I mentioned in Friday’s post about how much I love baking.  Saturday’s BWB (Bloggers Who Bless) meet was held at the African Pride Hotel (15 on Orange) in Cape Town and it was by FAR the best meet we have had – it was a Macaroon Workshop (or as I like to call it, being taught the art of a perfect macaroon). The lovely folks over at the African Pride Hotel invited us over to come and experience the joy of making your very own Macaroons.  For those of you that don’t know what a macaroon is, Wikipedia explains it as:
A type of small circular cake, typically made from ground almonds or coconut (and/or other nuts or even potato), with sugar and egg white.  Macaroons are often baked on edible rice paper placed on a baking tray.

I am embarrassed to admit that before Saturday, I had never had a proper macaroon and I can absolutely say that I will definitely have them again.  I am not sure however, if they will come out of my own kitchen.
They were absolutely fun to make, especially in the company of some great woman.  The recipe is simple enough but it does take some skill and some insane arm muscles to mix it all together and then do all the piping.

I am not sure if you have ever been to the African Pride Hotel at 15 on Orange before, this was my first time and the place is gorgeous.  When you walk through the main doors you get greeted by the concierge who automatically showed us where to go in order to reach the workshop.  When we (I mention we because Lisa-Jade & myself drove together and then found Leana parking her car at the same time as us and then we found Jen looking a little frantic since she couldn’t find the meeting room).  Eventually we made it into the meeting room which was set up beautifully and full of some lovely ladies I am lucky enough to call friends.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun I had and if you have never baked a macaroon yourself then you should definitely give it a try.  An even better option would be for you to get a group together and arrange for a macaroon workshop all of your own.  I believe that they do the workshops for groups of 12 or more and the rate is R295 per person (don’t quote me on that amount though).

I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Heather who arranged the workshop as well as to EC Sanel & Chef Retha for enduring our constant photography, comments, cheering, boos and my occasional swearing.

Lipglossed Ninja

Read more »

{BWB} On why my life will never be the same again…

Saturday was our 4th #BWB (Bloggers Who Bless) get together.  This one was hosted at Hudsons Burger Joint in Claremont and themed USA Bikers so everyone came through dressed in boots, jeans and jackets which was rad.  Also, not sure if you have ever been to Hudson’s in Claremont but holy shitzers guys… my life will never be the same again.  I had one of their Salted Caramel milkshakes (and by milkshakes, I actually mean a fishbowl filled with awesomeness).

Salted Caramel Milkshake

Salted Caramel Milkshake

Salted Caramel Milkshake

Upon arriving in the pouring rain, Heather, Fi, Jensen (my kidlet) and myself tried to warm up a bit and then started getting the tables put together.  Jensen of course ran around like a headless chicken, demanding things to play with as well as any amount of free sweets that he could find.  Luckily, we had one of the most amazing waitresses in the world and she enticed him to follow her around, help with the delivery of food, shakes and cutlery and he was also assisting as door man for a good portion of the day.
I was so relieved when Lisa-Jade arrived with her little girl Libby in tow as it gave Jensen a little bit of kiddy companionship.

My gorgeous boy…

Libby – Lisa-Jades heart and soul

J talking to the natives and pretending to be Spider Man.

Libby – displaying her art work which is “way better than his”

It was so lovely to catch up with all the ladies on Saturday as well as welcoming a new member to the group, Elzanne from Klets en Kook. We had such a great time talking about anything and everything and then we got to the good part.  We have been issued with a #BWBNailed Challenge where we need to use 3 colours (blue, red & white) on our nails and whoever comes up with the best design will win a hamper from Dermalogica (*squee*).

Leana – always full of smiles

Jenn – always beautiful.

Lisa-Jade enjoying her Salted Caramel Milkshake

Elzanne

The gorgeous Heather

Nicola & Rushda enjoying a giggle

Jenn and her head sized milkshake

I’m sure I heard Leana utter the words *nom nom* here…

Fi attacking Heather :)

For lunch we all had a selection of sliders which were absolutely to die for!  I chose to go with the TriBeCa Selection which was a choice of 3, namely The Player, The Shroom & The Boom Boom Burger – you can have a look at their menu over here.

Possibly the most amazing pizza slice ever!

TriBeCa Sliders

After much eating and even more socializing we all went on our separate ways (well, besides myself, Heather & Fi who drove together).

I can’t wait to see all the submissions for the #BWBNailed Challenge and I will definitely do a full on post about the entries and which products I used as well as my final submission.

Read more »

There has been a lot of venting , speculation and unhappiness at how the blog world is currently being portrayed both by bloggers (old & new) and also regarding blogger meets.

Up until now I have really kept my silence and just viewed these comments, albeit with a rather bemused smile in my office   ...you see this is not new at all! Blogger bashing , Blog bashing , venting and sarcasm seems to reign supreme these days. A sad truth but very real!

South Africa is still relatively 'small fry' when it comes to using Social Media for marketing purposes and as such you find the same bloggers, the same media personalities attending all the coveted launches and events. What has however changed are the 'numbers' as far as bloggers go , these have increased surprisingly over the last 5 years resulting in an influx and flooding of an already sparse market, thereby limiting opportunity for inclusion and invitation to attend media events.

As a result you can either join the so called 'venters' and decry a lack of fairness , misjudgement and throw a tantrum. You can also choose to write posts about how bad bloggers are and how great you are, justifying to a deaf audience and seriously peeving off the marketing and PR companies at the same time.

OR 

You can consciously choose to be the change you want to see, celebrate with others , support their blogs , comment on the fabulous events you are get an insiders view into. What is even sadder is when I genuinely do this, my honest 'joy and comments' are viewed in a sinister light and with pessimism, purely because of the competitive environment we(yes we, the online community) have created.

Think about it if you just value the opportunities you get and where possible take someone along with you, there will be more than enough for us to all SHARE. Realistically more than 70% of bloggers work full time in an alternative job and are not able to attend daytime events ...be happy for those that can! Enjoy seeing new products and fabulous launches.

Then there is the nasty animal known as GOODIE BAG ENVY sure we would all like to be spoilt but that is what it is ... a spoil! Not a given , not a demand , not a requirement but a spoil!

A gift from a brand or sponsor is great, but it comes with a responsibility too. You need to honour the brands that support you, don't denegate them publicly challenging their policies and the likes. If you do not agree with something take it up privately and then blog about your experience and the outcome.Also don't just take and never give anything back to the marketing companies it is all about honour and you will gain a reputation.

Lastly the BLOGGER MEETS ....hmmmmm

I personally have started a Blogger Community / Network (call it what you will) called #bwb or #BloggersWhoBless. We and I have come under fire many a time by people being challenging us with questions such as 'who do you bless?'.

We bless each other and if you read the Ethos behind this group we all pledge to encourage and inspire one another , to uplift each other and to help each other with our blogs using our unique talents and skill sets. We also pledge to be PR friendly ( no ranting , venting about associated brands). We give honest reviews and have all become genuine friends looking forwards to our meets and missing each other in-between.#bwb ladies know and understand that Goodie Bags are not a given and are a treat.

I started #bwb because I saw a lack of support and community , I saw ladies crying out for friendship but to scared to make themselves vulnerable on their own.I chose ladies who already responded to followers and were already practicing the above criteria to some extent ...women who had already embraced others unknowingly.

I think everyone's biggest 'bug bear' is that I have limited the numbers ...this is purely for logistics. If I am pledging to do something along with others I want to ensure that these pledges are being met and that we remain honest and transparent at all times ... if that makes me an ogre well so be it!

#bwb is here to encourage bloggers ... you can create a community that is all about LOVING ONE ANOTHER.

We have networks in Cape Town , Johannesburg and Durban is launching this month. Each Network launches with 10 members and progresses to 16 members by the second meet, we do this because we have a 'Buddy System' and each blogger gets allocated a buddy for the month to support , encourage , help and uplift.

As for other Blogger Meets...

I have only been to the Cape Town Blogger Meet in January and I had a ball with the people at my table. We were spoilt rotten by the sponsors and I met many faces behind Twitter and Blogs that I follow. The facility was perhaps not ideal being two separate rooms but otherwise it was fabulous.

I really honestly wish we could all get along and just be kind to one another , if you have ever met me you would know I am not a small animal (tee hee) , I am known to give hugs to random strangers and if I say I will do something I'll do it!

I have made mistakes , been hurtfully accused by other bloggers but ultimately ...your blogging and who you choose to be associated with IS UP TO YOU!

Read more »

This is an interesting subject and really got me thinking. I hadn't thought about it much, until Heather suggested a post for Bloggers Who Bless.

I started blogging to share my thoughts, fashion ramblings and have a concrete outlet for my passion. There aren’t that many people around me who understand, or share my fashion ‘obsession’ for lack of a better word. Hence the birth of http://www.rubescloset.com my formal platform to express my thoughts and share them with like minded people.

As with everything I do, I just jumped right in and started, whether I had the knowledge or not. I was extremely green, having only read blogs; and lacking any IT knowledge- so the layout was my biggest challenge. Regardless, I started tentatively and took it one post at a time. It was such a refreshing break from writing financial proposals!

As time passed I gained some confidence and felt less intimidated by other really awesome blogs, and met various people along the way. Some amazing readers, fellow bloggers and just downright nice guys and gals. There is a ‘dark’ side to the blogging community as well - the subtle nastiness, haughtiness - the list can go on and on. I choose to focus on the positive.

So here’s what I’ve learnt:

The blogging world is filled with different kinds of people and its naive to expect it not to be, real life is peppered with good and bad people.

How you choose to deal with that will determine how you value your blog and your person by extension.

There will always be individuals who want ‘fame and fortune’ and will just want to be ‘seen’ and be fake like that. Sigh. Again, it’s no different to real life.

And just like in real life, there are those people who are in it for more personal reasons, to meet new people, to communicate with others and broaden their world.

It’s important to not compare yourself with other bloggers, each blog has its own special feel and personality- and that’s necessary in a world where everyone wants to be someone else. So celebrate your individuality and your blog because its a reflection of you.

Be true to yourself and remember your reasons for blogging and goals when you started out blogging, it may change as you progress, but that’s good too.

It’s rare to find people who are willing to help just for the sake of helping you. When you do, embrace it.

The readers will come, and there will be critics and fans- it’s all just part of the journey.

And just like the ‘outside’ world there are a bunch of gorgeous people you meet, connect with and forge new friendships. Treasure those.

Bottom line: there will be haters, there will be carers. Most importantly have faith in yourself and confidence in what you do. Your blogging journey is meant to be fun after all.

Above all, enjoy the experiences; life is too short to waste time on the niggly bits.

Ciao for now,

RuBe

Read more »

I never ever dreamed that I would become a blogger, I am after all almost 40yrs and well we had those really old typewriters in my day ...You know, the ones where you has to slam your fingers down and risk personal injury , yep those ones. The electric typewriter only arrived on the scene as I was about to hit Grade 10 (Standard 8 in my day,) and well computers only made an entrance in my last year of schooling.

I studied to be a Beauty Therapist which required no computer skills whatsoever and so my learning curve with technology only really started in about 1996.

I have since then mastered many a program by forcing myself to work through it , when I get stuck I 'Google' it. I have refused to stay in the archaic and outdated times that many use as an excuse. How? Well by stretching my boundaries and forcing myself to learn and grow.

Here are the 5 most important lessons blogging has taught me...

#1 CREATING A BLOG
You need to plan and have purpose when doing this, but firstly you need to choose a platform from which to work. The two most common FREE options are WordPress and Blogger.
- Research and check out blogs on these platforms
- Most blogs can be deleted so I would even say venture as far as trying them out and see which of the platforms you prefer to work with
- Remember as you grow you will change and so will your blog.

#2 PLANNING
You need to plan the following...
- What is my genre ie. Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle and/or food. You can have more than one focus.
- Who is my audience?
- What am I going to blog about? How personal am I going to get?
- How often am I going to blog?

Here are some free planning calendar templates

#3 IMAGES
Some of my first images on my blog make me cringe , but we all have to start somewhere right? WRONG! If you do one thing for yourself checkout PicMonkey.

It is an image editing App that allows you to do limited corrections and enhancements. You can add labels and fun fonts too.
GREAT IMAGES ARE IMPORTANT.

http://www.picmonkey.com/

#4 TWITTER
Open a Twitter account and build a network , find people, brands that share your passion and build a presence out of relationship. Tweet your latest posts and don't forget to comment back. I personally have found Twitter to be invaluable tool in building friendships , in sharing and just to sometimes plain 'putting it out there'.

#5 BRAND YOUR BLOG
If you don't have the resources to have a Blog developed for you it is not the end of the world. Do try and use the same pictures/images across all your Social Media and on your Blog. This helps people to identify you and know that they are following the right person.
- Always add a picture(image) and/or logo to your blog and Social Media.
Here are some helpful guidelines on sizes
- Always add a means of contact , such as email.
- Link all your Social Media, this enables you to do automatic updates (it makes life a lot easier).

There is actually so much to share, I could go on for days.... however the above are the most important initial steps. Majority of the above was found by floundering in an arena where I had no one to bounce ideas off and/or even share my frustrations.

I do hope these proved to be helpful and would love to hear your comments.

x x x H
Femme Lifestyle

Read more »