Introducing Matooke Design

Hi guys!

How is your day so far? i hope you are all doing fine. I am suffocating with the heat in this place. Today has been so hot and concentrating at work has been a problem. So Friday is here :) what are you guys unto this weekend?

Today i am excited to introduce to you pieces of paper bead jewellery i really like to have. Constant followers of this blog have seen me wear this kind of jewellery in posts such as HERE, HERE and HERE. Yes i know am a fanatic and just love paper bead jewellery.

So i visited Kendra, a friend of mine who is the founder and director of Matooke Design here in Jinja. Matooke, (also known as east African highland bananas) are Uganda's national staple food. The green matooke fruits are for cooking only – ideally steamed on an open fire. 

Kendra took time to explain to me the reason of their existence in this town and i was blown away by their good work in the community.

Matooke Design is composed of a tribe of artists gathered with one mission: to use their creative process as a weapon against poverty. 

Their Mission is to Sow knowledge, Feed creativity and Inspire change. They sow Knowledge within their workforce not just by learning the process of creating a product from concept to production, but all employees must attend vocational skills training and business courses. This process allows both artists, students, and village women alike to understand how to create a budget, run a small business, save, invest, and apply marketable skills for a sustainable future.

They feed creativity in their workforce when every product launched gives the artists the opportunity to further strengthen their skills, think innovatively, and provide the stepping stones for them to start & build their own businesses around their individual creative passions. 

Change is inspired when one promotes Matooke Design. This inspires the young adults to pursue their dreams, mothers to open small businesses, and all people to question the world around them and ask for better; better wages, ethical fashion, and greater opportunity.

I just enjoy each piece they have created right from the different necklaces, bracelets to bags and even christmas snowflakes made of paper beads for Christmas trees which i found interesting.

Me rocking one of Matooke Designs necklaces

Matooke Designs bag

Matooke Designs snowflakes for the Christmas tree

There's so much more creativity flowing from this group and they have more products and ideas they are working on in future. Way to go Matooke Design!!

To purchase these lovely pieces or for more details about Matooke Designs, check out their blog HERE or their Facebook page HERE.

Thank you for popping in and do have a great day.

(All pictures are courtesy of Matooke Design)

My Drop Waist Dress

Greetings guys!

These days have been busy days for me. Balancing between work and managing my home has not been a joke. I am looking forward to the weekend to do my usual, clean, sleep and catch up on tv :)

Today i decided to wear this drop waist dress i bought a while back in South Africa.  Some people tend to find these dresses not fluttering their body looking more like a boring maternity dress or school uniform lol! I personally don't mind this dress as i find it perfect for wearing with flats on a casual day or heels for a night out.

I decided to wear this dress with a jersey considering i wanted a formal look for work and a belt to accentuate my waist. I finished the look with heels, a floral bag for colour and accessories. 

Below are pictures of drop waist dresses. What are your thoughts on drop waist dresses? I would like to hear your views.

Thank you for stopping by for a read. Once again, do have a great day.

My First Feature :)

Hi good people?

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had a great one as i got me some rest :) did loads of sleeping, then put order in the house and got more sleep. Sunday i went to church and later on met the youth in church and practiced for a dance to be done during the celebration of the upcoming 50 years of Uganda independence. I enjoy being with the youth as they bring out the youth in me :) What were you guys up to?

So today is a good Monday for me. As i opened my mail i got to see MY FIRST feature on Pearlle Magazine. See the feature HERE . This got me really happy. For those who know me, i started this blog as my diary which allows me to express and document my thoughts on fashion, different cultures, photography, food, among other things. I started it not as a professional on these issues, but as a person willing to share my experiences with people.

Thank you Pearlle Magazine for the feature, i am truly honoured. I also want to thank you all for stopping by my blog whether for a view, a comment, or FOLLOWing my blog. Thank you so much.

Happy week guys and cheers to the many features to come :)

Joe & Deidra's Wedding

Hi dear ones!

I hope your day is going well. I am doing fine and today's post is about a wedding i had the privilege of being part of here in Jinja, Uganda.

I am excited to share with you wedding pictures of Deidra and Joe as promised in my post HERE. I have featured Deidra before on this blog as we had a surprise bridal shower for her HERE. Dee (as we call her) was one of my first friends in this country when i arrived and she made my stay in this place worth my while as we got to know each other. 

The beautiful bride during the make up session before the wedding ceremony.

Daddy walking the bride down the isle

Bride and groom getting joined.

It was such an emotional ceremony, the groom and bride cried as they took the vows and we all could not hold back our tears.

Finally joined :)

Joe and Deidra with their children.

Bridal party team

Loved the variety of cake flavours they had to offer. Each table had a cake to ravage :) 

My lovely husband and i were glad to be part of this lovely wedding. My husband is carrying Nicholas, who is Joe and Deidra's last child.

This is the Rain Forest Lodge, one of the best place i have been in Uganda. It is located in the Mabira Forest and it has a cozy, elegant feel to it. Loved the standard of excellence this lodge had to offer from the welcome by the staff, to the scrumptious cuisine. Loved it!

This is was the reception area.

God bless you both Dee and Joe! May this mark the beginning of the unending love you both have for each other. To find out more about Deidra, check out her blog HERE and her website HERE

So there we go, i guess am a sucker for love :) love to celebrate good people. 

Have a fabulous day guys!

How I Wore My Lace Top (Part 2 of 2)

Hi dear ones :)

Happy new week! hope you all had a good weekend. I had a good one. I slept and had good rest which i needed. Sunday i went to church and it was a good service, then i spent the rest of my Sunday catching up on Tv. What were u guys up to?

As promised, i was to share with you part 2 (find part 1 HERE) of How I Wore My Lace Top and here it is. This time i took a pencil skirt and i love the fit and length of the skirt. I also like the lace detail on the top which looks chic. As said in the previous post, it is always good to find a good buy that you can work with in your wardrobe, and in this case, my lace top works well for me as i can dress in it in a number of ways.

Which look do you prefer between these two? 

Once again, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your week.

How I Wore My Lace Top (Part 1 of 2)

Happy Friday guys! there goes another week. The year is in deed coming to an end :)

About todays post, it is another hot day here and this shoot was done in a fast forward manner. When we finished, i looked at the pictures taken and i was like aaaaaaaaah! and i wish we stayed in the sun a bit longer so we could capture more pictures. Anyway, i hope with these pictures you will at least get the gist of the matter :)

Fashion isn’t always about the designer you’re wearing, or the amount of money you spend on an item, but it sure is a good thing to find something you can work with in your wardrobe. This was my case with this top which was another good buy from a local store. It can be worn differently depending on the day/occasion. Since it is a Friday, i like having a casual look as i get in the weekend mode. This look can be spiced up by throwing accessories that pop some colour to it.

So next time you pass by your local stores, stop in and look around and enjoy the thrill of the hunt, the joy of a bargain, and most of all, incorporating a new treasure into your wardrobe.

(Stay tuned for part 2 of this post, where I re-style this ensemble!)

Happy weekend and thanks for stoping by.

Stepping Into The Unknown....

Greetings guys,

Today has been a hot day in deed. Doing this shoot was something else, all we wanted to do was hide from the scorching sun. Anyway, how has your week been so far? its Wednesday and i am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel :) can't wait for the weekend as usual.

In regard to this outfit, this is another outfit with a story to it just like all my other outfits. My dear daddy got me this bazin fabric a while back from West Africa and as usual i take my time to make a choice of the outfit i want. Being ORANGE, this was definitely out of my comfort zone to wear something this loud, but after getting the desirable design i wanted, i knew it was going to work. So here it is! Once again, thanks to my dear mummy for putting it together.

Its always not easy getting out of your comfort zone in life (no matter what the circumstance is), but with each leap of faith, we conquer and discover that we are actually stronger than we could imagine.

Have a fabulous day guys and thank you for stopping by.