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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A blooming beautiful ad

Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert
Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert

You guys. Sony ads just get me.

Remember this incredible ad with all the bouncy balls and the frogs leaping from gutters and the feels it gave you?

They've done it again, but with flowers. Millions and millions of flowers.

Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert
Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert
Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert

From The Huffington Post:

"While the rain of petals over Costa Rica was all part of a shoot for a Sony advertising campaign, the beautiful display stood out in its own right for the explosion of color.

Organized by international advertising agency McCann, the idea was to cover the area near the Irazú Volcano -- located in central Costa Rica -- with a flower petal for every pixel in Sony's 4K Ultra HD TV.

With the help of local residents, the team collected the most vibrant and colorful flower petals they could find in the region. In all, it took them more than two weeks to pick the 3.5 tons of petals used to flood the streets with color, according to behind-the-scenes coverage posted by Sony UK.

McCann enlisted photographer Nick Meek to capture the colorful explosion."

Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert
Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert
Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert
Flower Petals Over Town In Costa Rica for Sony advert

The cynic in me can't help but wonder, much like with the bouncy ball ad, who the poor sod that had to clean all that up was. However, the child in me drowns out the voice of that cranky old codger and allows me to watch in wide eyed wonder at the spectacle that can only be described as epic. Watch the whole ad over here.

The Consol Mixology Theatre at Taste of Cape Town

I'll let you in on a little secret: Promise cocktails to Team HP, and we're pretty much putty in your hands. So when Consol invited us to join one of their Mixology classes at Taste of Cape Town last week we were beyond thrilled.

(Side note: Mixology is, basically, the science and art of making fancy cocktails. No tequila sunrises here!)

After a tough week, we were all more than ready to get stuck into some delicious beverages. Here's the bit about the Mixology Theatre that's both a blessing and a curse: While you walk away with three very delicious cocktails, you do have to make them yourselves!

When you arrive, you find a spot at one of the many stations - they're all equipped with standard bartender's tools, cubed and crushed ice, Consol bottles and jars, jars of fruit and garnish, and several bottles of interesting things ranging from wine to a buchu cordial. A quick overview of what's what, and you're off!

Let me tell you, I have newfound respect for bartenders who make cocktails. It's exhausting. Between the shaking, and the muddling, and the having to keep track of half a dozen different things at the same time...people, tip your bartenders!

Can't take him anywhere.

We learned how to make 3 delicious cocktails: The Blue Dissolve, the Citrus Burst, and the Vinfusion. The awesome guys from Thirst were there both as teachers, and as a helping hand when you got stuck. Team consensus? The Citrus Burst was our favourite.

Looks good, right? Want to know how to make one? Sure you do. Here's what you'll need:

  • 4 lime wedges
  • 4 naartjie segments
  • 2 lemon wedges
  • 25ml (single shot) elderflower syrup
  • 50ml (double shot) Absolut Citron
  • 25ml Red Espresso
  • A Consol jar
  • A muddler and bar spoon
  • Crushed ice
  • Straws, lime, and mint to garnish

Put the lime, naartjie, and lemon into a Consol jar. Add a single shot of elderflower syrup, and a double shot of Absolut Citron. Then, use a muddler to gently crush as much juice as possible out of the fruit. If you don't have a muddler, try using a fork - but gently does it!

Once you've got a good amount of juice, fill the jar up 2/3 of the way with crushed ice. Use a bar spoon to mix the juice and fruit segments into the ice - go slowly, and use lifting movements. If you don't have a bar spoon, a regular tablespoon and a delicate hand will do the trick.

For the last stage, add even more crushed ice - you want to aim for a little heap going over the top of the jar. Gently pour the Red Espresso over the top of the ice. Then, add two straws to the side, and garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of mint. Ta-da!

We walked away with slightly fuzzy heads, as well as the jars we'd used, and a nifty booklet with tons of great cocktail recipes. Huge thanks to Consol for including us! We can't wait to get our mixology on at home (where no one can see us drop things and spill).

You can stay connected with them on Twitter and on Facebook, and see more of our photos from the event here.

April features update for Hello Pretty's designers.

Hello Pretty frequently sends out an update to let our designers know what's cooking, what's new on the site and where to find it.

This is the update email for April.

And just like that, it's April. Easter's around the corner, but unlike the bunny, we won't make you hunt for your treats, because who has the time?
 

 
Whoa, you guys. S*** just got real. We've introduced a third plan to cater for those of you who've found that you don't have enough hours in the day to keep up with the admin.

The Serious Plan includes product management, advertising on Hello Pretty, and more. Whaaat. Find out more here.

If you want in, we're offering a berzerk 50% discount off the purchase of a 3 month bundle for the Serious plan purchased in April.
 
 
We're privileged, and beyond excited, to have the crazy smart & ridiculously good-looking Menno writing a series of articles for us on our blog. He's dishing out wisdom on running your small business & how to get the most out of your brand. Have a look at his first article, Start a mailing list - build relationships - make more sales.
 

 
Buyer FAQs / Help Page
This doesn't strictly concern you guys, but we're guessing you also have to deal with shoppers asking questions you've answered a zillion times before. If customers have a question about their purchase on Hello Pretty, point them to the shopper FAQ here: https://hellopretty.co.za/help/shoppers
 

 
R6 price increase from DCB
Inflation. It's not just for balloons. The cost of DCB's courier services has increased by R6 to R86. As always, the entire cost goes directly to DCB - we don't add anything on for ourselves. You don't pay costs or commission on courier fees when a customer uses the courier option. If you're new here, have a look at this help page where we explain how the integrated courier system works.

Customers like using this option, so please consider making use of it.
 

 
International shipping. Again. #sorrynotsorry
No monthly update mail is complete without the part where we get on your case! :-)

Over a third of Hello Pretty's (quite impressive, if we say so ourselves) website traffic is from overseas shoppers. You're costing yourself sales if you haven't filled in international postage options (not to mention frustrating customers into leaving the website). If you don't know what to charge to post your pretty things overseas, we lay it all out very clearly on this page. Please make sure you offer international postage options. The SA Post Office is good for this, and in many cases it might not cost more than R50 or so.
 
 
Until next time!
The Hello Pretty / Hello Man Team.

 

Win with Hello Pretty and Jewels & Lace! (Closed)

Pretties, we're slowly inching towards winter. Sartorially though, we're still channeling summer - and what better way to do that than with this gorgeous leafy thing from Jewels & Lace topping your tresses?
 

We're giving away one of these pretty things this week, and it could be to you! Here's how you can enter:

Entries close at midnight on Thursday 10th April. Please note that Hello Pretty's standard competition Ts and Cs apply.

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