tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606273276834409662012-01-02T13:41:48.586+02:00our stories felt from the heartJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-18477499688051182072012-01-02T13:37:00.000+02:002012-01-02T13:37:34.029+02:00

It’s a brand new year. One filled with new beginnings and new inspirations. New friendships and new ideas. It’s a clean slate for all of us to rewrite our history. Create our own path and brighten our own future. It’s time to move forward to a place filled with opportunity and hope. Not entitlement and disregard. 2012 is our year for positive change. As Martha and I sat hugging each other

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-44573922447745643652011-12-01T10:36:00.000+02:002011-12-01T10:36:12.218+02:00

As World Aids Day rolls around again, I wonder how far we have come as a country in the fight against HIV/AIDS? The stigma is still there and young girls are more worried about falling pregnant then they are about contracting HIV. Wives in rural communities still don’t question their husbands about whether or not they have been faithful while living and working away from home and retroviral

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-30900588594517390612011-11-16T22:35:00.000+02:002011-11-16T22:35:44.558+02:00

Once again Martha proved just how big her heart really is. We were asked by one of our lovely customers if we’d help with a job that involved cutting material into strips for her client (Nando’s). It had nothing to do with Heartfelt products - they simply needed hands to help. So we roped in some of the local ladies in the community and Martha put them to work. It was a huge job and the timings

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-56913902057480792602011-10-26T18:03:00.000+02:002011-10-26T18:03:28.162+02:00

I woke up this morning feeling inspired. Not only because today I received two very encouraging messages from people, but also because there is so much going on at Heartfelt and a lot of positive thinking. We are running around already in the throws of putting Christmas orders together. This is always our busiest time of year and from now until Santa jumps down your chimney, we will be up to our

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-54677161737145353092011-09-20T18:19:00.000+02:002011-09-20T18:19:37.450+02:00

A few weeks ago Western Cape Wineries, started by New Zealander Christine Andrews, held a Blind Wine Tasting evening at the Two Ocean’s Aquarium at the Cape Town Waterfront. Other than learning about and enjoying the wines, its main aim was to raise money for Heartfelt in an effort to buy school books for one of the local schools we support in the Makapanstad district. The venue was spectacular

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-56166843289781175112011-08-31T13:53:00.000+02:002011-08-31T13:53:53.695+02:00

Nothing makes a woman feel more like a woman, than being in a room full of woman. Phew, that was a mouthful! Hopefully you get what I am trying to say. It’s inspiring and motivating and filled with that thing we call ‘girl power’. Maybe it’s the fact that we are able to listen to each other and learn from each other. And no matter what walk of life we are from - as mothers, sisters, daughters,

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-15837985858670616122011-06-30T11:38:00.000+02:002011-06-30T11:38:42.707+02:00

It was my brother’s wedding last weekend in Cape Town and he really wanted Martha to be there. Like me, she is his 'African mother' and has known him from the day he was born. Growing up he was Emanuel’s best friend. It was such a special time. Martha, who will never get on a plane for fear of flying, caught the City-to-City bus up to Cape Town from Pretoria which took her 17 hours. When she

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-91538105304770037402011-06-05T22:26:00.000+02:002011-06-05T22:26:20.115+02:00

It’s been a buzz of excitement at Heartfelt over the past two weeks. Motsawako’s SABC2 talk show aired last Monday night featuring a story on Heartfelt – and the star of the show Martha. None of us knew it would be on TV, the first we heard of it was when we started getting frantic calls from friends and family. Wow, talk about exciting. I called Martha and she was already watching it – her phone

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-13996031623526137172011-04-28T10:05:00.000+02:002011-04-28T10:05:28.332+02:00

Hi, this is Francie. I’m Heartfelt's 'Development Manager'. That just means I’m up for anything and interested in everything, especially the improvement of the work and sanitary conditions of the Heartfelt employees. I’ve been in South Africa for a visit for the past week working with the Ladies on several different things. I last came to Heartfelt and South Africa two years ago and since then

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-69517251483191608072011-03-26T00:29:00.000+02:002011-03-26T00:29:31.789+02:00

It’s been a difficult week. One that’s been met with sheer excitement and complete disappointment. As we all sat in Makapanstad yesterday, facing the harsh reality that -after drilling 140 metres, spending R60 000 (£6000) & sharing two sleepless nights together - we weren’t going to find any water. There was a 4% chance of this happening. 4%?! God obviously has other plans for us. We just can’t

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-20913211086209860542011-03-18T10:47:00.000+02:002011-03-18T10:47:01.881+02:00

Shooo, there’s lots on the go! Over the past two weeks we’ve had Penny Lebyane from Motswako come and visit us with the SABC2 film crew – much to Martha and the ladies delight. Martha and I then went to the SABC studios in Johannesburg for an interview about South African female entrepreneurs. Martha was clearly the star of the show and when she got home, managed to spread the news to everyone

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-62098936322210101502011-02-25T16:19:00.000+02:002011-02-25T16:19:42.430+02:00

Not only because it’s the country responsible for H&M clothing and Ikea – but because it’s where our latest two visitors Shona & Calle come from. They visited us recently out in Makapanstad and we put them straight to work. Packing orders and teaching them all about Martha’s strict quality control routine. They gave the ladies a quick geography lesson on the workshops wall map, showing exactly

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-81332868303161345902011-02-11T10:10:00.000+02:002011-02-11T10:10:23.156+02:00

Today is a very important day for Martha, well for all of us really. It is five years today since Emanuel (Martha’s son) sadly passed away. I’ve realised one thing over the years – a mother’s love never fades away. Martha will be going to the cemetery later this afternoon to tell him how much she loves and misses him.We all do. So it couldn’t be more appropriate that this weekend is also

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-90337468353364398062011-02-04T09:43:00.000+02:002011-02-04T09:43:08.966+02:00

Hello. Finally! I must apologise for it being the first week of February and this being our first blog of the year. Naughty, naughty. Well, I have now made it my new year’s resolution to blog as often as possible – so you’ll be able to keep up to date with what we are up to at Heartfelt on a weekly basis. I promise to also tweet more and add things to our Facebook pages as they happen. In fact,

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-43208894254228473952010-12-14T12:21:00.000+02:002010-12-14T12:21:03.713+02:00

With Christmas just around the corner, the ladies are busily finishing off all orders this week before closing Pinky Place on Friday for Christmas and New Year. It’s been an incredible year. We’ve had highs. We’ve had lows. And we’ve had life changing experiences. I’ve seen the ladies grow from strength-to-strength. I’ve seen them blossom into beautiful, empowered women. They’ve formed

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-13957155757251788202010-12-01T11:38:00.000+02:002010-12-01T11:38:12.154+02:00

Well it's World AIDS Day today, 1st December, and our lovely lady who is HIV Positive is busy at work helping to get Christmas orders ready and sent out by the end of the week. Martha and I can’t quite believe that it’s the same lady who couldn’t even get out of bed this time last year. She was half her body weight in size and close to deaths door - now she looks as fit and healthy as all the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-29307964710284517992010-11-08T11:09:00.000+02:002010-11-08T11:09:47.615+02:00

I was reading a wonderful book the other day which said ‘When you imagine anything positive that you want and love, you are harnessing the force of love. When you imagine something positive, something good, and you feel love for it, that is what you are giving – and that is what you will receive’. Last week Martha and the ladies finished a very big order for a customer who was not happy with

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-71949263579335843572010-10-05T21:29:00.000+02:002010-10-05T21:29:44.646+02:00

I’ve got such exciting news. Martha’s daughter Charlene not only passed her computer course - but she came top of her class and got the highest marks out of anyone who had ever done the course! Isn’t that incredible? She is definitely Martha’s child – clever and hard working. It was just the most amazing news to hear. Martha and I are so proud of her and can't wait to get her started in the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-51181455671212611182010-09-22T22:11:00.000+02:002010-09-22T22:11:30.445+02:00

We've got so much going on behind the scenes at Heartfelt at the moment it's been impossible to sit still (let alone to get Martha to sit still). She used to tell me as a little girl that I always had 'ants in my pants' so it did make us giggle when I said the same thing to her this morning. She has been what she calls 'rondlooping'. Yesterday was shopping and posting day for her and that means

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-38056162083302400832010-09-10T13:04:00.000+02:002010-09-10T13:04:54.502+02:00

I wanted to share this family photograph with you. It’s a picture of Martha with my mother taken in Makapanstad in 1988 at her ‘roof wetting’. I remember it so vividly. My sister and brother and I ran around the village with Emanuel and Charlene and all the local kid. I was barefoot (because all the kids were barefoot) and it was so hot I nearly died. We all ran hand-in-hand to buy sweets from

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-5770989815855628142010-09-02T14:51:00.000+02:002010-09-02T14:51:00.621+02:00

As you know we all love weddings and were delighted to take part in a wedding show at the Pride Park Stadium in Derby, UK on Sunday 29th August. La Vie Est Un Voyage (*) - an ethical wedding planning business based in Derby -  exhibited our little favours as a fait-trade gift alternative for brides. You can read more about the event on their blog and see how beautifully they displayed their

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-83022518140028985472010-08-24T10:51:00.000+02:002010-08-24T10:51:19.317+02:00

There has been so much going on here since our last chat. Firstly let me start with some really special news. Our lovely lady (who is HIV Positive and been off work for the last year and a half) is back at work. Thanks to all the love and support she’s received she is now looking a lot healthier and is very happy to be back with the Heartfelt ladies. Martha was so excited to see her and says she

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-27073510237557758022010-08-06T16:46:00.000+02:002010-08-06T16:46:45.268+02:00

Two of our lovely ladies took part in a Financial Education Workshop this week, held in Johannesburg and facilitated by Old Mutual. We were invited as part of the Old Mutual Legends Programme - an enterprise development initiative of the Old Mutual Foundation we are proudly taking part in. This initiative is developed and implemented on Old Mutual’s behalf by Fetola Mmoho and is currently

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-5543840999989055892010-07-26T16:37:00.000+02:002010-07-26T16:37:15.234+02:00

Well, where do I even begin? It’s been a really crazy two weeks at Heartfelt and things don’t seem to be calming down with Women’s Day just around the corner. I’m so proud of Martha and the ladies who managed to deliver our biggest order to date on time last week – after sewing right through the night and giving up their weekends. They all slept at Martha’s the night before delivery (or didn’t

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-73828921396495403662010-07-15T19:41:00.000+02:002010-07-15T19:41:31.997+02:00

At our Heartfelt Rosendal Project, a very special heartfelt initiative is taking place on Sunday for Mandela Day. Sam Yeowart - who runs the project from Rosendal in the Orange Free State - gives the Heartfelt Ladies English lessons once a week. This week the lesson was devoted to ‘How they’ll spend their 67 minutes on Mandela Day’? The question was asked if the Ladies knew of anyone who is doing

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-26306857703483358632010-07-02T20:59:00.000+02:002010-07-02T20:59:56.177+02:00

So it’s been another mad week here at Heartfelt, what with month end (the ladies favourite time) and lots of exciting orders coming in. We also received some photos from one of our Heartfelt bridal couples, Leanne & Dan who got married in the UK on the 15th of May – which we wanted to share with you (take a look at their photos on our Facebook page). The Ladies loved every minute of making their

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-57077591914302051692010-06-17T18:27:00.000+02:002010-06-17T18:27:53.100+02:00

Good golly! Where has the time gone? We’ve been sew busy the past few weeks which has been really wonderful for all the ladies. With the wedding season kicking off and all our lovely June-July brides getting ready for their big day we’ve practically been heads down and sewing our little hearts out. Not to mention stocking up the Cape Town Tourism shops and the Mzanzi Store (for the World Cup

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-89859053504202066672010-05-27T13:19:00.000+02:002010-05-27T13:19:38.116+02:00

Exciting news! We’ve developed a new range of Heartfelt Cards as an income generating project called: The Masiye Phambili Project through Headway (Alexander, Johannesburg). Headway provides a place of “belonging” for survivors of brain injury, where attendees can take part in meaningful activities and socialise with one another. This provides them with a focus and something to look forward to

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-58941400581170612462010-05-19T14:57:00.000+02:002010-05-19T14:57:51.157+02:00

Maya Angelou & the wisdom in her words!: 'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.''I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.''I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-10667904003456947392010-05-18T18:26:00.000+02:002010-05-18T18:27:04.349+02:00

Fantastic news. We’ve been selected to take part in the Transnet Craft Access Programme 2010-2013 (four years in total). Which means we’ll be exhibiting and selling at the Grahamstown festival each year (yippee), starting on 20th June 2010 (and that's less than a month away… gulp). We’re sending lovely Mpho, who will be going to Grahamstown from the 17th June – 5th July (all transport and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-22240272159889607362010-05-11T16:59:00.000+02:002010-05-11T16:59:41.294+02:00

Running a community development project sure ain’t for sissies. Well, that's what I think anyway. Last week was an extremely challenging week for both Martha and myself. We were once again faced with the challenges of HIV and the stigma attached to being positive. One of our very special ladies hasn’t turned up for work in over two weeks, which is extremely worrying. None of the ladies know that

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-78924491031354521042010-04-26T12:33:00.000+02:002010-04-26T12:38:31.625+02:00

Martha has been a real busy body the past few days. At one stage I thought she’d gone missing. But it turns out she’d gone on her own little mission. Buying plastic packets and catching trains. She was also invited on a two day workshop through The Legends programme in Johannesburg – but sadly could only make day two as the Taxis in Pretoria went on strike (unannounced) on day one. I felt really

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-55405371258023812092010-04-19T12:59:00.000+02:002010-04-19T12:59:31.740+02:00

Last month we teamed up with The Lunchbox Fund to create little bespoke fridge magnets to help raise money for hungry little tummies. An initiative run by a very special South African Topaz Page-Green, who lives in New York. It was inspiring to see how many celebrities were involved in suppoting this initiative and we felt really priviliged to be asked to design their little fridge magnets. In

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-1301930101818729432010-04-12T21:36:00.000+02:002010-04-12T21:36:53.744+02:00

Martha and I had a good chat this morning about Julius Malema. We both agreed that he’s a bit of a tit. We often debate about the political situation in South Africa and have done this for as long as I can remember. I have this vivid memory of the two of us lying in the lounge listening to Tracy Chapman on the record player, talking about how exciting it will be when Mandela gets released out of

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-77587410493450826652010-04-07T18:46:00.000+02:002010-04-07T18:47:34.577+02:00

We wanted to introduce you to a very special lady, Francie Finn. She has been working behind the scenes at Heartfelt since 2007 and has been an instrumental person in the development and growth within the Project & Community. We met in September 2007 and have been talking ideas pretty much since then. Over the years Francie has also spent a lot of time helping us with our online and web

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-45467098688112746822010-04-01T18:46:00.000+02:002010-04-01T18:46:11.476+02:00

Easter weekend is a very special time for Martha and the Heartfelt ladies. At about 6am on Easter Sunday they all go down to the graveyard with their families, where their loved ones are buried. Martha goes there to be with Emanuel and her parents. Everyone takes candles and the whole place is lit up and filled with life. It’s their way to identifying with Jesus Christ’s victory over death. His

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-81431153809501953932010-03-29T18:09:00.000+02:002010-03-29T18:10:45.169+02:00

We were so excited last month when we were asked by the Wedding Expo Team to create the little inspirational gifts for the launch of their Wedding Inspirations Magazine (to hit South African shelves this season). The ladies did a fantastic job and created 250 fuchsia pink & white key rings with the word ‘Inspirations’ embroidered on the back. Not only were we proud to see our

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-49046987465128021562010-03-24T18:32:00.000+02:002010-03-24T18:56:52.045+02:00

Well it’s been a really crazy few months here at Heartfelt with lots going on and as the weeks fly bye, so do our visitors. We recently had Andy & Tiffany Jones come out to the project to visit us (they live in Arkansas in the USA), and it was a great day getting to chat and catch up on everything that’s been going on. Tiffany & Andy have been very supportive of the project since day one and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-14674284256764724492010-03-17T11:01:00.000+02:002010-03-17T11:01:02.747+02:00

We’ve had the most exciting gift delivered to Pinky Place – our very own Die-Cutting Machine! Martha nearly fainted on the spot and I couldn’t help bursting into tears (I’ve been doing that a lot lately). Have you ever seen how a Die-Cutter works? It’s the most incredible machine and had us all mesmerised when demonstrating to the ladies. We were all in total silence until Mina (the lady in the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-57874764128363425742010-03-04T09:32:00.000+02:002010-03-04T09:32:56.693+02:00

One of our suppliers - Arshaad from Ruby's Haberdashery in Brooklyn - donated 2 x 10 kilogram bags of mielie meal (maize) to the heartfelt ladies on friday. Which meant so much. When I took it out there the ladies decided that they'd keep one of the bags and give the other bag to Moshilo (Edward - our dictionary boy). Apparently according to the ladies he is really struggling and doesn't have

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-66143128385484735202010-03-02T18:43:00.000+02:002010-03-02T18:43:10.433+02:00

I arrived at Martha's two weeks ago to find this really special boy 'Edward' at her house. He seemed to be very worried about her (it was when she was very ill) and he sat with me on the couch while having a cup of tea. There was something very special about him and we chatted about school and life in Makapanstad. He told me that he often came to keep Martha company at night and showed me his

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-8650151713953224232010-02-16T21:49:00.000+02:002010-02-16T21:49:37.626+02:00

Last week was a particularly hard week for all of us here at Heartfelt. So much happened and so much of it was really sad. The good news however is that Martha is feeling so much better - and I would like to say a very special thank you to everyone who said a little prayer for her and who helped Heartfelt financially to get her to the right doctors. She is slowly-slowly gaining her strength and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-70936280869047890422010-02-10T08:24:00.000+02:002010-02-10T08:39:19.629+02:00

It’s been a really stressful time at Heartfelt this week as Martha became really ill, my worry was that she was having a stroke. She fell sick on Tuesday and we have been in and out of hospitals. The Doctor who treated her in Makapanstad, I am so convinced, is not a real doctor – you must just hear the stories! He pricked her finger, saw the blood and said that Martha was a diabetic. He kept

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-28970890135901325572010-01-31T20:27:00.000+02:002010-03-04T08:52:12.467+02:00

I spent saturday with Martha, at her daughter Charlene’s house near Makapanstad. I’d been promising to go and visit them for ages – so yesterday I jumped in the car and went. It was great spending quality time with Martha and her family. Being away from the workshop meant we couldn’t talk shop (well ok, so we did just a little).We sat outside in the sunshine drinking tea and watching Martha’s

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-46393889738684793132010-01-15T15:07:00.000+02:002010-01-15T15:28:34.916+02:00

Did we ever tell you how our felt bouquet turned out for our lovely bride Lisa? Well here it is – our wedding masterpiece all beautiful and bouquet(y). Her colours were pink, black & cream/white. We managed to source gorgeous bespoke buttons and beads for added detail and the 16 stems were all tied together in a stunning (yet subtle) pink silk ribbon – with a little heart attached – for love (&

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-77565110769370128712010-01-07T14:38:00.000+02:002010-01-07T14:52:24.385+02:00

Firstly, on behalf of all the Heartfelt Ladies, I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I still can’t quite believe that it’s 2010. We are all very excited to have kick started the new year by designing a few little 2010 World Cup brooches this week - so do keep an eye out for them on our product pages.It was also Martha’s birthday on the 3rd of January, another reason to celebrate. She

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-481779127264014042009-12-23T00:33:00.000+02:002009-12-23T00:59:28.183+02:00

Martha and I have just had a good giggle over the phone. She is sitting at home in Makapanstad sipping on her petrol (that’s what she calls coffee), having just returned from Pretoria after posting – what should have been - our last orders. The reason we are laughing is because Lebogeng, Martha’s granddaughter, has just interrupted us telling me how excited she is to have her Magogo (granny) to

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-17765841066279402872009-12-21T16:13:00.000+02:002009-12-21T16:35:09.013+02:00

On the 1st of December for World Aids Day this year, Wendy Slade from Abantu Shop in the little village of Bourne in the UK put together a special heartfelt hamper for our special lady who is HIV Positive. It was filled with a whole heap of FairTrade goodies from her beautiful shop and each ticket was raffled off at £1 a ticket. We have just received a total of £72 from Wendy which will be given

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-18679927526739428332009-12-10T19:04:00.000+02:002009-12-10T19:38:34.094+02:00

My brother got engaged last week – Martha calls him 'Mosimane' (which means 'boy' in Northern Sotho). He was Emanuel’s best friend. It’s so exciting to think that there will be another wedding to look forward to - my sister (picture here with Martha at my wedding) got married in May with all the heartfelt ladies there too. They were beside themselves with excitement when Martha told them about

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-26965113128174657492009-12-08T15:29:00.000+02:002009-12-08T16:24:45.201+02:00

'le Robale ga botse'. That’s what Martha and I say to each other most nights. It means 'good night and sleep well'. Though sometimes I have to wonder how much sleep Martha gets. She's such a busy body. I’ll often phone her at nine at night and she’ll still be up – working on the jobs for the next day. She doesn’t always like to let on that this is what she is doing because she knows I worry about

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-66777809395150662382009-12-04T13:16:00.000+02:002009-12-04T13:38:03.941+02:00

It’s posting day today. Which means Martha has to go into Pretoria to post our weekly orders. There is a Post Office in Makapanstad – but we’ve had far too many parcels go missing. Something about seamail that they seem to love – airmail hasn’t hit the little community yet we don’t think. Martha said she was in there the other day to give them a ‘shaky-shaky’ as she put it, which made me smile.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-73167916326277468732009-12-03T13:54:00.000+02:002009-12-03T14:01:26.879+02:00

I spoke to our lovely lady yesterday (and to her mother) to tell her how supportive everyone has been since World Aids Day and how much we all love her. She sounded so happy, so thankful, so hopeful. It made my heart really happy.Martha also popped over to her house (just around the corner(ish). First dirt road to the left, then turn right) and took her some hearts and a Mr Warthog to make – her

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-33619536631385770382009-12-01T12:13:00.000+02:002009-12-01T12:58:46.547+02:00

As I sit here thinking about today - World Aids Day - I can’t quite believe where our heartfelt journey has taken Martha and me. We’ve had many challenges over the past year, HIV being one of them - and we've learnt that love and faith are a formidable force.We’ve come face to face with this deadly virus and seen the damage it can cause to a woman’s body, her confidence, her mental health and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-16742929246297372782009-11-24T19:54:00.000+02:002009-11-24T20:24:00.233+02:00

If you're looking for carefully selected beautiful handcrafted products and inspirational ideas - then get to A Gift Affair at Welgemeend, Welgemeend Avenue, Gardens (Jan van Riebeeck High School), Cape Town on 26-27 November (10am – 7pm) & 28th November (10am – 4pm). You'll be sure to find exclusive and original gifts, sensational home and garden accessories, gorgeous fashion items, hand-crafted

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-29269094141320218652009-11-18T10:53:00.000+02:002009-11-18T10:55:22.162+02:00

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in God, in yourself and others.. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are.. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-91807505205616374722009-11-16T18:04:00.000+02:002009-11-16T18:22:04.173+02:00

It was a busy day for Heartfelt on Saturday in Oundle, a little Fairtrade village in the UK where we exhibited with a group of other Fairtrades. Abantu & Injabulo were also there with their gorgeous products and offering their heartfelt support. Everyone had a great time and our new range of Heartfelt cards went down a treat!

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-45570625155205177602009-11-16T17:36:00.000+02:002009-11-16T18:00:48.188+02:00

If you’ve never been to Rosendal before then it’s certainly worth a visit. In my opinion it’s the creative capital of the Orange Free State. But don’t expect a big town, in fact it's a little 'dorp’ and its quaintness and locals are where its quirkiness lie. Walk the streets (literally two up, two down & two across) and you’ll find some of South Africa’s best artists, a theatre & lots of

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-92071123075015835112009-11-10T15:57:00.000+02:002009-11-10T16:01:53.389+02:00

Lena gave birth to a healthy, bouncy baby boy last month – so there’s been a lot to celebrate! She looked beaming and so proud to be a new mum. Staying with her sister (just up the (dirt) road from Martha’s house) she told me that her ‘boyfriend’ had also paid Lobola (an age-old African custom where a price is paid for the right to marry a woman and based on a process that brings the two families

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-36707788205870749912009-11-06T20:04:00.000+02:002009-11-10T16:04:38.186+02:00

Mulled wine and home-made mince pies kicked off our festive season on Wednesday night at Abantu's Fairtrade shop in Bourne in the UK. Abantu is a small ethically run individual business selling unique hand crafted fairtrade products, offering stylish gifts sourced from third world countries. Wendy Slade the shops owner, a fellow South African living in the UK, has been very supportive of

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-79345411816663541642009-10-30T14:04:00.000+02:002009-11-06T20:45:33.921+02:00

I’m very unhappy. And it takes a lot to make me feel this way. Why in 2009 do small rural communities still have such poor socio-economic problems? Why are there no proper hospitals and clinics in places like Makapanstad? And why when a woman is giving birth, is she made to stand in a queue to collect her ticket before she’s allowed to go to the hospital and not given any medication at all?Yes, I

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-82676051113552238132009-10-28T18:40:00.000+02:002009-10-28T19:35:57.279+02:00

You know that feeling when someone does something so special it makes your heart smile from the inside out? Well that’s exactly how we felt this month when a group of very special ladies got together to have a Polka Dot Party in support of Heartfelt. And boy oh boy did we need the cheering up! Sadly one of our ladies lost her mother, so it really made us all feel so much better (very loved indeed

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-57737779037798979362009-10-26T15:54:00.000+02:002009-10-26T16:25:23.301+02:00

On the 28th of October KAMERSVOL GESKENKE opens its gates for the 7th time and we are so excited. Our beautiful stand has been built by LIze from Love Project and she has been so supportive in getting our products sold at this inspirational event. The magnificent venue of the DE MORGENZON wine estate in Stellenboschkloof is where it will be held this year. Click here for directions. KAMERSVOL

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-86967019695457508122009-10-22T14:52:00.000+02:002009-10-22T15:20:25.862+02:00

We're in love with a little shop in Pretoria called iCreate. It was started by Heartfelt's Vicky Visser(in-between her busy schedule she still manages to help us with admin) in September. Her gorgeous little shop is so inspirational. Walking in will instantly make you feel like you want to be creative! If you've ever wanted to learn how to mosaic - here's your chance. And it's much easier than

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-2779246255444927392009-10-22T14:21:00.000+02:002009-10-22T14:35:11.006+02:00

As I'm sure most of you know it's nearly time for the Groot Constantia Christmas Fair in Cape Town (sorry to those of you who live elsewhere). The organiser is just the loveliest lady called Karen and sadly this year heartfelt won't be able to take part in the fair (we're sewing our little hearts out to get our Christmas orders to our customers). So do pop in to show your support, it's R20 to get

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-82915361354028218332009-10-08T12:45:00.000+02:002009-10-22T14:18:52.162+02:00

Recently a bride asked us to design a Heartfelt Bouquet for her wedding in December. Here's a sneak peek of our bouquet design in progress - the finished result will consist of 16 stems in the colours pink, cream & black. We've collected beautiful beads & buttons to individually embellish each flower and can't wait to show you the finished product when our beautiful bride walks down the isle!

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-60775917133402604092009-10-02T15:47:00.000+02:002009-10-26T16:29:32.649+02:00

If you're in Cape Town this weekend get to the CY Market! You'll find lots of stunning goodies to take home and a whole heap of heartfelt love!

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-33420303148264049312009-09-30T21:59:00.000+02:002009-10-26T16:29:07.675+02:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month ladies - so let's make a concerted effort to examin our best assets! Too many women leave it too late. We all lead busy and demanding lives - often putting others’ needs before our own. This month we would like to encourage you to invest in your health by doing a breast self-examination (BSE) and screening test. Let’s be proactive against cancer together –

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760627327683440966.post-69969973013946981262009-07-10T14:50:00.000+02:002009-10-26T16:28:38.220+02:00

NEW UNIFORMS FOR THE HEARTFELT LADIESThere was a lot of excitement amongst the ladies at the beginning of May when they received the new Heartfelt uniforms. They had requested wearing uniforms a few months ago, feeling that it would give them a sense of pride to dress up for work and feel unified as a team. Looking gorgeous in their purple tops and denim skirts - come and take a look at our

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068600447307350318noreply@blogger.com0