Photo Booth Props

We are finishing October and the wedding season is starting… 

Venue booked, invites are out, brides trying on dresses,  and time to start planning the partyitself. Besides a good DJ, delicious food and plenty of drinks, we shouldn’t forget about entertainment. And at the moment the photo booth is the favorite of many couples. It’s a simple concept and works like a charm… everyone loves the photo booth. The newlyweds can fill their photo album with goodie ones and the guests take some pics as souvenirs home. 

But the pics are not only about the funny faces, but also funky backgrounds and very important: the accessories (hats, masks, wigs, etc)… Here are some props I made for a wedding coming on Saturday…. Different shaped mustaches and stylish glasses… I hope you also like ! ♥♥♥

Special thanks Mr. Panda for modeling the different designs :) 

Shop Mocho Loco

I'm very happy to announce that now you can shop online for Mocho Loco goodies at AlexandraKate.com!!! ♥♥♥

There you will be able to find a wide selection of jewellery items including earrings, rings, pendants and bracelets, cards and sets of little notebooks.

How does it work? It's very simple: just go to the website here, look in the jewellery and stationary section, select the item or items you would like to buy, enter your card details and that's it. You also have a choice of payment method EFT/Bank Deposit which makes it even better. And after only 5 working days, your Mocho goodies will be delivered straight to your door.

At AlexandraKate.com you will not only find Mocho Loco designs but also gorgeous leather bags and accessories. 

Please note that the shop is only active for South Africa so if you live in another country, unfortunately AlexandraKate.com doesn't deliver there yet.

These are some of the Mocho Loco items you can find at AlexandraKate.com ♥♥♥

Spring Panda Party

It's Friday, yeayyy!!! It was a long week but the weekend is finally here...
Here are some pics from the Spring Panda Party we had last Sunday. With Amanda, my housemate, we invited some Panda friends over for an afternoon of pampering and self-indulgency. Basically a girly get together were we drank some tea and wine, ate delicious home-made cupcakes and pizzas and received a foot treatment. :) Mocho Loco had a little stand were I  exhibited some of the Jewellery and Stationary I like making. To see the complete photo album of the Spring Panda Party check it out on our Facebook Page Mocho Loco. I hope you like!

Have a lovely weekend ♥♥♥

Skeem: the Movie

Yesterday I went to the Avant Premiere of Skeem, a South African Independent comedy movie directed by Tim Greene.


Halfway home from a drug-sale in Jo'burg, two wannabe gangsters run into trouble when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Forced to spend the night at a creepy old holiday resort, their problems escalate when, unpacking the car, their box of cash splits open, spilling a million bucks in eye-catching bundles all over the driveway. They scoop it up, head inside and slam the door, but the damage is done. Greedy eyes have spotted the cash, and in five neighboring chalets, people begin to skeem.


The movie is 100% comedy and really fun. It's awesome because it doesn't try to be anything else but just an entertaining showcase of real local South African people. The characters are hilarious and you find every little stereotype of the bokkie society. Besides the story line is really catchy and it flows and develops  throughout the movie smoothly and gracefully to be a great experience.
I strongly recommend you to watch it.

It will be out on cinemas on the weekend of 

28 and 29 October, so don't miss it out!!!

And don't forget to stay till the end of the titles: you'll see my name part of the compositing and VXF team :) 
Well, I didn't do big thing but at least you can see my work. -At the beginning of the movie when they introduce the characters: I basically did the animation of the image where the background flies back in an angle and the characters zoom-in as if they were 3D, and of course the titling animation. hehehe, really fun to have my name in a movie ;) 

Michelle and Michael's Story Invite

Michelle and Michael are getting married in January next year. They are planning a very romantic celebration in the Wine Valley outside Cape Town with more than 200 guests. They wanted their wedding invitation to be the story of their lives…  Therefore, Mocho Loco designed a little book of 7 pages that combines Michelle and Michael's story together with the formal wedding invitation.♥

The cover page was printed on a clear see-through textured paper and included the couple's name, the date of the wedding and a little quote "memories are stitched  in love" which linked perfectly with the stitched book binding. Other pages included a life tree with their families names, the story of how they met and grew into their relationship and finally the formal invite, details, venue map and directions.

Every page of the book  was printed on a different textured and toned paper following the theme colours of white, light-blue and silver. The design was  finished with die cuts and a handmade stitched envelope.

I must confess that putting together the 130 invitations and packing them up ready to send out, took me a whole weekend but it was completely worth it as the final invites look stunning and Michelle and Michael are really happy with them :)

I hope you also like them ♥♥♥

Wishing you a happy and fun weekend... 

Kerri and Cheyne's Rustic Natural Invites

Kerri and Cheyne are a young couple passionate for nature: they love surfing and bird watching together...

They got engaged secretly and started planning their wedding which is taking place in a month time without telling anybody except Mocho who designed the invites for them. So when their guests receive the wedding invitation, I'm sure they will be surprised and enormously excited for the bride and groom to be.

For their wedding invite they wanted to reflect what the wedding is all going to be about: a beach ceremony and party with a natural and rustic theme. They brought  a little drawing they made of themselves, (very cute by the way) which I tried not to modified much, just refine the lines and give some colour details.

Kerri and Cheyne's invitations were fully printed on craft liner and reviva natural 100% recycled paper. The colours I used were dark brown and pastel soft green with details of light-blue and red for the map. Finally the envelope was sealed with a sticker with the guests details. 

I hope you like...  ♥♥♥

Little Notebooks in Store!

It took me lots of courage to walk for the first time in a shop and offer something I made myself. But as I believe in these little notebooks and I hope that there are some more people out there who would also appreciate them, I went to one of my favorite and coolest shop in Cape Town: Re.store {eco concept store}. And believe it or not, they loved them too and took some to sell… so now these sets of little notebooks are waiting at the store for someone to take them home ♥

If you are in Cape Town and you haven’t visited Re.Store, I highly recommend you to check it out, not only because the Mocho Loco Notebooks are there but because they also have so many great restored, eco friendly, recycled and specially beautiful items ♥♥♥ 

Tanielle and Adi, two young friends who love beautiful things and work hard to save our Earth, started  Re.store, an eco-concept boutique where you can find lovely things either made from recycled materials or materials that preserve a little more our earth's resources when introduced into the system. ♥

Re. store is on 89 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town (across from Buchanan Square).

My little notebook...

Hi everyone, I hope you are doing really well!

Yes, I know it’s been a few days since I last wrote; it’s not that I’ve been on holiday but working hard in new awesome little projects. Soon you’ll see some of the new wedding invites I’ve been working on but today I want to show you the new Little Notebook Set, Mocho Loco has designed and started making. ♥♥♥

Each little notebook has been lovingly handmade using 100% recycled paper (40% post-consumer and 60% pre-consumer waste recycled paper) that does not go through de-inking processes and it is acid free.

The notebooks come in a set of 3, each with a different colour tone (green, pink and blue) and cover quote: “this is my little notebook full of dreams”, “this is my little notebook full of inspiration” and “this is my little notebook full of memories”. Each notebook set comes packaged with a lovely fabric bag also handmade by Mocho Loco and each blank sheet is waiting to be filled with amazing stories, beautiful sketches, inspiring quotes, funny memories, and happy dreams ♥♥♥

I hope you also like them... 

Happy Weekend!

I can't believe the week is already gone... They say time flies when you are having fun. And yes, I've been working on the design of some new and exciting wedding invites which you will see finish very soon. :)

But all I can say today is: "It's Friday, yeayyyy". So, what are your plans for this weekend?...
Tonight I have  my housemate's birthday party at a Karaoke bar which can be lots of fun but not that much when you are a terrible singer like me, heheh. The rest of the weekend I just plan to rest, watch nice movies and hang out with friends. :) Once in a while is nice to disconnect completely from work, even though I ♥ what I do... and get back to it on Monday with a lot more energy and new fresh ideas...
Wishing you an awesome weekend!!!

Mocho Jewellery

Good morning everyone! I hope you are all having a beautiful week so far...
Today I want to share with you one of my biggest hobbies: jewellery design and manufacturing.
I've realized that I've been posting a lot about the wedding stationary I love creating and some other graphic and craft stuff that I also like making but nothing about jewellery.

Since I moved to South Africa almost 4 years ago that I've been enjoying and spending long hours sitting on a bench cutting, molding, soldering, polishing and finishing tiny little jewellery pieces made mainly of sterling silver but also other metals like gold or materials like wood, resin and perspex.
I had always considered this a hobby and even though, many of my friends keep on encouraging me to start selling them, I've been a bit reluctant to do so. I've  designed many custom-made to order pieces like the wedding bands for Amanda and Darren, rings for Niki, Michelle, Marc, Raelene, earrings for Gil, Paula, Justine and many more... but nothing to really keep in stock available for someone that for instant wanted to give a special birthday present...

So after many requests, here is a little preview of my new Jewellery Collection: "Pearly Heart". I wanted to create a line of fine affordable jewellery that could be worn any time of the day, keeping a very fresh design... This line is very feminine, romantic and with a vintage flair. The necklace, earings and bracelet on the picture are made of 925 Sterling Silver and Pink Shell Pearls.

I love hearts, pink and I'm starting to love pearls. Might be from everything I've learnt lately about them or simply because they remind me of my granny who I love so much... I hope you also like this collection. And please note that only a limited quantity of pieces will be available so as soon as they go out for sale, if you like them,  I'll let you know...
Stay tune and have a wonderful day. ♥♥♥

Blooming September Spring

Welcome Spring!!!

Yes, September has finally arrived... Just knowing that from now on the days are gonna get warmer and longer with light until late in the evenings, the flowers will start blooming and that we are really close to summer, brings me an instant smile.

Together with that, normally comes my Spring To Do List. At the beginning of each month I write a list of tasks or things that I would like to achieve in the next 4 weeks. It doesn't mean that I always succeed in completing them but at least it gives me a direction. Generally in September I would try to catch up with a friend I haven't seen in very long time, go shopping for a new wardrobe, promise to cut down on chocolate or exercise more, in order to fit into my little bikini; or simply save harder so I can enjoy a nice summer break.

I sat down this morning thinking about my list for this month and couldn't really think of much. I'm so happy right now with how things are going in my life that there's nothing new, big or worth writing down... And that is when I remembered....

I just finished reading a book by Cheryl Jarvis called "The Necklace". Is basically the real story of 13 women from Ventura, California who decided to buy an expensive diamond necklace together and bring happiness to others. The book is not amazing but the story is definitely inspiring. These women transformed a symbol of privilege into an experiment in humanity and in so doing, they rewrote the concept of desire.

So my task for September is simple: Share more! Share things that make me happy, and make others happy too; help others that need it, and make them smile... ♥♥♥

So what's your Spring To Do List?

Ownership is overrated. We should elevate sharing. Wealth is individual; sharing is collective. 

We are not what we own, we are what we do, who we help, and the difference we make in the world.

Sometimes we are narrow in the concept of sharing. 

We think that by sharing we are giving up something, that we get less. 

But the more you share, the more profound the experience becomes. 

By sharing, we get so much more. If we share, there's enough on the planet for everyone...

Happy Spring to everyone!!!

Julia and Liam Save the Dates

Julia and Liam are getting married next year January and asked me to design their digital Save the Date cards.
They knew exactly what they wanted: a romantic, elegant design with an earth colour palette. They also asked for an illustration of a willow tree to represent life, family, strong roots and growth. And continuing with the symbols, a butterfly (to represent Julia's brother) and a shamrock (to represent Liam's Irish mother) who unfortunately are no longer here but in spirit to celebrate with the bride and groom.

I tried to make the design work around the tree. The butterfly is flying around the dense leaves and the shamrock growing at the feet of the thick trunk while the text is in the shade floating beneath the leaves. A combination of 3 different fonts and an organic and relaxing colour palette just finished off the design. 

I hope you also like it...♥♥♥

Illustrated Bookmarks

So finally Friday has arrived but unfortunately I've been sick these lasts day and still not 100% percent. Hopefully I can recover soon so can enjoy this coming beautiful days...
Here are some bookmarks I've done some time ago but that I still love and use a lot. They all have printed Mocho's original designs on 300gm Curious Metal paper and finished with a cotton-silk ribbon. I hope you like them...
Wishing you a happy weekend! ♥♥♥

Save the Date Bianca and Stuart

Bianca and Stuart are getting married in March next year and they asked me to design their Wedding Stationary. Bianca has dreamt with a wedding for a long time therefore she wants everything to be like taken out from a classic story-tail, stylizing their wedding with a romantic-elegant-vintage look.
Here's a preview of their Save the Date design where I combined a cream and pearl pinks palette with calligraphy looking font-faces and elegant floral details.
I hope you also like it ♥♥♥

Crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies

Were did the sunny days go? Suddenly winter is back and together with it a craving for sweets and chocolate that just make me desperate... So what to do this weekend when you can't go hiking or have sundowners at the beach? 

Chill at home, watch as many dvd's as you can, drink wine and just relax. But if you are more of a doer, baking is my answer... 

I actually haven't baked in a very long time, I think that it must have to do with the fact that the oven of my old house wasn't really good for baking. (awesome for pizzas thought) I tried to do once banana bread but it was completely a flop and since then my baking days were forgotten. Until today that I realized I no longer have excuses as my new oven works like a charm... So being really out of practice, decided to ask my friend Emma from Munch food and cakes for a simple but delicious recipe that I could do this weekend. 

Emma not only got engaged recently but also started her own catering company a few months ago focusing mainly on small functions. So if you are organizing a dinner or tea party but feeling lazy to cook, you know what to do...- of course your guests don't need to find out that everything was home-made not exactly in your kitchen ;)

So anyway, here's the recipe she sent me: Crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies.... as she describes it: authentic american style chocolate cookies and not what passes as a chocolate chip cookie in South Africa.

Hope you also give it a try and have a great weekend!!! 

Crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies by Emma from Munch food and cakes

"It’s difficult to know how many cookies this recipe makes, since I eat so much of the raw dough when I make them (salmonella be damned). And also so many of the warm cookies, before I even have time to count. More than 24, definitely. Probably closer to 36."

You will need:

2 c cake flour

½ t baking soda

1 t salt

¾ c butter, melted

1 c packed treacle sugar

½ c white sugar

1 tb vanilla

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 c dark chocolate chunks (I use chopped dark chocolate, usually Bourneville)

1 cup chopped nuts of your choice - optional

Sift together the flour, soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugars. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla and whisk until light. Add sifted ingredients and blend, then add chocolate chips, and nuts if using, and blend. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop tablespoonfuls of dough 3 in apart. (At this point, I like to sprinkle each cookie with a generous pinch of Maldon salt. I like the salt with the sweet, but maybe I just need all the salt to offset – slightly – the massive amounts of sugar I consume when I bake these cookies)

Bake at 165 C for 10-12 minutes, and remove from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack.

If you want to check more recipes from Emma or order some delicacies, check out her website here.