Girls just wanna have fun...

I have a group of friends, I so luckily met just over six years ago at Kingston University. Every time there is an occasion to meet up, its always something I really look forward to. We often enjoy eating out; accustomed to a very 'Sex in the City' kinda thing really =)

This time last week, we had arranged to celebrate my friend, Sarah's 25th at Masala Zone in Covent Garden. I've always heard great reviews about this place so that made it all the more exciting. En route to the restaurant, the aroma instantly hits you - you know you're near! Entering through,  I am immediately impressed with the decor; many Indian puppets hovering above you. Sounds a little freaky, but it brought life a different eating experience for us. The staff were very friendly which made it a lot more comfortable and the service was great.

Masala Zone - Indian puppet

There was so much to choose from the menu, I hadn't a clue. However, I was recommended by a couple of friends to try the 'thalis', so I gave that a go. It apparently accounts for two courses: a canapé, papadum and chutney, a choice of curry (I choose lamb), two vegetables (one green and one root), dal (lentil), raita (yoghurt), salad, freshly-made whole wheat chapati & rice. When it arrived, I was a little dumbfounded with all the different foods but I dug into everything and I absolutely loved it. I think I smiled through the whole thing lol.

Masala Zone -Thali

We obviously ended the evening with our usual 'surprise' birthday cake (which, by now I think all of us know its inevitable and still act surprised haha). Although she expected that, she wasn't expecting our other surprise gift we had under our sleeves.

Sarah and her 'surprise' cupcakes

It was a wonderful evening. Dinner was delicious. Got a lot of catching up done... and had a good laugh. Not far till the next date ladies.

My crazy psychologists =)

 

SENSEFUL CREATIONS // Birthday Butterfly

Handmade open butterfly cut with purple embellishments. Matching insert for my personal message inside.

  Happy Birthday Miss Ma!

Ten fingers, ten toes =)

On the 21st March, late into the night, we receive a long distance phone call... barely able to hear my Auntie speaking as it was drowned by the cry of a new born baby. She need not to say anything; we knew! We've been awaiting the arrival of this wonderful bundle of joy: 

Miss Ellianna Kidwell

Welcome to the world Babygirl x

My dearest cousin, James and his girlfriend, Keani. We wish we were there to meet her and see you both. But until then, from your family here in London, we are so proud of you and miss you so much. Good Luck & God Bless your new family. 

SENSEFUL CREATIONS // Babygirl card

Handmade bottle cut card in pink, ready and flown back with my Auntie & Uncle (from Colorado Springs) in time for the arrival.

60 and Beautiful

For months upon end, my family and I had been planning on a big day for my mother dearest. As Filipinos do, marking a momentous stage in their life, whether its 18, 21 or 60 - we make it big, themed & cultural.

Mum in her welcoming dress

It was pretty hard work; sleepless nights from stress, countless thoughts and never- ending to-do lists. But by the end of it... it was totally worth it. My Mama deserved every second. She has done so much for our family and like anyone else would say... I couldn't count on any other woman but her. She is a wonderful blessing of mine - the Queen of my heart.

My Mum on her special day!

The presence of her Candles & Roses; Mama's closest of friends/ family. What made it even more extraordinary was having family fly half way across the world (from Colorado Springs and the Philippines) to attend this occasion. The food was great; lots of Filipino dishes (though I had to ignore many of the chicken dishes... sad times); courtesy of Mama's work colleague, we had Indian dishes too, yum! Good friends of mine also took the time to bake hundreds, and I mean hundreds of delicious cupcakes for the party: Thank you Bernie, for the generous gesture and also to Joyce & Roy for your kindness, efforts and wonderful presentation of the cakes. Please do check out my friend's website with the link below for more information and orders

Saint Joyce Cupcakes

My boyfriend and I had even prepared a 'one off' duet performance of 'Always' - Atlantic Starr, as a special request from the celebrant. Hehe, nerve wrecking but all for fun.

It was a fantastic evening! The sound of fun and laughter are always a good sign. People dancing away with no hesitations. My feet were killing me but I didn't care =) There's a handful of people whose efforts, help & participation that mean a huge deal to us all and we wouldn't have pulled off such an amazing celebration without you guys. From myself and the rest of my family: We are forever grateful.

My family & I

 SENSEFUL CREATIONS // Birthday card

Handmade birthday card that I made for her 60th birthday. A fan design, accommodating separated messages from my family and I.

 

Till the next occasion (hehe)... Toodles x

Happy Birthday Aash!

Shout out to my girl Aasha,

'Happy Birthday!'

Wishing you all and everything

for this very special day.

Have a good'n

x

Senseful Creations // Cupcake Luvin'

My handmade birthday card for her. Such a coincidence as she brought 

in tins of cupcake treats to work, YUM! =)

 

Dude, there's a monkey on your car!

Driving a good couple of hours to Wiltshire would seem such a waste if all we drove down for was to see the Stonehenge. For that matter, the night before, we researched other places in around that area that we could possibly go visit. We thought Windsor and also Bath but we wanted something a bit more exciting. Not that the other two options aren't, of course.

So, after Stonehenge, we jumped back on the A303 towards Warmister and an hour in, we arrived onto the extensive grounds of Longleat. I remember watching those nature programmes a long time ago referring to this place but I didn't think much into it as it was far. But guess it was time =)

As we drove into the enclosure, we were given a CD which was to accompany us during our drive through the Safari Park. Burst of excitement, we couldn't help but go to that first. Now, with the Longleat Safari, you are provided with the freedom to see wildlife animals with no barriers or boundaries and best of all, in the safety of your own car. Its at your own pace BUT you will be warned that Longleat are not liable for any damages etc. Charming... we weren't worried lol.

Our first stop was to see the wallabies, giraffes & zebras. I found this part really incredible; being able to go up close to these animals, close enough to see their intricate patterns. The giraffes really amazed me especially. Seconds turned into minutes just watching them. Unfortunately, I was dragged back into the car to move on.


Next stop was the East Africa Reserve, where we got to experience other wildlife animals such as the monkeys, deers, rhinos, ostriches, wolves, tigers, lions and many many more. I tried to take a couple of pictures along the way but I often found that difficult because I didn't want to miss out on anything, whilst trying to fiddle with lens or buttons hoping to capture a perfect shot.

Our favourite part of the Safari Park journey has got to be the monkeys. Now, we were a little weary bringing the car into this section, simply because we've heard the reviews; 'vehicles will get tampered with!' But we risked it and it was absolutely great! Monkeys jumped onto our car, even whilst we were moving along; finding bits to eat from between the wipers, stamping on the spoiler, biting the rain guards, breaking into fights on the car, nibbling the antenna - they were so entertaining. Thankfully enough, the car was fine, no serious damages - just muddy footprints everywhere (just when we had got it cleaned). Others, on the otherhand... well, they won't be seeing their antennas or windscreen wipers anymore as they'll be used as ornaments in the monkey habitat LOL.

There was also the Longleat House owned by Lord Bath; the estate was enormous. You couldn't miss this from a mile away. We personally chose not to visit inside as we were running short of time but I'm sure it would be rather interesting. Instead, we went and looked at more animals: common ones like rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, iguanas, ferrets... the list is endless. We were entertained by parrots, which even till now astonishes me how clever they are. I was pecked by a random turkey that was roaming around. We got to hold a snake, which was a first for me. Sean held a giant centipede (yeh, no thanks). The meerkats and chipmunks were really cool to see. We also spent a little time in the butterfly house. I'm such a butterfly fan, having them fly around me felt like a fairytale; they were so pretty. All these animals were obviously monitored by staff but they roam free in their environments; that's the great thing about this place.

It's sooooo awesome. A fun day out to spend with your family for sure. To those with little ones; you'll have a blast. I definitely recommend the visit. We had the greatest time, so thank you Longleat x

The website offers 10% online discount which is a bonus. Click on the link for more information Longleat