Hello Pretty is Winding Down

After more than ten fulfilling, magical years beginning in the good old days of 2012, Hello Pretty is retiring and heading off to the beach with a drink with a tiny umbrella.

Read our goodbye letter

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Meet loving-life Lisa, Hello Pretty's zesty intern ??‍♀️

Hi there! My name is Lisa, and I will be interning at Hello Pretty for the coming 3,5 months (until the 21st of December). I am very enthusiastic for these coming months. This is actually my first time in South Africa and I must say I love it already and want to see and explore as much as I possibly can!!!

Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself first….! I am an 18 year old girl from The Netherlands, living in a small town called Laren (very close to Amsterdam). Although my mother is a Dutchie, my dad is from Austria and his roots lay in Armenia!

My friends play a huge part of my life and I absolutely love to hang out with them and go on adventures together as well as party as much as we can.

I love to be outdoor doing all kind of different activities, such as yoga and running or walking with my sweet dog. But the thing I love most doing is to travel, seeing and experiencing new cultures and meeting new people from all over the world.

I feel very lucky that I’ve got the opportunity to work for such an amazing company with the loveliest of colleagues <3. Currently, I’ve only been here for 5 days ( arrived the 4th of September), but Cape Town already feels like my happy place. I mean how can it not? The people are amazing, the food is insanely good and OMG the wine is from another planet!!! So is guess its gonna be a “ work hard, play hard” kind of lifestyle here for me… cant wait to figure it out!

So yeah, I am a very happy gyallllll,
Again ( one last time) ….. CANT WAIT FOR THESE MONTHS!!! ( sorry, I am just very very very excited)

XOXO,
The happiest girl alive, Lisa <3

Totally addicted to glass. Meet Sue, maker of Living Glass.

I am Sue Webber, owner of Living Glass. I am passionate about anything glass, it is such a beautiful and versatile medium. I have had a go at most crafts, but when I discovered glass work I was hooked.

I started working with glass about 25 years ago and for many years my studio was the place I went to for stress relief. I would putter about and all my problems seemed far away. My family and friends came to expect a piece of my work for birthdays and other celebrations.

There is a limit to how much one can give away, however, and I got to a stage where I had to either sell some pieces to pay for more glass or stop.

Well, stopping really wasn't an option so I started selling and Living Glass was born. 
 

I began selling at markets and apart from getting up early to set up I enjoy the markets, it's wonderful to meet new people and make new friendships. The people I meet also give me ideas for my work.

I retired two and a half years ago and while this gave me more time in the studio, I craved company so I started giving workshops in stained glass work. I LOVE the workshops, I get an afternoon's company and the chance to show off what I can do. Many of the people  have become good friends. Some wanted to continue at home but didn't want to spend a fortune on equipment so I started making pre-cut kits which only require a soldering iron.

My biggest challenge has been trying to use the computer to show off my products, I am much more comfortable with a glass cutter than a mouse and even something as simple as uploading photos is tricky so opening my Hello Pretty shop was a major achievement.

I am lucky enough to have a lovely studio and a very supportive husband who keeps me supplied with tea., I also have Kermit The Dog who keeps me company in the studio although he often gets in the way too.

What comes next? Who knows, but whatever it is will be smashing.

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store through South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

 

We All Share Roots featured in British Airways High Life magazine

We were so excited to learn that We All Share Roots was featured in the British Airways High Life magazine in July. That's British Airways' in-flight magazine, which is amazing! I think that makes them kind of a big deal.

This is a business that deserves any coverage that they get. We All Share Roots is a brand with a conscience. They put great importance in keeping everything 100% locally, ethically and sustainably-produced, work with a variety of charities, and, close to Hello Pretty's heart, employ women from local communities.

Plus, their stuff is really freakin cool. I have been going through their store and their Instagram account to select some things to show you and I'm having a pretty tough time of it because their pictures are so pretty, and their bags are all gorgeous.

Go visit their store to see all of their work, and if you like something we recommend acting fast because each design is made in a very limited range of 15 to 25 units. 

Hello Pretty visit to Kerry from TableArt's home studio

You know that feeling of having so much to do you can't handle it anymore?  And then you are also expecting guests in the evening, and you want to impress them with a lovely looking table but you simply don't have the time? Well, that problem can be easily solved with the disposable placemats from  TableArt. They are not only super practical but also can transform your table from a No to a Hell Yeah! 

We visited Kerry, the designer behind the brand, and ended up chatted for a long time! It was lovely to meet one of our sellers and put a face to the brand. We were welcomed in Kerry’s beautifully-decorated home not only by Kerry herself, but also our new hairy friend Pluto. 

We were sitting down while enjoying our rooibos tea and some biscuits and we talked about TableArt as a brand and everything that comes along with running a business with so few hands - just Kerry and her assistant. And we can tell you this: it's a lot! From the initial creative progress, to the designing, to the meticulous quality checking and precise packaging of the products, to finally sending them off to the customers.

It was nice to see how meticulously Kerry manages her business. We could even call it perfectionism, and you can see it in the end product. Every product (not only placemats but also trays, coasters, Glow Lights, place cards, greeting cards and tags) is made with lots of love and care, and we can see that.

TableArt is a brand success story and we can't wait to see what's to come. We're super excited to see it continue to grow and expand.

The Girl who Smiled Beads, Beaded Fantasy from Zululand

Leeann Naidoo, of Beaded Fantasty shares her story with us...

Living in the heart of Zululand comes with many perks and a lot of inspiration. In Zululand the African culture is embraced wholeheartedly by a community of mixed genders, races and age groups. From this inspiration Beaded Fantasy was born.

Beaded Fantasy started in the corner of a mechanical workshop where a little girl sought to release the creativity inside of her. Of course, at 12 years old, no one would take her seriously unless she showed initiative. With that in mind she purchased her first pack of beads, strung them onto a cotton thread and admired her first bracelet which she wore with pride and joy.
Her joy was short-lived when the bracelet snapped the very next day. Disappointed but determined, she decided that the best thing to do would be to educate herself. The library became her best friend and books her obsession. She learnt as much as she could and decided to try again.

The second bracelet was stronger and did not snap but there was another problem, how would a person put the bracelet on and then take it off? After more research the little girl discovered clasps. Another problem solved.

As time went on, the little girl never stopped trying, never stopped researching and never gave up. She learnt every style of beading, weaving and braiding she could. People saw her determination and, one of the good things about Zululand, they encouraged and supported her. She eventually started making beaded jewellery to sell and as that began to succeed, she decided that she wanted to reach a broader market, outside of Zululand. She wanted her art to travel.

At 18 years old she decided to place her products on the internet and opened her first online store on Hello Pretty. Now 22 years old, Leeann Naidoo is in the process of opening her first shop in Eshowe to bring beaded art to the public.

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

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