So what you doing for New Years Eve??

Yes, it is that time of year again when everyone frantically sms's, emails and tweets their friends or random people to find out "so, what are your plans for New Years Eve?"

I have a theory...if you haven't planned or booked your evening in advance there are only a few options left to choose from which usually range from a braai at a mates place, a braai at a mate of a mate or one of the few nightclubs in Durban. Yes there are other functions but not everyone can afford R1000 a couple for a night out.

Now as tempting as those options sound to me, quite frankly, this year I am utterly exhausted and am rather excited about our plans for New Years Eve.

Today after a beach braai with good mates, Ryan and I decided to pop into the Blue Waters Hotel for a cup of coffee on the balcony. And then it hit us...amazing view, reasonably priced good foood, our favourite hotel in Durban and open on New Year's Eve...we have booked a table at The Blue Waters hotel.
Just the two of us for dinner, champagne at midnight and sea views. Done, dusted and booked.
And I am rather excited to get dressed up, go on a date and say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012 with my best friend, at our best place in Durban and not break the bank balance.

I will be sure to post on New Years Day with details of the evening.

Have a wonderful but safe New years and final day of 2011.
See you all on the other side.

LaurenLeigh cc

Lets get proactive

I was lucky enough to be very spoilt this Christmas from my parents and I was given a very fancy laptop as my gift.
For me, this made me ecstatically happy as not only can I now focus on Culture Concepts 100% but I start studying in the new year ( brave or stupid- I am still deciding) and this laptop will help me keep everything in order.

So as from tomorrow, there will be loads of new and exciting Culture Concepts posts.

I know I have been very scarce lately but to those of you that have been following...Thank You!

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New post for The Bedroom

Another post done for The Bedroom....have a look here

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Crazy season madness

It is that crazy time of the year again where everyone hits melting point before they start to cool off again in their holiday leave ( if you are lucky enough to get annual leave) so I am apologizing now for the lack of blogging, items for sale and general all round news...I have not been this tired, exhausted or busy in my entire life.

My last day of work ( in my real job) is tomorrow. We end at 11am and then head for our year end function.
So by next week you can all look forward to new posts, items for sale and more reviews.

I hope you all keep reading and look forward to next week.

LaurenLeigh cc

Hemingway's...Another Durban eatery

My latest Groupon voucher was for Hemingway's in Glenwood. Two main meals for the price of one but we decided to add in some starters and desserts just to round the meal off nicely. This is what I thought of it and the food we grazed on...

Starters was curried butternut and feta samoosa's with plum or sweet chilli dipping sauce. We both said the filling on the inside of the samoosa was a bit sparse and lacking some flavour. Throw in some cumin and chilli if the menu says "Curried" butternut and feta samoosa.

Mains was the "famous" calamari tubes with salad and chips and the fillet with chakalaka and avocado topping. The mains were probably the best part of the entire meal. The calamari had the perfect amount of lemon, garlic and chilli and the salad and crispy chips added the perfect combination. The fillet had a whirlwind of flavours with the spicy chakalaka and creamy avocado sitting perfectly on top of my rare fillet and sauteed potatoes.

Dessert was a Malva pudding with ice cream and homemade custard in a phyllo basket. This was a sore point for me. I originally wanted the chocolate mousse with brownie but that was out of stock. My boyfriend loves malva pudd so he was only but too happy to eat the next choice of dessert. When it arrived though, the ice cream was half melted, the custard tasted like watered down sugar cream and the malva itself was as dry as a day old muffin with no flavour.

The service was chirpy and responsive with a chatty waiter who knew his menu well and was a good salesperson. Although making me wait 20 minutes for the bill and then a further 10 minutes just to settle it didn't leave me with a good taste in my mouth towards the end of the evening.

All round - I will return to Hemingway's and I do recommend it. Just don't have the malva pudding.

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On the other side of the world

This weekend we went away to the Buddhist Retreat Centre, so I apologise for being quiet.
I will however update blogs and things for sale in the next day or two while I wrap my head around being back in the real world...I think I may prefer the BRC where it felt like the other side of the world.

LaurenLeigh cc

P.S. dont forget the awesome goodies still for sale here

Once Loved Sale

Culture concepts has begun.

* Ideas *Styling * Sourcing

I will be selling once loved goodies for friends and family via the blog and facebook.
Part of my service is to come in and clean up your house or wardrobe. Not clean as in spring clean and dust but clean as in revamp and toss out ( give to me) goodies you don't use, won't use or haven't used in a long time.

If anything catches your eye this is how it works:

* On facebook, the first person to comment on the photo gets the item. Or the person with the highest bid
* On the blog, pls email me ( laurenleigh.gibson@gmail.com) and I will get back to you as soon as possible with payment details
* Postage will be added on ( R30 depending on the area) and this comes with a tracking number.
* If you stay in Durban I will gladly drop it off or meet you somewhere to collect.

The first lot of goodies are up...Happy shopping!

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Culture concepts on Facebook!!!

Culture Concepts now has it's very own facebook page. Please go and Like the page here and show me some support.

From this page I will be posting ideas, fun news for Culture Concepts and goodies that go on sale and eventually I will be running giveaways and competitions off the blog and the facebook page so please get to Liking that button.

To start with, I have got my first project on the go...it is to help my good friend Simone clear out her clutter ( or once loved goodies) that she doesn't want, need or cannot fit into her new home.

Pls go and view the facebook page here to see what we have started sorting or look on my Once Loved page here for a quick reference.

You can follow Simone on ScrambledNotes. She has some awesome pics and ramblings going on.

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Durban and it's hidden musical treasures

I know I have been in hiding for a few days but as everyone says lately: "life has been so manic".

On Monday, Ryan and I decided to join some friends at the Collective art gallery in Windermere Road to listen to some bands. I wasn't actually sure what the evening had in store but when we got there I discovered it was the Battle of the Acoustics 2011.

The acoustic sets were really good but one solo artist who really stood out for me was Amy White. I watched her set up on her own, sound check on her own and test her guitar and keyboard, on her own. and yes she is that talented...guitar and keyboard.

With a voice similar to Adele, Evanescence and her own twist, Amy gave me goosebumps and a chill up my spine. She feels her music, believes in it and has a great natural stage presence.
She has no worries about what people think of her. She is there to have fun, sing her music and entertain her followers.

Amy White also belongs to a band called Kings and Queen ( which I still have to listen to) and you can check them out here or simply look for Amy on Facebook under Amy White.

Do yourself a favour and go to one of her gigs...it is amazing this kind of talent is in Durban and the sad thing is that only a few people know about her.
So spread the word...and the love.

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News for Culture concepts

Picture courtesy of this website

I have decided to take the plunge head first and get Culture Concepts off the ground. This means a huge revamp for me, the blog and a need for loyal followers and lots of them.

As well as the help from friends and the boyfriend as I am not 100% clued up on photoshop yet.

I will keep you posted but for now, all I can say is that there is a big change to come....

LaurenLeigh cc

Tea Please!

Ryan's mom very kindly lent us half her furniture when she moved in with a friend of hers until she found a little home she could call her own. Luckily for her, this has come sooner than we all anticipated, so unluckily for us; we have to find new things for our little home.
I am actually quite happy about this though as now I have a reason to shop...excitement fills my heart when I think of that.

So instead of supporting the consumer trends and running to the mall, swiping my credit card or account card and joining the rest of the credit junkies, I decided to thrift our things online.

I came across a wonderful little website called Mint. An online shop for "retired goods" or second hand awesome vintage goods. Kirsty runs the Mint shop from durban and she is very accommodating and a lovely person to chat to.
Look at her shop online or visit her stand at the I heart markets on the first saturday of every month.

My only purchase for now was this retro red kettle but I am very eager to buy more goodies soon.

Down side of the retro red kettle: you have to switch it off at the wall to stop the boiling which may be a problem to remember in the early morning and I doubt it will last forever.

Upside to the retro red kettle: it looks fabulous in the kitchen and if it doesnt last forever then it will become my utensil holder for my wooden spoons and spatulas.

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Vanity Case...number three!

I am a sucker for vanity cases. I have had this weird obsession since I was a child. I begged and pleaded my mother to give me her vanity case when I was child and I only ever got the same response: " lauren, this is something I got on my wedding night and I am bound to use it sometime again soon." She never did and never will as now, it sits pertly on my dresser filled with make up and other girly goods.

I have since acquired two other vanity cases. One gorgeous tan coloured, slightly smaller vanity case that I use on weekend trips away as its the size of an average toiletry bag ( I got this one from the Kloof SPCA believe it or not) and the other I got yesterday from a fellow blogger in Durban; Glossary.

It is about the same size as mother's cream vanity case except a dull navy colour and will be used for things like my hairdryer, GHD and hairbrush.

Thanks Lauren from Glossary for this awesome find. Read her scribbles here and watch her updates for when she occasionally posts items to her blog shop.
She is a really witty blogger and a great read so add Glossary to your collection if you have not already.

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Ding Dong the post man is here

I am so excited as this week I have two fabulously wonderful gits arriving in the post. And I do love them presents.
The first one I am getting is from Kirsty at The Mint Shop. She has wonderful "retired" goods that she sells both online and at the i heart market once a month. From her, I am getting a beautiful red vintage kettle. Wait and see what it looks like or visit her website here to do some shopping.

The second is from Janece at Vintage Lover. She is based in Cape Town and finds the most adorable, well pried vintage goodies to adorn your bodies with. wait and see what I have managed to get from her....
or go visit her cool blog here

will post my pics when the post man delivers

LaurenLeigh cc

One of Umhlanga's best kept secrets...Indian Summer

Last night we were meant to meet friends for dinner but plans unravelled and it ended up just being Darby and Joan.

We decided to go for dinner anyway and after searching Google for over an hour I started asking mates where they would recommend.
A work colleague suggested Indian Summer in Sunningdale Centre, Umhlanga.

An aromatic, chilled, relaxed but very authentic Indian restaurant. Although the decor, atmosphere and view isn't one of the best in Umhlanga; the food was out of this world and I think I may have found one of my new favourite exotic places to eat.

It felt like we were sitting in India; eating with our hands and experiencing flavours that none of our senses had experienced before.

Unfortunately, there is no website for Indian Summer but I found all of my info from The Ridge Online ( http://theridgeonline.co.za/indian-summer-restaurant-glenashley/) . They offer take away and a sit down meal but make sure to book.

Give it a try.

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Grow a Mo...support a Bro

I posted my second blog for The Bedroom today.
It was a cute, sexy, fun play on Movember and how us woman can use this "horrible" month to our advantage.

Go read the blog here: http://blog.thebedroom.co.za/

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JHB Adventures

I know I have been away for awhile but this weekend I will be posting bits of my JHB trip.

Stay tuned.....

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Diwali with The Singh's

We have just arrived in JHB, well to be exact, Rustenberg.
But on Wednesday night Ryan decided we had to go and take pictures of the Diwali fireworks. At first, I was not impressed. I had to pack and iron and sort issues out before JHB but after having one of the most memorable experiences of my 2011, I was only to happy to have got to bed at 2am.

We found a beautiful home in Umhlanga decorated with lights and a backdrop of fireworks.
After being caught by the eldest daughter for taking photo's, we were invited into Mr and Mrs Singh's home.
Greeted with sweet meat eats on a silver tray, invited into the prayer room to witness the prayer, blessed afterwards and stayed on for the amazing fireworks.

Picture by RyanMatthewAdams

The Singh family are amazing people and I would like to thank them for their wonderful hospitality, friendliness and allowing us into their home to share Diwali and explain the actual meaning of the celebration.

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Double dates....order the pasta.

Tonight was a dinner at one of my regular half price special restaurants Plate in Hotel 64 on Gordon road with an old friend.

In front of us was a table of four. Two guys and two girls. A double date.
While I am sure they were only but too happy to be listening to our conversation of cussing, sexual conversations and heightened voices as the wine kept flowing ( as us girls do- please note the sarcasm in my typing voice), I had to stop and watch them as four individuals and as two couples.

The two guys were trying ever so subtly to compete with each other. Talking about their jobs, flashing their car keys around and lastly, one of them pulling their iPad out.
While the girls kept chatting quietly in the corner; I am sure acting in a very similar way to the boys but I could not hear them.

I'm a people watcher and I was so enthralled by the human behaviour of these four people. Both couples ordered exactly the same thing. One couple the pasta dish and the other the fillet dish. And the men ordered for the ladies.
Now this made me wonder...did they always do this while dining out or was this something they did only when meeting with friends and they felt insecure about themselves?

Nevertheless, my meal was amazing, the company phenomenal and an all round good evening. Try it out sometime.

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African Fashion Week

So it has been African fashion week and the tweets, facebook statuses and fashion websites have been going crazy with who, what and how to wear it is hot and who is taking the lead.

I think its awesome and so important that Africa is included and have our own fashion week.

It makes me proud to be a South African.

Good luck to all those designers that worked their blood, sweat and tears into their designs and I hope everything worked out.

LaurenLeigh cc

my life at the moment

.....

RyanMatthewAdams

The boyfriend has just launched his blog, company and business card and I am only but so proud and happy.
It has been a long, long road to get there but he is doing it precisely and cautiously and I know he is going to be brilliant because he is brilliant.

He is a photographer who catches what his subject is thinking, feeling and experiencing all in that single click of his camera. And his photo's really do speak a thousand words.

Anyone needing any kind of photography work...he is your man.
(yes I am his agent and I do get a cut)

http://rmadams.blogspot.com/

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Home semi final for the Sharks

The excitement last night was very hyped up while we watched the Sharks thrash the Lions at Kings Park last night. In my excitement, I ran to the car, grabbed the laptop and wanted to try and book tickets for the home semi final...but alas, they were not for sale yet.

So this morning, I grabbed the laptop and went online to book tickets for our home semi final only to see that the tickets had gone from R60 per person to R150 per person.
Surely, if we all support our rugby boys the ticket prices shouldn't increase?
Im not impressed at all and would rather have a nce dinner out than pay that price for tickets.

One unimpressed rugby fan over here!

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Yikes...the weeks just disappears!

I know, I know...it has been over a week since my last blog post but when I say I am busy; that is the understatement of the year.
So today is just a quick hello and chat about my favourite thing of the week which is, um....oh yes, I have just entered the cool competitions on the House and Leisure website and I hope I get to win one of them.
This easy to use and neatly presented website is a quick and easy reading website to look around.

Pic courtesy of House and Leisure

Go and enter the competitions! Click here

Laurenleigh cc

Pineapple Beer

Two Saturdays ago I decided to meet the girls at the farmers market for a little early morning fresh veggie shopping and breakfast.
Among the beautiful organic veggies, cheese, Colombo coffee (amazing at 8am), sweets and treats I stumbled across a stall with yellow bottles on their tables.
A lovely couple informed me that this yellow bottle was in fact Pineapple beer!

A very low alcohol content when first purchased but as it sits and ferments in the fridge, the alcohol levels build up until you have a fruity refreshing beer.

A word for the wise: Make sure you open the lid of the bottle everyday to release the gas and bubbles that build up from the fermentation process. And do it over the sink. As I learnt the hard way...cleaning pineapple beer off a kitchen floor isn't quite as much fun as drinking it out the bottle.

I can't wait to buy some more of this for summer time around the pool.

Laurenleigh cc

28 November - 13 months

This post is a bit late but better late than never "they" always say.

Yes, myself and my boyfriend Ryan are that sickening couple who celebrates every anniversary. Our anniversary is based off the day we first met and kissed and most people find this repulsively lame.

However, We love it. Well, I do.

Every month something different occurs. Whether it’s a dinner, picnic, weekend at the midlands or just a simple home cooked dinner such as one of our favourite meals, we do something to “spoil” ourselves.

Well this week was such an anniversary; 13 months.

I decided to work late ( of all the nights I could choose) and at 17.30 I got a frantic phone call from Ryan to ask where I was. Now this is very odd for him to do as he isn’t a phaffer and 17.30 is not late for me to be coming home.

As I walked through the door I was greeted by the below picture: blanket on the floor, table with hand picked flowers, candles, my favourite Woolies strawberry sweets, my favourite cheddar crisps, my favourite music playing off the laptop ( yes he had made me my own special playlist) and a letter written with love on a blue piece of paper.

And that’s when it hit me. K.I.S.S…Keep It Simple Stupid.

None of that cost Ryan a cent but it was worth a million rand to me.

He took the time to think about something I would want or enjoy and he made a plan to “spoil” me.

So the moral to this story is such: you don’t need fancy dinners all the time and luxurious presents and weekends away only to be left with a credit card bill in the red. You just need to know your partner and improvise.

Look at the rest of my pics here

Laurenleigh cc

New Lelo Toys at The Bedroom....Why not?

As some of you may or may not know, I work at The Bedroom in Umhlanga on a part time basis.
For those of you who don't know; The Bedroom is an upmarket boudoir boutique for women specialising in the art of pleasure. Making women of all ages educated, empowered, confident and super sexy.

Pic courtesy of The Bedroom.

We have just got the new Lelo toys in: The Lyla, Oden and Tiani. And they are fantastic. Remote controlled ( which means "hands-free") and working with movement or sense motion, these toys are keeping up to date with the latest in technology but also with user friendliness of a toy.

My favourite is the Lelo Tiani and I cannot wait to get my hands on one.
This is a truly genuis concept and gets my thumbs up.

Pic Courtesy of The Bedroom


Visit The Bedroom for more information on the shop, the Tiani or visit The Bedroom Blog for insight, stories or information.

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I Win Guard the Vintage!

Hello peeps,

So this morning I awoke to an email from Yusrah from the awesome online vintage store Guard The Vintage.
They were running there first ever giveaway on their blog and guess what? I won!!!!



Its all very exciting and I will keep you posted as to what I decide to choose from. You can all expect pics very soon.
Do yourselves a favour and go and visit their store here. You wont be disappointed.

pic courtesy of Guard the Vintage giveaway

Laurenleigh cc

Girly Dinners...and why they so important!

Men watch rugby, drink and bond when chatting over burning coals whilst "braaing" chops, steak and wors. Woman thrive off a similar concept; food, alcohol and chatting is also involved but not quite to the same extent.
After meeting two of my very good girl friends for dinner this evening I realised just how important that time apart from your significant other is. Although men try their hardest to listen, debate, agree and act like our gay best friends; they really don't care who is dating who and what retail store has a 10% sale.

Bottom line - always allow time for your girlfriends. One day you will need them.

Closet Space...start your bidding!

Today is auction day!!
I found this very clever website called Closet Space where you can bid for good quality second hand clothes online.
I really am so pleased and amazed at how people are trying to re-invent, recycle and revamp their wardrobes the eco- friendly and cheaper alternative. I am a firm believer in that and I hope the rest of South Africa will catch onto the idea soon.

Closet Space has auctions on a regular basis and each auction lasts for about a week.
There is a classy, small selection of clothes to choose from and it makes your bidding experience feel very unique, specialised and private.
Its simple really, click here and visit there website, register or log in and they will email you the morning of the next auction. I got my first email this morning and I think its brilliant customer service. I was very impressed.
The rest of the information is on the website.

I am yet to order my first Closet Space parcel of second hand shopping joy but I am hoping that I will get something out of todays auction...it started an hour ago so best you get bidding.

I really like this concept...SOLD!!!! To the lady in the vintage navy jacket.

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Everyday there is always something to look forward to

The blog concept is very new to me but I am going to create Culture Concepts according to what I would like to find in a blog.
A blog that you can "tune" into on certain days of the week and find the topic of conversation that you enjoy following.
I think it's a marvelous concept but in the reality of the business, social, emotional and young adult life of running a household, this task may seem more difficult than the initial concept.

But what the hell, I am going to give it a bash and here's hoping it works.

Lauren Leigh cc

Starting from scratch

Now that the blog name and the look and feel is nearly a hundred percent to my liking I have to come up with things to make my blog interesting and exciting for people to follow.
For me, this seems to be harder than you think. I have too many ideas and concepts and things I would like to do, learn, offer as a service or write about.
So for now, I will start with the basics and go from there?

Lauren Leigh x

This is it....

I have come up with so many ideas for blog names and created these blogs. They exist but do not get used; well they may in the future but for now they are hibernating. Now, after a random brain storming session on my own, I came up with my name, idea and future hobby...Culture Concepts.

Besides blogging about fashion, trends, beauty and food, I will be thinking of new fun ideas and hopefully putting them to good use.

until the next concept...
Lauren Leigh cc