Review - Non Perishables

Back to the Reviews from DBN Blogger Meet last month.

This post is some of the NON-Perishables that we got in those legendary gift bags! "Non-Perishables" I hear you asking? Things like memory sticks & bags, sunglasses & PJs, stationary and crockery.

This photo was borrowed from their website,
you can see more of the Anna-Louise range
on  their website at www.anna-louise.co.za 
or their facebook at
www.facebook.com/AnnaLouiseSleepwear

I mentioned PJs, and we might as well start there with ANNA-Louise Sleepwear. These are unique, individually made sleeping garments made from pure cotton! They are decently priced, and very well made. I'm not talking about lingerie here; I'm talking about gowns, shorts, night shirts, etc. I received a lovely t-shirt & boxer shorts set. I am a tad sad they are white (I'm terrible with white things, already stained this set with dinner), but, it’s THE MOST COMFORTABLE SLEEPWEAR I have ever had. So, please head over to their website on and order your set.

These would also make an awesome gift for bridal showers and the like.

Find them on Facebook or Twitter

Next up on the list is Elephantshoe Stationary. I used to really love crafts & stationary, but as I have grown and become so busy in life (and discovered computers) I have just not bothered with stationary in years! So when I pulled out this lovely brown paper package tied with string and a sticker of "Elephantshoe Stationary on it, I had no idea what I would open up. But besides the delightful old school packaging, the product inside was fabulous. I received a desktop week planner - see the photo. Elephantshoe do all sorts of stationary, and really specialize in unique stationary for small businesses, things like stamps and letterheads, etc.

Find them on Twitter or Facebook

Many of us have seen the Consol Glass drinking bottles. Well, I am now a proud owner of one. Personally I am not a fan of glass; I am a very clumsy person and tend to drop breakables quite easily. This is amplified by the fact that I live in a house with tiles, so when things fall, they do shatter. But, I saw this attractively designed bottle, with the easy grip and the pretty turquoise trimmings and decided I'd be willing to try a change of heart. Because of my busy lifestyle, (running around the farm, doing door-door ministry, setting up exciting romantic dates for couples) I seriously do not need any extra weight to carry around - neither on my body or in hand luggage ;-). So this bottle now lives in my car, it fits real nicely into the center consol and keeps the water cool and tasting fresh. 

Find them on Facebook and on Twitter

I'm already fairly fond of the Huawei brand. I know we have this preconception that anything from china is bad, but this brand is actually pretty decent. I've had a 3g Modem of theirs for the last 2 years and it works perfectly - well as close to perfect as any man-made item can work. We also have one of their earlier models of the "landline" phone from neotel and that too always works well. So when I saw the list included a Huawei product I was delighted.  In the digital age we live in, no one is unhappy to receive another memory flash drive, those 8gigs can be essential to life! This particular one came in a cute little tin which almost looked like a jewelry case (I thought I was getting a watch for a brief moment), but the memory stick itself is just adorable! In a little Android robot shape, my memory stick will never be confused for someone else's now. Thanks Huawei.

You know by the fact that this blog is called "Farm Girl in the City", and was previously called "TomboyAmelia" that I really am not housewife material. I am very much not domesticated. While I can explain most social networks to you, and I can track a person in the bundus, I can take awesome photos; I can barely fry an egg without flopping the recipe! I have very little success or joy in the kitchen, or any other domestic part of the house for that matter. So to me, a cup is a cup and a pan is a pan. As long as there's a microwave and a dishwasher, I don’t really take note of brands in the house. So, I had quite literally never heard of Le Creuset before.

Le Creuset is a company that makes all sorts of kitchenware and dinnerware. So from Baking pans to wine openers, they make things in stoneware, crockery and silicon. I received a lovely 2 Cup & Saucer stone cappuccino set in fern green. They also sent along a set of recipe cards, so there are some yummy recipes to try. Now that I know what it is, and in fact own something from Le Creuset, I seem to be noticing the brand all over the place!

My favorite thing they make is the mini baking sets for children that I saw in their catalog. But I'll probably never own it, because 1- I'm never having kids, and 2- I might as well buy the adult size and cook a decent size meal....that is, if I ever become domesticated. 

Thanks Le Creuset for the small bit of education in the kitchen. Oh yes, and thanks for the GIANT bag that the entire gift-packs came in at the DBN Bloggers Meet (nearly forgot that was from you)

Now one thing I noticed about the brands that supplied the DBN Blogger Meet gifts was many of them supplied bags of one sort or another. Le Creuset for example do not specialize in bags, and neither does Zomato (more about them in another post), however 3 businesses that supplied us with gifts are pretty specialized in bags. Those were Lenovo, Lou Harvey and YW Couture. What I found pretty cool though is most of the sponsors gave a mixture of things, so all the ladies got individualized gifts.

Find them on Facebook & Twitter

I think most of us received the smart looking Lenovo laptop bags. Yeah, Lenovo is a laptop & tablet company, but they specialize in bags for said laptops. I don’t own a laptop - no one in my family does, and I don’t predict we'll be buying one anytime in the near future (sadly), however this bag has been put to great use! My dad's soft briefcase that he uses for going in the ministry (you know we're Jehovah's Witnesses, which means yes, someday I will very likely be knocking on YOUR door offering you a free bible study) has been looking a little worse for wear recently. The lenovo bag is just the right size to fit a few Watchtowers, a Bible and a couple of small books in it, so my dad now has a new ministry bag, thanks Lenovo (bet you never thought your stuff would be used like that ;-) )

YW COUTURE

LOU HARVEY

From YW Couture I recived a handmade recycled upcycled denim handbag. YW Couture does handmade, unique accessories and clothing. Very cute - see the photo below left.  With an African inspiration for the clothing and accesories, this is perfect for gifts to overseas family and for local chic feel. Find them on Facebook & Twitter

And from Lou Harvey a useful little key-chain coin purse. Lou Harvey specializes in making funky handbags, coin purses, cosmetic bags and even lunch bags in cool and fun coloured fabrics. You can order online on their website at www.louharvey.co.za or check them out on Facebook or Twitter.

There was a rad pair of sunnies from Wakaberry. For those of you who dont know who/what Wakaberry is, they are a healthy alternative to ice-cream bars. They are a frozen yoghurt bar in Durban. Although I predict they will franchise, as yet I dont know that they have. However in a relatively short amount of time they got popular enough in Durban to make their own souvenirs and brand products (other than edibles), which is why I ended up with a cool Wakaberry pair of Sunglasses. Unfortunately for me they dont "work" with my style, but again, Dad was delighted to get them. So thanks Wakaberry, I could re-gift something and make dad very happy.

Second Treasures is a business that specializes in eco-chic furniture and decor. They sponsored a number of gifts for the various bloggers, the one I got was a pretty cool "Home" sign on a recycled plank. Doesn’t really go with the decor here at home, but I have a friend who's moving into a new house pretty soon and I think she'll love it. Quite a few things I re-gifted.

Lastly for today's post, is Washi Bug. The popularity of scrapbooking skyrocketed recently, and many people have been getting more involved in DIY and craft projects in the last few years. With that in mind the western countries (Europe, America, etc) started getting specialized craft supplies. Here in South Africa, it has taken longer, things have arrived in drips and drabs and have been generally over-priced. But now all of that is changing! Washi  Bug specializes in craft tapes, like sticky tape - but its prettier and safe to use on your crafts. I got a nice roll of WashiBug in pink with hearts on it. Now I just have to figure out what project to use it on.

That’s it for today folks.