I may not speak for new generations but for mine, when we hear about basketry, it generates an image of some ‘grandma’ basket made of Vacoas or rattan.

What if I told you that this basket can be made trendy to the point of being a fashionista’s iconic accessory ?

Ever since I laid my eyes on Toti’s products, I have been subdued by the classy look of their Vacoas handbags! It’s all revamped, fresh and so damn trendy – not to mention that the raw material is natural.

Toti is based in Rodrigues and offers various products made out of natural materials such as Vacoas, wood and coconut. They take orders through Facebook and can send products to Mauritian clients.

The best part is the added service of having a personalized product. You may need some special basket to add some flair to your bathroom, for instance. Toti hears you out and delivers splendid products. The sky is really the limit here, just open up to your creativity and Toti may help you in bringing it to life…

Although I have not personally ordered from Toti (just waiting for the need to place an order), I have seen several positive customer feedback on their Facebook page.

What strikes me with their range of products is the flamboyant colours used which add life to the ‘grandma’ basket. The paintings are so professional! We can also recognize their inspiration from the famous Frida Kahlo. I strongly recommend you to have a look at all their products on Facebook as I’ve really had a hard time selecting which ones to add to my blog post.

If you’re more about the discreet, classy type, Toti also offers wonderful products decorated with laces, cloth, ribbons and pearls.

Besides being aesthetically appealing, these products are also environment friendly. Since we are going through a phase of re-inventing our consumption in terms of plastic, Toti offers such a beautiful alternative!

About Toti

Behind the wonderful works of Toti is a French interior decorator and artist, who came to settle in Rodrigues with her husband. Her artistic side obviously took over when she discovered the traditional Vacoas products from Rodrigues and wondered why these products are not being artistically exploited to give them an innovated look. The result we all can see it, she has transformed the ‘grandma’ basket into beautiful works of art which can be appealing to every generations! We can clearly see that she inspires herself from the tropical island she lives on as well as the African culture to which she has been exposed during her stay in Africa. As a bonus, her ideas also crop up from her travels around the world and we end up with this incredible mixture of traditional and modern…

Special Message from the artist

When we grasp a look at the products offered by Toti, we cannot help but feel this difference in the authenticity and originality. This is the message that the artist behind Toti wants to spread – be original and make our local artisanal products unique! We have the potential both in Mauritius and Rodrigues and now more than ever, we should be striving to bring forward ecological alternatives. She therefore encourages local artists and entrepreneurs to invest more in local materials and make authentic products which reflect our islanders culture as well as help in protecting our environment.

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However, keeping it looking new and shining was always a matter of concern for me. With the outdoor elements, paint gets discoloured, faints or even gets micro scratches over time. Micro scratches are the worst to have and they come really quick and are so visible on a new car! Searching online on how to protect your paint and car yielded a lot of results from waxing to polishing and all sorts of product. But one thing particularly caught my attention; Ceramic Coating!

Ceramic coating was at that time something new to me and I had to do a lot of research to know what it is. Ceramic coating is a product that is applied to the clear coat of your car to protect it. It’s based on nanotechnology and forms a thin and transparent layer on your paint which is invisible to the eye. Invisible you say! Look at the shine after it is applied! Researching ceramic coating in Mauritius didn’t bring a lot of result like nowadays where everyone is doing Ceramic coating , you can even get them on the road or bazaar! One company did catch my attention and it was Ceramic Pro Mauritius.

I contacted them on Facebook and didn’t have to wait long to get a reply, very professional and courteous. I still wasn’t sure and then dropped by at their Quatres Bornes garage and had a chat with them. I was given a very good explanation about what is included and what type of protection I would be getting! No gimmicks such as it will protect your paint from fire! I went for the silver package, which included 3 year protection – rims, windows, windscreen and interior. As a bonus, I got my engine bay coated.

I personally feel that it is difficult to explain what ceramic coating is, you really need to apply or have someone with the knowledge to explain it. The level of protection that I have had with Ceramic Pro has just been incredible. I once had a trolley in a supermarket bump with my car and leave a scratch on it, I was damn scared at that time. Then I called Ceramic Pro and was kindly instructed to try and wipe away with a clean microfiber cloth, I was like is he serious now! And he was damn serious, clean microfiber and a bit of gentle scrubbing and voila scratch was gone! I was like WOW! I have had a few of those scratches over the years and Ceramic Pro has definitely helped me.

Taking care and cleaning the car! That is so easy, everything just glides off no matter how dirty it is. Here, I don’t mean put water and the dirt will wash off, that is only for light dirt with is fresh enough. What I mean here is when you apply soap to your car, it just glides and removes the dirt with a single pass. Did I mention that your car becomes super slick?

Some Washing tips that I have used over the past few years.

Always use the two bucket method, one with clean water and the other one with soap. Once you do a pass with the soap wash the mitt in the clean water and get soap and repeat.

Use PH neutral soap, do not use dishwasher product. I have read quite a lot about this and everyone agrees to use PH neutral soap.

Wipe your car dry with microfiber only after washing. Be careful not to press too hard or you will get micro scratches.

What I use for washing:

I am a big fan of Chemical Guys and always get my stuff from Amazon US.

1. I use Chemical Guys HydroSuds for regular washing.
2. For small washes I use Chemical Guys Mr. Pink or Honey Dew.
3. For drying the car, I use Chemical Guys yellow microfiber 60x90cm and 40x40cm. All bought from Amazon directly.
4. Chemical Guys Chenille Microfiber Premium Scratch-Free Wash Mitt. I have used it for 3 years and recently changed it as it got torn internally.
5. Stihl water pressure and Stihl foam gun.

Those are only for maintenance washes or home washes. They produce a very good shine after washing but if you want the ultimate shine you simply send it to Ceramic Pro for washing and you will be wowed!

Enough talking, here are some images!

What I love above Ceramic Pro is that the colour of the car is really “voyant” specially at night, it is just at another level. The shine is not just on pictures, it is truly seen on the road. You can feel people looking at it. Even while driving looking at the shine in your mirrors makes you smile.

One thing that is really important is maintenance, you need to follow it to ensure that your coating keeps on performing. Ceramic Pro recommends doing it every 6 month and it is once again totally worth it, the car comes back as if it has been recently coated.

The above was around 3 years ago and I did notice recently that the Coating was wearing off. But it has certainly done its job for 3 years, my car is mostly kept outside during weekdays and Ceramic Pro has kept my paint and car looking brand new.

Few weeks back, gave the guys a call at Ceramic Pro and told them that I needed some more protection on my car, not a problem they said and I sent the car to them to get the coating for another two years. The best thing about Ceramic Pro is that it is layer based, so you need not wait for two years to re-apply the coat, it can be added at any time to your car to give it additional protection.

The pictures do speak for themselves, the paint is as new and really shining, super slick and most importantly without micro scratches or scratches.

I would also like to mention that ceramic coating is not completely shielded against water spots, they do get it but it is less than a non-coated car, however it can easily be removed by them. The guys at Ceramic Pro always return a spotless car. Ceramic coating is also scratch resistant not scratch proof, anyone claiming that has a problem! Most scratch are superficial and not deep enough to damage the ceramic or clear coat hence easily wiped off. But if I was to take a nail and scratch the car, I can assure you it will leave a deep scar! Probably on you as well!

Finally, ceramic coating does provide a good level of protection, shine and your car is easier to maintain. It gives your car that fresh and new look. Ceramic Pro really helps in rainy days as water just slides off your windscreen and the water beading is just awesome. Proper maintenance and using approved or the right soap helps in maintaining your coating longer. Head over to the Ceramic Pro Page on Facebook to get in touch with them or to view their past jobs.

I seldom vouch for a product or company but where praise is deserved it must be given!

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I have the habit of looking for gifts which are going to be practical and useful. With my second daughter moving school last year, I wanted to show our gratitude to the carers of her day care centre with something special…

Most of the time, I look for gifts which should be long lasting, practical and of course appealing. Since we had just come out of the lockdown, and I knew some small businesses would be finding difficulties in gaining back their economic momentum, I also wanted to support a local business.

Hence, I started searching online among the several local business pages for any great idea. I eventually shortlisted a few and found the rare pearl – personalised bags from EcoZire Tote Bags!!! The persons who received the gifts are all women and as expected were totally delighted to receive a bag with their names embroidered on it!

It is not difficult to order, you just have to reach out to them on Facebook messenger. About the service received from EcoZire – I would say that the ladies are very helpful, responsive and can go the extra mile to satisfy their customer. I definitely recommend anyone looking to order from them to go ahead without hesitation! You can discover their range of products on their Facebook page.

The story behind EcoZire

The name EcoZire was inspired from the desire for an ecological world i.e. an ‘eco desire’… It is a small local business created by two ladies – Karen Yan and Anouchka L’assiette – who are teachers but also very determined in bringing their contribution to make this beautiful island (and this world) plastic-free!

Their adventure therefore begins in June 2020, with their Facebook page (and a team of four other ladies) where they have gradually reached a lot of people with their products. Their motivation is to be able to bring forward a product which is a sustainable alternative to plastic bags or any other single-use bags.

EcoZire also plans to introduce other products which as per their motto, will be inline with ecology.

About the tote bags

Their tote bags are made of 100% cotton and can be either be embroidered or printed with customised designs (isn’t this exciting?). There are multiple advantages of having the tote bag such as:

• it is value for money with a good quality material;
• it is a re-usable bag which can also be washed;
• it can be used for any purpose – lunch bag, gift bag, marketing tool for businesses, errands bag, you name it!
• it makes a perfect gift for friends, colleagues (why not corporate gift?), or even your customers;
• it creates less waste than plastic bags or even paper bags you get from shops these days;
• it contributes to the sustainability of our country in the long run…

The cutting edge

What inspired me to write about EcoZire is not only my positive experience as a customer but also their noble cause for starting a business. We all know about the recent law of banning single-use plastics in Mauritius and yet, there are few who have actually realised that the purpose of such legislation is to effectively reduce our waste. For this law to be really effective, we need businesses to introduce concepts like EcoZire – reusability of products. Hence the choice of bringing into the lime light this local entrepreneurship. Hopefully, there will be more of such blog posts in the future.

The message that the EcoZire team has for us is about our future generations and the type of world we are leaving behind for them…

“Let’s work together for a world free of plastic for our children” – the EcoZire team

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Following last year’s lockdown, I have noticed an increase in the number of Mauritian businesses (small and medium scale ones) offering services on Facebook. It is always so nice to see how talented Mauritians can be and how beautiful their products can be. Hence, I thought about bringing some of these talents forward as a satisfied client or a potential one. This blog post therefore introduces a new category of posts which I shall be writing – Mauritian Treasures.

The real beauty is how these persons display the Mauritian ingenuity and despite the economic precariousness, they have bravely ventured in starting their business and make it work with all the means they have at hand.

These are those Mauritian Treasures which I am going to share with you because I believe that Mauritians have come a long way and can achieve wonderful things with their talents and skills!

My motive is also to showcase how one’s talents can be used to make a living and that we should get rid of the stereotype of having a degree to get a job. There is no greener grass on either side. However there is a best fit – some of us are born for the corporate world while others are born with innate talents to come up with unique products/services…

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