Mad as a Hatters tea party

Posted on September 15, 2015 by myeye1

My younger sister decided to throw all the women in the family a tea party. She spent weeks and weeks secretly buying and making decorations and props to complete the look of her theme; the classic, Mad Hatters Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland.

We were all amazed at how much effort had gone into all the little touches; the tiny book cover cake toppers (which were my favourite), quotes from book Alice, the decorations made of book pages, a real top hat and more.

Aside from all the snacks on offer, which we had after lunch, there was lots of food to eat. We had pasties, sandwiches, pasta, chicken strips and much more that we all enjoyed. My sister also set up a photo board so we could take pictures against a pretty, floral background and everyone had lots of fun playing with the different face parts that she had made too.

We all had a fun afternoon, enjoying all the good food and especially the various cakes and desserts on offer. I’m sure that we’ll have more parties to come seeing how much everyone enjoyed this one. You can see my sister’s post and more pictures here

Eid party

Posted on August 21, 2015 by myeye1

My older sister decided to throw an Eid party to celebrate the end of Ramadan and on this occasion she asked the guests to bring along a dish so we could all share something with each other, which was a nice idea. The guests who came were good cooks and really generous which meant we had lots of delicious foods to eat and sweets treats to tuck into.

There were a wide variety of savoury and spicy dishes which went down well; kebabs, rice, chicken curry, samosas and many more.

The desserts that were bought along were just as delicious, my younger sister made a tasty chocolate cake, jelly shots for the kids disappeared in minutes, and the healthier options of a fruit platter or fruit with custard and whipped cream, which looked great, was thoroughly enjoyed. There were also mini gingerbread men and muffins and sweets.

Everyone enjoyed the food, games and prizes and we were all exhausted by the time the guests left, but happy that everyone had a good time.

1st birthday party

Posted on July 30, 2015 by myeye1

It was my niece’s first birthday recently, and her mum (my younger sister) decided to throw her a birthday bash. The theme, in case, you haven’t guessed, was a very girly, pretty, ‘pink’. My sister, who is very talented in making cakes, made a beautiful birthday cake with matching cupcakes and biscuits, and if that wasn’t enough, she also had a sweet table with all things sugary and pink too.

I thought the cake was lovely; I especially liked the ruffles in different shades and the sparkly tiara as a finishing touch.

My niece received lots of presents and birthday cards from loved ones, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy her party. I pray that she has a happy, healthy, long life ahead of her.

Eid-al-Fitr 2015/1436: Happy Eid

Posted on July 18, 2015 by myeye1

Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating Eid-al-Fitr after a month of fasting. I hope your day is filled with happiness, fun and thankfulness to Allah (God) for all his blessings.

Above is the Arabic word for Allah (God) and some of his ninety-nine names, beautifully painted on papyrus paper.

Sweet treats

Posted on March 5, 2015 by myeye1

These swirly treats are popular in South Asian countries and are called ‘Jalebi‘, They’re made of corn flour and are deep fried and then soaked in sugary syrup, which means that although they are delicious it’s probably not a good idea to eat too many. I think I want some now, looking at this photo…

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

Posted on December 31, 2014 by myeye1

Well, we’ve reached the end of 2014, and it’s been an interesting one for me, in terms of family related events and photo opportunities, both of which I hope have allowed me to grow in my skills and as a person. I would like to share below my favourite photos from this year, and to also wish you all a happy New Year wherever you are and whatever you decide to do to welcome in 2015. I hope its a happy, healthy adventurous 2015 for all of us

My sister’s wedding

Posted on December 19, 2014 by myeye1

So, I’ve guided you through all the preperations and pre-wedding parties and events that have been leading up to the ‘Big day’, and I can now finally share some of the pictures. The weather was nice and bright and although the wedding was indoors it really helped put everyone in a good mood. The room we hired was set up by the venue and it looked really good. The stage was ready for the bride and groom, tables set for the guests and what I especially loved were large rose balls of vibrant red on the head table

There were other nice touches that we added too (aside from the fruit and sweet tables). My sister picked out her favour boxes which whilst took us ages to put together and then fill with tasty treats, I thought looked elegant and really pretty. There were also welcome drinks for our guests to help themselves to while they socialised

But the thing that really stole the show (apart from the bride of course) was the beatiful wedding cake made my talented sister. She made the cake and the edible lace to go onto it and also made some matching cupcakes to help set the cake off. My sister’s friend made the swirly cupcakes to add to the cake table to help fill it out

My nieces and nephews looked really cute; tuxes for the boys and white flouncy bridesmaids dresses for the girls. (I don’t have great pictures of the girls as they didn’t stand still long enough). The rest of us were smartly dressed too; suits for the men and pastel coloured outfits for the ladies

In South Asian culture the bride traditionally wears red on her wedding day and in keeping with this tradition my sister spent weeks designing her outfit. She decided to make her oufit in a deeper shade of red but to make it look more modern and show some of her personality she added stripes of bright colours at the hem of her skirt and around the edges of her scarf.

On the day, dressed up in her beautiful outfit and made up by the professional makeup artist and hair stylist, my sister looked stunning. I can’t show you pictures of my sister’s face but here’s how her outfit looked with gorgeous accessories

And with her groom, they made for a handsome couple

All the preperations leading up to the wedding were really stressful, but it was worth it, as on the day everything went well and the bride and groom looked happy and seemed to enjoy the day, with everyone else looking like they were having fun too.

I wish them both well amd may they be really happy together and enjoy the adventure that lies ahead of them.

If you’d like to see the really good, professional photographes of the wedding then you can see them on my sister’s blog

For my other posts on my sister’s wedding see the links below:
Bridal shower – Vintage
Bridal shower – 1920s
Henna party
Fruit tables

Colourful fruits of labour

Posted on December 5, 2014 by myeye1

For my younger sister’s wedding day we thought it would be a nice touch to have a fruit table for the guests. We asked the catering company if they would be able to provide one for us but at a price of £400 (for fruit!) we said thanks, but no thanks! So, me and my older sister decided to have a go ourselves and as me and my sisters are quite a creative anyway

The day before the wedding day, my sister and I went to the local grocers and fruit stalls in our area and brought a whole range of fruits to give us different shapes, colours and sizes for our table.

As my sister’s wedding was an evening affair, my older sister and I got together in the morning of the wedding day and started prepping the fruit. We washed and cut up the fruit to make it easy and ready to eat

We then started placing the prepared fruit neatly in flat plastic trays that would help make the fruit not only look good but also make it easy to transport to the wedding venue.

We added small bunches of grapes and slices of oranges to the cut pieces of watermelon and melon, to add colour and also help fill the gaps.

My sister also had a good idea to make small cups of fuit that people can just take away. We used the leftover bits of watermelon, melons and grapes and added strawberries on top. She did this in a rainbow colour order which I thought looked great.

We had asked the venue to provide us with a couple of extra tables with tablecloths for us to use for our fruit. I got to the venue early and set this up before the guests arrived.

At previous parties and events my sisters have always set up a pretty sweet table for guests to enjoy. They decided they would like to do one for the wedding too to sit alongside the fruit table. In the weeks running up to the wedding we all kept an eye out for any sweets that fit our colour theme; red, gold and white (to match the bride). We then put them in colour blocks in various clear pots we had to make it all look neat when put together. I think the birdcages with the roses threaded through them are an especially nice touch and help bring the whole table together.

I think we did a good job (even if I do say so myself) and I think the bride was happy and the guests enjoyed it too, as most of it was eaten. We learnt that we can use our creative ideas to put together something that is well presented and enjoyed by all, at the fraction of the cost. I’d love to hear what you think of our efforts and if you have any other good ideas.

My sister’s hennaed hands

Posted on November 21, 2014 by myeye1

I’ve been trying to post more frequently but things have been super busy over the last few months with Eid, weddings and birthdays, (not to mention dodgy internet connections which hasn’t helped either!), but hopefully it seems a bit calmer now which means that I can get up to speed with my posts.

I wanted to share more pictures from my younger sister’s wedding that took place a couple of months ago. In Pakistan and other South Asian countries it is tradition for the bride-to-be to decorate her hands and feet with henna/mehndi a couple of nights before the wedding. The design my sister chose was intricate and very delicate and with the steady, skilled hands of the mehndi artist it came out beautifully

These patterns soon became much more complex and full, with henna being applied on both sides of my sisters’ hands and parts of her arms. You can click on the pictures below to view larger images, and close ups, (maybe if you look close enough you’ll find the name of the groom which he is supposed to look for on the night of the wedding).

I didn’t get a chance to have any henna applied to my hands, but a number of the guests did, including my baby niece who had a butterfly pattern applied (and which lasted about 10 minutes before it got smudged).

I think the finished result of my sister’s hennaed hands was beautiful, reminding me of lace gloves with intricate, delicate patterns. My sister kept the henna on until the following morning before washing it off to make sure the dye was as dark as possible, which you will be able to see soon in photos that I am hoping to post of the wedding

Poppy Day

Posted on November 11, 2014 by myeye1

Poppy day or Remembrance Day as it is officially known, is marked in the UK to remember the armed forces that died in the line of duty. To mark one hundred years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in the First World War the Tower of London has installed an art installation called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which is made up of 888,246 ceramic poppies encircling the Tower, each poppy representing a British military fatality during the war. The poppes have been added to the moat of the castle from August with more being added everyday.

As Remembrance Day was drawing near (11th Novemeber, after which the poppies would be removed and sold) I decided to go take a look. I got to the Tower early in the morning and it was already really busy with lots of people. Luckily I was able to get a view from the angles I wanted and I got some pretty good pictures, I would have loved to be able to go down to ground level and see them but that was out of bounds to the public.

The poppies together really do look like a sea of red, even more so by the poppies being placed at different heights to create waves and the idea of movement

The poppies filling the moat, surrounded the entire Tower. I found that around the back of the Tower it wasn’t as busy and also the walkways were closer to the ground and allowed to people to get a closer look

Later volunteers and members of the navy arrived to help to install some more poppies. From 12th November more volunteers will come along to help take out and clean the poppies so they can be sent to members of the public that have bought them

I think the simple idea of using poppies was very striking when all put together, it really brought home just how so many British people had died in the war. It also made me think about all those that had died around the world in the past due to wars and are still continuing to do so.

There were also other installations around London to mark remembrance day, some traditional and long lasting and others temporary and modern. The poppy wreaths are usually found around November, the engraved words I found really sad, which can be seen all year round and speaks about all those that were lost at sea. The most modern installation I came across was in Trafalger Square called ‘Every Man Remembered’, which is based on the Unknown Soldier and has poppies that blow around inside the glass

All of these are really interesting and make you think about how many lives were lost in the wars, what I think is really sad though is how little we seem to learn from history