10 THINGS WITH KIM GRAY

Hello my lovelies, Happy St Paddies day to you all! I have been itching to publish this little beauty all week. Kim Gray is pretty much all the way the most lovely and most talented young woman/blogger/stylist/country road addict/DIY home decorator in the biz. It gives me great pleasure (puffing chest like a proud pigeon) to introduce you all the the extremely talented and always lovely Kim Gray.

1.Describe yourself in 10 words Homebody, nail polish lover, cheese cake eater, dreamer, bad speller

2. How did you actually become a stylist? Was it something you always wanted to do or did your passion evolve out of a previous job? I always knew I wanted to be involved in shoots. But I never knew in what role.  So I studied to be a make-up artist, but an internship at Marie Claire swayed my path and taught me everything I needed to know. So yes, my passion for styling was an evolving one. 

3. How did you get to the point where people actually started paying you to put things together to look pretty? A lucky break I guess. I went to see a photographer, Malcome Dare, he's brilliant, to do a test shoot, (that's when you all work for free to get pics for your portfolio / play / experiment etc.. ) Anyway, one day he had a big job for some car brand where a stylist dropped them last minute. In a panic they called me last minute to help out and it was the most daunting thing ever, but an opportunity not to be missed. I used my contacts I made at Marie Claire and got sourcing. They called me back for more big jobs after that.. and so I built the confidence to start showing my portfolio around to other photographers and Ad Agencies.

3. 10 steps of a typical day in Kim grays shoes goes like this... 1.) wake up (not my Favorite part of the day, love to sleep)    2.) play with puppy    3.) make coffee    4.) check mails    5.) blog    6.) either meetings, sourcing or shooting    7.) EAT (good part of the day)    8.) Glass of wine (even better part of the day)    9.) check blog, e-mails, etc 10.) Relax 

4. I have noticed a habit you have of celebrating your birthday by rewarding everyone else! What I would like to know is what item is number one on your Birthday list this year? 

Oooh either a Flip Cam or a Canon G12

5. What are your top 10 basics for the upcoming season?

I don't know if these are necessarily what you should be wearing - investing in, but I sure want to! 

 

1. I already have a couple of her prints, But I'm after the Skinnylaminx Cloudbird cushion in chalk board and the mandarin colour next. 

2.QMS Sprots Active Tinted Moisturizer - Addicted! It gives skin a healthy glow and bit of colour for winter - it's light and sheer and leaves skin looking luminous. 

3.Clinique Chubby Stick - Absolutely loving these crayons for adults for lips and cheeks.
4.Hunter Boots - Oooh How do you choose a colour? 
5.Sunnies - I love the D&G Aviators from Sunglass Hut- they suit pretty much every occasion 

6. Converse DC Comics Converse - love this design. it's just fun! 

7. Essie Luxedo Nail Polish. Love this deep plum for winter. Remember to keep nails nice and short. 
8. Leather sling bag - love this one from Old Khaki 

9. Snood - A beautiful cream or grey cable knit snood to cosy up in this winter like this one from Country Road.

I pick these shoes up every time I walk past - Love them. 

6. if you had to only wear one colour of converse for the rest of your life (a horrible question I know ha ha) which one would you choose and why? Grey, it's my all time favourite colour. My grey high tops are a shoot staple. Love them! 

7. I often see your early morning tweets when you are off gallivanting with the shape girls on sunrise shoots, now for the serious question, what are your tricks to help tired eyes look more like shiny bright young things? 

YSL Touche Eclat most make-up artist swear by it. Beauty Flash Ball for eyes - I love beauty Flash Balm, it totally tightens and brightens skin. Some hot sunnies will do the trick too :)

Behind the scene's from the Shape February cover shoot.

8. Talking of beach shoots, you were recently seen looking completely fab in the MarieClaire Naked edition! What 10 things were going through your mind when you were standing starkers on the beach?

Where are the bubbles, what are my inlaws going to say, I'm not really that naked, It's fine, You'll be glad you did it, puppies, Ooh I'm going to be in the Marie Claire, I hope this campaign does well, I hope no one saw anything, Wish I had gone to the gym more 

9.  What did you wear to your Matric dance? What do you wish you had worn to your matric dance? I wore a fitted raw silk, deep royal blue boobtube dress to the floor that slightly flaired at the bottom. I wouldn't ware it now, but I don't regret wearing it. It was pretty cool, I think anyway :) 

10.Who would you like to see interviewed in the next 10 things: Vicki Sleet of I want That. Unless you've done her?

SOOTCOOKIE'S AND SPACE BUNNIES

Gosh, ages and ages ago I spotted one of these glorious little Martians catching some rays on a golden sand dune in the ElleDecor and decided then and there to clear a space on my shelf in anticipation for the day that one of these guys came to visit.
This morning I happened across the SOOTCOEKIE website and was completely stoked to discover that my future prized possession has siblings! Do you not love the way their ears lop quizzically to the side? I am going to have to start selling a few more Macaroons now that I am saving for the whole family, I certainly could not separate old Goldeyes from his possie, that would just be mean!

*side note for the bird- This is a blatant birthday/ anniversary/ just because you are the most wonderful girlfriend in the world and I love you so much I want to spoil you - hint. Write it down.

In other news, I am also coveting their gorge picnic range. Can you even imagine how cool you will look serving beautifully cooked beer battered hake and chips to your dinner party in their "take away" boxes?

A MESSAGE TO THE HATERS

Dear people who think it is necessary to write shitty and useless comments that are mean. If you have a problem with a person who I blog about, or you don't like little tiny lady bug costumes that make your heart all mushy. Don't be silly and write it all up on the interweb- no one cares, not me and certainly not dear sweet Maria over here. So please if you would like to complain and be bitter go to www.hellopeter.com and they will sort you out.

I HEART DURBAN MARKET

Oooh La La look what just landed in my inbox. I absolutely friggen love these posters, I think its about time the fairies who put together this gorgeous little shingig did some kind of a handbag collection or, better yet little range of tea towels. It makes me sad that these pretty posters are not being loved to their full potential. How would you recycle them? I would love to hear your ideas...

GRRRRR TIGER

 

 

 When it comes to the whole feline trend debate, I have noticed that there are clearly two very different trains of thought. The first train, the one which I have hitched my trailer firmly too is the one that believes that

Catty vibes should be used sparingly and with extreme caution!

I believe that prints like leopard and tiger are best used in small doses merely, suggesting a little cheeky streak. Adding a leopard print heel to your staple of jeans and a white T can transform your casual day look into a sleek and sexy night look in only the time it takes to swap out your shoes. If you are wanting to take a bit of a bolder approach, you cannot go wrong if you combine a gorgeous print with a clean, modest cut, done impecably well by Scarlotte Johansen and Eva Mendez

It would seem that the other train veered off the tracks somewhere and came to a screeching halt in Snookie's lounge. These wierd jungle cats believe that the best thing to pair a bit of leopard print with is maybe more leopard print or even tiger print for those even more daring bezerk. Sadly these peeps end up looking like one of those wierd posters they used to print in the middle of the you mag that make your eyeballs all screwey.

Elle UK April 2011 Cover | Gwen Stefani by Matthias Vriens-McGrath

One chickie boo that is getting her tiger on in a good way is, Gwendolynne (I wonder if her real name is Gwendolynne or if she is just Gwen?) Steffani, rocks graces the cover of ELLE UK looking positively feline. Now i know that there is no cat print in this piccie but to me this illustrates the print perfectly. A bold feline prints is more like a feeling, its a cheeky, sexy spice that should be peppered lightly over ones wardrobe. Its the way you hold your body and the way you move and Gwen is moving in exactly the right way.  Golly this girl is a beauty.  GGGRRRRR.

WARNING: THIS WILL MAKE YOUR OVARIES TINGLE.

I am not usually one for cute baby pictures, in fact I think this might be my first mushy baby post ever. Can you even cope with how frikken cute this is, where do you even get a little ladybug costume like that? If I ever have kids, the poor darlings are going to be dressed like ladybugs every day. pic via THC AD SCHOOL

SIT BACK, RELAX AND LET KIM GRAY SPOIL YOU

 

When it comes to things like Christmas, and Birthdays, I like to get over excited. I like to decorate any and every available surface, do the countdown and generally get all the way into the vibe. 

Another gal who is not scared to get her party on is Kim Gray. I swear, every year, I get more excited about Kim Gray's birthday than she does. Not only does she start the count down a month before (some thing that is very important when it comes to birthdays) but she has actually turned the day completely on its head and is giving gifts away rather than receiving them (I don't think im ready for this step yet!)  

Now, I feel that using the words Gifts is not exactly correct because if you take a little gander around, you will see that Kim is spoiling us readers bloody rotten. These babies are TREASURES that have been on pretty much any and every Birthday, Anniversary, Christmas and Wish list that has ever been written by a sane person, EVER. You have approx 30 days left to get your tush over to her fab blog and get entering alternatively you could ignore this last sentence so there is more chance for me:) Good luck y'all!

 

I WROTE A LETTER TO MY LOVE...

On my list of favorite things in the world, paper cut outs and bunting rank pretty high up there - a few rungs down from macaroons, high heels and fantasy shopping sprees on YuppieChef - I got their latest newsletter today and lets just say that Dani and I are going to have to sell millions quite a few more macaroons, asap - anyway, deviating from my point of bunting and Paper cutouts. Today I stumbled upon Maria Ikonomopoulou's photographs and was immediately pissed that I had not come up with this idea myself. How is it possible that I never thought to marry these two glorious crafties. One day, I might cut out a little love letter to the Bird, I can't imagine trying to fit the bugger into an envelope though.

10 THINGS WITH CAPE TOWN GIRL

BLOG: www.capetowngirl.co.za  TWITTER: @capetown_girl

Being able to introduce CapeTownGirl to you guys is pretty much a big deal to me. It is also a little difficult as It would seem that I have her propped up on something resembling a bloggers pedastil and am now shrouded in a big cloud of nerves because I know she will be reading this and I want her intro to be really really rad. Her blog, CapeTownGirl- Tales of the pretty, is like a buffet of cool stuff all wizzing about in different directions. I often leave her page, feeling like I just climbed out of the grown up version of Mary Poppins handbag- the chick pretty much has it all covered from naked photo shoots on public beaches, to lunch dates with The Kardashians. She is pretty much living the life you are sitting at your desk dreaming about, but what is nice about this sassy lady is that she is willing to share it all with you, I hope you enjoy the read kids:)


1. Describe yourself in 10 words. . . I live under a rock. It is called Table Mountain.

2. What are the 10 essentials that every girl should have in her wardrobe? 10 items of clothing that suit your body and taste, and nobody else’s. I personally can’t have enough well-cut dresses – one-shoulder dresses (especially), maxi dresses, ¾ dresses  and short dresses. And then well-cut skinny jeans that have some kind of unique attention to detail are another staple.  Pepe Jeans keep me well stocked in both dresses and jeans!

Two of my favourites - a navy blue one-shoulder I wore to last year's The Vibe party
 and an orange print maxidress from Pepe Jeans which I wore to last year's SA Blog Awards.
And a pair of tie-dyed skinnies I wore all through summer, also Pepe.

3. Never in a million years did I think that ........ I’d pose naked in a mainstream woman’s magazine. Never! I am a huge animal lover though, so this was an ideal chance for me to get involved in helping a charity that I really care about, the NSPCA.

4. Which blog post are you most proud of?   Probably the Kate Middleton post. But I do have a soft spot for Tilikum the Whale and Panjo the Tiger. And I feel my open letter to those who use the 24-hour Engen in Gardens to be quite an important post, too. You’d understand if you lived here.

5.  Rumor has it you are an ex-Durbanite, care to elaborate?   It’s true, I grew up in Durbs, but moved to Cape Town to attend high school. I was a typical Durban kid, always outside, usually swimming. I still love Durban and I miss the thunder storms. The misty Natal midlands is a favourite holiday retreat destination. I’m definitely going to own a house there one day. With horses.

Pic: My brother and I in the pool as kids at our house in Natal.

 6. The bachelor you were seen canoodling with in the back of this months Marie Claire is coming for dinner, what are you cooking?   Hmm. That’s a tough one because he’s such a great cook, definitely better than me. I might attempt a meaty dish using NoMu’s one-for-all rub. It makes everything taste good!

7. What did you and Kim Gray chat about when you were standing next to each other in the nik?  About the novelty of being naked on a beach with strangers at 6am! We also spent a lot of time talking to the doggy as she just wanted to go to Mark (the photographer) the whole time.

8. What is the most surprising thing you keep in your handbag?  Hmm. Surprising? Let’s see… perfume, makeup, various Apple chargers, shades, macarons, moleskine, 8-hour cream, sunblock, tazer, … none of this is terribly surprising, is it? Although I get a surprise whenever I find a Vida Lindt chocolate in there. I’m always amazed I haven’t eaten it by now!

9. Every time I pop over to your fab blog, you are sporting a new pair of uber rad shades, how many pairs do you actually own?  Hmm. I haven’t counted them, but I do love them! I’ve always been a shades aficionado. To me, a look is incomplete unless you have the perfect pair of shades – it defines the style you’re going for. Sunglass Hut have incredible variety though. Just when I think I couldn’t possibly get a pair I didn’t already have, they get in a whole new range to covet and lust after.

1. These D&G Cat's Eyes are also favourites of mine  2. I'm loving these tortoiseshell Bulgari's at the moment  3. My batwing Wayfarers are a classic, I always have them in my bag  4. And these Tiffany shades are my winter favourites - they're very big and black and Audrey Hepburn

5. I adore these pearlescent blue Bulgari's I wore to the Queen's Plate, pictured here
with PopYaCollar's Sam Walker

(Do you see what I mean, this girl has like a bajillion pairs of shades!)

10. What is the coolest thing that has happened to you since starting CapeTownGirl?
Without doubt the best thing to come out of Cape Town Girl would be the amazing people I meet, some of them famous, some of them not. I’ve met people who have totally changed my life as a result of it, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

Highlights include meeting and chatting to Kim & Khloe Kardashian about blogging, has to be a highlight – it’s not every day you get to meet popculture entrepreneurs of that scale and chat to them about how they do what they do.
Experiences such as flying to the secret MTN iPhone 4 launch, and posing naked in Marie Claire to help the SPCA, have also been great things to be involved in. Being photographed by Andrew Brauteseth alongside Helen Zille for his Portrait of a Nation shoot was amazing.

I’ve also learnt to play the stock market with Global Trader - it's awesome to learn new skills. Let me stop – I could go on for days...