a little bit of this....

A few months back, while i was staying at my parents' place, my brother came back from university and told me about their ISOC charity dinner. Apparently him, and his best friend were bidding on a some Islamic canvas prints which they lost out on and even through it was all for a good cause i could clearly see that he was a little annoyed. So, i casually offered to paint something for him in case he was interested. The poor boy got really excited and kept badgering me through texts and phone calls to make him two canvas prints which he wanted to give to his friend as a gift. So like any good sister (of course, i'm very modest) i spent a lovely Sunday afternoon painting and here is what i was able to come up with.

I have always considered myself quite lucky because Alhumdulillah from a very young age i have had a bit of a passion for all things creative. This little pastime of mine has really helped me in times of stress or boredom but then there are also just random moments when i get an idea in my head and have to make it happen there and then. I love any type of craft, art, diy any thing creative basically.

One of my loves

Listen up peeps, sharing a little secret here. Are you all ready... Well i just wanted to get it off my chest that i love ASOS. It started with a little crush but has now flourished into a long lasting, comforting and loving relationship ;)

I discovered this little (online) treasure island about 5 years ago and remember thinking to myself why is this online store so cheap... I ended up concluding that there quality of clothes must be very low and left it at that. However a few weeks later i was in desperate need of a maxi dress and by chance came across a gorgeous dress on ASOS which seemed perfect. Half unsure, I ordered the dress with next day delivery and not only did the dress arrive early next morning, it managed to put a whole new meaning to ordering stuff online. My package arrived gorgeously packed with an ASOS magazine and wait for it TWO CHOCOLATE BARS... can you imagine how i felt??? A new dress and chocolates, i was over the moon really. As for the quality of their clothes, i was proven wrong because i still own that dress after so many years.

ASOS has come a long long way since then, and its safe to say that they produce new designs by the nano second. It is now UK's largest online store. Their collection now consists of curve which is aimed at plus sizes and a very trendy maternity line. However what i love most about them is that you are able to see all their clothes 'modeled on a catwalk', which gives you a far better idea about the cut and shape of clothing than seeing them modeled on mannequins, as is the norm with most online stores. You also get detailed information about the clothing like the material, care instructions and the length. Finally i love that they state what size the model is wearing rather than making the customer guess whether a dress looks only flowy because the model is wearing it three sizes bigger than her actual size. Oh and the fact that their customer service is great and postage and returns is free doesn't hurt either.

You only need to check out the most popular fashion blogs to see that almost all the fashionistas are singing praises for ASOS. Whats more is that they now stock a lot of the popular brands like french connection, river island, ted baker, etc... Their sales are also great with many items up to 80% off. So if you haven't ordered from them yet, i suggest you take a cuppa, sit back and browse the website for yourself...

waiting for the sun....

Spring is around the corner and so among many other things, its time to get excited about the latest trends and collections that will be hitting the stores pretty soon. I spy pretty feminine hints and cheeky mix and match looks. Other than that a lot of sporty looks have started appearing all around the fashionable blog sphere. Ohh, and its hard to ignore all the neon colour injected everywhere. There is also a lot of print on print, usually achieved with mixing florals and futuristic patterns.

For me personally, its always fun to find out what will be 'in' for the coming season because i love mulling over latest trends to figure out which ones i can incorporate into my wardrobe, where the focus is always on modesty before anything else.

For spring summer 2012 trends, I'm loving the feminine feel that was showcased by Louis Vuitton for example. The collection was so poetic, flowery and most importantly very feminine.

This look is easily adapted into modest wear. I'd go for flowy maxi dresses or skirts with vintage looking blouses, in different shades of pastels, teamed with cute floral hijabs.

I bought this Asos dress a few seasons back but never got around to wearing it. Think its time to dig it out of the back of my wardrobe for the coming season.
As for the neon trend id pretty much keep that the accessories department, unless i am feeling extremely brave. This Asos clutch is perfect for adding a splash of colour to any spring outfit and the fact that its so affordable only makes me want it more.

Will discuss some of the other trends that will surely be hitting the shops soon, in the next post inshaAllah. For now i have a few very hungry kiddies lurking around my kitchen trying to find snacks before dinner, so i must run and prevent that disaster from happening.