Make It Sewcial Meet Up

Photograph by Kat Molesworth 

It's a wonderful thing to feel a part of something, to know that you belong somewhere, that you have your people, others like you that care about the things you also care about. It's a wonderful feeling when you don't have to explain yourself and what you do and why you do it. That was the wonderful feeling I had at the week-end when I had the pleasure of gathering together with forty nine other creatives for the first Make It Sewcial Meet Up hosted by the very gorgeous and very talented Allison Sadler.  Allison and her husband Christian run the loveliest shop situated opposite my kids school and right in the heart of my neighbourhood. I really don't think there's a person that doesn't know who they are in our hood. They are the loveliest, friendliest people centred peeps and that's what makes their shop so perfectly titled - The People Shop! 

Allison started the Make It Sewcial Hashtag on Instagram a year and half ago. Her vision, in her own words - 'celebrating creativity and bringing a community together'. Every monday morning Allison invites individuals to share any hand made makes with her and her many followers and that week she chooses a winner, who she then generously sends a goodie bag to! Read more about Allison's story here and more about the roots of Make It Sewcial here. I have followed shenanigans from a distance and never actually joined in, partly because I haven't really been doing much making recently. When I saw that Allison was organising an instameet and that it was going to be in Birmingham, in the fabulous new old Impact Hub Birmingham, it was too exciting to miss! I consciously made the decision to attend alone and not invite a friend as I really wanted to meet new people and to be slightly out of my comfort zone. What a fabulous and friendly bunch I met! 

I used a sewing machine for the first time in a long time under the gentle and patient guidance of the very wonderful sewist53, her name is actually Sue Scrase but sewist53 is her instagram name and many know her as such. Many thanks to Sue for helping me to 'Shine'! You can find her gorgeous creations here. I also had a wonderful time making a pretty posy of flowers and lovely conversation with Judith of pollenfloraljoy. She spoke for just a few minutes and had me captive with the story of her creative journey that was motivating and inspiring and courageous. It left me with that goosebumpy 'anything is possible' feeling which is always good. Another delight was to meet the gorgeous Shaheen Kasmani. Do go along to instagram and check out her stunning textiles and surface pattern designs. We got to eat lots of cake together and to play with flowers and giggle with balloons together whilst Kat aka housewife confidential and one of the Blogtacular founders, schooled us in the art of creating statement photographs. Many thanks to Kat who also gave a couple of us a great pep talk about being out and proud as creatives. She helped me to say the following words aloud and proud: I AM AN ARTIST AND BLOGGER! Allison and Kat led us on a great photo walk around the Digbeth area which is the old industrial and perhaps a slightly darker underbelly of innercity brum. Personally, it's one of my favourite places! It's full of life and colour and history but not in a city guide kind of a way. 

It's a wonderful thing to feel part of something and to not even have the words to fully describe what it is you feel, it's wonderful to find your people and feel at home. What a fabulous time was had by all on this dreamy yellow brick road! To get a different perspective of the day, do check out Allison's blog here. Enjoy folks!

Photograph by Allison Sadler

This is Egg-citing!

Highlight of today not including our traditional end of holiday trip to Yo Sushi was the fabulous easter egg hunt around the city centre of Birmingham. Typical easter eggs these were not but large scale display eggs sponsored by Lindt and decorated by a cross section of artists. This beautiful work is by the very talented Hanna Melin who created my favourite egg! Check out the very spectacular and egg-citing (sorry I can't help it!) world of Hanna Melin for fabulous and original gift ideas! Anyone would think I'm being sponsored to say nice things, well I'm not but I like to think someone may endorse me in this way some day ... sigh!

The Custard Factory, Digbeth.

During these recent summer days and weeks my family and I have been existing simply. Our days consist of unrushed starts, sometimes unusual breakfast treats (american pancakes are our current favourite) followed by making delicious home made sandwiches and then scooters and bikes are packed into the car, hubby (our designated driver) selects his music of choice (current favourites are Beastie Boys, Neil Young, LCD Soundsytem ... can't think what the other seven odd cd's are in the glove compartment, this will be of much disappointment to my hubby and children!) and then we're off in search of fresh air adventure normally in the form of local parks and woodland. On most days we have established a family tradition of one member of the family selecting an activity for the whole family to carry out for that day. The photographs added here show Zach's choice: a visit to the Custard Factory in Digbeth, again a particular favorite of his at this time. Hubby had taken the boys there on his own a couple of times recently whilst I had some alone time and so Zach was very keen for me to share in their good time experiences of the Custard Factory. Actually, when Zach came home one day excitedly telling me about his adventure at the Custard Factory, I began telling him that hubby and I had ended up at there on our first date - he paused and looked right into my eyes raising an eyebrow and then uttered: 'Wow, the Custard Factory was open even that long ago ...!' 

Zach led me all around the premises and was particularly keen to show me the music shop that he had visited previously where his dad had bought a Cajon. Zach is very much in love the Cajon at the moment too, he seems a bit of a natural ... said the proud mother! There's a little magic in the history of the cajon and the idea of my boy being drawn to it and its history makes my heart swell with pride. I think of the Cajon as the equivalent in instrument form of my hubby's and my own mixed race identities. The fusion of afro spanish influences and experiences, me growing up in Ghana and my hubby's roots in Spanish culture having grown up in Spain. That said, I do not play an instrument and so whilst I looked around the exotic and splendid instruments in store I felt somewhat redundant until I spied something with my little eye - a kazoo! Now a kazoo, I can do!!

I was bought my first kazoo when I was around 20 years of age by my slightly eccentric mother-in-law, a real kazoo enthusiast. I have great memories of watching her play her own kazoo on the same visit where she presented me with my own. I had no idea at the time that she had a long standing relationship with the kazoo until very recently when hubby borrowed some cassette tapes of recordings that they had made as a family to send home to relatives, when they were living in Spain (when he was a child). On one of these cassette recordings my mother-in-law performs a brilliant twenty minute solo on the kazoo which hubby featured in one of his own recordings recently - beautiful no?

So on this great day of adventure after discovering the kazoo's I asked each member of my family to select a kazoo and I purchased four kazoo's at the bargain price of £1.50 and we proceeded to be the most annoying family of four in Birmingham city centre. That walk from Digbeth to the centre of town will forever be imprinted in my memory, there were four part harmonies I can tell you! I have seen families like this before and have been perhaps a little scornful when I have observed them ... well, that's me and mine now! Oh and I forgot to mention, my kazoo is silver - she is beautiful!

There was time to take a look around vintage stores, furniture, knick knacks, clothing, a fifties boutique. There was even time for a little outdoor table tennis although I got a bit worried about having to constantly retrieve ping pong balls from large volumes of water whilst balancing precariously on one knee with the three men in my life laughing and I suspect hankering for me to fall into large volumes of water - all because I'm a little bit better than them all at table tennis! Our bellies were filled by the lovely and fresh food at 'Yumm' who had come with a great recommendation from Zach who was particularly impressed with their fish finger sandwich. He was a greatly disappointed that it was not on their specials board on this particular visit, however I was blown away by their freshly made coleslaw - delicious!

A great time was had by us all on this day, many many thanks to that boy of mine for his great idea and more importantly for his great enthusiasm and appreciation for both the big and the little things. 

Digbeth we love you, love from the Acquaye-Tonge's xxx.

Christmas is a Comin'!

The first wave of Christmas excitement has descended upon my family and I because the Frankfurt Market has once again arrived in Birmingham!! Were it not for the arrival of a little 'magic' from our european neighbours, I would definitely be sat on the 'Grinchy' side of the fence when it comes to the festive season! However, they are here and so we happily spent our time munching and swaying and being of good cheer and we haven't even got the mulled wine yet! I'm saving that for when the weather remembers that it's november, for when we can see our breath in the air and our fingers feel numb but we go on the carousel 'just one more time' anyway!!!!