Project U as in Unkown

List of Weddings to attend:

• Senegalese Wedding
• Somali Wedding
• Moroccan Wedding
• Nigerian Wedding
• Panamanian Wedding
• Yemeni Wedding
• Indian Wedding
• Pakistani Wedding
• Southern USA Wedding
• Greek Wedding
• Chinese Wedding

Wedding Crasher

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this but I am in absolute loveeee with weddings. No matter what culture they're from I love them all! American, Palestinian, Nigerian you get my jiff. Any and all weddings make my heart swell. 

This past weekend I attended a wedding, which by the way I didn't know the groom nor the bride until the day before the wedding. I attended my first Senegalese wedding and let me say it was the longest wedding I've ever been to. The festivities began on a Friday and continued till Sunday. 

Friday was what my friend described as a bridal shower. However we did nothing that I've done at bridal showers I've been to; well besides talking about....the deed. But I would think that's talked about at all events leading up to a wedding. Or maybe I just don't have the cleanest of minds. *shrugs* Anyways Friday we participated in singing and dancing and of course eating. I mean it's not a real party without food. It was almost like a small wedding. I must admit we arrived there late and this was actually my first time meeting anyone on either the bride or grooms side. But she invited me to the weddings the next day almost immediately. Alhamdulillah the bride was so beautiful and her personality sparkled brighter than the dress she was wearing.

So the very next day I attended the "morning" wedding, which by the way the bride didn't arrive at until 7pm, it was more traditional and was mostly all women. It consisted of lots of singing, a bit of dancing, and many many stories. Well at least that's what my friend told me. Did I mention everything was in Fulani? No? Oh well it was. And the only language I know fluently is English so I was kinda just floating on the emotions in the speakers voices and the gestures they met. Nonetheless I made it through and knew what was going on around me. Well I pretended to at least. Hey that got me through high school. The bride was of course even more stunning than she was the day before. However I did notice her presence wasn't quite as lighthearted as it was before. She barely smiled and even cried a  few times. I wasn't sure if this was something that was apart of their culture. but of course being nosey Maqsoodah I had to ask. When I was answered with a no it wasn't customary, my heart sunk a little bit. I always think that weddings are supposed to be a beautiful and elated event. And when I saw her that's not what I felt.

We left from there and went to get ready for the next wedding. Which was the big wedding that was supposed to begin at 10 pm. We got there at 1:30 am and once again the bride was no where to be found. Which was totally understandable considering what time she left the "morning" wedding. As soon as the lady of the night walked in I began to feel the emotion I had come to expect at weddings.

Bliss.
Peace.
And just a bit of sadness.

Sadness from the prospect of losing a loving daughter, leaving a loving families home. Sadness that would soon follow with happiness. 

She was absolutely gorgeous in her white bridal wear, which was made in Senegalese style. By the time she got to the front of the room tears flowed from her eyes freely. Now these tears I understood. She would be leaving her family that night. She would be living with a man whom she knew of, but honestly didn't know that well. Although technically she was married a month before that, they considered that to be the engagement and tonight's festivities the completion of the marriage. In her mind I'm sure she was thinking 'this is it'. Marriage is something that holds such a heavy weight and how can you ever truly know that the person you re marrying will always be there for you?

You don't.

This unknown is what gives marriage its sacredness and sanctity. There you are promising to someone to always do your best and hes promising the same. But you never know what the future has in store for you. You can only hope and pray as you take that leap into the unknown. And because of that my eyes welled up with tears with her. Before this happy occasion could turn into a sob fest her mother and all of the women of her family walked up to her to embrace her and reassure her that they would always be there for her. Once again I'm assuming because like I mentioned before, the entire wedding was in a language I only knew how to say 'hello' and 'how are you' in. She began laughing and smiling and my heart eased and soon after that the festivities began. The dancing started, singing, and once again the stories. I sat there smiling happy for the bride and groom as they embarked upon this new journey of life together. So young yet filled with so much potential. All in all I must say this was a very different experience and that I'm so blessed to have been invited to experience with her. 

Here are a few beautiful shots I got from the wedding: 

The brides beautiful sister 

The 'morning' wedding

The beautiful bride and groom 

Another lovely bride and groom shot

Mother and bride just as bride was leaving

Now what I wore:

Hootd for the 'morning' wedding

Me and my new friend

My 2nd hootd

My very good friend and I 

On another note this wedding gave me so many ideas for a project I will inshallah begin soon. I don't want to say exactly what it is right now but I will say this: M

My love (nearing obsession) of weddings mixed with the cultural uniqueness of this Senegalese wedding has  lead me to make a list. 

A list of all the different weddings I want to attend. Don't laugh at me but the positive energy at weddings is unlike any other I've experienced. So here it is

List of Weddings to attend:
Senegalese Wedding -I know that I just attended one however the next one I attend I want to have a different perspective while attending.

Somali Wedding- I've been invited to so many of these but never can seem to make them.

Moroccan Wedding- I thought the Senegalese wedding was long I heard Mo0rrocan weddings can last a full week.

Nigerian Wedding- I have many family members from Nigeria and still haven't attended a Nigerian wedding

Panamanian Wedding- I would love to see their customs

Egyptian Wedding- Egyptians are some of the funniest people I've ever met (is that bad for me to say?) I know their weddings are gonna be wonderful.

Yemeni Wedding- I know too many Yemenis to not have been to their wedding

Indian wedding- Pretty colors...Nuff said

Pakistani wedding- See reason above.

Southern (USA) Wedding- The idea of a rustic wedding with cowgirl boots and haystacks is appealing to me for unknown reasons.

Greek Wedding- Have you ever heard of that really famous movie 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'? Yea I thought so.

Chinese wedding- Just because.

For now that's all I can think of'. I will add to this list as I think of them and take away as I attend them.

I'll repost this list on another post and itll be cleaner. But omgggg Im sooo excited to start this new project. Cant wait to share it with you 

Till next time 

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

Fall Cooking

Fall is here! I know technically it's gone but you must forgive me as I haven't posted anything since August. School started and things grew....out of control. So I do apologize but life goes on. If you know me you know that summer is truly my favorite season. The sun, the beautiful sky, the sun, the barbecues, the sun, the freetime; did I mention the sun? But really you have no idea how sad I was once I realized summer was ending. Like I didn't know it was gonna happen right. But every year it seems like the end of the summer creeps up on me. Like a shadow trying to encompass me. Ok enough melodramas.

What was I talking about?....oh yes fall. So once fall began I forced myself to enjoy the beautiful foliage. And all though it got cold, which by the way I hate, I tried to stay positive. That's me, positive sometimes to fault. 

You know what I realized through all of my positiveness (is that even a word?), is that although fall marks the ending of my beloved season there are some perks to fall. For one in the fall you can wear layers for days and not worry about being too hot. Something that many hijabis are accustom to doing all year long. 

Strapless dresses + cardigan and/or long sleeved shirt= modestly dressed hijabi!!

Also in the fall you find yourself craving more meals that are....hmmm how do I say this...comforting. Soups, pastas, pumpkin pie, cheesy rice, hot cocoa, everything that 'comforts' the...soul. So I found myself in the kitchen cooking. You should know for me this is a big deal as I'm no Aunt Jemima (we'll forget the racial tones of this brands marketing choices). I actually realized I like cooking...sometimes...

Sidebar: yes I'm a 20 year old woman who doesn't cook even with my mothers constant yells of "how will you ever get married"  and "why do you like to do the boy things? Why can't you clean and cook?" And my replies of "I want a man who wants me for more than my food" etc... But in my defense my mother has always cooked and when she needed help my older sister was always there. It was never something that was needed of me and was rarely even asked. 

So yes it took me this long to realize that I like to cook...sometimes...

So you're probably wondering what did I make? I made some yummy deliciousness called 'Pecan Cheesecake'. And when I say yummy deliciousness I mean sweet balls of fire that's some good Pecan Cheesecake!!

It was super easy took a little over an hour and came out tasting like pure angel. Ok enough similes.

That's what the beauty looked like. Now anyone can make it. You don't have to be a Betty Crocker or anything like that,  and it will still turn out delish. 

Now I used McCormicks recipe and pretty much followed it to the T.

Vanilla Pecan Pie


Ingredients:

• 1 refrigerated pie crust, (from 14.1-ounce package)
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs, divided
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 4 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract, divided ( I used equal amounts of vanilla powder obviously because there's alcohol in the extract)
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pecan, pieces, toasted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare crust as directed on package for one-crust pie using 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Beat cream cheese, 1 of the eggs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly on bottom of crust. Bake 15 minutes.

Beat remaining 2 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Add corn syrup, butter, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla and salt; stir until well blended. Sprinkle pecans evenly over baked cream cheese layer. Slowly pour corn syrup mixture over nuts.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until just set in center. Cool completely on wire rack. 

Now I recommend everyone at home to try this and most of the ingredients you should have already. The only things you might need to buy are the pecans, corn syrup, and pie crust. But if you're feeling really fancy you can actually make your own crust and make your own corn syrup using sugar. But I'll leave that to the pros. 

Now the only things that I can say in advice is do not and I repeat DO NOT attempt to make this with low fat cream cheese unless your going for that healthy and not nearly as good taste. The second time I made it my mother accidentally picked up some fit and active cream cheese. I used it and the cheesecake did not expand like it did the first time and also I think it was much  dryer. But hey we live and we learn. Also I would recommend. Cooking it for 30 mins the second time instead of 35-40 as  the crust dries up too much from being baked so much as does the cheesecake. I haven't tried that yet but inshallah next time I will.

If you try this leave a comment below or email me

Peace or rather Pecans! 

And of course....

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

HOOTD: Eid Al Fitr 2013

Eid Mubarak!!!!

Sidebar: Im soo sorry Ive been gone for a bit more than a month. I was so busy during Ramadan and even though thats not an excuse I really wanted to focus on my Iman and gaining more knowledge this Ramadan. 

Eid is such a happy and blissful occaison. Everyone makes time to go and visit friends and family. Everyones happy except those few party poopers :(. I pray and hope everyone had a really happy and blissful first day of Eid!

This Eid I was so unprepared. Because of the shopping hiatus I was, yes past tense :'(, I had decided to attempt making a dress. Yes me! The girl who has never used a sewing machine on anything ever in my life! It was a silly idea now that I think about it, however at the time I was so excited at the possibility of creating my own outfit completely all by me.

We got to the last 10 nights and I hadnt even bought any material. So I kinda threw that idea out of my head. When I went to stores everything I saw was not unique enough, or wasn't colorul enough (yes I LOVE colors), or just wasnt me! To my slight dissappointment I decided to wear an outfit I actually wore to a wedding. The only reason this was acceptable to me, was because I loved this outfit and the people that regularly attended my masjid didnt go to the wedding. I did post a few pics that night on my Instagram. But the pics werent that great and in fact were all selfies. I ended up deleting them the morning of Eid. I dont usually ever wear the same outfit especially not to Eid! 

But hey a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

 

Outfit Details

Hijab (Purple Pashmina)-Thrift Store $5
'Liberachi' Sequined Blazer- Thrift Store $5
Basic Black Long Sleeved Under armor- Walmart $15
Black Tutu Skirt- Windsor $16
Head Decor (not sure what theyre called)- Somali Mall $15
Silver Bangles- Bazaar at the Masjid $1
Rhinestone Ring- Glitter $1
Basic Black Pumps- Shoe Carnival $20
Wonderful Henna- My Girls have outstanding talents check out their Instagram page here and here and here $10

I wore the same outfit less than 3 months earlier to a wedding and I'm actually very pleased with the turnout. The only people who noticed I wore the outfit before were members of my family.

Mission: rewear an outift that you wore to an important event to another important event complete! The only thing I didnt have in my closet already was the head decor thingy which I thought gave my outfit a slightly different and more dressy look. 

I hope you love this look as much as I did. Nonetheless I believe its time to retire this outfit lol. Want your eid look featured on my blog and Instagram?

Email pics of your eid outift at thnkpnkmuslimah@gmail.com

I'll be anxiously looking forward to those pics until next time beats

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

HOOTD: 4th of July

Remember that little tip I posted? The one on how to pull off the shirt over a dress look. To show how easy and convenient it is to get the skirt and cute top look, I'm gonna post my Fourth Of July outfit pics. So obviously for the 4th I knew I wanted to wear red white and blue and  have either a dress or a skirt on.

How patriotic right? 

So I didnt really have any dress or skirt that I thought would be appropriate or that was the right color. Soo I pulled out my red abaya that I wore to Eid last year, I bought it brand new and I was very very excited to be able to get another wear out of it. It has design on it that makes it look quite dressy, but I figured as long as I covered it I could get away with wearing it. I stole a USA shirt from my brother. A threw it all together and got the finished results.

That's what the Abaya looked like originally. Quite fancy right? 

Outfit Details

Hijab (White Pashmina)-H&M $5

USA T-shirt-Walmart $4

Jean Jacket-Thrift Store $1

Red Abaya/Skirt- Somali Mall $45

Belt- Thrift Store $1

That's what the outfit ended up looking like. I really really liked it :) Especially when I consider I didnt have to go out and buy anything. And everything was found in my closet (And my brother's drawer) :)

For more outfit of the day posts follow me on Instagram @thnkpnkmuslimah

Thanks Lovies!

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

Little Black Dress Hijabified

I'm sure we've all heard of the wardrobe staple: Little Black Dress or LBD as titled in some magazines.

They're mentioned countless times, shown in a quite heroic light when said to to save the day when in those nasty 'what to wear' situations.

"no modern woman’s closet is complete without at least one LBD."

You might even be more familiar with the lady who brought all the hype to the LBD, Coco Channel.

Yep thats the LBD I'm talking about. This dress is Legend---wait for it----Dary (I watch wayyy too much How I Met Your Mother).

But seriously it is.  

Now its time to take those and bring it to the bright side. Little Black Dress turns into Long Black Abaya aka LBA.

This is a staple in every hijabis wardrobe no joke. It is essential! Cant be complete without it. If you dont wear abayas than I'm talking about your long black maxi dress. Regardless this is something that every hijabi must have. If you dont have it run out and buy one right now!! I dont know how you made it this long without it  but its something that once you have you'll wonder 'How did I ever live without you.

LBD-Long Black Dress

I found this dress on the Old Navy website for only $27. Wonderful deal so if youre looking for one go and check them out here.

LBA- Long Black Abaya

I know this abaya is brown but they have black available on the website as well. And only for $20. Yesss I know thats a steal so go to Eastessence and buy this here.


Ive been in so many pickles where this wonderful piece of cloth came in handy:

• Woke up late; pull out that LBA
• Not sure what the dress code it, Grab that LBA
• Have that hijab that you think might be a little too bright, Tone it down with your LBA

Seriously I can go on. But I think you get the idea. You can dress it up, with some heels and some red lips, or dress it down with some sandals and a denim jacket. 

The options are endless!

I know you'll love the LBA almost as much as I do.

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

Independence Day!!!

Okay so 4th of July is coming up! Yay!

Me personally I love Independence Day! I think its a festive day that gives Americans the chance to spend time with family and those we love. <3 Also it gives me the perfect chance to wear my favorite print <333333333 STRIPES!!!!!

Sidebar- Yessss! I'm Muslim.

And Yesss Im American.

Yes it's possible to be both.

Anyways back on topic. Here are some outfit ideas for Hijabis 4th of july :

~Palazzo Pants~

If you want to wear pants and still be modest Palazzo pants are the way to go. They're loose so you can be modest and very very stylish! I love them myself and probably own about 5 pairs of them.

 ~Black Maxi Dress~

 I know that most hijabis have a black maxi dress or black abaya so this is an easy one. Just pair the staple item with some red and blue accessories to set off the black and bring out the 4th of July in your black dress

~Tru' Red White and Blue~

 Most people have something blue something red and maybe even a little white in their closet. So go and dig around until you find a way to coordinate all those colors into a fabulous outfit. Umhmmm foxyyy ladies <3

~Good ol Skirt~

Now this is for us ladies who have maxi skirts galore. *raises hand* Guilty! Pair a blue maxi skirt with a beautifully striped shirt and blue accessories keep the shoes simple and comfortable and BAM! You've got the perfect outfit

I hope you loveee my choices and sorry about posting something 2 days before the holiday. I started it but than lost interest loll a great problem of mines. But the beauty of these outfits is you dont have to go out and buy anything! You can recreate all of these outfits with a slight twist from something in your closet :)

Happy 4th of July lovelies!!!

Till next post,

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

Thursday's Tip

Salams!!!

Okay so heres a little fashion secret I follow to really make my closet stretch, not that its necessary. This has saved me so many times when I didn't know what to wear.

I have mostly solid colored skirts and mostly printed dresses. I find myself in a tiffy sometimes when I wish I had a printed skirt to wear with that nude colored top. And things of that sort.

Oh yesss the troubles of my life lolll jk.

But anwyays I found this cool pic on pinterest and have been doing it ever since:

This is like seriously thebomb.com!! You'll love it well I know I do. And no one can even tell. And if they can they're looking at you a little to closely, tell them to backkkk up!

Try it out and

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

I'm Supergirl!!! Dun Dunna Dun!!!

Okay so I'm back :)

I went no where loll just havent posted in like a week. 

Anyways, today I went with my sister to help her with a little house shopping. After which she wanted to go to a thrift store. Here it was: The Ultimate Test!

I was kinda nervous with just the thought of going. I havent stepped foot in a thrift shop since I began my 1 year no clothes shopping pledge. And Im around a month in. While there I first tried to ignore the many many options that I came across. So many vintage pants, so many shirts that would make/create that outfit I have wanted for a while. Everything was there, rows and rows upon rows of clothes. I dont know why but I had to go look at the dresses they had. They had this cuteeeee nude pink dress that was only $5. Oh god when I saw that I knew it was over!!

I was gonna loose. I was gonna fail. I tried to rationalize it to myself:

'Well you cant win at everything'. 
'No ones good at everything'.
'Cant succeed at everything'

Yes I had turned this pledge into a competition. I am quite competitive Im beginning to realize lol.

I stood there looking at the dress thinking about the quality of it and how cute it would look with that one blazer I had. I took it off the rack. Looked at it. Held it up against my body. Noted the length was perrfect (I'm 5'7" not that easy to find).

All of a sudden I remembered that this was something that I really wanted to do. I remembered:

'Im not a loser'
'I dont fail'
I accomplish my goals'

I dropped the dress (literally) and walked away quite briskly. I had to get away from it like it was the devil itself. The rest of the trip was a piece of cheesecake. Yum! I just held my niece to keep my hands and eyes busy.  I left  feeling like a baby who'd been teased with some candy and at the last second it was ripped from her hands. It was so close yet I couldnt taste it. I couldnt even get a lick. NOTHING!

But that doesnt matter, what does matter is that I left with nothing. Not even jewelry which would've been totally okay to buy. No vintage handbag. Nothing!

At that moment I felt invincible! I really felt like Supergirl. If I can resist that temptation, And boy is that a temptation, than I can overcome ANYTHING!

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

PS. My sisters baby shower is this weekend. I still havent gone shopping for that and the thought of stepping into a mall is a little scarey. I'm sure this will be another test. Lets see how this goes.....

Project Wednesday: Zara Inspired Metal Belt

I did it!! YAY ME!!!
Okay Im probably too excited but who cares loll.

Im sure many of you have see the metal belt that many were wearing. I believe Zara and Mango were selling them. looks something like this: 

Well I saw those belts and I kinda sorta...fell in love...looked at the price tag and ran for the hills. Now you might be thinking I'm just cheap. Not at all the case, I will splurge on some things and buy brand new(even though I still look for sales hehe). But $35 for a belt? sometimes more? 

Really? 

Really???

Nuh uh! Not this one!

Soooo I came across this nifty tutorial for how to make it, put my own little spin on it and BAM! I made this belt for much less than the asking price:

YAY ME! 

I ended up paying less than $10 all together and I still have left over materials I can use for another project. Yep I played it smart :)

It was super easy too! So yep you can make one too. I cant wait for the next project.

Till next time.

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥

Why I love thrifting

Some people wonder why I enjoy thrifting like I do. Well would you believe most of this outfit was thrifted? Well it was jacket shirt and belt all from thrift shops. I live!!! 

♥♥♥Stay Golden Loves ♥♥♥♥