{Wednesday Wisdom} with Preston Bailey

{Friday finds} 3 things I loved this week!

{BlogHug}

It's Friday, folks! We've been blessed with sun rays all week and I'm excited about the Bank holiday fun-filled plans. We're wrapping up the week with 3 of my favourite finds - ideas and inspirations for fellow bloggers, event stylists, creatives, and everyone else. Enjoy!

 Amy Atlas featured on Style Me Pretty this week with her best tips on how to style a dessert table. Whether you're a stylist or party host/ess you'll find these very informative and will learn a few tricks along the way. I loved it!

 Pinterest has become my daily go-to for absolutely everything! There are a number of interesting resources and gorgeous visuals to keep you logged in until unnecessary hours of the night. This week I stumbled across this article on '26 things to note before you develop a website'. I have been talking about this with one of my friends who wants to start building an online platform so it couldn't have come at a better time. Check it out! It's a very insightful guide which takes you from start to finish with wisdom on social media, traffic, design, and everything you need to know.

 If you haven't heard the new Janelle Monáe + Erykah Badu gig yet, get to know! 'Q.U.E.E.N.' is the track that will stick on your brain like white on rice. It's THAT good and Janelle looks exquisite in that black & white striped dress - the booty really don't lie!

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

{Wednesday Wisdom} with Preston Bailey

{Tuesday TIP} A tour of Paris + Tumblr adventures

I had so much fun on my little vacay in my hometown that I'm already planning my next trip! The perfect Spring weather made my trip very enjoyable as I spent some outdoorsy time taking photographs, and also capturing the essence of my family as I don't get to see them very often. I wanted raw shots, preferably when they weren't looking or weren't aware the camera was pointed at them. Hard work! What I found captivating is the little habits, the cute smiles, the frowns, the laughters, the freshness of emotions delivered in a brief moment, and the beauty of it all. A celebration of life in all its splendour. For the first time, I saw them through a different eye. We celebrated birthdays, enjoyed walks in parks, sipped delicious liquor and devoured butter-rich creamy dishes, laughed until our bellies hurt, and poured our hearts out. It was real.

Mother and daughter breaking bread

{BREAKING NEWS} I FINALLY managed to catch Les Nubians in concert! Being a hardcore fan of these two incredible women for the past 15 years or so, I couldn't believe I would finally see them live until they took the stage by storm and entertained the crowd - Nubian-style! You may want to plug your speakers in when listening to this for full Nubian effect.

Les Nubians live @New Morning, PARIS.

Tumblr advendtures

A couple of weeks ago I decided to embark upon a project over at Tumblr: the idea would be to create an online platform where I could showcase original photographs, mostly taken with my iPhone. From there was born 'Saturday zeal'. It is quite fresh and new but it is definitely worth checking and following. Updating only once a week (on Saturdays, obviously) to give me the time to build up a portfolio and share only quality content I'm able to express myself using a medium I'm getting used to again. Here's a sneak peek to get you started.

Hop on the blog and keep up with my new adventures!

{MONDAY MOJO} Work + fun with 'Bailey Ana Cakes'

I love working with fellow creatives and develop new skills. Last week end I had the opportunity to delve into the whimsical world of Bailey Ana Cakes, ran by baker extraordinaire Dewbien, for cupcake decoration sessions. It's interesting to enter someone else's world and witness the well-known intricacies of running a creative business while juggling life and its trials - props to all who do it and do it well. Behind-the-scenes moments were made of brainstorming, props sourcing, shopping, baby-sitting, preparing, baking, decorating, glittering (my ultimate favourite task pastime!), sugar-coating edible flowers for crystallizing (real flowers!), making sure every single cupcake looks a million dollar, while documenting the action! You can't imagine how much work goes into the process until you're part of the adventure. 

photo credits

While it was a lot of fun, the work that Dewbien puts into her craft is laborious, admirable, and inspirational. As creative souls, we must be able to multitask without crumbling under a mountain of distractions and she does that with a certain class. What I saw was an eagerness to execute her work to perfection, motivated by the love of making her clients happy. She's got it going on! The picture below is a proof of it and I'm glad I was part of the design process, I've learned so much! 

Photo credits

If you want to know more about Dewbien's work and her business Bailey Ana Cakes, get at her now! You can find a plethora of cake and cupcake inspiration (including those fabulous ones), super pretty designs, and learn more about the lady herself. Design drool guaranteed!

You can also give her a buzz on Facebook & Twitter. 

My golden dream

A breezy, sunny weekend called for a little wander around the streets of East London. After spotting these gorgeous gold tea glasses with Arabic prints in a charity shop, I decided to grab the bargain (99p each!) and proclaimed a Moroccan shindig was to happen soon. I lost the art of throwing intimate parties at home though those beauties reignited my flame. 

The thought of gathering close friends, enjoying a hearty home cooked meal, sharing belly-laughs, feeding our souls with delicious conversations, and enjoying countless glasses of wines makes my heart happy. Who can resist deep connections and dimmed lights with the sultry voice of Emel Mathlouti in the background? It's a set-up from heaven that I can't wait to reproduce with a sumptuous décor!

Celebrating Black History month & LGBT History month

This month celebrates two events that are very close to me: Black History month in the UK, and LGBT History month in the US. To highlight both events, I created a dessert tablescape that would feature some of the black LGBT women who have inspired me over the past few years. It was hard for me to reduce the many I have been following to only 7 women, but I'm pleased with the result. They are all very different, have contributed to my personal growth as an LGBT woman of colour, and opened me up to a plethora of  knowledge.

My monochrome design constitutes of a tablescape set on a velvet background, flourished with gorgeous bright blooms, and complemented with bite-size treats. It's a light party décor with a strong aesthetic.

I put my personal touch on everything from the design the food! Thanks to the online world I was able to create these delicious chocolate cake pops with a white chocolate coating and I'm grateful to have found Divas can cook to help me do that. I'm loving Monique's quick Youtube video tutorial, have a peruse!

To accompany my scrumptious cake pops I prepared mini vanilla milkshakes (found on one of my favourite party planner's blog, Courtney of Pizzazzerie). They are really quick and easy to make and they look yummy topped with chocolate sprinkle, a dessert table must-have! Pop them into shot glasses for a fun-filled effect (they work wonderfully at children's parties).

Beautiful Godesses Jessica Clark & Audre Lorde

 The amazing Toshi Reagon, who I had the pleasure to see performing live in London this year; the fierce Isis King, whose infinite sass never ceases to amaze me; and Dee Rees, whose ground-breaking movie 'Pariah' I keep on praising.

Sumptuous cookies'n'cream cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting - a mourish treat for a successful shindig

Superwomen wordsmiths Alice Walker & Staceyann Chin

It felt good to design a dessert table and getting back to doing what I love the most, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it!

Columbia road flower market

Perusing around Columbia road flower market is one of my favourite activities. When creating a tablescape, I make sure to pick the most gorgeous blooms that will complete my sumptuous creation.

I don't mind the loud stall holders, or even being squished as I make my way through the jungle-like atmosphere. What inspires me to make the trek from south London  is the loveliness of being surrounded by fresh scents, arrays of colours, pretty fluffy dogs, one-of-a-kind shops, the smell of Monmouth coffee floating around, and the charming traders who will always try their best to get me a good deal!

I carefully selected a bunch of white Hydrangea flowers, white roses, and white carnations that will complement my design perfectly by adding a slight contrast to my monochrome design.

The design process can be fairly pricey but if you catch up on the market at around 3pm, you'll go home with more than you've bargained for!

Ode to Yayoi Kusama

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you've probably noticed that I have been bombarding my profile with my latest craze: Yayoi Kusama's collaboration with Louis Vuitton that is currently blessing the windows of Selfridges.

What I really liked about the display is that it represents Yayoi's love poem 'Love Forever' and is spread across 24 impressive, polka dot-inundated windows (see it in full on the Selfridges website). A mind-blowing experience.

It is an absolutely beautiful homage to love, complemented by impeccable gold Japanese typography, and showcases the designer's work in a way that will tease viewers to enter her dotted world.

I wasn't familiar with Yayoi's work of art before this display was constructed but I really enjoyed the visual feast. Her style is incomparable, immaculate and unique. To those who wander around central London, I would highly recommend you pay it a visit!

Great advice for creatives

On Thursday, Mathy and I had the opportunity to interview the ever-so-fabulous Mellissa, founder of vegan cupcake company Ms. Cupcake. We wanted to capture Mellissa's compelling story about how she started running her business from her bedroom to opening her own boutique in trendy Brixton, a place she refers to as her home. One of her greatest quote, 'Make sure you handpick the people who are going to support you and your venture', deeply resonated. I will say no more, the interview will be up on Mathy's blog, 'Wha' the job is this' so make sure to tune in next week!

In alignment with our inspirational chat with Mellissa, I stumbled upon this great poster on Pinterest and it is now sitting on my laptop background. Get yourself a hot beverage, have a looksy, grab your notebook, jot down some ideas, and take what you want from it. Your venture, your rules!

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