Saima Says Style » Holidays

The Mangle Xmas Sale

Saima — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:19:22 +0000

Today I was in central London with a friend and we popped along to the The Mangle Xmas Sale as we were close by. I had told myself I wouldn’t spend any money but then…Rob Ryan was there! And all his tiles were £5! I just had to get this one because I’d had my eye on it for ages and it just reminds me of my husband whenever I see it. Rob was so lovely and humble when I told him how much I loved his work.

Then I saw Hazel Nicholls of Reapwhatisew. I love her stuff too and have been coveting her pastel “It’s What Inside That Counts” print for ages. At £100 I’ve been a bit reluctant to buy it. On her stall however she was selling artist’s proofs of her prints for £20 and when I asked her, it turned out she did have a pastel one! Hurrah.

After the fair we went to check out the ice skating at Somerset House. They had set up a Tiffany’s Tuck Shop…well I’ll let the pictures do the talking here. (Poor quality as they’re taken with my camera phone.) All in all, another fun day in my favourite city.

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Happy Hallowe’en!

Saima — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:04:36 +0000

This is a short post to share a Hallowe’en card I made a few years ago for a friend. It was around the time I first saw and loved Shaun of the Dead. Five years later and it’s still my favourite film. I used a template from Zombie Pumpkins and raised the cutout to put Happy Halloween confetti behind it. I stuck on acetate too to make a window from which you could view the confetti. Needless to say, my friend loved it.

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Next Christmas Collection

Saima — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:12:40 +0000

It’s been a while since I talked about cupcakes but then I saw the new Next Christmas gift collection and my love for all things cupcake came flooding back. Throw in pastel colours and Russian dolls and I’m totally on board.

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The Sunday Sundae Bar

Saima — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:30:09 +0000

How beautiful has this Bank Holiday been?! I’m not sure about the rest of the country but the weather in London was perfect for a barbeque with friends and family and that’s exactly what we had. Our theme was Hawaiian so we had grass table skirts, fruit centrepieces and flower garlands for all of our guests. The kids also loved the giant Connect 4, dominoes and Jenga we had hired for the day. The barbeque was very tasty, especially as it was the first time my husband and I had ever hosted one.

The highlight of the food however was the sundae bar we set up. We had ice cream (of course), dessert sauces, wafers, mini Oreo cookies, chopped nuts, strawberries, mini muffins, chocolate chips, sprinkles and cream. We let our guests build their own sundaes and everyone seemed to really enjoy the whole experience. The sundae glasses are actually MJÖD beer glasses from IKEA, the long handled spoons and plastic ice cream cups were from eBay. Hope your long weekend was fab too!

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The Long Weekender

Saima — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:00:59 +0000

Here in the UK, May is the month of Bank Holiday, hurrah! Here are my favourite spring-inspired flowery holdalls/weekend bags that will add a touch of style to your weekend away.

Cherry Blossom Weekender – Accessorize

ASOS Rose Print Bowler Holdall – ASOS

A Chiswick Flowers Holdall – Cath Kidston

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The Cotswolds or Bust

Saima — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:51:49 +0000

I apologise for the break in transmission; I haven’t been well lately. We did however manage to get away for the May Bank Holiday. We went to the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire, visited several of the lovely picturesque villages there. Burford and Bourton-on-the-Water were the best ones for kitsch homeware shopping and afternoon teas. Here are some pictures from our weekend away.

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Henna Night

Saima — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:41:59 +0000

Yesterday I attended a “Mehndi (Henna) Night” I was invited to. What’s one of those? Traditionally, in the run up to a Pakistani wedding, all the women get together and party! The events usually involve brightly coloured clothes, music, dancing and food…sounds like a good combination to me It’s also a time for women to have their hands decorated with pretty patterns in henna, ready for the upcoming wedding. Last night was no exception.

People were dressed in beautifully embroidered clothes. The traditional colours for such an event are green and yellow or anything “henna” coloured but nowadays anything goes. This outfit from Bargello is typical of the type of style and colours worn.

The women also gather to sing traditional Punjabi and Hindi songs, accompanied by a drum called the dholki. I prefer not to torment anyone with my awful singing voice so usually just clap along.

Last night we were lucky enough to have a professional henna artist in our midst who was hired to decorate our hands, feet and anything else you wanted adorned. I opted to have the henna on my left hand and left it on there for quite a while so that the colour transferred on to my hand would end up being quite dark. Pretty eh?

We fly out to Belfast this weekend for the wedding so I’ll be back blogging Monday. Hopefully I’ll have some more pretty pictures to share with you all.

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Valentine Gifts for a Domestic Goddess

Saima — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:52:41 +0000

I heard someone on the radio say that Valentine’s Day is “looming”; a bit sinister dontcha think?! Well here are some heart themed gifts to bring the sweetness back into your weekend. (I think the heart plates would look just as nice as decor on a kitchen wall.)

Hearty Tea Pot Set – $140 (delivery to UK available)
Pack of 4 Sweetheart plates – £18
Heart Measuring Cups – £4.50

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