I ran into the lovely Marissa from Opus Studio yesterday while collecting my stash of coffee beans from Tribe Coffee (seriously, their single origin Guatemalan roast is about the only thing getting me through these sleepless nights with the kids!).

She mentioned to me that she was thinking about putting together a Mother’s Day Hamper including trinkets from likes of Tribe Coffee, Lauren Fowler, Honest Chocolate and of course Opus Studio. Are you freaking kidding me, I want that hamper, NOW.

The hamper includes:

• 250g Tribe Coffee
• 60g Honest Chocolate
• An Opus Hanging Succulent
• And lastly a Lauren Fowler Gift Card

All of this for R280 people! Seriously, forgo the silly bath salts this weekend and buy Mom something she’d appreciate, oh, and I’ll take one for myself.

In addition, you can add a gift voucher to the value of your choice from neighbouring Benedikt Bookshop.

To place your order e-mail Marissa at mothersdaygifthamper@gmail.com, you’ll need to collect it from Opus Studio on Fri/Sat ahead of the big event on Sunday.

Wishing you all a “Happy Mother’s Day”

Morphosis Design Studios are Warno Rüde and Werner Venter, based out of Pretoria these two young gentlemen are forging a force in the local design scene.

I first ‘discovered’ them at last years Design Indaba Expo where they were part of the ever talented group of ‘Emerging Creatives’, launching a line of 3 custom-made furniture pieces made from Iroko (Nigerian Teak), a dense and durable wood that contains its own natural oils.

Fast forward to Design Indaba Expo 2013 and they’re back with a joint design with wooly wonder woman, Ronel Jordaan, aptly titled ‘The Chopstix Lamp’.

In their words:

Our new chopstix lamp is a combination of high quality materials and craftsmanship. The clean modern bamboo frame in combination with the 100% wool, from Ronel Jordaan, results in a sculptural light that can be used for ambient lighting in any room. Available in four colours. (light fittings included).

The lamp is available directly from Morphosis for R1100.00 (price at the time of publishing) along with their earlier offerings.

Years ago while holidaying in London I was paging through a decor mag, in it they reviewed a book called “Fast Decor: Creative Ideas for Instant Decorating” by Annemarie Meintjes & Karen Roos.

I called up EVERY bookshop I could to locate a copy and trekked halfway across Londontown to buy one, for an inordinate amount of money I might add. It was breathtaking, it still is. Crafty ideas that allow you to dress up or down a space without spending a fortune, and in some cases, nothing at all.

Imagine my surprise when I found out both authors were South African and the book was published in SA by Struik. I was floored, and truth be told also a little annoyed at having bought a book in London only to bring it back to SA, its birthplace, though I must say the UK edition has a much nicer cover.

Thus began my introduction to both of these wonderful ladies, each with their own stories. Karen now of course owns the amazing Babylostoren and Annemarie has her fingers in hundreds of creative projects, including deputy editing VISI, as she’s done since 2001.

How amazing is that cover! It’s something I’ve always loved about VISI, always progressively pushing the creative envelope on not only a local, but global scale.

This special issue is packed with creative DIY ideas, pulled from the past 12 years of back issues. They’ve graciously allowed me to share a few images from the issue with you below.

All images courtesy of VISI

Dry wall partitioning is banal at best, why not use your old magazines and build up your own internal walls.

All images courtesy of VISI

So you know that new fandangled electronic appliance you bought, wondering what to do with the ubiquitous preformed polystyrene inserts it came with? Why not spray paint them and style your own gallery.

All images courtesy of VISI

Upcycle your old milk bottles into bird friendly feeders.

I, and this blog also get a neat little mention in their “32 Reasons to Always Love Smart Ideas” features, thanks guys!

It’s in stores now, go buy a copy, they even have a digital option for those who prefer paperless mags, though good luck pushing a needle a thread through your iPad.