Monthly Round Up - May madness

Oh May! What a month you have been.
In the midst of the preparations for our very first Creative 'In Store' Workshop this is what's been happening in the store...

1// We kicked off our 'A little bit of Britain' series, showcasing the most devine English home & decor stores that inspire Hannah.

2// There was a lotta love for Indieberries goodies so we stocked up on some more doodle books, cards and love vouchers.

3// With our cards, doodle books and love vouchers doing so well we decided that it was time we needed a bit more stationery so we welcomed the addition of the colourful Millamae.

4// We unpacked our first box of Pret-a-Pot ceramics - they are devine! If you haven't seen them yet best you get in store before they are all gone.

5// We tracked down Alfred the extremely talented carver behind our wooden men.

6// Our kiddies range grew even bigger this month with addition of some very very cute lunch boxes and cooler bags.

7// Wooweee! We stocked up on more washi tape in different colours and patterns this time.

8// Alice May delivered tons more of her dippy egg boards in her new designs - which you lot seem to be loving!

A Little Course Sneak Peak

There are only 4 more days until our very first Creative 'In Store' Workshop so we thought we'd give you a little sneak peak into what we've been working on for our 18 lucky business creatives...

Fernhill Hotel // Nadia van der Mescht // Rondavel Soaps // Consol // The Ruby Orchard

Feature on Creative - Nicole from Prêt-à-pot

Prêt-à-pot is a private concern established in 1985 and run by Nicole Kingston.  They are one of our newest suppliers at The Ruby Orchard and the gorgeous products are flying out.  Prêt-à-pot took part in Kamers - The biggest and most exclusive pop up retail event in SA.  You will not find these anywhere else in the Midlands so be sure to pop in and have a look. 

Nicole describes the business and what inspires the work for us...
We are passionate about our customers, our staff and our brand-image. We do not employ mass production techniques, preferring to pursue quality item-by-item through limited quantity manufacturing. Each item is handmade with care so while this does take longer, the end result is worth the wait.

Inspiring our shapes is the everyday environment: sources such as architecture, landscape and nature. We are always evolving and introducing new and exciting forms, textures and colours to our work. We are driven to create beautiful functional pieces that add value and a little bit of lovelyness to everyday life. The collective ability of our staff brings you captivating items.

 Nicole 

I just love these pictures from the factory, truly handmade and every piece unique.




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We have more stock on the way and will be ordering more very soon!

A little bit of Britain - Shop watch week 5

The last British shop in the series is Lark in Topsham, Devon.

Lark had only been open for 1 week when I popped in.  The shop has a fresh, bright and fun feel.  It stocks great gifts, especially for little ones. The bright pops of colour on the pretty ceramics, toys and accessories against the clean, linear shelving and walls jump out and scream 'buy me'!  They even stock a range of Nguni skin bags, cushions and accessorize from South Afrcia!

Cannot wait to go back to this cute shop when I am back in Devon.  The Ruby Orchard team wish them all the best of luck in getting this shop on the map! You can follow them on facebook here.

Feature on Creative - MillaMae

We first saw Millamae products at I heart market in Durban and it was LOVE at first sight. The pretty designs, colour combinations and quirky gift tags were needed at The Ruby Orchard! We are so excited to introduce you to Sarah from Millamae and let you in on her creative business....

1// How did your business begin? When / where / how did it all start? 
Almost exactly a year ago my partner Tracy approached me to join my creative side and her printing experience together with our love for beautiful things. We had a few brainstorms, some late nights, a few laughs combined with great synergy and a steady idea of where we were going and before we knew it MILLAMAE SWEET STATIONERY & PARTY THINGS came to life.

2// Why do you do what you do? 
We want to share our love for colour, stationery and beautifully printed items!

3// When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?!
Can’t remember!

4// What inspires you when designing new products? 
Fashion, colours, dreams, nature, ideas that just randomly pop into our heads are the best!

5// What are your hopes and dreams for your products?
We want to add our own splash of colour, fun and creativity into the world (Secretly dream of a beautifully MILLAMAE designed store, can see it clearly)

6// What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far in your business journey?
Hard work pays off

7// Why should our customers buy your products?
Why not?

8// What’s your favourite product from your line?
We have soft-spot for our cupcake wrappers, they were the first product we developed, otherwise hard to pick a favourite, we love them all!

9// About you? What's your...
Top Song? Just like Heaven- The Cure
Top Food? Sushi
Top beverage? Wine
Top Place? My bed
Top movie?  Amelie

10// And lastly imagine you are heading out for dinner with a bunch of creative geniuses - who would be sitting around the table with you?
Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Louis Vuitton, Jim Morrison, Annie Leibovitz, Sanrio

Check out the prettiness...

Wowee Washi - Part 2

We had almost sold out of Washi tape... I selected another 50 rolls on Saturday, choosing is like being in a sweetie shop! Some great new designs in stock now!

Check out these amazing Washi projects... Go on, get Creative!

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A little bit of Britain - Shop watch week 4

We continue to treat you with gorgeous pics of decor and gift shops in Devon, UK.

This weeks shop is 'Cooks Aweigh' (Topsham, Devon).  A tiny, nook of a shop crammed full of utensils, trendy kitchen gadgets and the sweetest kitchen crockery.  This shop is full of surprises as it leads out onto a courtyard garden displaying pots, plants and baskets, its really lovely.

Like at the Ruby Orchard, they also use old workbenches and rustic shelving  to display goods. Love this shop!

Valley Bakery

I have been wanting to visit the Valley Bakery in Northern Natal for months now, Artist and owner Kim Hofmeyr has been a regular shopper at The Ruby Orchard since we opened.  She has purchased a number of pieces of furniture for their wonderful coffee shop, bakery and guest houses. It was so nice to see these pieces in situ.

Situated on the R600 this bakery, tea room, kiddies play area, gallery, toy shop is just lovely, a must stop when heading to the Berg.

One of the pieces Kim bought at The Ruby Orchard!

The Bakery is just divine, the smell!  This is my ultimate sweet shop, pastries, breads, cakes, cookies and rusks. All freshly made onsite daily. YUM. 

Kim's artwork is displayed alongside a few other artists work, beautiful.

We stopped early on the Thursday Public Holiday, families were having full English breakfasts and stopping in for fresh bread.  We tucked into tea, coffee and the best croissants I have EVER tasted.  Our little boy loved the play area and chickens running around!

So worth a stop if you are heading to the Berg.

Mama I love you!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

A little bit of Britain - Shop watch week 3

It's week three of the series and i'm so excited to show you the shop that I envisaged when planning, developing and opening The Ruby Orchard.  Photos of this shops displays inspired the  'A' frame shelving units you see in The Ruby Orchard.  We love using them for displaying our products and you also seem to love them - we make them to order and have sold quite a few!

London House Lifestyle in Topsham (Devon, UK) is what I wanted The Ruby Orchards space to look like. It is light, spacious, uses mirrors beautifully and displays decorative accessories on unique furniture.  I love the potting shed corner and the festive Easter trees! Enjoy a little bit of Britain!