Wedding Bonanza (part 1)

Salaam.

So now that wedding craziness is over, the furniture is purchased, and the apartment mostly settled, I thought I'd start to share some of the prep that went into the big day(s).

There were five events.  That's right.  FIVE.  IN A ROW.
1. First, obviously, there was a bachelorette party.  I didn't do anything DIY for it, but it could not go unmentioned.  No boys and no booze, just a few lovely ladies out to have a good time.  And let me tell you - we did.  I don't think I had such a good workout in weeks!
2. Second, I had a small mehndi with a group of female friends and cousins.  I got my bridal mehndi done by one artist, and another was there to do smaller designs for the attendees.
3. The next night, there was a traditional Bangladeshi holud.  It's a ceremony during which guests wish the bride prosperity.  It's called a holud because of the use of turmeric, which is made into a paste and applied to the bride's face.  In addition to the blessings that she is receiving, the turmeric also serves to brighten the skin, leaving it glowing.  The yellow brings out the golden undertones in our skin.
4. The fourth evening was the actual wedding.  We were married by an Imam, followed by a whole night of speeches, slideshows, and schmoozing with out 500+ guests.
5. The final event was the walima, which is a reception hosted by the groom's family.  It was a smaller gathering, but just as lovely.

Let's start with the mehndi and holud.

The mehndi was held in my parents' basement with a backdrop done up by one of my lovely cousins with sharees and Christmas lights.  Alhamdulillah it was very nice, until it got pulled down by guests.  Oops!  Here's a shot of my beautiful mehndi done by Henna Cafe, and you can see the bright background!

My and Char's names were written in mehndi hidden in the designs.  Tradition dictates that he has to find our names on the wedding night!  Hehehe!!

 As I explained before, the holud is a celebration of the bride.  We had a small(ish) ladies-only gathering that lasted into the night.  A tent was sent up in my parent's backyard to accommodate the 140 or so women and girls that were in attendance, with a stage on one side.  The stage and all the decorations were done in-house.  My parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents' family friends painted the backdrop, the stage covering, and set up the decorations.  And!  They decorated the buffet tables with fabric flowers!  At a holud, the dinner is prepared by the host, but all the sweets (and there were tons!) are a potluck event.  Every auntie bought a different kind of sweet, in addition to the amazing food and sweets my mom made.  It was really something.

More later, friends.

xoxo

Metallic Mani #2

Salaam.

I wasn't going to post this tonight, as I'd already published, but I guess I got too excited.  I'm trying the metallic Sharpie French mani that I saw on Concrete and Nail Polish, a nail blog I enjoy.  I'm kind of obsessed with Sharpies so I already had all the supplies on hand!  I started by trying all three metals (gold, silver, and bronze) as tips over two coats of Essie's Brooch the Subject.  I didn't love it - the colors were weirdly difficult to distinguish against the base.  So I changed it up a bit, using Essie's Topless and Barefoot instead, a beautiful pink nude.  I stuck with one color (gold) and to spice things up, I added a bit more than simple French tips - STRIPES!!!

Top: the first go round.  Index - silver, Middle - bronze, Ring - gold

Bottom: current iteration.  Thick gold tips with stripes(!) on the index and pinky!

One thing to watch out for is to make sure the Sharpie is dry, and then carefully applying the top coat.  Otherwise you'll end up with smudges!!  Blech.

Have fun trying this with any base color and any Sharpies you can find at home or at work!  Think of designs like polka dots or stripes, or go crazy with an Olympic theme.  ( :

xoxo 

Superheroes

Salaam.

I read an article a few days back about a lovely Sikh man who hung out around New York City in a Captain America costume - complete with beard and turban!  (He wrote the article.)  He describes his worries and expectations and the outcome and experiences.  He received a lot of attention and most of it was raving.  He wanted to challenge the thinking that Captain America, the idea and what he stands for, has to be defined by and as a white male.  And I think he succeeded.  Kudos to him for having the courage to introduce a new idea to the world.

While reading, however, I started to think about whether we all needed to make spectacles of ourselves to encourage people to be more open-minded and think critically about society today.  Now, I don't think that what Vishavjit did is ridiculous - I actually really applaud him.  I want to be clear that he is awesome-sauce.  I agree that being outspoken is the only way to approach it - no one ever inspired a revolutionary movement by sitting around silently.  And sometimes being outrageous is the right way to make a point.  I just wonder if pageantry is ever going to stop being the only way to open dialogue.  How sad for us.

xoxo

Berry Earrings

Salaam.

Two nights ago, I worked on two things.  First, I hand made a pair of ear wires!  The are made from 18-guage 24K gold-filled wire and I think they're adorable.  I still need to smooth the back end of each hook, but I think they turned out well!  I'm going to continue playing with the dimensions of the hook, but I really like how this first attempt came out.  ( :

24K gold-filled, 18 gauge ear wires!

Second, I attached to each earhook a small drop cluster of Swarovski crystal 4mm bicones in rose (pink), indian pink (dark pink), and padparadscha (grapefruit).  I love how the colors work together to create a full range of soft pinks.  The earrings could be paired with an number of looks and outfits, from day to night to formal.  I call them my Berry Earrings and I think they're the first of a set in a themed collection.  I'm so excited about the possibilities!!

Sweet drop cluster earrings with a berry twist!

I'll let y'all know if/when my Etsy is finally up and running!  And don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!

xoxo