Ode to My Fashion

Hello my dears!!  Today I will show you how to make or revamp your accessories using Cowrie shells. Cowrie shells are shells from sea snails. They are very popular in Western Africa. In the past they were used as currency. And even nowadays some medium use them to read the future. But it is mostly used to make accessories. They have been popping everywhere recently, used as accessories.  I gave this thing for Cowrie shell. I particularly fancy them as accessories. In the past, I have purchased bracelets, earrings, rings, pendants made or inspired by cowrie shells. Recently I was about to order some nice jewelry online made with cowrie shells, until I realized that I could make them easily.    Waist Beads Chain with cowrie accents What you need: - elastic thread - cowrie shells - beads - charms - scissors  First off, place some beads on a tray for easier use. I like to make patterns before putting them on the elastic thread. Then, one by one I put the beads on th...

Hello my friends! I hope you are all staying confined and safe in this difficult time. Now there is an entire debate over the use of masks with the coronavirus outbreak: should we wear masks or not? Are masks are efficient or not? And so on and so on. What I have learned is that masks will not stop the virus since it is tiny; but they could stop us from touching our faces, and that is a good start I guess. Masks have always been problematic even without this Covid-19 situation. Growing up, one of the first person I saw wearing a mask was Michael Jackson. And I remember that some people particularly in Africa did not like it that much. Well, that coupled with the fact that he also kept touching his nose while on a tour in Africa did not help. People assumed it was because he thought we smelled or that we had germs. It was probably not his intention. The first time I had to wear a mask was when I moved to study in Japan. In there, people wear masks when they are sick and do not wan...

Hello my friends! I have started a business of selling clothes, clothes that I designed. I have finally started after years of dreaming and talking about it. It happened out of the blue. I designed one fabric that a friend of mine gave me into an embroidered short bubu. Then I posted the bubu on my blog and Instagram. A cousin saw it and asked me to make her something similar. I did, with a fabric my brother gave me but instead of one bubu, I made two. My cousin got hers, then her colleague saw it and took it. So I had to give her the other one (I wanted to keep it for myself). My best friend ordered one, my Aunt ordered one and some colleagues at work ordered as well. In less than a month, I had 5 orders of bubus, each different, and each tailored to my customers needs. But today's post is not about how I started my business. Today is about running a clothing business in my city, more particularly about the prices of clothes in this city of mine. "Firework" S...

Hi Y'all! Can you believe we are almost at the end of January? I can't! This month went by so fast for me. Last December, I attended a fashion show/ private sale from a local brand I like: Zadada. Zadada is owned by the older sister of one of my friend. I started patronizing her last year around this time because I like her designs. She uses African fabric mixed with others to make very beautiful dresses and bubus that are very feminine yet comfortable. The event was organised in a local restaurant in collaboration with another designer that makes accessories with woven fabrics. I arrived just before the fashion show started. I watched with sparkly eyes because everything was so beautiful and oh so my style. Zadada collection was inspired by Senegalese women of Nder who were known to have honor and be extremely courageous. Every piece that came down the runway was a mix of African prints, eyelet fabric, even a special kind of fabric that is from my Mother's ethnic gr...

Wow! It has been a while since I have done a Diy. And I got back in the game with a relatively easy one. (Or so I thought!) A few months ago, I was checking out the Fidak (Foire Internationale de Dakar) with my hubby and mother in law when I saw a stylish woman walk by. She was wearing this bright red accent Kente printed off shoulder top with a contrasting printed head wrap and lots of bangles. Her style was so on point that I asked if I could take her picture. I wanted to add her to my inspiration board on Pinterest. She declined but said that I could come to her booth and buy one of her tops. They cost 12.500 CFA (less than $20) a piece. I declined her offer because it thought it to be a tad pricey for a top that looked easy to make. I was still obsessed with her look though. So I went home and googled how to make the top. I found several links on YouTube. But I settled for an easier DIY that I found on my inspiration board aka Pinterest. I styled it like this: S...

Hello dear readers! Today I am giving you an easy DIY perfect for all your shirts that became too tight. I had this HM men's shirt for ages now. I bought it because I liked the color and the pattern. The fact that it was oversized at the time was a plus. I wore it many times ( here , here , here and here ). But it became tight after I gained weight. I did not want to part with it until I found a replacement so I used to tie it around dresses and high waist skirt. However recently I discovered a way to rock it as it is with a few alterations. It is to just add lace at the back. This Diy is not only for tight shirt but it can be used to revamp an old shirt as well. What you will need: - a men's shirt ( or any button down shirt that is too tight) - a feminine and delicate fabric like lace or eyelet ( I used eyelet from an old tunic) - a seam opener - needle and thread ( or a sewing machine) I took my men's shirt which had two seams in the back and open...

If you have been following me on Instagram or Pinterest  or even reading me , you would know that I have been obsessed with tassels and Pom poms recently. I had the itch to be making all sorts of things with them. Well today I am sharing two easy diys, I kind of stole from Pinterest. It is tassel or Pom Pom shoes. It all started when I saw some Aquaazzura shoes on Pinterest that were really cute. But as usual I was not agreeing with the price tag particularly when they seemed so easy to Diy. So I went to score some Pom poms ( available at any stationary stores). And here is the result: What you need: - Strappy sandals - Colorful Pom poms (available at any stationary store) - Needle and thread ( or u can use plastic thread or elastic thread made for jewelry making) - Beads ( I recycled some from an old shoe) - Clasps ( make sure they are wide enough to fit through the straps of your shoes) ( I did not have Clasps at hand so I used fuzzy colored wire) Step 1: Choo...