Cropped fitted trousers in black/white

Happily starting the new month with a sewing/style post. I haven't done much sewing this past month due to lack of motivation. Everything that could possibly happen to deter me from starting a new project happened! I misplaced my seam ripper. This is a big deal! Everyone knows what a hindrance this can be when one needs to undo seams and make all manner of adjustments. It was also the month when school resumed in Cameroon and I've been adjusting to my additional role as soccer mom and homework supervisor! There has been little or no time in the day to give sewing any real attention. I did eventually stumble upon my ripper while looking for something totally different. Over this past super long weekend ( five days off, hooray!.. I really shouldn't be celebrating at all. My children are still pretty illiterate...), I committed to finishing these trousers for my sister and managed to put on the finishing touches yesterday. The fabric is a loosely woven cotton print in black and white. We picked it out for her during a fabric shopping trip more than a month ago. The cut is a copy of a pair of cropped trousers I have that my sister really likes but that I've been unwilling to part with. I think she's pretty happy with how hers turned out. My sister is also trying her hand at sewing now, and thoroughly enjoying the learning process. I styled the trousers with this crisp white collarless shirt from Forever21, metallic gladiator sandals from Guess?, silver accent jewelry, RayBan sunglasses and M.A.C's pop of lip-colour in Rebel. Here she is rocking the ensemble! Enjoy...

Fitted cropped trousers in black and white

Bobble necklace and matching earrings 

 

Guess gladiator heels

Picture post: Orange blossoms

This year is proving to be the year of "awareness through photography" for me! Interestingly, though I grew up in this very same town in Cameroon, I had never noticed citrus fruit blossoms in Kumba before. Obviously, citrus fruits come about on their trees the same way pretty much every other fruit I've come across does; except maybe pineapples. Buds appear, they bloom, they get pollinated, the petals fall off, the ovules enlargen and you have the beginnings of fruit. The entire process happens in close response to both the environmental elements and some animals in the same habitat area. For orange trees in Cameroon, this process happens several times a year. They even begin to bloom a new set of oranges while the old ones are still hanging on the tree. Can't say the same for mangoes. I'm sure most people I know wish mangoes would bloom more than once every year. Just looking at these blooms and little oranges gives me a feeling of sweet citrusy joy! These are the new beginnings that will take this orange season into the end of the year. Enjoy...

Orange blossoms of Kumba Cameroon

Spotted: West African Red-vented Weaver

I spotted this bird yesterday morning, and then again this morning on my way to drop the kids off. Both times at the very same spot, perched on a high stalk within some very tall grass. I figured it must have a nest nearby. I took my camera for a walk as soon as I got home, and found the bird exactly where I'd seen it earlier. At first glimpse I'd thought it was probably a kingfisher, but on closer zoom, I was able to see that aside from it's colouring, it is very similar to the many weaving birds that make their home in this part of the country. I see quite a variety of weavers around these parts all the time, but the Red-vented Weaver (aka Red-vented Malimbe) seems to be more of the solitary type. In the 30 minutes  that I stalked this individual darting about, singing happily, I did not spot any potential companions nearby. The bird did the singing. I was more preoccupied with watching where I stepped in the grass which looked like prime hiding or living quarters for snakes.  Here is a link to an informative article on weavers Enjoy!

West African Red-vented Weaver

Red-vented Weaver

Lifestyle Stores Inc. Coming to a market near you.

Hello readers. If you live within the South-west Region or travel down here often, this post will probably be noteworthy for you or someone you know. I have written only briefly about my natural haircare routine and provided links to sources for my products last year. Since moving from the UK to Cameroon earlier this year, you're probably wondering how I'm keeping my mane in check without my beloved Boots store at every major street corner. Well, lucky for me, a new store has recently opened it's doors within our area in Cameroon. This means fewer shopping trips to Douala. Lifestyle Stores Inc., has filled a void in my area by bringing much needed quality products to our region of the country. As I made my way down the aisles, I was pleasantly surprised to see the same quality shampoos, conditioners and countless other products that I used regularly in the UK on their shelves . If anyone else is like me, they also probably dislike hopping from store to store in the hustle and bustle of the Kumba Main Market (especially in the rainy season), while trying to politely avoid the beckoning store keepers who most often are not carrying what you are looking for. Lifestyle Stores Inc. which is a one-stop shop for pretty much all your household needs makes for convenience while shopping in Kumba's largest and most congested commercial area.

Lifestyle Stores Inc. also boasts a burgeoning adult clothing department with both menswear, womenswear, shoes, handbags and other accessories. Today I'm featuring this beautiful mustard and black polka dotted skater dress with accessories from Lifestyle Stores Inc. This dress comes in different colours, fabrics and sizes. Grab one now while supplies last.

Items featured

Yellow and black dotted skater dress ( ♥Influence )

Black court heels ( Elie Tahari )

Black and gold tassel earrings ( H&M)

Black faux laser-cut bangle ( Express )

The two Lifestyle Stores Inc. in the South-West Region are located in Kumba, at the far left corner in the Main Market parking lot area; and in Buea at Mile 17. Here is a link to their website. Apparently, you can order items through their customer service line and have them delivered to a store near your area in a reasonable amount of time. Keep an eye out for future featured items from Lifestyle Stores Inc. Happy shopping!

My take on the Peplum top.

Hello people in cyberland. Hope you had a great day today. I had an absolutely lovely one. It rained heavily through last night and I had the most lovely sleep imaginable. A lot of mothers confirm that they hardly sleep at all once little ones come along. This is especially true for me. I can't even remember a time when I enjoyed sleeping most nights. I think the entire family had a good one because even the littlest person in the house slept in. Despite a great deal of uncertainty at the moment, I am immensely grateful for all that is wonderfully good and unexpectedly pleasant in my life. Today was not much different from the rest. I spent the day with my daughters, my sister, my cousins and my parents. Completed one sewing project and started another... this time, an item for my sister. I have enough fabric and ideas to keep me busy for a good long while. I'm happy to see that with each little sewing challenge, I'm getting better at this craft. Some days you wake up smiling and not knowing exactly why. When this happens just go with it and enjoy your day.

Today I'm going to be showing a top that I have been making for some time now. It has taken me a couple of months to complete because I have gone through the works trying to get it just right. I am just now warming up to peplums. I used to think the cut was too girly for me and not quite my style, but pairing a peplum top with skinny trousers seems to work really well with my boyish frame. I like it so much that I've already planned to make another one as soon as I finish with what I've already started at the moment. This top is cut from 1 meter of Hitaget African cotton print cloth in lime green, yellow and orange. I copied the top half of a dress I have and combined it with an oxbow shaped  pattern which I adjusted to form the pleated peplum, making it fall a bit lower in the back. Once I had put in the facings around the front, arms and racer-back, I put in a band at the waist, added the peplum with four pleats in the front and four in the back, then I worked on the zipper. Putting in the band and the zipper turned out to be my biggest challenge as the zipper kept puckering up in the back. I had to take out the zipper, undo the band and shorten the back pieces, then I reassembled all the pieces again. Once it was done to the best of my ability, I wasn't sure weather or not to hem the peplum edges. I left the top alone and was beginning to think I wouldn't get to wear it at all, until my mom suggested that I get the hemline finished with zigzagging in a matching coloured thread. This I did and here are the results, paired with dark orange skinny trousers from H&M, and tan lace-up heels from InWear.

African print peplum top in lime green, orange and yellow.

African print peplum top matched with H&M skinny trousers and lace-up heels

Simple two-strand twists updo

Simple two-strand twists updo

   

Spotted in Kumba: Pin-tailed Whydah

Yesterday it rained all morning in Kumba and the grass was wet with shallow pools on the rear lawn. When the rain finally ebbed to a very light drizzle, the sound of beckoning birds encouraged me to go looking for this little black and white songbird with a noticeably long tail and fiery red bill. After googling the description, I learned that it is a breeding male Pin-tailed Whydah. I had seen it a few times before, darting about in the long grass around our neighbourhood. Pointed it out once to my daughter while taking a walk, in a bid to distract her from a tantrum that had been brought on by a momentary fixation on acquiring sweets from the local corner store (to her there is no such thing as a casual stroll just for the sake of it. When the corner store is in full view, a stroll must surely be worth some sweets)! Catching this pretty little bird on camera was as good a treat as any. I couldn't get close enough for any satisfactory shots but I'm happy I can finally share this glimpse with y'all! Enjoy!

Breeding male Pin-tailed Whydah