Design questions

Kirstey is a South African living in Boston, MA and has an inspiring decor blog South of the Sahara.

She recently tagged me with a few questions and although I usually don't participate in "tagged posts" I thought her questions were fun and provided a little insite into my love of art and design.

1. How long have you been interested in interior decorating interior decorating/ photography/ fabric design/ ceramics /writing/ whatever artistic endeavour it is that moves you?

I was always encouraged to be creative growing up. Instead of spending all our time sat infront of the TV as children, my sister and I were always coming up with creative ways to play and spent a lot of time building and making things along with painting and drawing. Later in life, I travelled a lot and after so many years I was yearning for a place that I could call home. When I finally settled down in New York I got to explore my love for home decor.

2. How does this passion keep you energized about life? 

I love the excitement and anicipation of starting a new project and then being able to look at it and say "I made that!" There is nothing better then starting a new exciting DIY!

3. How does being African inform your art and passion?

I find myself wanting to be surrounded with little pieces of Africa to remind me of home. Wether it's adding a piece of art on the wall, painting a picture, sewing "Africa" onesies or decorating an entire room to reflect my homeland; I enjoy having those tiny reminders in my life.

4. I realize I bring Africa into my home. Do you? How?

Definatly! My living room is my little "Ode to Africa" with earthy tones with splashes of bright "modern Africa" colors. I have also got a lot of Africa inspired artwork hanging on my walls. I had fun decorating my daughter's nursery with African animals too!

5. What is your favourite indulgence?

Besides the drawer full of butterscotch candies next to my bed? Craft supplies! I have so much scrapbooking stuff that I could probably re-fill an entire store! The sad thing is that I hardly have time to scrapbook anymore.

6. Any words of wisdom you can share?

Don't be scared of DIY! I cut so many costs when decorating my home by doing a lot of things myself. I also never buy artwork because something homemade is a lot more sentimental.

Story of my life

Mommy Monday: 2 months of Zoey

Weight: 10lbs exactly! Up 1.4lbs from last month.

Height: 22 inches

Clothing size: She is fitting into her 0-3 month clothing which is fun because we were constantly rotating her small amount of NB clothes.

Diaper size: Size 1

Feeding: I was breastfeeding and pumping but she has now taken to the bottle and refuses to breast feed. My milk supply took a dip, but I have been working hard to build it up again and after about 2 weeks of constant pumping, taking fenugreek supplements and drinking "mothers milk tea" I seem to finally have got it back up to something substantial, although I still supplement with formula most nights. Zoey drinks 3.5oz every 2 and a half  to 3 hours.
Sleep: A couple of days ago she slept from 10:30pm to 5am!!! AMAZING!!! That is the longest she has ever slept, but most nights she goes down for 3 to 4 hours.

Milestones: According to this milestone chart Zoey is still hitting all the "advanced" milestones! She is so alert and rewards us with BIG smiles and "talking" all the time. Her neck is really strong, she bears weight on her legs and does mini push ups when she is laying on my chest. She has recently become fasinated with her hands which she enjoys sucking on far more then her pacifier.

Loves: Singing and dance parties with Mommy and Daddy (I recommend the "Elmo" channel on Pandora)looking up at her tiger that lights up on her play mat, swinging and bouncing for a limited time, walks in her stroller, eating, being held and sleeping on her belly next to Mama on the sofa.

Dislikes: We're still having big issues with gas and major acid reflux problems. She doesn't like being left in her swing or on her mat for too long and sometimes gets frustrated with tummy time.

Adventures: Zoey made her first trip into Manhattan! We also spent a day at Coney Island and visited the New York aquarium. Starting from next week Zoey will start coming to work with me which will be an adventure in itself! A less enjoyable adventure was when Zoey choked while sleeping and stopped breathing for 2 minutes. I called 911 but just as the paramedics arrived I was able to get her to breath again but we rode in the ambulance and had her checked out in the ER just in case. It was a really scary experience, but hopefully we have her reflux problem under control with some medicine.

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: My mom! She has really been a lifesaver. She leaves to go back home to South Africa in a couple of weeks which I think will be a huge reality check for us. Our "swaddleme" and vibrating bouncer at night time. The EMT responders who calmed us down after the choking episode. Fenugreek for helping me with my milk supply.

Getting organized!

My body is (still) recovering from a c-section and just pregnancy in general (come on ligaments!); I'm going to bed late, getting up every 3 hours, and then waking up way too early; trying to keep up with baby laundry (forget about mine), grocery shopping and trying to find time to eat between feeding, burpings, diaper changes and a lot of shhhhhh'ing.

I've reached 6 weeks post partum which means it's time to get this body into some kind of shape, I also want to gain control over getting things done around the house (like meal planning) and soon I'll be heading back to work (with my little one in tow) so I'll be juggling it ALL!

It's time to get organized!

That being said, I've decided to take a little blogging break in order to give myself some breathing space. BUT I hope you will stick around because I'm pretty excited about what I have instore around here after my short hiatus.

When I come back, I'll be keeping a regular schedule with posts uploaded every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I will also be introducing a couple of new series like: "Mommy Mondays" and "A New York Minute". There will be DIY, recipes and life updates.

In the mean time, you can keep up with my adventures via twitter and instagram (username: saffakate) and if you are in the mood for a little shopping, head over to The African Llama (I'm very excited about introducing more items into my shop soon too!) 

a captured smile

With a view like this wouldn't you smile too?

Everyday of May

On my quest to document everyday of this year in pictures, I give you my compilation of May:

(See Jan, Feb, March, April too!)

This month I've dived fully into parenthood, have enjoyed the company of my mom, remembered my beloved childhood dog and payed tribute of the brave men and women who fight for this country I live in.

Summer is coming to New York and the fun is just beginning!

Life Lately

True Story