20 Ways to feel happy again

After a particularly tough week and weekend, I've compiled this list for Future Me - to help her deal with life's issues before the over-thinking can begin ♥

1. Hug a puppy or just call it over and be wooed by the floppy ears and infectious puppy smile.
2. Climb a tree and see the world from a whole different perspective.
3. Turn up the music! If you have a cheesy feel good mix, now would be a good time to dust it off.
4. Make tea! Really, tea fixes everything... even if just for that moment.
5. Start a new creative project that excites you and takes your mind off things.
6. Take a glimpse into the future and find something - an event, a holiday, whatever - that you can focus on and look forward to.
7. Talk it out! They say a problem shared is a problem halved - #truestory
8. Go for a run or a swim - pushing your body to the max is a great way to rid your mind of pent-up anger or frustration.
9. Grab the wax crayons and pencils, open a colouring book and be a child again.
10. Lie on the grass and allow your mind to think things through - sometimes suppressing the thoughts and emotions make matters even worse, so just let it out.
11. Cry, cry and cry some more - studies actually show that crying flushes stress hormones from your system, so cry! 
12. Curl up with a book - one that's completely unrelated to whatever issue it is you're dealing with.
13. Sleep. As they say, things always look better in the morning.
14. Tuck into healthy food that's also munch-worthy - like popcorn. While reaching for ice cream is my default option, it always leaves me feeling even more guilty and down in the dumps.
15. Daydream and escape into your own little world for a while.
16. Treat yourself to a little something new, whether it be a dress, a hairgrip or anything that makes you feel good about yourself.
17. Say a little prayer and let go of whatever it is that's haunting you.
18. Make a list of the positives in your life - after all, it can't ALL be doom and gloom!
19. Get into gardening! I'm no Miss Green Fingers, but there's something incredibly therapeutic about bringing greenery to the garden/home.
20. And if all else fails, watch this video over and over and over again:

Moving House: Decor Inspiration

As I've been telling the world and anyone who'd listen, I'm moving into a new flat in a month's time which means I only have one thing on the brain right now: Decorating! What I love most about my new little home, is the fact that it's a sunny, open loft space that's just begging to be adorned with warmth and prettiness. So here are some of the Pinterest pics cluttering my mind this very second ♥

Living room inspiration

Bedroom inspiration

Meanwhile, in between the Pinterest browsing, I've also been scouring the pages of local craft site We Heart It and come across these lovelies that are now sitting firmly at the top of my shopping list:

Once I've settled in, you simply must come for tea ♥

12 Types of Procrastinators

I'm the CEO of Procrastination Station which, on the bright side, means I thrive under pressure. In fact, procrastination is the reason I was scouring my Facebook newsfeed minutes ago, procrastination is the reason I found this epic Field Guide on Mashable and procrastination is probably the reason why I'm doing this post right now.

Click for source

25 Summer Musts

This summer I look forward to...

1. Going wine tasting - cheese & wine, biltong & wine, chocolate & wine, you name it!
2. Using the line "you're pretty awesome, want to be friends?" to make a new friend.
3. Making iced tea and ice cream from scratch.
4. Trying every so-called "best salad in the world" and tasting strange-looking cheeses, pestos and pates that I normally wouldn't.
5. Baking an impressively complicated cake or dessert and showing the whole wide world.
6. Revamping an old book case / table / chair / or something - anything.
7. Completing at least one of the Pinterest projects on my DIY board.
8. Attending an open air movie night and going to night markets.
9. Buying a new plant - coincidentally, I bought two pretty greenies just yesterday!
10. Going to the ballet - it's something I've always wanted to do, and there's no time like the present.
11. Going cherry or strawberry picking with a bunch of friends.
12. Going on a one-day road trip to a random town that I've never visited before.
13. Having a girls' sleepover with chick flicks and chocolate, just like we did back in high school.
14. Wearing light, simple outfits like floaty dresses, denim shorts and loose-fitting tops.
15. Building a sandcastle and turning an unsuspecting friend into a sand mermaid ala Joey in Friends.
16. Going for lunchtime walks to buy frozen yogurt at the Spar.
17. Wearing fresh flowers in my hair!
18. Eating cantaloupe (sweet melon) and watermelon until my stomach hurts.
19. Going camping by the dam and floating on a tractor tube while reading a book.
20. Building a puzzle! This is something of a family summer tradition - the perfect way to pass the time between 11 and 3 when it's too hot to swim.
21. Getting up at the crack of dawn to go for a run.
22. Having milk and sandwiches on the stoep (patio) at twilight, enjoying the cool air after a scorching hot day.
23. Clambering through the branches of one of the fruit trees in my parents' backyard.
24. Scrapbooking on a picnic blanket under a tree. I say this every summer, but alas. 
25. Getting all dressed up in sun dresses and hats, and going for high tea with a lovely lady friend.

The Advertising Law Masterclass 2013

On Wednesday I was given the amazing opportunity to flip my hair and and act like an ad industry pretty at the Adams & Adams Communication Design & Advertising Law Masterclass - my first solo trip to Joburg, mind you.

Covering everything from Copyright Law and Offensive Advertising to Competition Law and Comparative Advertising, it turned out to be quite an educational treat. Among the many top end lawyers and advertising gurus that had their voices hear, we were also graced by the presence of Andrew Human - CEO of the Loeries.

Instead of boring you with the details, I'd much rather share these examples case studies that were discussed on the night.

#1: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

Die Antwoord's trailer for their music video (left) - infringing the copyright of Jane Alexander's Butcher Boys (right)? The video is quite disturbing, but if you have the stomach for it, check it out here ----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN9AYg84qAU

#2: OFFENSIVE ADVERTISING

After complaints, the ASA scrapped this advertisement as OFFENSIVE because the Hypothetical Reasonable Person might take offense at the idea of angels falling before a mortal being:

However, after the same type of complaints, this one was declared ACCEPTABLE because the Hypothetical Reasonable Person will view it as being completely over the top:

#3: HOW "OFFENSIVE" DIFFERS FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY

Here we have the ad with the most complaints in UK history - not because of a display of profanity or toilet humour as one might think, but rather "bad table manners".

I'm still quite baffled by it all - damn you, advertising law - but at least we got cute little prescription bottles to maintain a certain level of sanity.

Ciao for now x

Monster Cookies

So on Thursday I posted a simple thought on Twitter:

Which led to a full on Twitter war between myself and some office mates, ultimately turning into this:

That brings us to today: The Big Agency Bake-Off. Following a miserable attempt at baking soft-centered cupcakes, I settled on Monster Cookies instead - the most mouth-watering American biscuit that my lovely Utah confidante, Miss Eryn, first introduced me (or rather my taste buds) to last year.

Not only do they taste like fairy mud cakes, but you can whip 'em up faster than you can say "those cupcakes were a disaster, now what?" What's more, one spoonful of dough morphs into a cookie that's as big as your face. No jokes.

Epic Monster Cookies 

Clockwise from top left: My Monster Cookies / SJ's Hidden Center Cupcakes / Leah's Banana, Chocolate & Coffee Cupcakes / Taryn's Walnut & Banana Loaf. PHOTO: SJ Vincent 

INGREDIENTS:

• 400 g jar peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 8 tbs canola oil
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 4 and a half cups oats
• 1 tbs vanilla essence
• 2 tsp bicarb
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 4 x 45g boxes of Smarties

HOW TO:

• Mix the peanut butter, sugar and oil together in a bowl until it forms a smooth paste. 
• Add the eggs, oats, vanilla and bicarb and mix it up again.
• Add the chocolate chips and 2 packs of Smarties and mix one last time.
• Heat oven to 360°F.
• Mold heaped tablespoons of batter into round balls and place on a greased baking tray. While they might be deceivingly small, don't bake more than 6 cookies at a time.
• Using the last 2 packs of Smarties, adorn the cookies with 3 or 4 extra Smarties and pop 'em in the oven.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Note: They will look somewhat runny in the middle when you take 'em out the oven, but let them cool for 5 minutes and watch as they set before your eyes.

There's no denying that these cookies are the death of all diets, but if you can shove your guilt in the back cupboard, these cookies will put a smile on your face. Guaranteed.

5 Happy Healthy Snack Ideas

I've been trying really hard to be good as of recently, because summer is around the corner y'all, and all that comfort food hasn't exactly friendly on my growing love handles (cue dude eye-roll). 

But between work and play, who has time to slow-cook an organic turkey breast while whipping up a homemade pesto with a list of ingredients that's as long as my cell phone bill? So instead I've been experimenting with quick and healthy combinations that aren't half bad on waist or palate:

Apple, plain fat free yogurt, cinnamon and sweetener.
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Hummus (the roast pepper variant is divine!) with baby carrots or uncooked mushrooms.
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Egg baked in a red pepper "basket" and topped with avo.
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Cooked chickpeas and tuna with any type of herb, vegetable or a dash of olive oil if the cupboard's empty.

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Crackerbread topped with fat free cottage cheese and a slice of smoked turkey or roast beef.
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Ya, I know it's not exactly rocket science, but it does the job and keeps me chirpy. 'Cause if there's one thing I can't stand about dieting, it's the constant "I'm so hungry I could eat my keyboard" feeling - happy tummy, happy camper!

Currently Obsessed ♥

Just some of the pretties that I've been splurging on (way too much) lately, and which I've now banned myself from buying.

Hair bows!

Patterned Stockings

Oversized shirts over leggings

Happy nails

For picture references, check my Pinterest board.

Anywhere but Here

I can literally think of 20 places I'd rather be right now, on this glorious Friday:

Revlon article for Celebration.co.za

Celebration.co.za recently tasked me with the job of writing an article on Revlon's first ever South African brand ambassador, Bonang Matheba - and (happy days!) Revlon head office approved my wordsmanship without even the tiniest hiccup. Check it out here ♥

Women24 - featured!

This morning I discovered that one of the blog posts I'd written for Celebration had been reposted by the lovelies at Women24 - the female lifestyle section of News24. Isn't it fun when that happens?

Read the full article on Women24 here

...or read the Celebration one here ♥

From Herdbuoys to Hg80 - Rebranding

We recently rebranded the ad agency where I'm currently working - here are a couple of copy snippets that I contributed to this momentous occasion ♥

Relaunch Poster

Say what? You can't read that? Well, here you go then:

Herdbuoys is history.

We are now Hg80.

A full-service through-the-line communications agency, now trading under a new name that conveys the true nature, value, versatility and calibre of the services we offer. With this name change comes new possibilities, new challenges and new heights, so buckle up.

Hg80 is the modern chemical symbol for Mercury. This highly potent element, named after the Roman patron god of communication and commerce, is renowned for its adaptability, speed and mobility.

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New Website

To view all copy and pages, click here.