Blog
Ankalia's Fifth Birthday
I can’t believe it that this month was Ankalia’s fifth birthday. Thank you to everyone that has supported me along the way. Starting Ankalia really happened all because of a fluke meeting and an offer that I jumped into and took several big risks on. At the age of fifty I did a lot of things that were a big upheaval and completely changed my life 1. I quit my corporate job. 2. I went to Italy as a mature aged student and studied Fashion and Luxury Goods Management. 3. By fluke I was offered a job working for NO...
The Prettiest Boutique in Perth
I must say the drive along North Street in Swanbourne puts a big smile on my face every time I go there on my way to the beach. Image: Ginger Owl on North Street, Swanbourne There’s a gorgeous little boutique on the right-hand side called Ginger Owl and it’s renovated to perfection. I am absolutely in love with the exterior finishes, the colour palette and the styling. It’s a real credit to Nicky the owner and it makes me realise how much I love interior and exterior styling, architecture, landscaping and also the fact that I’m obsessed with colour. Image:...
The Positives of Postponing Your Holiday Due to Coronavirus
I’m certainly someone that loves to travel. Before the Corona lockdown I was booked to walk The Camino, which is a famous 5-week Pilgrims walk across the top of Spain. I was soooo looking forward to the 5 weeks with one of my besties and I had been training for a couple of months. I was also planning to do sandal photoshoots for www.ankalia.com in San Sebastian, Biarritz, Paris and Doha after the walk. Image: Cheryl Botha of Ankalia sandals dreaming of travelling after the Coronavirus shutdown Anyhow, that’s all on hold now! I know it’s a bit of a...
Bin Isolation Outing and Put Your Bins Out in Your Ballgown
Wow! The things we do for entertainment and how the most basic things can go viral! It seems that all over the world due to Coronavirus we humans are doing all sorts of things, both basic and inventive to amuse ourselves, whilst staying at home. Image: "Put Your Bin Out in Your Ballgown" Facebook Group post of Cheryl Botha of Ankalia Sandals Somehow, I stumbled across someone putting their bin out whilst wearing a fancy dress or costume of some sort. I went onto Facebook and discovered that there are two huge Facebooks groups solely about putting your bins out....
Living in Claremont
Since moving to Perth from Bellevue Hill in Sydney 17 years ago, I’ve called Claremont home for most of this time. I love it here so much that I thought I’d share some of my favourite local haunts with you. Image: Cheryl Botha, Claremont local and Founder of Ankalia Sandals How would I describe Claremont? It’s a beautiful affluent, leafy suburb with wonderful people and an awesome happy, healthy vibe. Image: Cheryl Botha, Founder & Creative Director of Ankalia Sandals My favourite places for a caffeine fix? There’s a few! I love Elixir on Stirling Highway in Nedlands. It’s very...
My Top 8 Tips for Working from Home During Coronavirus
I’m a girl that has worked at home completely alone in my little studio for more than two years now. I run an online sandal business www.ankalia.com and I find that I’m quite used to being alone all day with zero face-to-face contact and only communicating by email, text and social media. Image: in my home studio making my Meghan sandals in gold leather with gold Swarovski crystals Now, that so many people are #workingfromhome during Coronavirus, I thought I’d share with you my tips to help you with this new mode of work. Image: home studio life wearing my...