This year for Mother's Day I am making a meringue lollipop for each guest which I will serve with some strawberry ice-cream, topped with sliced strawberries. You can use any fruit of your choice, or drizzle with a nice salted caramel dessert.

Four tips I can share:
1.  Follow the recipe to the letter.  I did and the meringues come out nice and crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
2. You can do them using a handheld beater, I did, and all went well!

Needed:
3 Large Eggs
150gr Castor Sugar (no other sugar)
Hand/bowl mixer
Gel Coloring
Piping Bags
Wax Paper
Piping nozzles to get different patterns in the meringue.
I used a large star tip nozzle to pipe the lollipop and small nozzles to add the detail.

Recipe:
​I used the very famous recipe by the Meringue Girls. 
The 150gr sugar with 75gr egg whites is the ratio I used and will be enough to do your meringue pops..
Once the meringue is perfectly mixed and not grainy anymore, transfer your meringue into a large piping bag with large star nozzle.
Pipe your pops from left to right onto a piece of baking paper.
Once piped, press your stick in (remember to pre-soak your sticks in water, and when piping, keep in mind how your lollipops on sticks is going to fit into the oven)
Remember to keep a little meringue separate to color for your detailed elements.
Carefully fold the coloring into the meringue.  Pipe detail and then add your sprinkles before popping into the oven.
Switch off your oven when meringues are done and let them cool in the oven.
Add your gold leave and Immediately transfer to a air tight container.  

The Spring Rose Festival at Ludwig's Roses is one of my yearly highlights.  Who cannot look forward to being spoiled in such a special way? This year we were treated to a rose inspired menu paired with Kleine Zalze Bubbles and Wine.  The food was beautifully prepared by the on-site venue; The Rose Shed, led by chef Tony Barnett.
And to top it all of, each of us were gifted a 'Forever Delight' rose plant and a bottle of their Pure Rose Water. 

The official festival is on until Sunday, please treat yourself to this amazing assault on the senses, the rose smell is intoxicating, the floral decor details is something to be admired and the collection of VW cars and toy car collection is not something you will probably ever see for free in your life again (and also an excuse to drag hubby with!).

If you cannot make it this weekend, Heike (Mr. Ludwig's daughter) tells me that the roses is best viewed in the month of October, and they even have a tractor that drive visitors through the rose fields! So you can take your ouma and oupa too.

Images by:  Marethe.com ​

​It is the start of the new year and I know many of you are diving straight into planning some type of celebration whether for yourself, a friend, your little one or your company. We all know the hardest part of planning any party is deciding on the theme and this year I have decided for you - 2017, the year of the Unicorn!

Corporate, pool party, product or store launch, first birthday, it does not matter, unicorn is the theme for 2017.
Why?
1. Because everyone all over social media says so.
2. Every person should get to wear a unicorn horn/outfit at least once in their lifetime.
3. Unicorn hair.
4. You can re-use the decor from event to event and that is good for the environment.
5. You get to float on one of those unicorn water floats if you have a pool or just sit around on them.
6. Cotton candy and sparkles.
7. So many shades and combination of pastel to play with your eyes could possibly start to see in shades of pastel forever - okay I am actually going to try that.
8. You can put glitter on everything. I mean everything.
9. Unicorn bark.
10. You get to spend hours an hours on Pinterest and Instagram deciding on exactly which design of unicorn cupcake, cake, invitation, biscuit is the most perfect for your party.
11.  People are making unicorn cake pops and they really are amazing.
12. They are also making unicorn donuts and that gives you a legitimate reason to have a donut.
13. Unicorns make people happy - that takes a lot of pressure of the planner - you are halfway to a succesfull party!
14. It looks pretty.
15. It is colorful.
16. It photographs really well.
17. I will publish your party on my blog if you do it really well.
18. Think pink drinks and milkshakes and bubbly with cotton candy.
19. You can make people feel good by putting up inspirational unicorn quotes everywhere.
20. It's a horse, with a horn, how cool is that?!

Please see below a few of my favorite images from Pinterest, there are many, many, many more on my 'Unicorn' board, so go and have a look.  These images are not mine, and are linked to original source on Pinterest.

HAVE FUN &WISHING EVERYONE A MAGICAL 2017!

Unicorn bacon, a unicorn biscuit is a cute, edible gift and lastly another great idea is a glass bottle filled with anything you want to fill it with!  Just remember to stick a unicorn on top.

Last week I attended the opening of Ludwig's Roses 45th Spring Festival, which runs till Sunday, 9 October. All around happiness as we were treated to lots of bubbles, yummy treats and beautiful blooms - how much better can a Thursday morning get for a girl? 

This year was extra special as the opening of the Spring Festival was paired with the unveiling of The "La Fleurette" rose, named after a JC Le Roux 'Vivante'variety.  This is the first time in the world that a rose was created and named after a sparkling wine - and seeing the rose next to the salmon pink foam of the bubbly I can tell you it is a perfect match!

​THE OCCASION
​'The 'La FLEURETTE' rose is being named as a tribute to celebrate and honour the artistry of South Africa's leading name in sparkling wines and MCC - The House of JC Le Roux. And it is also fitting that the rose was created by Mr. Ludwig himself, who founded Ludwig Rose's in 1971 and now grow the largest selection of rose varieties available anywhere in the world. Such a proudly South African moment!
Read more about the event and occasion here:  http://bit.ly/2dTYqwj-LaFleuretteRose​ 
​

August is Woman's Month, and the lovely Monique, owner at Design Love, has designed a beautiful wallpaper to remind us daily of how strong and amazing women are. So here's to a month of celebrating yourself and all the other women in your life and supporting each other to achieve amazing things.   

Download iPhone Wallpaper

Download Desktop Wallpaper

I am really addicted to Instagram and not shy to admit it.  It is easy to use.  It is convenient.  It is a mobile based application, so it is always with you to take pictures of pretty things and memories as you encounter them. Pictures load instantaneously. A creative platform to see what other people {creatives} are doing, experiencing and coming up with.  

Every week I discover new accounts that have such lovely, inspirational pictures, that I have decided that they must be shared.  So please say hello to my new 'Instagram Love' posts.  
Every week I will introduce you to five Instagram accounts that I think is worth a visit.  Whenever I can, I will try and keep it to South African accounts, as is the case this week.

Is it a stamp?  No.  Is it artisan chocolates?  No.  Fudge!  It is fudge.  No.  Please let me introduce you to the prettiest soap in all of the world, and it is made right here in South Africa.  Not only beautifull soap, but beautifylly captured. Head over to Auntie Clara's handmade soap @auntieclaras and get lost for a while.  Then go and buy some for all your girlfriends!  ​SHOP

Looking for inspiration for a dinner party?  Or love looking at stunning food, getting hungry and having no way of getting to it?  Or busy planning your Cape Town food stops?  Then this is the account for you!  

I think this is just a lady that travels a lot and loves taking pictures.  I love the way she notices small details and the captures them very artistically.  Get ready for a wave of WanderLust to hit you!

It is fun, quirky and the lady behind the account keeps it interesting.  It just makes me want to live life more, fuller, does that make sense?

No need to explain, you will also love it.  Be prepared for sweet cravings to get you and a sudden urge to arrange your food before every meal and take a hundred pictures.  Just for it to never look like this, ha!  
But on the upside, she has a great food blog with recipes of all the lovely treats you see:  Baking-Ginger.Com

Now come and join us over at Instagram @planmepretty  xoxo




Disclaimer:  all opinions are my own and no payment was received for this post.

It is the month of LOVE, and I, for one, am always torn between, should I or should I not do something for Valentine's day.  My compromise?  Do something small and fun, just because you can and it is always nice to do something that you know will put a smile on someone's face.  

Today I am very excited to announce that this year we will be teaming up with Design Love - Graphic Design Studio, who will be designing all kinds of pretty printable's for our readers.  Starting with these fun Valentine's Day printables.  Please show your appreciation by going over to her facebook page and clicking the 'LIKE' button :)

Our valentine's set is budget friendly, pretty and includes:
1. Chocolate wrapper for a small Lindt chocolate bar.
2. Chocolate wrapper for large Lindt chocolate bar.
3. The coolest voucher booklet with four redeemable #lovevouchers - a real treat for your other half.
4. And a 'Love Sweet Love' valentine's card.  

What you will need:
- Large and/or small Lindt chocolate bar
- 4 pieces of gloss paper for printing - I used 120mg (ask your local printer, they will be able to help)
- Scissor for cutting
- Pen for writing 
- Something to make holes in the vouchers to tie the booklet together
- Small piece of ribbon
- Pretty tape to stick the wrapper around the chocolate bar.

To download, click here: VALENTINE"S PRINTABLE SET

If you want to buy something extra (men ....), I love these valentine's goodies available from some of our listed suppliers, but be sure to order today as most order cut-off dates are on Wednesday this week.

LA VIE EN ROSE MENU

Hope you have a Valentine's Day full of love and lots of hugs!

Today I am sharing the prettiest party we have planned this year.  It was for a very special ladies 21st, who deserved some serious spoiling after a rough year.  
Apparently celebrations went on into the wee hours of the morning and not a morsel of food was left. That is the best compliment anyone can ask for.  

Enjoy the pictures.

Happy Monday, I hope everyone has a great week.

Supplier list:
Plan Me Pretty styled, coordinated and catered for this event.  For the menu and cost, please email  us at info@planmepretty.co.za
Styling and coordination:  Plan Me Pretty
Catering:  Plan Me Pretty
Cutlery and crockery:  Hire from Pebble and Lace
Flowers:  Kabloom
Custom airbrushed biscuits:  Sweetly Detailed

Today I am sharing this beautiful celebration of Yasmeena's 11th birthday.  I apologise for some of the picture quality, but I thought it is such a perfect theme and set-up for a real girly-girl celebration.
The party was coordinated and styled by Avonette from Whimsical Parties.

Enjoy!

Suppliers:
Décor: Whimsical Parties JHB
Red carpet from : Tienkels Red Carpet HIRE
Flowers from : IMPALA FLORIST
Photography : Christo  Greyling
Cake and cupcakes from : Miss Cupcake- Bibi Aysha Ravat

It is Spring! In our part of the country it is the beginning of longer and warmer days, rain and new life. 
Happy Spring to all our readers - wishing all of you great new things with in sync with this great new season.

What I did not mention yesterday, and something that I am very excited to announce, is that the talented Monja, owner at Deerly Studio will be designing all kinds of beautiful things for you to download and use in the coming months. *Wow*

Starting today with this stunning 'Heerlike Lente/Happy Spring' background for your desktop/laptop.  She also designed an A4 printable calendar that you can print out and use as your desk calendar for September or pop it into your diary for some pretty inspiration.

Desktop Background Afrikaans - Heerlike Lente
1680 x 1200
1920 x 1080
2560 x 1440

Desktop Background English  - Happy Spring
1680 x 1200
1920 x 1080
2560 x 1440

Printable A4 Desktop Calender 
Heerlike Lente
Happy Spring

Suppliers:
Venue:  Sandton Rive Cafè
Decor & Styling:  Plan Me Pretty
Picnic Blankets & Cushions:  Wedding Warehouse
Cupcakes:  Belles Pattiserie

I love picnics.  There is something about sitting on the grass, surrounded by trees and blue skies that really soothes my soul and rejuvenates my spirit.  Therefore I am a big fan of making any occasion a picnic when I can.

Today I am sharing a few pictures of a baby shower picnic we did earlier this year.  They are not the best quality, sun/shadow going on there, but hopefully it will still give you a few ideas for your next special event.

'Time to drink champagne and dance on the table' - Gatsby.

 Today I am sharing with you this beautifully put together Nautical theme baby shower, photographed by the very talented Cornelius from Flint and Fuel Photography.

I don't have much to say otherwise, just that the detail in the decor and the presentation of the food is what makes these pictures so nice to look at.  So enjoy!

Suppliers:
Venue:  Private Home
Food:  Grey Phoenix
Decor: Grey Phoenix
Photographer:  Flint and Fuel Photography

On Saturday myself and two friends attended Nicole's Macaroons Chocolate Feast at her factory near Lynwood Bridge.  Different flavored hot chocolate shots paired with macarons - I mean, how much better can a Winter's morning get?  

It was a fun morning out and Nicole prepared loads of small chocolate gifts to buy and take home, and we did! 
{Nicole is planning a variety of pairing feasts in the future, including macaron & wine; macaron & champagne - so sign up to her mailing list to be informed when the next one is taking place}

My favorite pairing was the salted caramel macaron with peanut butter hot chocolate - see picture below.  

As we got out of the car on our way in, my one friend stated that she really did not like macarons and she only came with for catch-up and chats (showck horror!).  After our tasting she said that she's not sure what she had previous times, but maybe they were not macarons?  Nicole really makes the yummiest, goo-iest macarons and you will not be dissapointed, ever.  
They are perfect for any party as everyone loves them and also great as guest favors.
Visit her website here.

We all love Harry Potter right?  And even if you have never heard of Harry Potter {which I do not believe for a second}, you will love it after seeing this amazing candy table.  I mean, so many clever ideas, I just cannot get over how cleverly this was done.  I mean those Golden Snitches cake pops, those little wings!
It was done for a 18th Birthday party by the very creative Sumari from Sweetly Detailed.
Hope this brings a little inspiration for your week!

Suppliers:
Cake:  Sweet 'n Sassy
Macarons:    oh so divine creations
Table styling and rest of the edible goodies:  Sweetly Detailed
Decor Items:  Pebble & Lace

The candy table has been very popular the last couple of years and it still gets a big thumbs up and major love from everybody.  
And I can understand why, it is pretty, it is all kinds of yummy on ONE table and even as adults we still get the exact same feeling of excitement and unbelief as we did as kids when put in front of so much candy.
In short, a pretty candy table with yummy treats is a fool proof way to leave your guests with fond memories of your event and add a touch of fun. 

Do you need a Candy Table Stylist?  In Pretoria or Johannesburg? I have rounded them up for you, below is a list of the creators of the prettiest tables to be found in Gauteng.

CANDY BUFFET
Contact:      Keryn
Location:     Benoni, Johannesburg
Facebook:   facebook.com/Candy-Buffet

KARAMELLA CANDY
Contact:     Reinette and Stephanie
Location:    Johannes Street, Johannesburg
Facebook:  facebook.com/Karamella.Candy

LEA BELLE EVENTS
Contact:      Yolandie
Location:     Johannesburg
Facebook:   Facebook.com/Lea-Belle-Events

MIELIEMEEL DESIGN
Contact:      Barbara
Location:     Pretoria
No website or facebook page, contact here.

MISSI MAGPIE
Contact:      Delia/Tara
Location:     Broadacres, Johannesburg
Facebook:   Facebook.com/Missi-Magpie

PIXIE PERFECT
Contact:     Theunette
Location:    Polokwane
Facebook:  facebook.com/Pixie-Perfect-Childrens-Parties-Events

PRETTY THINGS FOR YOU. AND YOU AND YOU.
Contact:     Melinda
Location:    Johannesburg
Facebook:  facebook.com/PrettyThingsforYouandYouandYou

SWEETLY DETAILED
Contact:     Sumari
Location:    Oxmoor Street, Johannesburg
Facebook:   facebook.com/Sweetly-Detailed

THE CHOCOLATE TIER
Location:     Muldersdrift, Gauteng
Facebook:   facebook.com/thechocolatetier

WORK OF HEART
Contact:       Laura
Location:     Johannesburg
Facebook:    facebook.com/work.of.heart.co.za.

Have I missed someone?!   Please leave their Facebook Page link or Website address in the comment section below.  Would love to expand the list above :)

Have a great week!

I am such a fan of paper placemats.  They are affordable and give any table a bit of personality.  I have been playing with the idea of bringing out a line of paper placemats for a while now, and 2015 was the year!

These were all designed with mostly bridal showers, baby showers and birthdays in mind.  The 'Twee is beter as Een' is perfect for a wedding and 'Love Never Fails' ideal for a wedding anniversary.

All are available in packs of 20.  
They can be collected in Centurion or posted anywhere in SA - please request quote for postage and delivery.
You can also buy the PDF file and print them at home.

Pricing:
Pack of 20:  R75.00 (excl postage)
Digital-print-yourself-version:  R25.00

Hope you love them as much as I do, let me know :)  Xx

Suppliers:
Party Stylist: Claudine van der Walt from Claudine photography
White kiddie tables: Claudine van der Walt from Claudine photography
Cake, Cake pops, macarons & Iced cookies:  Mmm Macarons

Would you like to be notified when we post new features?

Every time I see a Peter Rabbit themed party, a wave of nostalgia hits me bringing back childhood memories and my love for this rabbit and his books.  I still to this day am so in love with anything rabbit related and i strongly believe it is all Peter's fault.  
For a trip down memory lane, visit the Peter Rabbit website and then try and stop yourself from going out and buying a book!  

This beautiful Peter Rabbit party was styled and photographed by Claudine of Claudine Photography.
It was for a little girl's 1st Birthday, but I think it is also a really nice theme for a baby shower.  
And how cute are those vegetable cake pops?

I can get lost in the big wide world of the internet for hours.  So much talent, creative works and original ideas.

So I thought that today I would share with you things that i discovered this week that I really loved and got lost in for a little while.  it is Easter weekend, so where ever you find yourself, you can grab your phone, tablet or laptop, and just escape for a while in all the pretty things.

Get lost in:
The picture above is from ilovedoodle.com, after browsing the site, you will also love doodle.

Feel nolstalgic with:
Illo - Stationery / Creative designs / Illustrations.  The most beautiful Birthday Cards and Invitations.  

Add 'so-hot-right-now' Scandinavian pieces to your home, from the comfort of your couch - or buy a gift for someone special: 
an online concept store inspired by Scandinavian interior design. Here you will find unique home décor pieces (designed either by us or by other local designers) that will help you to achieve the monochrome Scandinavian look in your own home. All photos were styled and taken by me in our home in Somerset West, South Africa. Our aim is to share our love for Scandinavian interiors with you - may you find plenty of inspiration here! :)
- Petro Vivier (Owner/founder)

Go somewhere:
These three venues are newly listed with us, so if you are in town and looking for somewhere to be merry this weekend, try:  Belle 66 on Rivonia;  The Secret Garden in Sandton;  Voodoo Lily Cafe in Parkhurst.

Do Something:
Looking to do something creative with the kids this weekend?  11 Fun and pretty Easter D.i.Y's to choose from.  

“A girl should be two things: classy & fabulous” ~ Coco Chanel

Lauren from Work of Heart put together this very sophisticated and elegant Coco Chanel inspired 30th Birtday.

From Lauren:
"Chantelle wanted a classy & fabulous 30th birthday party, & so we decided on a Coco Chanel theme. Inspired by Coco Chanel’s sophisticated style, we chose a palette of black & white, with gold accents. Décor element included framed Coco Chanel quotes, custom printed balloons with the classic double C insignias & black satin bows. We also included fashion inspired props like a black wrought iron dressmakers dummy & black velvet jewelry busts dripping in pearls.

We were lucky to find the perfect venue - Isabella’s Cake & Food Shop in Northcliff; its striking black & white wallpaper provided the perfect backdrop. 
Natalie of Cherry Whisk made the cake, cupcakes & cookies that had us all swooning & drooling. 
Carmen Niemand from Nestling Photography beautifully captured every detail with her passion for photography"