Home Archives - Page 2 of 28 - Living Our Sunshine with Susann Deysel

April 16, 2020 3 Mins Read

Newsletter 16 April 2020

Good morning

It is day 21 of lockdown in South Africa today – I hope you are staying safe! We’ve been in isolation since 15 March… you can read how I felt back on 16 March about our very first day.

Let me know what you and the family are getting up to – and if you want to have your activity photo featured on my Facebook page. Let’s make it fun, photos that make me smile will go into the draw to win a R100 Takealot voucher (I’ll publish details on my blog).

Supporting Local

This is my open invitation for local makers and businesses to advertise for mahala on my channels – because I support local. Please share these to your favourite businesses and makers.

If you don’t know about Graceland Eco Retreat yet… you simply have to find out more about them on www.gracelandeco.co.za. PS they have giraffes named Elvis, Priscilla, Lisa Marie, Tennessee, Nashville and Phoenix.

I can tell you that the views are spectacular, because I grew up in that valley you see down in the distance 🙂

UK + Scotland Candles & Diffusers on sale #ad

25% off Stoneglow Night Flower & Day Flower
Buy a Stoneglow Infusion Joyous Diffuser and get a Joyous refill for free
Pintail 3 wick candles 35% off
Pintail Happy Hour Box Set was R687.70 now R402.50
Get 15% off all other products

Travel: Beyond The Vine

Travel is not allowed right now, but it doesn’t mean we can’t dream about travelling.

In February I hopped on over to Cape Town to have a birthday weekend with my bestie and we went on a wine farm tour with Beyond the Vine. It was so much fun – it definitely beat doing a self-drive just to taste wine.

Matchless Candles up to 70% off sale #ad

This will make a great Mother’s Day gift!

Create that traditional candle glow effectively and efficiently with the flick of a switch. These can be used with any decor and even outside!

How are you keeping your kids busy at home while still working?

I’m tired of being bombarded by download this, do this… while in lockdown. I also get daily lessons from school. I still work full-time. How are you coping?

Remember my Roadmap to a Happier Me Challenge?

I think it is time we restarted the challenge…

Have you heard this about Placecol yet?

This proudly South African beauty brand just turned 40 and you can read all about it here. #PlacecolTurns40

Discover Viveca Jewellery

I don’t have a garden and all I can think about is being outside, hearing people, touching a real plant that isn’t a cactus. I’m just about ready to jump my balcony, scale a fence and make a break for the trees just 50m from my home. In the meantime… I’ve spotted these pieces from Viveca Jewellery on Facebook and thought they were really great pieces. Remember, support local and leave those made in C…. on the shelves.

March 19, 2020 2 Mins Read

Childs Farm: Helping you and your loved ones stay safe

At Childs Farm we know that the way you wash your hands is SO important, especially when it comes to drying your hands and making sure you moisturise afterwards.

Which is why we put together a little guide to help you and your loved ones stay safe.

When?

⚽ After breaks & sports activities
🍽Before cooking & eating
🚸 On arrival at any childcare setting
🚾 After using the toilet
🤧 After coughing or sneezing
🏡 When you arrive and before you leave home

How?

✔Rub palms together
✔Rub back of hands and in-between fingers
✔Interlace fingers and wiggle them
✔ Rub back of fingers with palm of hand
✔Grab each thumb and rub up and down
✔ Make fist and rub opposite palm
✔ Rinse thoroughly
✔Dry hands completely
✔Apply moisturiser

Using What?

Warm water and soap!

Did you know that tea tree oil has natural antibacterial and antiviral properties?

Our Childs Farm grapefruit and organic tea tree oil moisturiser is ideal for preventing hands from drying out after every wash!

Childs Farm products are available at Baby City stores nationwide, selected Clicks, Pick ‘n Pay and Babies R Us stores, selected Checkers stores in Gauteng as well as www.takealot.com and www.babiesafrica.com.

RSP: R88.42 *RRP is at the sole discretion of the retailer.

#childsfarmsouthafrica #lovechildsfarm

December 5, 2019 5 Mins Read

Gifts to get excited about…

I can’t do a gift guide a day or break it down to one for every person in the family. The one thing I don’t want more of this year is more stuff taking up space in my house. With this post I’m taking the guessing work out of gift-giving if you need to buy for someone like me…

Hours of word fun

A book with crossword puzzles! I started doing crosswords again while my mom was sick and I’m almost done with my first book with 50 puzzles (but have started a new one in the meantime). This is probably one of the most relaxing things in my life. It is a “not so expensive gift” and if given to the right person, you will make someone very happy.

Snap Happy!

If there is a Secret Santa out there that would like to spoil me, buy me film for my Instax Mini LiPlay! You don’t even have to think about it – film is always appreciated.

If however you feel like spoiling a very special person in your life, get them the Instax Mini LiPlay or printer – or even an Instax Mini… or any Instax camera. I have yet to meet a person that won’t love one.

A spa day – at home

Get them something from Matsimela. They have the most amazing products and you can pick up something really great without having to break the bank. You can read about their newest products here.

Burt and the Bees

Just joking… When you order something from Takealot and would rather add something else to your cart than pay for delivery, put in a hand or lip balm from Burt’s Bees. Whomever you gift it to will think you’re the Bees’ Knees. (I’m so sorry about trying to pun it out!)

Pandora, always Pandora!

Did you know that Pandora and Warner Bros. have teamed up to launch a Harry Potter inspired collection? I still can’t believe that Harry Potter is still this popular, but apparently it is – according to my nieces.

You don’t have to be a witch or wizard to wear these spellbinding charms, but you definitely need to know that you’ll make a Harry Potter fan happy if you gift them one of these charms!

I’m more of a classic Pandora charm girl so I would probably appreciate something from the Festive Collection more… The Celestial charms speak to me but I wouldn’t say no to Shine Bright or Blue Dreams charms either!

A tipple

I can throw a lot of beautiful content on how drinking a gin will conjure memories of South African landscapes, the scents of earthiness, fresh dewy florals in the veld or even the way thatch smells in the sun – but to be honest I’m just going to tell you that when you support local, you are the absolute best. When you wrap up and give a Wixworth Gin the recipient will know that it is a thoughtfully chosen gift and enjoy it more. #BeAClassic #wixworthgin

Just to twist your arm a little, look at www.stoprhinopoaching.com… when you can support a local brand that also gives towards the preservation of endangered species, you get double the gift glow satisfaction.

A meaningful gift

You can donate time or money to an animal shelter (hint hint), be kind to your fellow humans or support brands that give back. I heard about TOMS… and this is what you need to know:

TOMS was born of a belief in a better tomorrow. Since 2006, the TOMS community has been providing shoes, sight, and safe water to millions of people around the world.
Since its inception, TOMS has given over 93, 000, 000 pairs of shoes, over 770, 000 sight restorations, over 720, 000 weeks of safe water to deserving communities and over $6,5 million in impact grants.

I wanted to put a lifestyle pic, but then decided that maybe sharing exactly what I would choose would make it easier for people to visualise what they should buy me 🙂

Visit www.shoptoms.co.za to view and shop up a storm. #tomssouthafrica #shoptoms #standfortomorrow

For kids

I’m not going to lie, in our house there are more Barbies, My Little Ponies and LOL Dolls than anything else, but I’m guilty of spoiling my girls rotten because I want to play with their new toys…

You seriously don’t have to go big. I bought an egg with a packet of sweeties and a mini My Little Pony for Lexa as part of her advent calendar (and it costs R20) and she LOVES IT! I’m going to put it out there, for most kids as long as they can unwrap it, they’ll love it.

Ideas for your kids’s presents

Books and that includes colouring books
A toy from their favourite TV show (we have PJ Masks, MLP… Fancy Nancy)
A T-shirt with their favourite animals or TV characters
Puzzles
Fingerlings – these things are so cute
PlayDoh
The super new Color Reveal BARBIE (please I want one)
A pet LOL for their LOL Dolls
Nerf gun…

It doesn’t matter how much or how little you spend. Just spoil someone with a thoughtful gift – or just put down your phone and have an actual conversation.

October 9, 2019 5 Mins Read

Take your smartphone photo printing to the next level: Instax launches INSTAX Mini Link portable printer

There’s a new INSTAX printer that’s set to change printing on the go. The INSTAX Mini Link smartphone printer weighs in at 200g, comes with unique functionality, and can be taken to any location, party or event for instant prints.

If you feel like buying me anything for Christmas, please just buy Instax Mini film! I seriously love printing my special moments and awesome places visited… and I can’t seem to stop!

FUJIFILM South Africa just announced the launch of the INSTAX Mini Link, the latest in its line-up of instant printing devices. The INSTAX Mini Link is a smartphone printer with a variety of unique functions designed to make on-the-go instant printing possible. Weighing in at just 200g for excellent portability, this compact palm-top printer is an accessory that can be taken to any location, party or event.

The INSTAX Mini Link creates high-quality INSTAX instant prints from a smartphone camera roll. Using Bluetooth*1, the Mini Link app*2 connects a smartphone to the printer. The app allows users to enjoy a variety of creative features, with Bluetooth providing a quick and seamless transfer of images.

Interestingly, users of the Mini Link can active different modes depending on how the printer is placed. Stand the Mini Link vertically and the traditional Print Mode is activated, allowing one to print images from a smartphone and even select a frame from a video to print. When printing with friends, Fun Mode is selected when the Mini Link is placed horizontally. This gives users access to a range of features, including Party Print, Collage Print and Match Test, a fun way to check the compatibility of friends.

The main features of the INSTAX Mini Link include:

Lightweight Portability and Speed

Surpassing the functionality offered by other smartphone printers in its class, the lightweight, handheld INSTAX MINI LINK transfers a print in about 12 seconds, supports continuous printing, and is capable of printing about 100 INSTAX prints per charge.

Video Print functionality prints a selected frame from smartphone video

Sometimes the best moment was recorded on video. With the Mini Link app, one can scroll through smartphone video frames to find the perfect moment, select the stand-out shot and then print it.

Party Print creates a single picture with photos sent from multiple users

This function connects up to five smartphones to the app, combining a selected picture from each device into one INSTAX collage print. An option within this function is Surprise Mode to keep the final image a secret until the print starts developing.

Customise INSTAX prints with design frames

The INSTAX Mini Link app contains a variety of design frames that can be overlaid onto images for a truly one-of-a-kind INSTAX print. Smartphone images can also be enhanced with artistic filters or by changing the brightness, contrast and saturation of the image. Users can combine up to eight pictures into a single INSTAX print collage via the app.

Dedicated app designed for intuitive operability

The INSTAX Mini Link app has been designed for intuitive operability such as swiping up on the smartphone screen to easily transfer a picture for printing. The printer can also receive picture data from FUJIFILM’s X Series and GFX System digital cameras via the FUJIFILM Camera Remote app^*3 to produce prints.

Using the Mini Link as a remote control

The Link’s main unit carries a built-in motion sensor, so when taking pictures from the INSTAX Mini Link app on a connected smartphone, the printer can be used to remotely control the smartphone camera. For example, a user can zoom in by facing the printer down, zoom out by facing up, and release the shutter by pressing the power button. Users can also print multiple copies of a picture by holding the INSTAX Mini Link upside down and pressing the power button.

I have the Instax Mini LiPlay but is it wrong for me to also want the INSTAX Mini Link?

INSTAX Mini Link smartphone printer will be available in the following colours

The INSTAX Mini Link smartphone printer will be available in three colours – Dusky Pink, Ash White and Dark Denim. The South African release date and retail price of the INSTAX Mini Link will be announced soon.

For more information on the INSTAX Mini Link:

–Visit www.fujifilm.eu/za/products/instax/p/instax-mini-link#features.

–Videos of the INSTAX Mini Link in action, can be found here or here.

If you are planning on buying an Instax camera, I have written quite a bit about these cameras.

Find INSTAX South Africa on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/instaxsa/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/instaxsa/

*1: Bluetooth® work mark and logo are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc., used under license.

*2: A free app compatible with Android phones and iPhones. It can be downloaded from Google Play in the case of Android phones and App Store for iPhones. Android and Google Play are trademarks or registered trademarks of Google Inc. iPhone and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc.

*3: The FUJIFILM Camera Remote is a free app for smartphones and tablet devices, provided to users of the X and GFX Series of Fujifilm digital cameras. Pictures in a Wi-Fi-enabled digital camera can be sent one by one to this app so that users can view them on their smartphone (or tablet device).

October 1, 2019 3 Mins Read

It’s a YES for the Instax Mini LiPlay!

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.”
Anon

There is one thing you need to know about the new Instax Mini LiPlay… It is the best Instax ever released and this is why:

You can take photos with the digital camera
Apply filters and frames
Record a voice note and print it to the photo by QR code
It has a selfie mirror
You can print from your phone
It uses the same film as your Instax Mini 8 or 9
It is super easy to use

The Instax Mini LiPlay is available in speckled white, black and rose gold. It comes with a strap and battery charging cable. It will set you back over 2k, but if I had to choose… this camera would be top of my list in the instant photo category.

You can also opt to get the Instax SP2 Printer to print photos from your phone, but if you get the LiPlay you have the best of printer and digital camera plus the only camera (as far as I know) that will let you link a voice memo to it.

…and yes, I am well aware that there are places that will print your photos to an Instax film, but they won’t add frames or crop it a little. I did this, at home, in my own time, with my own Instax camera.

…or you could just have your photos printed in the mall. On that note, FujiFilm has developed a new app you install on your phone. You can find the nearest printer that uses the app, load the photos you want to print into the app and send it to your chosen location (you’ll have to pay before they print), but still, no memory sticks and WhatsApping your photos.

The first thing I did with my Instax Mini LiPlay…

Print photos of my mom! Then my kids… The best part was that I could go back in time and print old photos. This camera gave me something that no other camera currently on the market could.

I’m making an album for each of my kids, so that no matter what, they will always remember the good times they had with us.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but the memories are priceless…
Unknown

…and this is where I am

After a big loss you realise what you won’t have anymore. This is where a printed photograph will help you to keep those memories fresh in your mind and the good times close to your heart.

September 16, 2019 3 Mins Read

Shutterbug diaries: Fujifilm Instax SQ20 review

When I was asked to review the Instax SQ20 I didn’t really want to, because I have an Instax LiPlay – and you don’t need more than that in life… or so I thought.

The Instax SQ20 is a hybrid instant camera (shoot – edit – print) which makes it a great gift for any shutterbug. It is a fun camera that takes the gamble out of printing.

What I really like about this camera is automatic flash and colour editing capabilities. I don’t think it has the oolala appeal of an Instax Mini, but has a rather utilitarian design – I’m not complaining. I really, really like the square photos as it offered more space to fit stuff into the frame.

Its features

Offers a digital display on the reverse of the camera to let users preview images before printing Video capture and zoom functionality
18 simple filter effects and 6 colour filters to apply with a dial button
Up to 4 x zoom
Frame-by-frame video grabbing – great when you have kid or cats that won’t sit still
Selfie mirror – and if you don’t like it, discard and try again with no printing
Built-in memory, microSD/microSDHC memory card

You can find more specification on the Instax website.

The photos of Lexa is from a video and I grabbed my fav 2 frames, applied a B&W filter and voila!
Santon, the cat, is another favourite test subject as it is quite difficult to capture the beauty of black cats – and this little camera did it.

The size & weight

The Instax SQ20 is about the same size as an Instax Mini 8 or 9 – 119 mm x 50 mm x 127 mm/4.7 in. x 2 in. x 5 in. (W x D x H).

It’s quite a heavy little camera at 390 g/13.8oz (excluding film pack and memory card) or 440 g/15.5oz with film pack and memory card

The first day with the Instax SQ20

Lexa has seen Instax cameras and how the film reveals the picture, but this was Lily’s very first time and she was fascinated.

Exploring the Cradle of Humankind with the Instax SQ20

You can read more about the Cradle of Humankind (Maropeng) here. The answer is yes, I took a photo inside a cave at Sterkfontein – keep in mind the light is from the outside and it was pretty dark.

June 24, 2019 2 Mins Read

Memories to last a lifetime

I fell out of love with my Instax Mini 8 and 9. It can’t give me what I need, to print the memories I already have and I can’t move onto capturing new memories just yet.

We were next to my mom’s sickbed for a month, day in, day out from 9 to sometimes after 6. At first we hoped she would get better, get out and give us all hell again. She didn’t get better, she got worse day after day. She shrunk and all we got do was be there until the end.

Those last images of her are etched onto my mind – and those are the only images I want to forget. That is not who she was. That is not her life. That is not her.

She made enough memories to last us a lifetime more – and we have them spread out on albums and in our phones. I’ve started printing them to help me come to terms with the loss of my mom – but also to replace those haunting hospital images in my mind.

The day I realised what I needed…

I went to the Instax mini LiPlay and Printlife Exhibition launch at Sandton City. I didn’t want to go out just yet, but I’m glad I did because I tried out the FujiFilm SmartPrint app and printed a few photos of my mom and family. The best part of my day was winning an Instax mini LipPlay. This little camera gave me what I wanted, instant print from my camera phone.

I’ll do another post to show you how to create a memory jar with Instax photos – because that’s what I did with these precious photos.

May 17, 2019 2 Mins Read

John Wick – Parabellum, a sequel worth watching

Tick, tock Mr Wick.

Action, action, action… that is what John Wick – Parabellum delivers on.

I recently watched the third John Wick installment at Sterkinekor and since I am a fan of the John Wick chronicles and Keanu Reeves I had high expectations that was set from the very first John Wick movie.

At the end of the second installment John Wick was excommunicated from the High Table. This is where Parabellum starts with 20 minutes on the clock before the excommunication comes into effect.

The high adrenaline, high action continues throughout the movie. Unfortunately at times the fight scenes seem to drag on for too long.

Keanu Reeves is 100% believable as a action hero and as always he doesn’t disappoint in delivering a flawless performance.
Laurence Fishburn is a welcome reminder of how a good actor can step into new roles – aka King of the homeless assassins and birds.
Lance Riddick finally steps out of his roll as “just the concierge” and shows his skills as a gunman.
Halle Berry once again impressed with her strong character portrayal of an assassin with her highly trained dogs in tow. It is a short appearance.

However, not all is lost, at the end of the movie they neatly set up for the sequel… and it’s going to be revenge. I would recommend you watch the first 2 John Wicks before Parabellum – and then wait for the next one 😀

*I was invited to the premiere in Johannesburg.

January 7, 2019 3 Mins Read

Corporate to freelance, a day in the life of…

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.
Anais Nin

I love to get to know my clients but sometimes they are on the other side of the world or a 5 hour plane ride far in an amazing location. This is when I get creative… Last week I wrote website content for a hotel on an island and I had a beautiful cocktail and coconut pieces – and photos of the hotel – to inspire me.

How did I become a freelancer?

When people first hear that I was responsible for managing an ecommerce site with a 40 to 60 million turnover per year the first question is always – why did you leave? The long answer is, when you aren’t happy and you put in a lot of effort in making other people lots of money and you don’t see enough return on investment – is it really worth staying?

I wanted more from life than sitting and wishing I wasn’t at the office, never receiving a thank you for overshooting my targets and a manager that was a complete bully that I had shouting matches with on a regular basis.

The first few months wasn’t easy. I had to find clients and make sure that I still paid the bills, but once it clicked everything just fell into place.

What else do I do?

I don’t just sit and write content! I build websites, manage social media pages and also assist with marketing for some of my clients. Oh, and I go out when the sun shines to have a coffee or lunch – and get to go on holiday whenever I want.

Sometimes I will take on design work, but only for my existing clients. In a previous life I was a designer too – can you belief it?!?!

How do I get clients?

Hard work, marketing and referrals.

Do I have processes?

Yes I do, I’m very disciplined. I don’t just sit at my desk and twiddle thumbs. Each day has a plan of work that I would like to complete and each brief or work piece has a plan behind it.

My content writing process

Receive brief
Story research
Content/page planning & keyword research (if it’s a website)
Switch off from the world and write
Edit
Send to client
Tweak

Who are my clients?

If I told you I would have to find a place to hide your body.

Am I hiring?

No. I already have an accomplice or two and we work together well.

Goals for the year

Increase client base
Make more money
Go somewhere awesome

Follow your dreams

If you want to run your own business or work for yourself, take a chance on yourself and go for it.

Don’t let your dreams be dreams.
Jack Johnson

December 14, 2018 8 Mins Read

Staycation – what to do with kids in Johannesburg this holiday

I try not to swear anymore. It is hard. I heard that smart people swear I lot – which means I must be very (bleeeeeeeeep) smart because I
(bleeeeeeeeep) swore a lot. My new swear word is fudge or fudgenarian or oh fudge. I think I can keep myself on the straight and narrow so Lexa doesn’t sound like a sailor one day!

I love the Christmas period, flickering lights, Christmas catalogues, fruit cake and that general feeling of ‘I made it’. What I don’t like is that the pre-primary school closes and I am on duty (with the kids)while still working. I’m not a spring chicken and I can’t always run around after a toddler so I have come up with a list of things to do in Jozi for all the parents going through this rough patch.

Johannesburg Parks & Nature Reserve

Did you know that Johannesburg City Parks takes care of 22 278 hectares of open space and green areas made up of more than 2 343 parks, 22 nature reserves and 15 bird sanctuaries? Find your nearest City Park here.

One of our favourite parks is Rietfontein Ridge Nature Reserve because you never know when you are going to be photobombed by one of the “bokkies”.

Johannesburg is also rich in walking trails – check them out here. I do love the outdoor lifestyle in my city jungle 🙂

Montecasino

Use your Tsogo Sun Loyalty Cards for discounts – ok?

The bird gardens at Montecasino! One small area with good visibility and of course BIRDS. I don’t like birds and Lexa chases them, but… it is a good outing.
Christmas Market at Montecasino – this weekend! Love this little market and I will be taking Lexa because I also need to escape my home sometimes.

Gold Reef City

A theme park is always a hit – but be warned… queues are always a real possibility every single day. Remember to use your Tsogo Sun Loyalty Cards for discounts – ok?

Without a reward card	With a reward card
Thrill Rider – R215 per person above 1.3m Non-Rider – R125 per person above 1.3m R135 per person under 1.3m R180 per pensioner 60+ years (incl. thrill rides if physically safe) R180 per student, upon presentation of a valid student card R550 family ticket (2 Adults and 2 Children under 1.3m) This package excludes children under 3 years Children under 3 years are admitted free of charge	Persons above 1.3m Gold Cardholders: R190 per person Platinum Cardholders: R180 per person Black Cardholders: R170 per person Persons under 1.3m Gold Cardholders: R120 per person Platinum Cardholders: R110 per person Black Cardholders: R105 per person Cardholders may not claim 4 tickets on each card they hold, should they hold more than one card.

Fourways Mall

Free parking at Fourways Mall all holiday! It is under cover in the newly built multi-story parking garage. Plus bring your Fourways Mall shopping (with receipt) to Santa’s elves for free gift wrapping.

Skype with Santa at Fourways Mall! Your kiddy (or you) can talk to Santa at his workshop in the North Pole. Get down to this fun activity in front of Dischem. You can also have all your gifts bought at the mall wrapped for free by elves.
Everblock pop-up PLAY ROOM at Fourways Mall. This is my kind of building block fun – and it is free. This is next to Bounce.
Big screen movies at Sterkinekor! Popcorn and a Slush Puppy beats sitting at home and watching it streaming… unless of course you are a mom to a toddler! Sterkinekor at Fourways Mall now has a wonderful kiddies cinema with slide and smaller seats that even Lexa loved. R68 a ticket and R40 for some snacks sounds good to me.
Adventure Golf is one of the things I would love to do with Lexa, but right now her little temper flares up and everything goes flying. Maybe she could have her start as an adventure golfer before going off and becoming a professional golfer. Three rounds of adventure golf will set you back R80 per person.
BOUNCE – Mega Mania at R180 for 2 hours during the holidays – if you take your own special socks along with you. The Epic Pass will set you back R295 but will give you all-day access to the trampoline park’s awesome facilities… as well as a 10% discount off selected items in the shop.
R300 will get you a full morning of joy at The Fun Company in Fourways Mall, with this amount covering the costs of a ten-pinbowling game, a bumper car ride, and 4D theatre, with some change left over to play arcade games.

Cedar Square

We know it’s not legal for you to race your kids on theroads – but if you head to Xtreme Go Carting in Cedar Square, you can show themjust how much better IRL driving skills are than gaming ones at XtremeGo-Karting, for R150 per time slot. You could also get a group together and take advantage of one of the party packages on offer, if you want a longexperience.
If your kids are thrill seekers, then head over to Avalanche also at Cedar Square where they can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, bum boarding and tubing on a 65-metre ski slope for just R170 for 90 minutes.

Cresta

To thank shoppers for supporting Cresta throughout this year the Centre will take care of wrapping your gifts at their free gift-wrapping stations so that you can spend your time, and hard earned money, enjoying your shopping outing! To ensure shoppers get the most from the festive period, Cresta Shopping Centre will be extending their trading hours between Friday, 14 December until Monday, 24 December as follows: Mondays to Saturdays:09h00-19h00 and Sundays and Public Holidays: 09h00-18h00.

Special Trading Days:

Sunday, 16 December: 09h00-18h00
Monday, 17 December: 09h00-18h00
Monday, 24 December: 09h00-19h00
Tuesday, 25 December: Optional trade for stores
Wednesday, 26 December: 09h00-18h00
Tuesday, 01 January: Optional trade for stores

Remember that you can browse the Internet for free inside the Centre, just connect to Cresta’s free WiFi services.

Take the kids to share their wishes with Santa and pose for pictures in the Santa Zone (FNB Court) and receive an instant print to take home for only R40 each.
To add more jingles to the bells, shoppers this December can enjoy live, pop-up entertainment on Fridays(14 and 21 December), Saturdays (15 and 22 December) and Sundays (16 and 23December) with a variety of live performers bringing joy to the Centre.
Bring the little ones to the Kids Craft Zone in the Banking Court where they can learn to make festive decorations with recycled materials, colour in or adorn their own festive cookies at the Cookie Decorating Station with sprinkles to make any face beam. In the Food Court (upper level) kids can also learn how to draw cartoon characters at the Imagination Studios and create their own Power Puff avatar to print out and take home. Cresta also presents a Cartoon Network meet and greet with characters from the hit shows Adventure Time and The Amazing world of Gumball on Fridays, (14and 21 December) Saturdays (15 and 22 December) and Sundays (16 and 23December).
The award-winning Cresta Festive Charity Tree makes an amplified comeback after the great support shown by shoppers in 2017, which resulted in over 5000 books being donated to the locally-based Tshepo Community Development Project Library.In place of a ‘traditional tree’, the Charity Trees found in the Banking Court will again allow and assist shoppers to donate this festive season. A giant tree will be decorated with name tags of children from local partner children homes and what they wish for this Christmas. Cresta shoppers will be able to select a name from the tree, purchase a small gift (toy or clothing) in the Centre for the child and drop it off for Cresta’s team of wrappers to wrap and distribute to the children most in need of spoiling this season. The bookshelf tree will also be available for more book donations.
Feeling lucky this season? You stand to win one of ten great prizes worth over R1000 when you spend R250 or more at any Cresta shop. Make sure you enter your till slip with your name and contact number at the Giant Advent Calendar and you stand to win every day from the 15^th December to 24^th December. View Cresta’s Facebook Page for more information.