the dream floral team

Meet Miss Milly.

A lifelong love affair with stationery started right here: little me, lost in a world of notebooks, pens, and endless creativity.

I remember always being surrounded by paper and books and drawing and writing. And to this day my joy is found in quiet moments on paper.

I grew up with a mom that loves to wrap gifts beautifully and I remember being by her side when she wrapped Christmas gifts. I was in charge of the cello tape cutting and she would say: “‘n lange” or “‘n korte” so I would know which length to cut.

My mom is also a serial list maker – the kind who’s list has a list! And she loves a yellow sticky note. My dad always had the best stationery stash that I would frequently help myself to – he speaks so beautifully about it in this post.

My most precious memories are ‘uitruilpapier’ in primary school during pouse, January visits to CNA for the annual stationery haul, choosing gift wrapping paper for my school books and then the big wrapping of it.

Some things never change – just a girl and her stationery, dreaming big.

Meet Mark, Mister Milly as he is lovingly called in the Kamers community.

The quiet force behind the scenes, and the reason Miss Milly is more than just an idea scribbled in a notebook.

My stall builder. My banker (interest-free, nogal). My box-folder, flower-hanger, prayer partner, and biggest fan. He’s the calm to my chaos, the one who keeps the dream standing – quite literally.

By day, he’s out in the wild. A protector of rhinos. A keeper of peace between what is wild and what is wicked.

He greets the night with boots on the ground. Carries more than just his gear – but also the weight of grief, of responsibility, of fierce love for God’s creation. Still, he walks. Still, he hopes. Still, he believes.

His courage doesn’t shout.
It shows up. Every day.
Steady. Sure. For His rhinos.

I watch him walk this path, quietly and bravely, and I pray – with him, for him, for the rhinos.

And if you’ve ever wondered who made that flower wall stand or carried ten crates without blinking… it’s probably him.

Meet “die Oumense.”

My mom and dad – the duo behind the flower press bags.

Piet is the original designer of the bag that took it upon himself to string the bags for the “plantparse” (as he calls them). He also designed a ‘jig’ for my mom that he cuts from voting placards – which my mom had to go and ask for as they took them off the poles during the last election. I think they only used DA ones…

Ansie does all the cutting, and sewing. And I have yet to meet someone that is more meticulous than her when it comes to sewing a straight line and making sure the ‘hoekies’ are neat. She is also the one that writes the best yellow sticky notes that say ‘Lief vir jou’ with 3 xxx’s at the end – and these she pops into every flower press bag order that she couriers to me.

They also make the tiniest little drawstring bags from the leftover fabric so that nothing goes to waste – I think at the age of 70+ my dad’s non-existent patience really is tested with the stringing of these!

By supporting my little business you are also supporting “die Oumense.”