{MONDAY MOJO} Catching up on my blogging + chocolate macarons!

It's been a while since I last put words on Blogger! Life gets her way sometimes and the best you can do is live it. I have been taking care of a few things in the meantime, got a new job, a new home, turned 30 (!) and also been through a lot personally. I have missed writing despite not being your typical regular blogger, and sharing my thoughts and work is very cathartic to me... let's get the ball rolling!

We have entered a brand new year and I have concocted a few things to keep me afloat and let my creative juices do the work. To start off, I was really excited to jump on a train and get to my favourite city in the world to spend some quality family time for a few days -Paris has my heart the way no other cities does!

 

After a day of catching up with my beautiful nieces and keeping up with my sister's stories, we decided to get in the kitchen and do what we love doing most: get creative. She's herself an amazing artist and baker and it was our first time trying to make macarons, in fact baking altogether! We had seen a few recipes online and we decided to go for the one we already had all the ingredients for, a simple way to avoid going out in the freezing cold! The issue with our delicious treats is that there are so many recipes out there that it's very difficult pointing at the one that will give you smooth biscuits with a rich ganache in the middle. We clearly failed at our attempt but it was really fun working together, and it actually tasted really yummy! Neither of us were really bothered about the way they looked in the end, it was all about making the most out of the little time we had together. And to be fair, they still tasted delish.

Disclaimer: this, by no means, reflects our talents as bakers! There's always a time when things just don't work out and you have to be OK with that. And also, if you have a recipe that works, holla!

 

... and on to the next recipe! (or the nearest boulangerie?)

 

 

 

Family time is SO important. I haven't been lucky to start off with but I have managed to build my own and so fortunate for the people who make it. I have basking in my baby niece's smile for 3 days straight and it was a pure delight -the overload of selfies can prove it! I really look forward to my family getting bigger, hopefully soon!

Until the next time, friends...

{Things I love Thursday} Summer cocktails!

As the weather blesses us with sun rays and high temperatures, I got excited about going back to an old skill of mine: mixology. Many moons ago I worked as a bartender and indulged in the art of making cocktails with great pleasure. I lost some of my mojo, but was still able to put my skills into practice to rustle up a little something to cool off. And since I have some liqueur hanging around, why not?! 

I made this super cool cocktail mixing Malibu mango with a dash of citrus syrup on a bed of blueberries, topped up with ginger beer and a tiny squeeze of lime juice for some zing. I anticipated that it would go down quickly so made a few in case I needed a top-up...so delish! 

I would urge anyone sensible to try this recipe, a pitcher of this concoction would definitely go down well at any party! Oh, how I love summer...

{MONDAY MOJO} My Easter story! (Special feature: Bailey Ana Cakes)

 

Last week's 4 day Easter weekend break was as sweet as the biscuits I made to celebrate the date! My weekends are getting more scarce as weddings are in high demands at the moment, so any occasions to have fun and relax at the same time is welcome with open arms. I also had the opportunity to get a proper Easter dinner this year. I'm talking steamed fish, rice & peas, veggies, mac and cheese, and, of course, a chocolate cinnamon layer cake with white chocolate cream and summer berries topped with lashings of chocolate fudge cake, courtesy of Bailey Ana Cakes - can a girl ask for more?!

 

  

So to mark the occasion, what better idea than to bake some iced Easter biscuits? I have literally been drooling over Pinterest photos of everything biscuit-y, Easter-y related (in between table designs, wedding inspiration, baking projects, style shoots, food styling, and tattoo ideas) since I had a charity event to bake for and I had wanted to make something a little different. The cake was taken care of anyway and my mission was more of an accompaniment to the vibe! And to be fair, I had been shown the fine art of biscuiteering and was ready to put my skills into practice once again.

 

 

 My charity bake sale iced biscuits for Richard House, London's first children's hospice

 

We quickly squeezed in a photo shoot session of the notorious cake that was so delish that I ate 2 slices! The way chocolate has its way to my heart...

 

I'm really enjoying to spending more time doing work I enjoy the most: creating. Immersing myself in any kind of creative activity is what liberates my mind from my daily bustle and I'm really grateful for those impromptu moments I get to explore the depths of my dexterity. 

{Tuesday TIP} Time off!

I had a very pleasant weekend unwinding, baking, and hanging out with friends. Monday, though, was truly blissful as I was able to make the most of my 'off' time and spend it with my favourite person: myself!

I crave solitude almost on a daily basis. My demanding profession rarely allows for those special moments spent alone and I often find myself thirsty for isolation, confinement, total peace and quiet. Those golden moments are when I feel at my happiest, when my books become my best friends and I feel comfortable in my own universe. Regroup. I'm not a loner, just a super introverted soul trying to find my way through a world of amplified social interactions.

A full on week awaits ahead and I'm really happy I got some proper ME time before the chaos. I went through my favourite design book again (The art of the party by David Stark), took the time to write a poem, and even napped like there was no tomorrow!

And breathe...

{Tuesday TIP} A tour of Istanbul

Those who know me and are following me on Instagram have had a glance into my holiday snaps a few weeks ago. I had a blissful break away from the city and escaped to 2 very different, but gorgeous cities: Geneva and Istanbul. While my first stop in Geneva was family-time-kinda-time, I chose Istanbul as my destination for my solo venture this year. The excitement of unknown territories.

Until I met a Geneva-based Londoner on the plane who kindly shared tips about the city (where to go and, most importantly, where to eat!), I didn't have a plan on how I would spend my holidays, I just knew I was drawn to Istanbul and wanted to explore its treasures.

Istanbul, city of cats

My first impression of the city: seed of approval. The heavy atmosphere of the jammed roads, the golden crescents of the mosques peeking at every street corners, the numerous food shops offering the best-priced deals, the peaceful locals, and the coral sunsets. I felt a sense of relief. My hostess, Basma, also was the warmest woman and welcomed me with sweet Turkish tea, fresh fruits and a heap of affection. I almost felt home.

As I explored the city of many façades, I relish the solitude. I lusted after the delights that Istanbul offered me without an ounce of guilt. I navigated through the busy side roads of Taksim Square aimlessly; made my way through narrow cobbled alleyways, greeted by sweets merchants and hookah smokers; sailed to Asia on the Bosphorus; gorged on thickly sliced fish sandwiches layered on coats of cholesterol-induced condiments; indulged in the most exquisitely presented and deliciously famous Turkish delights; and soaked every single ray of sun I could. My soul smiling all along.

Montana propaganda?

Beyond the tourist-imbibed areas, lies that urban-flavoured city that I was eager to unfold. The graffiti art shows up here and there, the trendy coffee shops/networking spots, and the hip young artists working on the cobbled streets with tea and sketch pads in hands. It was another side of Istanbul one cannot ignore!

Istanbul has my heart in many ways and I hope I cross her path again...

{Tuesday TIP} Breaking boundaries with London Bridgez

The power of social media linked me to this Boston-based spoken word poetess London Bridgez and I have been swamped by her energy ever since. The woman oozes electrifying vibes and enough sass to keep her crowd on their feet - all night! Whether on a background of brushed bassline, tantalising trumpet, and punchy drums or acapella, she waxes the finest lyrics combining feminism, social justice, hip hop, and activism. And guess what? I am fortunate enough that I have been treated to a private live performance of 'SHE' via Skype, which was a pure moment of elation. This is the performance that really does it for me and the one I deeply connect with. London has a very special message to spread and I hope you enjoy (re)watching this video as much as I do!

 
London performing 'SHE'... Speakers on!

The sheer beauty of London's passion for her craft is enough to keep you entertained, mesmerised, and inspired. She adds a new dimension to poetry with her powerful prose.

Check out my sister friend London Bridgez if you dig the work! Chitty-chat on the Twitterverse, keep up with live gigs on Facebook (you never know, she may pass by your area!), or hit her YouTube channel for more awesomeness... GET TO KNOW!

{MONDAY MOJO} Tea Party time!

HAPPY MONDAY!

I had a lot of fun tea-partying with my lovely sister friends last week-end! I had been planning a gathering for a little while and was pleasantly surprised by how the day unfolded. We started the afternoon in style and we ended the shindig on the rim of debauchery!

A vibrant tropical setting embellished with colourful lilies and a heavenly vanilla sponge with summer berries & lemon cream, courtesy of Bailey Ana Cakes

Love in abundance was at the party...

I couldn't have asked for better surroundings to celebrate love & friendship: in the comfort of my home, we proclaimed sisterhood in the most organic way. I had an idea of how I wanted the day to turn out when I sent out my invites, but I had no idea it would be such an enriching experience: an overwhelming medley of powerful energies.

Fatima & Astrid, my fellow Frenchies!

Delish chocolate & ginger mini loafs by Bailey Ana Cakes

For this tablescape, I went for a bright decor that completely overturned London's grey skies and temperamental winds. It was warm and welcoming, with an abundance of tea lights, gorgeous gems, potent tea cocktails with sweet & minty flavours, a lot of laughs, and a lot of love. We partied until the sun came down, wrapping up the day with a couple of dance moves and a lot of fond memories.

A big cheer to my sister friends for a beautiful day.

{MONDAY MOJO} On set with Latoya Stash + Tendai Pottinger

It's Monday already! This week end flew by but was crafted with some fabulous events.
On last Saturday's photo shoot, I had the pleasure of collaborating with an old friend, Latoya Stash; and also work with a great filmmaker, Tendai Pottinger, who did an amazing job with the videography for a studio dance session.

Latoya is a talented dancer and working with her was truly a pleasure. We worked together to get the most out of her dance moves and I also managed to get some beautiful shots when she wasn't paying attention to the camera. As the day unfolded, I was able to capture a more relaxed and confident Latoya. She was at ease and her beauty shone through her poise as her movements became sharper, lighter, and more gracious. What a beautiful subject she was! The dance session was completely freestyled to let Latoya express herself with no boundaries. I really enjoyed watching her unleash her creative flow and the complete freedom it brought her.

 Capturing Tendai while filming with Latoya in the background - possibly one of my favourite moments.

 Sensuality & allure.

 Freedom!

I had an amazing day ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the work we were creating! For this shoot I mainly used a Canon 85mm 1:8 lens (courtesy of Tendai!), and a Sigma 18-200mm lens which gave me the flexibility I wanted with the technical features I needed - a superb combo for impeccable work.

Keep your eyes peeled for more creative collabos very soon!

{Friday finds} 3 things I loved this week

{BlogHug}

It's Friday finds, folks! It's been a rather eventful week so it's time to unwind and ease up into the week end. The mood is palpable as we've been hit with serious weather woes so I've selected a few links that will revive our spirits.

 If you are on Instagram, you couldn't have missed the buzz around the 'A Beautiful Mess' app. You just couldn't! It's a lot of fun, very easy to use, and only cost a mere £0.69 from the iTunes store. There are some pretty cool designs to play with... Thumbs up!

 Hop on Preston Bailey's blog to infuse Kathy Romero's wisdom. 5 paths to happiness was a helpful tool this week. We all go through hardships, personal & professionals, that are hard to come by but the key to most emotional mishap is to transform negative energy into positive thinking. I've read a lot on the subject of happiness which doesn't always hit the spot but this came at a handy time. Easier said than done, yes, I'm working on that myself and these particular words resonates a lot:

 

Live Your Own Dream

We all want to be better. We all want to be loved, and we all want to be recognized. These are all natural attributes of the human condition. But when we don’t feel these things are happening soon enough, we tend to let our imaginations go wild. This often results in our getting sidetracked. We become so focused on their next step and what they are doing that we forget ours. Be patient and learn to allow your own story to unfold.  Things tend to happen when they are supposed to.

 

I hope it works for you too!

 

Dietlind Wolf has been my absolute favourite artist to follow and enjoy this week. Thanks to the magic of Pinterest, I spotted Dietlind's work and I've been drooling over it until unreasonable hours of the night. She has a very sharp eye and her photography skills are worth having a good look at.

 

colour concept + styling: Dietling Wolf/photo: Torsten Suedfels

 

 Don't forget to check out 'Saturday Zeal', my Tumblr adventure, tomorrow! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{MONDAY MOJO} On set with Candice Onyeama & #TeamRise

Happy Monday! We are basking in the sun here in the UK and it feels rather lovely. You all know I'm a woman who wears many hats so when my good friend, up-and-coming actress Candice Onyeama, asked me to take behind-the-scene shots on the set of her short film production, I jumped on the occasion. We were fortunate that the sun decided to come out so it was a perfect day for filming and taking pictures. While I can't reveal too much about the film as it is in post-production as we speak, I can share a few shots to give you feel of what was going down.

Candice keeping a close eye on the production, Femi behind the lens

Star of the show is 17 year old Chris, a very talented skater

We put ourselves in tricky situations, all in the name of art! I'm waiting to capture the best in-the-air shot.

Under Candice's direction, #TeamRise completed an amazing job. We were a team of 5 simply motivated by creativity and the desire to help a dear friend. So we set up in East London and worked non-stop for 5 hours, and the best part is that we had a lot of fun doing it. Candice is a remarkable leader and motivator, and her passion and drive led us to produce such a beautiful work! I look forward to doing this again.