Aryana's Arty Party - Artjamming at the V&A Waterfront

The hardest part of planning a party, is definitely choosing a theme. With countless ideas and décor tips and inspiration pouring all over the internet, finding the right match for you child can prove to be a little hard. For Moon (definitely the more organised out of the two of us), that search starts pretty early on in the year - and I should know, since I receive the countless screenshots and Whatsapp pictures of all the different ideas and possible themes! But once the theme is finalised, there's no stopping Moon from DIY'ing that party to perfection!

Since Aryana has had a big obsession with colours and art inspired activities, an Arty Party proved to be the perfect way to celebrate her 2nd birthday! The ideas were endless for this theme, and the only hard part was narrowing down the choices.


 The venue  for the party was a no brainer really! We could've done something at home, but who wants to clean up after an Arty Party, right?! So we took the celebration to the Artjamming studio at the V&A Waterfront. With more than 40 colours of paint to choose from, and a variety of  tools, drawing materials and paintbrushes to choose from - the perfect platform was set for an afternoon of creativity. With helpful, friendly and super efficient staff on standby; it made the running of the days events fun, easy, and enjoyable for the host; and allowed Moon and Nur to truly enjoy getting arty with Aryana.

There's the option to have Artjamming to cater the party for you, but Moon opted to bring her vision to life herself, only foregoing doing the party pack.  From the 5 layered rainbow centred cake to the colourful array of soda's; the treats and the presentation - everything food related was a colourful affair and had a distinct arty element to it! Right down to the painters palette of cupcakes and easel food labels; and also Aryana's Arty Party t-shirt - Moon had the Arty Party theme completely covered!! While the cake, sweet treats and savouries were all outsourced (listed below); The rainbow A that Aryana is holding and all the labels with the cute captions were done by Moon herself!

I've said before and I'll say it again - when you have a family as big as ours, the guest list is already made! We're a party all on our own - with an addition of a few close friends of  course!!  And the great thing about this party venue is that, even though it was a party for a two year old, everyone could participate in the fun. Even grandma picked up a paintbrush and created a masterpiece ;-) It was really a great way to involve everyone and I think the older kids were surprised by how much fun they had. The splash zone was also particularly exciting too. Not only did it provide a pretty backdrop for some party pics, but everyone also contributed a splash of paint and helped to create a keepsake canvas for the birthday girl...surely something she can treasure forever...

About this video: As is becoming the norm, I have added a little video of the days events as well! I'm loving this new way of documenting things...even if it is a little more time consuming.

  

Vendors

Cake : Tessa's Bakery

Cake pops, Cupcakes & novelty cookies : Sweet Toof Patisserie

Labels : Moon

Photographs and videos taken and edited by me



Well done on a fabulous party, moon! Thanks for reading.


Peace,


NAMU :)

Life Lately - A Slow Start to Summer

It's been more than 10 days since I've last updated this blog. Life can change a lot in 10 days. Life can change a lot in just an instant...

2 weeks ago, I was planning our Summer vacation. The kids had just about finished their exams; and we had, unofficially, started the school Summer holiday. In fact, I was planning to physically write down the mental bucket I had already made - a list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to visit. It was a list of simple things really...dipping my toes in the ocean, catching a sunset, climbing a mountain, visit some places I'd never been before. It was a list of simple things...and it was also a plan - and I guess, also, a list of expectations.

But of all the places I had planned to write on that list, of all the places I wished to see; the last place I expected to find myself, was in the corridors of a hospital. And that's exactly where I've been stationed for most part of the past 2 weeks.

Life is strange like that. Always handing you the unexpected at the oddest of times.

 One moment you are having an animated conversation with your mother at the kitchen table, and the next day you find her curled up in a ball on the bed...and the next thing you know she's been rushed to the hospital...And the day after that, you are hugging each other wistfully as she gets wheeled in for emergency surgery.

It's been an emotional rollercoaster since then, but things are slowly starting to return to normal; although a new kind of normal.

Experiences like these teach you many things. It makes you realise exactly how short life really is. It makes you value time a little bit more. It makes you think about all the things you've taken for granted. It makes you wonder if you've done enough. It makes you want to lean in for that hug you assumed would always be there tomorrow,  and that I now know I may never get again. It makes you appreciate the little things and makes one realise that even though wish lists and planning are important; things can change in an instant...and when that instant comes, you should be ready to adjust your sails, embrace the moment, dig deep, and do whatever needs to be done.

It's been a slow start to Summer. It's not Summer I planned or envisioned...but I am grateful for second chances and I will be grabbing it with both my hands.

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

NAMU :)

 

Transitional Look Post to take you from Spring to Summer

New season, new wardrobe? With the current weather patterns we've been having, it certainly doesn't need to be that way it seems! We should be well on our way into the new season by now, but still, the weather patterns seem unpredictable and erratic to say the least! It's not unusual for Cape Town to have multiple weather conditions in one day; but with the temperatures still fluctuating and not nearly resembling Summer, it made me wonder whether it's safe enough to  unpack my Summer sandals just yet! Is it??

 

 

It's certainly kept me off from doing my seasonal wardrobe clean out, as I've still been dipping into the Autumn and Winter end of things some days, while scouring through the cupboard for Summer staples the next! Thankfully I'm not making any wardrobe decisions early in the morning when there's often still a chill factor to consider; which gives me more room for flexibility when getting dressed for the day.

 

 

Anyway, I've been battling a bit with shopping for the upcoming season. While the stores are full, they are full of things that I don't think I want to wear. So it's left me reliant on previous season's staples. And while none of the items in this outfit are brand new, it is proof that you can pull you through several seasons with good, quality classics. And who can argue that maxi dresses saves us every single Summer! Paired here with another wardrobe essential, a denim jacket for that unpredictable gust of wind, a side braid for a Boho effect, and this years must have shoe, the espadrille - this old outfit is definitely pulling me through another season :-)


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 OUTFIT DETAILS

 

Dress : Truworths

 

Denim Jacket : Woolworths

 

Espadrille : Woolworths

 

Photographs : 2Cherries Photography

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Peace,

 

 

NAMU :)