Community & Culture Uncategorized

Fathers – Superheroes Sans Capes

Kids – they are always ‘Do it from Scratch.’ They are never pre-fabricated, never come with instructions and manuals, and are never easy to figure out. That’s why God provided handlers for them… the clueless, hapless, unfit, unknowing dudes who overnight don the caps of fatherhood, and are lovingly called dad, abba, baba, papa, abbu, …

Community & Culture

A Heartfelt Welcome to Sofia and Nadia; New Voices on My Blog! 

I love my blog and people who own or write blogs can probably relate how this beloved virtual corner actually becomes your baby (even if you occasionally neglect it sometimes – like I did my blog for the last almost year and a half). As the renewal date for subscription came closer this year, I …

Community & Culture

Ramadan 2022

Ramadan is here ~ the month of reflection, spirituality, and festivity! This is my favorite time to blog and no matter how busy I am, I don’t like to miss a post for Ramadan and Eid. (Here is the post from 2021 and this one from 2020). I love featuring amazing Islamic Etsy shops on …

Community & Culture

Ramadan 2021

And before we know the Holy month of Ramadan will be here with all its blessings and festivities! As always we are here with a list of Ramadan must-haves for you, your family and friends from Muslim business owners who are extremely creative and have been working to make our Ramadan extra special! Keep the …

Books & Authors Community & Culture

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

I have considered myself to be quite broadminded, aware person who would not tolerate discrimination based on color, religion, gender or any other proclivity that people may hold dear. However when I look at my-“mindful”-self before reading the book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, my the then take on the color-based discrimination appears to …

Books & Authors

Snobs A Novel by Julian Fellowes

“There’s nowt so queer as folk” – Aristotle “Snobs” is written by Julian Fellowes, the person behind Dowager Countess’ wit, flawless period aesthetics and emotion-rich storyline of Downton Abbey. A detailed and vivid account of different classes of England, more than his later production of the aforementioned famous masterpiece, Snobs is his debut novel. The …

Books & Authors

2020 Reads and Listens!

This year made history for the world, so it had its own moments. But like any other year, as we approach December, #bookstagrammers start their reflection on their reads, listens and goals. Some set their goals in numbers of books they want to tackle that year. Some set their goal to add a new genre …

Community & Culture Decor & Style Inspiration Tea Paty

For Your Collection ~

We do so many things while we live in this world – some we do because life tells us to and some because we are lucky enough to find opportunity to!! I feel so blessed to be able to run a passion-led business for more than 10 years – vintage china and accessories!! Now the …

Community & Culture

Gift Ideas for Dads of (Almost) All Kinds! #fathersday

Fathers and father figures in our lives are special people and come in variety of personalities! Someone who has made us what we are today deserves a celebration to recognize the hard work; something special that defines and complements the unique persona! I can’t think of Father’s Day without thinking of my dad. He was …

Community & Culture

Playing You Part in Quarantine Economy! #standwithsmall

Quarantine led by Covid-19 is a very humbling experience for everyone in the world! It has brought all living mankind at one level and unlike in a war, where half the world is against the other half, we are blessed to be all on the same side and against the same thing. All humans are …

Books & Authors

Becoming by Michelle Obama

How is Becoming?

Before Obamas, Kennedys were my favorite couple and now like many Americans, the latters are on top of my list. While the Kennedys were the charming royal family of the country, with wealth and status as their birth privileges, Obamas form the true inspiring picture that the spirit of America boasts of. The life stories …

Community & Culture

With love from Pakistan – A guide to bring presents from your homeland!

America is a country abundant in us immigrants. While we live and work here, the plan to visit back home every or every few years is a must for most of us – to meet families, get the next generation an exposure to the culture and above all touch and feel the taste of our …

Decor & Style Inspiration Uncategorized

Boho wanderlust ~ no shoes, no veil – all flowers and nature pieces!

This beautiful bohemian styled shoot was conceived by Tessa from Tie the knot by Tessa, who creates some of the amazing styles for tablescapes and events. Buck from Buck Deitz Photography simply takes beautiful pictures. He skillfully captured these dreamy images for the shoot. I love working with these two amazing people! Look at this …

Community & Culture Places

New Orleans – a cultural rendezvous, a satisfaction of wanderlust!

A trip to New Orleans is no less than an exclusive rendezvous with history and culture. The glory of age-old buildings, variety of melodious dialects, sweeter than honey accents make you feel you are not only out of your town or city but out of country and on many events, misplaced in time – ironically …

Decor & Style Inspiration event planning

A desert wedding

This styled shoot is beyond imagination! It is a great blend of an English wedding effect in a South West American dessert – a fashionably modern and provincial look in one go, if you will! The components were so truly belonging to the themes with deviations from each at the same time. The photo booth …

event planning Hand-made Tea Paty

The last tea with the “Miss”! (Part 2)

Continuing the tea luncheon from one of the previous post here. Your Jubilee created a stunning dessert table for the luncheon. Each picture as you can see is a beautiful angle of the beatiful setting! The basic, essential and complementing china for tea, along with dessert serving pieces and utensils used in this shoot are …

Decor & Style Inspiration event planning Parties

Galentine’s Day Tea Party – February 13th

We all love our men but where do we go when the slogs of our today, tomorrow and yesterday burden us – a burden that is too sensitive and heavy for the “man”kind? The answer is: to our own kind, to those who share and understand the hormones and the plight of it all – …

event planning Hand-made Uncategorized

Little Man Baby Shower!

Plaids, tweeds, mustaches, bows and ties – Oh Boy! This classy little man is on his way! You guys this is a shower which will probably be enjoyed more by dads than moms. I had created this theme for Baby Malik few months ago and when talk of the shower for the awesome mama-to-be at …

Decor & Style Inspiration event planning Hand-made Tea Paty

A lawn bridal shower tea!

Vintage by design and pretty by chance? Nah! If it is vintage by design it’s going to be cute by default. Read on to get a beautiful inspiration for a lovely and laid-back lawn tea party for a bridal shower. Although this part 2 of the shoot is specifically designed around bridal shower, the theme …

Decor & Style Inspiration event planning Hand-made Tea Paty

Bride-to-be and her ladies sipping tea vintage-style ~

A tea party is at its best in spring and tea-drinking with yum food is such a treat at that time of the year! My eclectic china and linen looked so fitting and at home with the gorgeous spread of these vintage tables and chairs in a beautiful historic district home! I loved styling this …

Arizona Community & Culture Decor & Style Inspiration event planning Hand-made Refugees Syrian

Vintage fabric favor bags

See this darling little favor bag below? So much can be said about it: cute, pretty, a lovely vintage touch, great little sack for teas and other treats – but the most important thing about this bag is that the hands that stitched it are those of a brave female refugee.I picked this vintage Ralph …

Books & Authors Uncategorized

The Correspondent: The Letters We Write, the Wounds We Carry, and the Courage to Begin Again

Some books entertain us, some make us think, and then there are books that quietly settle somewhere inside us and continue their conversation long after we have turned the last page. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans was one of those books for me. I read it for not one but two of my book clubs, …

Community & Culture Decor & Style Inspiration Tea Paty

Steeped in Grace: The Rise of Elegant Tea Culture

Tea for many, including me, is more than just the flavor—it’s an experience. There is something undeniably magical when the tea is poured in a delicate vintage teacup, accompanied by a dainty ditzy milk pot, a slender teaspoon, all laid out on a linen-lined tray! Tea always had a constant presence while growing up in …

Community & Culture Travel Uncategorized

Tea Thoughts & a Salam ~ on a San Francisco Trip, Book Club read, and Gentle New Year Intentions

Salam from my virtual corner, as December slowly winds down. This last month of the year is feeling like a mix of movement and looking ahead — travel, finishing a somewhat hard long read, packing lists forming in my head, and the typical reflective and familiar end-of-year thoughts that arrive whether we invite them or …

Books & Authors Community & Culture

Book Review: The Culpability — Why This Book Feels Uncomfortably Relevant

On my way back to Washington, I uploaded “The Culpability” by Bruce Holsinger, a read for one of my next book club discussions. Ironically, I finished this AI-themed novel on my flight to San Francisco and landed in the Silicon Valley with whole bunch of mixed feelings. It’s a book that doesn’t rely on shock …

Uncategorized

Tea Thoughts & Salaam- On Art, Travel, a Thanksgiving-Day Wedding, and Gentle Gratitude — A Cozy November Reflection

Salam from my online corner, and welcome to a little November catch-up. This month unfolded in layers — first with travel and learning, then a bit of downtime with good TV, and finally a Thanksgiving Day celebration with a unique twist. Together, it all created a gentle rhythm of movement and reflection, the kind that …

Uncategorized

Tea Thoughts & Salaam: On Reflections from Anarakali, Lessons from Ted Lasso, & A Book Club Read!

Two weeks since we’ve been back from our Italy trip, and this is how the season of fall has been unfolding — a live performance, a heartfelt series, and a surprisingly memorable read. Nothing dramatic, nothing planned. Just moments that showed up quietly and stayed longer than expected. Small moments, gathered slowly, enough to sit …

Travel

Trip to Italy: A Journey Through Time, Taste, and Tranquility!

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.” – Pico Iyer Italy felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from — ten days of wandering through cobbled streets, lingering over cups of coffee, eating the freshest food imaginable, and feeling the pulse of a country that knows …

Community & Culture Decor & Style Inspiration

Guide to Get Vintage Gifts for Mom!

This is the post that I have been asked to write many times. As Mother’s Day approaches, I do get few calls and messages to direct my friends and family to the perfect vintage gift their mom might like. One of my friend, who doesn’t care much about vintage or collectibles herself but has a …