{Wedding} I need you!

As the days to our wedding get shorter and shorter, things at the indieBerries headquarters get more and more manic. In fact, in just a few short days, with only ONE MONTH to go - I have no doubt that things are gonna get full-blown

And by "crazy" I mean,

Warren will probably call the whole thing off.

So this is where I need you! With the big day fast looming I am not going to have as much time on my hands to dedicate to lovely little indieBerries so for the first time on indieBerries I am looking for some guest contributors! Join the madness!

So, if you have something you would like to submit for me to put on indieBerries please send it to me at che.strawberries(at)gmail.com

And if it's awesome enough I will whack it on the blog with a link to your blog/twitter account if you have. I think this will be a great opportunity to meet a whole new stash of bloggers and find some cool new blogs to follow.

It can be anything you like - especially something for our upcoming BIG DAY - 

Perhaps you have a fun picture you would like to draw:

(lol your picture)

Or some heartfelt advice for married life:

Or something that went horribly wrong at your own wedding,

Or something you wish you had done at your own wedding,
Or something you think might happen at our wedding.

Or maybe you want to submit an email letter of congrats and good lucks

Send your lovely pictures/words/drawings/poem things to me!

(and save me from insanity)

If you do send pics and you make them at 615 pixels wide - you will be exponentially awesome. But if not just send them along anyway and I will do all the resizing.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!
I will be taking submissions up until 15th March

x

PS. If you write a bunch of inappropriate shit, I will not be able to post it.

{Valentines} Surprise Attack

Here's a fact:

In our 7 plus years of on/off/long distance/no-distance/ in contact/ not in contact etc relationship. Warra and I have never actually been simultaneously dating and in the same vicinity on Valentines Day. Yes, there have been years when we were "together" separated by vast expanses of ocean which is not really the way to spend Valentines Day. So this year after about 8 years and an engagement, we were celebrating Valentine's Day for the first time together ever. What to do on your very first Valentine's date with your fiance? We decided to go the very traditional-first-Valentines-date route and booked to have a lovely 3-course dinner together with some delicious champagne cocktails and red wine. (We nearly booked for the 5 courser - but ya know, wedding an' all).

I was waiting for The Warr to get home from work when I heard a knock on the door. I presumed it was one of the housemates either having forgotten their keys or coming in. The knocking stopped - so I presumed that someone had let them in. I sat waiting for The Man.

I heard the knocking again, so I went down to investigate.

When I went to open the door - there was nobody there.

(and yes, London at 7pm really is this black)

Then I noticed a gorgeous bunch of bright tulips on the doorstep
But still no-one.

Then as I closed the door to go back inside I noticed something I hadn't seen before,

a pretty little postcard sticking through the letterbox.

I do love me some snail mail.

Then as I busy focusing on reading the pretty postcard...

I got surprise attacked by The Warra who was hiding out in the bushes around the corner.

(what a creep)

He spoiled me absolue-ly! with the most elegant smelling perfume from Issey Miyake. Issey Miyake is one of Warren's characteristic scents and the L'eau d'Issey pour homme, always reminds me of him. So he wanted me to have my own lady version. Yay!

"Look at these beautiful tulips! TAKE A PICKCHA OF ME!!"

Next we poured a glass of wine, had a little chat and then headed off to Konnigans which sounds way more pub-like than it really is. It is a restaurant filled with different little rooms and we booked a table next to the fireplace. 

For starters Warr had the scallops with pea puree and a spicy tomato jam and I have the toasted brioche with a horse-radish and ginger cream cheese pate. They were delish!

Usually in my normal moral code, I am strongly against two people ordering the same meal at a restaurant. I come from a family of "food sharers" ie: why on earth would you want to order the same thing as someone else at your table - when you can have yours and try theirs too? (And then if you have evolved as the higher species of the table - you will wangle your way into having more of the "better" dish whichever one it is). Score. Anyway, for this meal we both decided to order the lamb with a stack of butternut and peppered spinach with hollandaise sauce, just because it looked so damn delicious. And that way, we didn't have to share our meal with anyone. 

Ain't nobody wants to share a meal on Valentines Day.

To make up for our duplicate meal order and lack of sharing, we decided to share the most decadent pudding on the menu: a Hot Choc and Toffee Pot with cherry dipping fruits and shortbread.

We finished it all (obvs) and we let them know just how sinfully decadent and delicious it was:

And then after finishing our yummy wine we headed back home 

(this of course, is the way you entertain yourselves on public transport)

Thank you for an amazing Valentines Date my lovely Warr,

The first of many to come.

x

Happy 30th Birthday Fiance!

Warren Dyer, my handsome fiance,

I love you more than Jay loves Beyonce.

Today - your birthday and I couldn't be happier

(although, if i was Jay-Z, this would be a little rappier)

25th of Feb so long ago,

was born the man that became my beau.

And over the years this boy did grow

into the amazing man I've come to know.

For your birthday on this blog,

I'm making a list - some kind of log

of all the things that you do

that make me fall so in love with you.

I love the way you check the news

every Sunday when I want to snooze.

I love that you are always in the loop

with happenings and politics and the general scoop.

Your sporting knowledge blows my mind

for who can remember that one-catch of '76 dropped-behind?

I love watching you when you are playing cricket

(and have to pretend I saw you take that wicket)

I love how thoughtful you can be

to bring spoilings and roses and morning tea.

I love how much you love your friends

and that you indulge my love for a bajillion pens.

The chats we have leave me with peaceful sensation

and thanks for always helping with lipbalm application

Those cheesy lines that you whip out

and dare I say, "Do you work out?" 

For not only, are you a loving soul

but the face of Top Gun - cruise control.
I love your handsome face, you know
and your cheek-indents - oh hello!

It takes someone who is really secure

to dress up giddy- balls to the wall.

Thank you for not being too snooty -

for being silly with me and shaking some booty.

As for your dance moves - they are pretty darn terrific

and WAIT for our wedding dance - (without being too specific)

I love your passion for cooking - a fortunate endeavour

(since if left to me, it would be cereal forever)

You cook steaks to perfection and paellas of course -

with a generous helping of tabasco sauce.

Thanks for pushing me when we're on our runs

and making sure trucks don't hit me with three metric tons.
Thanks for the frequent thumbs-up to check I'm not dying
(though I think you like me ahead for some secret bum-spying)

Traveling with you is always so grand

Road trips and Thai trips and Festival bands
I can't wait for all the years ahead

and all the shores we've yet to tread

You're so accommodating to what I need;

a "time out", the internet, craft bags of tweed.

Thanks for putting up with my crafting "supplies"

(even though the mess sometimes blinds your eyes).

I love you even with your sunglass addiction

and I have to say this photo is a pretty accurate depiction:

You love your sunnies and watches too

and ME of course, but that we knew.
In fact, I love you for the way you love me
and especially loved you down on one knee

With you, my life is always fun

and I love you for making me your number one.

We're the perfect team - me and you - 

(although maybe decision making skills are something to review?)

We're the perfect mix of yang and ying
and I can't wait to hear the wedding bells ring!
Roll on April - make me your wife!
I can't wait to share the ups and downs of life.
Thank you for giving me the rest of your days
For showing me love in so many ways.

Warren Dyer, Happy 30th Day of birth

i love you more than life on earth.

xo 

Sunday Stories

They say that getting married is one of the biggest events in your life. They also say that a milestone birthday such as, oh say, a 30th is a pretty big event in your life. And they also say that not only is moving house one of the biggest events in your life - but it is also right up there as one of the top thirty biggest life stressors. Now, let's say you were us and you were dealing with all three of these in the same week. 

Ok,

I exaggerate. They aren't all exactly happening in the same week - but as it stands:

ONE
The lovely Man celebrates his 30th birthday tomorrow - and we have spent the whole of last week planning epic birthday parties and things to do with his family who arrived last Monday to celebrate.

TWO
I am leaving London on Wednesday to head back to South Africa for one final month before THE BIG DAY - so there is plenty of "wedding-related" stuff that The Warr and I need to sort out while we are still on the same continent. (ie: Seating plans, order of reception proceedings, church programs, trying on wedding bands and have you ever tried to practice your first wedding dance via skype? No, that won't work). It's all been a bit of a mad-rush fiasco.

THREE
A few weeks after I leave, Warren will be moving house - where to yet - we have no idea. We like to live on the edge like that. Being a bit of a junk collector crafter, I have accumulated a fair amount of "treasures" which Warren will have to transport to our new home (which, might I add, is currently under the local bridge). In order to make the move easier for him when I am gone, we have been trying to pack up all our "things" this week - which of course is generally a nightmare.

So Basically, I wasn't lying - everything is happening all in the same week

and there you have it - how to achieve life meltdown in three easy steps.

Give it a bash and then let me know what tranquilisers you have found most effective.

Thanks.

x

London for Lovers

The Warr has been living in London for close on 7 years now - and I would say that the "novelty" of living in one of the world's coolest capitals has long worn off. As for me, whenever I come over I'm in a perpetual state of "WOW! AWESOME!! We're going on one of those RED BUSES!! OOOH!! We're going to sit UPSTAIRS!! ON THE DOUBLE DECKER! woohooo! FUN!!" And Warren has to usher me to the back of the bus under his coat - to stop the locals from staring at me.

As of yet - we have no hard and fast plans for after our wedding (6 April 2013!) But we will be in London for [some] time once we are married. {I know how these things go though - you think, hey, I'll just spend a year in South Korea and then 3 and a half years later you're considering going for citizenship - anyway I digress}.

In the next few coming months and years as a newly married couple - I want to explore London as tourists, together. There are a bajillion cool places and secret cafes that we have yet to discover and I can't wait to unearth them all. For Valentines Day this year, I bought Warren a book from Urban Outfitters (definitely one of the coolest shops on the block) titled "London for Lovers".

This book is an awesome mix of quirky, fun and interesting places to see, eat, discover and explore within London. The book is divided into different categories such as "Late Night London", "Live London" and "Learned London"and it includes things like cool graffiti spots in the city, interesting and obscure museums and art galleries, different boutique shops, niche restaurants, unexplored parks and off the map coffee shops. I was also partly drawn to the awesome graphics, typography and layout of this book - that elephant pic! Did somebody say tattoo?! 

(Just kidding mom. 

Sort of).

What I love about it is that of all the usual places is mentions that you are sure to have already tried and tested - (Nottinghill, Brick Lane, Shoreditch etc) it gives you the names of unique restaurants to try or the name of an awesome little shop that is maybe tucked around the corner that nobody really ventures to.

I made The Warr a Valentines day card ahem,

{I love you so much I want to squeeze you 'til your eyeballs pop out}

Then I tied it to the book with some purple twine - which really does make it look like the eyeballs are being squeezed out. 

At least,

that's what I think.

x

Gratitude.

If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed that a little while ago I pinned the above pic of the most awesome cup holder cozies. Perfect to keep your hot drinks hot and as well as your fingers from burning off. 

Then just the other day I received a package in the post, right around Valentines day - 

We all know how much I love a good giftwrap, and this package was absolutely gorgeous - right down to a stitched gift tag with red and white butchers twine, beautiful black and white damask wrapping paper and pink washi tape. If there is anyone who appreciates a good gift-wrap, it's me! Even the outer delivery envelope was covered in fun pink Asian style tape! :)

I was so excited to open up the package and when I did I was absolutely amazed. The package was sent to me from the lovely Jacci who had seen me pin the mug cozies on Pinterest and decided to make them for me. Can you handle?! She made these! And she made them for me!!

I think they are the coolest things since sliced cheese! Jacci has such talent and I'm not sure why she hasn't monopolised the world with all her yarn creations yet! Warr was so impressed with them and we have decided to pack them into our picnic bag for when we are having tea in the park. (Although I have secretly already removed one and snuck it into my handbag for when I'm out and I get a Starbucks craving. (I have also recently been quite into herbal teas - which of course are way hotter to hold because of the lack of milk - so these are absolutely perfect!). Don't they just make you feel all warm and cozy like this?

Disclaimer: This is the soppy bit
Receiving an unexpected, handmade and thoughtful gift in the post from an almost perfect stranger is a surefire way to restore your faith in humanity. Jacci, not only am I blown away by your incredible talent but humbled that you would pick me to spend your time on creating these gorgeous coffee-cozies. Thank you so very much - I am extremely grateful!

xo