materials and colors. I love travel and learning about different cultures. These things all influence me every day. I’ve been very lucky to be exposed to so many beautiful places and cultures…from Croatia to Belize, Thailand, Hong Kong, New York, Milan, Paris, London, and LA to name a few. I have seen (and gotten to shop in!) many places because of my job, so I’ve been exposed to some of the most amazing textile influences.

   I also love the idea of local crafts becoming important again, and people taking an interest in old/”forgotten skills” like shoemaking and tailoring. It’s about building new communities and making us proud again. I am especially proud of the movement happening in SA - in the USA, ” Made Here” has been happening for a while. When I went home to Cape Town in September I was sooooooo impressed with the world-class local talent we have. I am *so* excited to be part of this movement - bringing local manufacturing back to SA, and showing the world who South Africans are ! 

4. We’re so on board with that! Which brings us to Cape to Cali, and the lovely things you make. Tell us about them?
   

   I make various home and fashion accessories - bags , purses , clutches , beach mats, napkins , cards…and I hope to add more items into the line as Cape to Cali grows…I have big plans .

5. We don’t doubt that for a second! But we have to ask…the Cape, or Cali?
   

   I have to say I can’t choose which one - it’s very much both for me…I will always be a Capetonian, and it will always be home…but there would be no Cape to Cali without the Cali.

Hmmm…we’ll let that one slide since our militant Cape Town love has been completely won over by your fab fusion pieces! Pretties, if you race over to the Cape to Cali Hello Pretty store right now, the first four purchases today will get a little something extra thrown in with their order! You can also get in touch on Facebook and on Twitter.

See?

And the best part: when you drop that hint, whoever you’re dropping it to will get a R50 voucher to use on the site towards getting you that something pretty that you like.

Of course, there are some terms and conditions. Sorry! Always with the conditions:
    1. You can only use one voucher per seller at a time.
    2. The voucher will only work on purchases of more than R50.
    3. All good things must come to an end. This good thing will end on Feb 10th.

And lastly: You have to tell everyone you know about this. We can’t force you to — but come on. This is awesome.

When you get your presents, please send us a picture of you with them. We love getting pictures from happy customers.

Love,
Hello Pretty.

A paper plane brooch by Landi Kuhn
A set of button clips by Bow Peep (not strictly part of the colour scheme, but adorable none the less)
A set of gold reindeer vinyl stickers by Match Set Love
And a voucher for the lucky lady to pick out something from Hello Pretty for herself

Over and above the excitement of receiving a Secret Santa gift, there was also the added excitement over that fact that it had come all the way from South Korea. I mean. How cool?

So it should come as no surprise that the recent Chihuahua Mexicatessan pop up restaurant in Durban ticked all the right boxes.  Armed with sombreros and greeted by Señor El Jimador himself, we knew that this joint was going to give us the Christmas party we needed (and felt we deserved) - we love our jobs with all of our little hearts, but the internet never sleeps (and if it did we’d be pretty screwed), so we just get a little tired sometimes.  Our solution? Take our dilemma to an awesome venue and dissolve it in tequila until we can walk away feeling re-inspired.

Being super talented and fabulous, Isabel blows us all out of the water with her work, sketching straight onto her computer via a graphic tablet - it all makes me feel somewhat inferior really… *doodles a stick man*

As a part of the Creative Business Series kicked off by Caitlyn de Beer, Fatima acknowledges that t’s all quite a bit to consider, and we also offered some advice on how to (hopefully) make the ecommerce gauntlet seem less daunting, and break it down into manageable pieces.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Like Antique Fusion Jewellery on Facebook
2. Leave a comment on this post telling us which one is your favourite - the leaf or the twig design.
3. Get an extra vote when you share this post and tag us on Facebook, and on Twitter

Antique Fusion Jewellery creates delicate, whimsical pieces that fuse the old and the new. Check out our interview with Anne-Michelle here.
Winner announced on Friday 29th November. Winner is selected by means of a random number generator. Please note that only one extra entry per channel will be allocated for Facebook and/or Twitter shares.

1. Hello Anne-Michelle! Tell us a little about yourself.
   I’ll skip all the boring “I was born in” and “went to school at” stuff, and tell you what matters about me. I love to create beauty in whatever I do! Deciding to become a jewellery designer was the result of a long chain of events with a single goal in mind - find something creative to do and make a living from it. Not as easy as it sounded at first, but well worth my efforts in the end!
2. We agree! And how did Antique Fusion come to happen?
   After studying jewellery design at Ruth Prowse in Cape Town, I worked for a small jewellery business. In 2007 I decided to quit my job as a jeweller’s assistant, and go it alone. The decision came at the price of some serious hard work and many unforeseen difficulties along the way, but I like to think that’s how I knew it was right. When you know what you want, you are often tested, just to be sure. Almost 7 years later, I am proud to look back at what I have accomplished and excited to look ahead at what’s to come. Antique Fusion is in every way an extension of who I am, it has grown as I have grown, changed as I have changed, and learned as I have learned. I have kept every notebook and documented most of my designs over the years. I often sit and read through them. It’s like reading an old journal. You learn so much about why you are who you are and where you are today. It inspires me to work harder, and encourages me to trust my talent.
3. Wow, 7 years. That must be a really interesting read. Do you tend to see patterns or repeats of things that inspire you?
   I have always enjoyed the intricate, delicate detail and exquisite craftsmanship of antiques. Fascinated from a young age by these treasures of the past, their influence exists naturally in my work.  The concept of Antique Fusion is to ‘fuse’ the old and the new, so as to create a visual synergy of the two.
   It is difficult as a creative, not to be influenced by the world around you and the things you see. I have chosen to live in a very special place, deep in the heart of the Eastern Cape, high up in the mountains of the Amathola Mountain range. Hogsback is a magical place, and the influence of the abundant nature that surrounds me here, often finds its way into my work.  
    Although now days I enjoy creating with other influences too, my true passion will always be my ‘fusion’ pieces.
4. Tell us a little more about the pieces you make.
   Antique Fusion specialises in antique inspired contemporary pieces, and we are passionate about custom designed one-off pieces. Working mainly in silver and antique found objects, Antique Fusion pieces often explore unusual combinations of materials for visual impact. Our designs are whimsical and light hearted, but elegant and feminine. All our pieces are handmade to order.  Making each and every piece by hand means putting individual loving energy into every item. We like to think that makes the piece you order special. :) Antique Fusion is primarily an online business. We have an extensive online catalogue and easy to use ordering system, all available from our website.  
   We also have a very active Facebook page where you can enjoy monthly giveaways and specials as well as the latest products straight from the Antique Fusion studio.
5. So what’s the “Antique Fusion” in your life? What are your favourite things old and new?
   My favourite new things would have to be my husband Brandon and our golden Labrador puppy Baxter, clean white socks, new white vest tops and sparkly crisp white linen (an unfortunate passion for someone who lives so closely with nature) and our very own new house in Hogsback, YAY! (Incidentally, if I wasn’t busy making jewellery all day, I would definitely be a housewife! Making home is my thang!)
   What are my favourite old things? Our house is filled with antiques (as you can imagine) and I adore ALL of them! But if I had to choose just a few, I would have to say my exquisite white antique dressing table,  my old Singer sewing machine and our baby blue 1979 Bay Window VW Kombi (even though she gives us a bit of trouble from time to time).

For gorgeous pieces that will undoubtedly be someone’s future much-loved antique, head over to the Antique Fusion Hello Pretty store. You can also get in touch on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, pop back here on Monday and we may just have a little something to give away…