Birthday bash

My younger sister threw her daughter a birthday party recently, making the creative cake and cupcakes herself. There were sweets, a giant bouncy castle and good company, and to top things off, the weather on the day was great too . Here’s some of the photos I took. Can you guess the theme?

We all had a lovely day and my niece had lots of fun and was exhausted long before the party’s end. I hope she has a long healthy life ahead, and that I get to spend lots more time with her.

Sweet Art

I heard about a promotional Sweet Art Gallery not too far from my workplace last week so one lunchtime I decided to go down and see what was on show. The gallery was quite small with some fun art pieces on display, but what was really interesting was that they were all made out of sweets!

My favourite was the take on the Mona Lisa painting, and you could eat the sweets it was made of as they had a sweet machine nearby. There was also an alternative tube map and a section where you could unleash your creativity using sweets and pipecleaners.

At the back of the gallery there was a pick and mix section, which had all the sweets that the brand sells, and the best bit – it was free! Although I couldn’t eat most of the sweets due to them containing gelatine I did scoop up some to take back for my work colleagues, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a fun, well spent lunchtime, and I hope to see more of these fun pop ups throughout summer.

Spiral staircase

I went to a department store in London recently called Fortnum and Mason. Its known as the Queen’s grocer and has been operating for over 300 years. On the day I visited they had their spiral staircase beautifully decorated in pink, delicate flowers which I just had to capture.

Spiral staircase

Other wonderful and interesting things I spotted were glacé fruits, colourful candles and delicious looking sweets. I also tried some of the tea that was brewed whilst I wandered.

It was fun walking around and seeing things that I wouldn’t normally see in my every day life. I don’t plan a visit again anytime soon, but if I happen to be in the area I’ll be sure to have another browse.

All the fun of a Winter Wonderland

Hyde Park, London hosts Winter Wonderland every year which is a family event running over the festive season. There’s fairground rides for thrill seekers, Christmas markets for anyone looking for beautifully crafted gifts, and tasty food to make sure energy levels are topped up. Seeing as it looked like a fun evening out I went with my sister and her family to experience the sights, smells and tastes on offer.

I went on a ride or two with the kids, was distracted from stall to stall with the interesting and beautiful items on display and was awed by the pretty lights and great atmosphere.

I didn’t manage to experience everything as we ran out of time, but hopefully I’ll be able to return next year to enjoy more rides as well as see the circus show, the cool ice sculptures in the ice kingdom and take a spin on the ice rink. We left with smiles on our faces and our goodies from the markets but were absolutely exhausted, with the kids falling fast asleep all the way home.

Superhero styled fun

My youngest nephew recently finished reading the Quran and to celebrate his mum threw him a superhero themed party. There were some really fun decorations and foods, both a delight to the eyes and tastebuds. I really liked the comic skyline selfie wall and the comic masks and captions. I also thought the party boxes were a really nice touch.

There was good food to enjoy and the cake went down well too, but the kids had a field day with all the sweets they managed to get their hands on and the prizes they won.

My nephew really enjoyed the party and all the gifts he received and we all had a fun time too.

Eid party

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

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.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

Just before Easter I went to a chocolate fair in London with my sister and niece. We were excited about all the possible chocolate creations we’d see and we weren’t disappointed! There was was a big range of beautiful and clever designs which were a treat for all our senses.

Ticket

Our favourite stall was one that had chocolate in various shapes and forms that we thought were really fun.

I think what I really like about these are that they have been dusted with cocoa to make them look rusty.

We also saw a collection of other chocolates in interesting (and slightly strange) shapes, from chocolate samosas to face prints.

Some of the chocolate looked so artistic and beautiful and just too good to eat. I especially love these colourful blocks

Chocolate

We came across other clever and pretty ideas too; chocolates named after Shakespeare’s leading ladies, elegant balls and textured cubes.

Aside from chocolate there were so many other delicious looking and sweet smelling treats; definitely something for everyone.

One of the best things was that we were able to have a taste of most of the products before buying, and we didn’t hold back!

We all really enjoyed the day, taking photos of all the lovely things to buy and taste. We bought home a range of goodies for ourselves and for family whilst trying to not to be tempted to buy one of everything! I still have lots more photos but I’ll have to post about them another time.

I would definitely recommend going to a chocolate festival for those with a sweet tooth and a love of eye candy. I’m currently thinking of going to the one that’s being held towards Christmas to see what other fun ideas that might be presented.

Sweet treats

Jalebi sweets

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…

Colourful fruits of labour

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

fruit

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.