Handmade Paper Pencil Skirt

For most people, the foundation of garment making is hand sewing.  Some fashion school of thought believe that you are not a good designer if you can't hand sew.
 Now,  this is not a strong point of mine ( I luv speed☺) so I decided to hand sew a paper pencil skirt and ask a virtuoso fashion designer to rate me.
Its definately not easy to please aunty Kenny ooo cos  after all my efforts 😰 she still rated me 8/20🙈 #olodotins.  She said the hipline was too pointed and protruded (ah madam, some people's hips are pointed like that jor)😆
#handmadesewing #diy #sewing  #accuracyandrecovery

Handmade Wirework Flowers

Compliments of the season to you all special people. Am sure you are rocking the celebrations. I spent my morning making these  flowers as little gifts for special people. Special people... youuuuuuu☺. This season is about giving so at the end of today,  all of them would have been given out to youuuu😊 #handmadejewelry #nerolinezealadornment #jewelry

Am currently with some special friends now.  Serious gbeduing. Swiming tins. Omo e don tey oo.

BANGA SOUP

The first thing I want to do when I receive really good news is eat. Maybe I unconsciously feel that since my spirit is happy, then I better get my body in the same mood. I don't know y o but I sha think of food. And when I think of food, I think of cooking too because there is this joy that comes with eating what I prepared myself.

So on Monday, I went to pick up a certificate I had applied for. I was actually supposed to have picked it up about two week before but I did not go because I was afraid I would be denied.

When I received the certificate, my first thought was food. However, I was not so familiar with the environ so I decided to get something to eat when I got to my neighborhood. However, on getting to Oshodi, the food spirit in me led me straight to the market and you know what happens when I go to a food market, right? I start to think of different kinds of meals to prepare. Am not usually an impulse buyer, but omo when it comes to food market and cooking, the spirit is weak. I would have spent way out of my budget before coming to realisation.

Anyway, the meal that popped into my cooking mind was Banga Soup and I set about buying the necessary ingredients to prepare it.

Banga Soup is made from the extract obtained from palm fruit.

INGREDIENTS

Palm fruit/Banga
Fresh Fish ( I used Catfish)
Ata rodo/scotch bonnet
Periwinkle/Imekpe
Banga spices. (This usually includes: blended iruguje, ataiko)
Banga stick/oburunbebe
Blended crayfish
Smoked fish
Dry shrimp
Okro
Bitter leaf
Seasoning cubes
Salt to taste


Method

1. Extract the liquid/oil content of the palm fruit. This can be done by boiling the fruits till they become soft then pounding in a mortar to extract the liquid. Me no get mortar power so I use paint bucket. You would need to add hot water to the pounded fruit so that the juice can be easily obtained when you are squeezing the skin. Pour it through a filter to collect the liquid. Repeat this process until you get all the oil out. My mum doesn't even pound the fruits at all. She uses her hands to mash it until all the oil is out. Omo no b small tin o. But I no get that kin power at all. Besides my palm don strong reach self. I no need extra labour for am so I jejely pound until it becomes unnecessary.

2. Add your smoked fish, dry shrimp and allow to boil for a while.

3. Add the ata rodo to the mix and continue boiling. I usually boil until the smoked fish becomes a bit soften because I want to want the banga flavour to diffuse well into the fish.

4. Add the banga spices and stick. I bought already grounded mix but you could buy the spices and ground your self. You need not ground the stick o, just add it into the soup.

5. Cook until the soup is fairly reduced and thickened to coat the back of a spoon.

6. Add seasoning cubes,blended crayfish and salt. Abeg no go over salt o expecially if you wan use clay pot steam am later. The taste go dey too sharp.

7. Add the fresh fish and periwinkles, reduce the heat and cook until the soup thickens.

8. At this point, add your sliced okro. Not grated. Sliced/chopped one. We dont want the soup to draw na.

9. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes then add your washed bitter leaves. Not too much. about a hand full or two depending on your preference. The bitter leaves should be washed and squeezed to the extent that some of its bitter taste has been reduced.

10. Your soup is ready to be served when oil floats to the surface.

The best place to serve this soup is in a clay native pot. There is this extra flavour that comes with steaming the soup in it. So that's what I did. I put some into the clay pot and steamed until it started bubbling.

This is a meal on its own with great nutritional benefits.

It can also be served with starch or eba.

I didn't have starch handy so I settled for eba. I must chop usi with this soup before e finish sha.

What do you guys think about the recepi? What would you eat it with?

Please feel free to ask questions. This is my first post on how to prepare a meal and I might have confused you at some point. 

XOXO

Let Your Light Shine

Today, I attended an all day seminer focused on children evangelism. I took some timetime out during the break to chat on social media with a friend and inform her that her jewelry was ready for delivery. I also sent her the picture of the piece. She was pleasantly pleased with the picture and could not wait to rock the jewelry.

We ended out chat and I returned back to the seminer as the break had ended. About 10 minutes later, my phone rang. She was calling. I switched the phone to silent mode as I could not pick the call. Less than 30 seconds later, my other mobile  rang to as she tried to reach me.

I sent her a message that I saw her call but could not pick. Only for her to ask if I had heard of the demise of Chaz B. Chaz B! Chaz B ke?  'Which kin joke be dis na? Abeg stop am',  I told her. She had seen it on someone's DP and she refered me to confirm on bellanaija.com.

Immediately my heart literally broke into tiny million pieces. I had been listening to Chaz B for years and found him to be a very awesome soure of inspiration.  He blessed my life innumerable ways and strengthened my faith in God. No matter how disappointed or let down I felt,  listening to his distinguished voice sure had a way of lifting up my spirit.

I was not the only one mourning. It seemed as if the whole world was mourning and indeed the world was. An inspiration had left. A void has been created.

Chaz B touched a lot of lives while presenting 'Sharing life's Issues with Chaz B' on radio stations. He was so inspiring that day to day,  people called to bless him. Personally, he made me a better person.

Yeah,  I know am going on and on but I just can't stop this feeling of loss.

His light shone bright and far. Everyone that came in contact with him or heard him speak felt the light.  He touched lives with his light. He came,  He saw,  and He conquered. By ensuring that he didt live in vain,  he conquered.  Death has not held him captive because he would always be remembered for shining his light so bright for the world to see.

Thank you Chaz B,  for everything.

Your ardent listener.

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

So yeah, it's been a long long while. Been so so so busy I could not blog.  Am sorry.


The other day I was looking through my wardrobe for a dress to wear to a friend's wedding when I came across this green dress that I made in 2010 or thereabout. It was still a perfect fit as I haven't really gained weight in years. The dress had a plunging neckline that desperately needed a complementing necklace but nothing in my jewelry box seemed to match the outfit.


So I decided to revamp an old jewelry.  I eventually had to abandon the project as I wasn't satisfied with the outcome after two tries.  I picked up the jewelry again after two days to see if I could achieve my desired result. And guess what? Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.   I actually loved the finished work. It was completed in the wee hours of the morning and seeing that each major component of the jewelry looked to me like sunshine, I decided to name it 'Walking on Sunshine'.


Here is presenting to you 'Walking on Sunshine ' 🌼 🌞 🌝

FIT FOR ROYALTY aka Surulere

Hieeeeeee

I have been so so busy lately. Barely have time for the little things I love like making jewelries *wink*.

So this jewelry has plenty of history behind it. It was woven with enthusiasm, joy, love, frustration, disappointment, anxiety, success, in fact it was woven with a frenzy of emotions.

I will surely tell you the story one of these days cos duty calls now and I have to head back to work.

For now here is the product of the emotional frenzy

Updateeeeeeese☺👯