An Afternoon Soirée: Tea and Cupcakes with Hana Tajima

Around 2 weeks ago Aimie called me and the tone of her voice was different. She sounded giddy and I was kind of suspicious but I waited to hear what she had to say. 

"Hana Tajima sent me a message on Facebook and invited both of us to a tea party!"

I didn't know what to say. I was quite speechless. I remember saying something along the lines of 'OMG No way! Really??? OMG! '. 

Yes, I have my not-so-eloquent moments.  

My next thought was, 'OMG I have nothing to wear!!!' because seriously, what do you wear when you're about to meet an inspirational fashionista such as Hana Tajima, the creative genius behind StyleCovered and Maysaa? She handpicked 16 girls and I was one of them. Can you imagine the pressure? Nevertheless, I was beyond excited. I was thrilled, honoured, surprised, anxious and very, very much looking forward to meet Hana again. 

So who else was on the invite list? Ami, Shea, Sue AnnaAimie, Yana, Adriani, Eyqa @ Sugar Scarf, Fatin @ HoneyPokaPoka, Aishah Amin, Moon @ Cik Epal, Maria Elena, Emmy @ Lady Gagamelan, Lyna Kamal, Jezmine, and Zafirah Hanis. You see, I've never thought of myself as a fashionista or a popular blogger so it  felt pretty awesome to be included in this oh-so-exclusive list. 

The tea party was held at Rumah Tanjung Spa in Damansara Heights and I must say that everyone, yes everyone was dressed to impress. We were escorted upstairs through a candle-lit flight of stairs and as we entered Hana greeted us. One of the things I love about her is that she's very demure but she's also like a bright light and people just gravitate towards her (or as Ami says, Hana is a like a light bulb and we're the fireflies). At one point, after everyone had signed the guest book, said their hello's and gave their hugs to Hana, one of the girls said, "Okay, let's all just stare at Hana now." 

And we actually did for, like, 5 seconds. No kidding. 

Shall we move on to the visuals now?

Food. Glorious food: Aside from Hana, we also gravitate towards food. Cupcakes, meringues, dim sum, curry puffs, chocolates and the like. I told you it would be no ordinary tea party. It was clearly a fusion of the East and the West - just like Hana herself. 

{courtesy of Ami Schaheera}
Rubbing shoulders and cheeks: with fellow Scarflets and the one and only, Hana Tajima. How lucky am I?



{ courtesy of Ami Schaheera }


There's no such thing as too many: When it comes to bloggers there's no such thing as taking too many photos. That's the blogger code. 

Getting to know you: Checking out Maysaa's upcoming collection. It will be on sale next month!
And getting to know all about my lovely blogger friends who are all so sweet and friendly.
Aren't they just prettyful masha'Allah


{courtesy of Ami Schaheera}
Up Close & Personal: This was probably the best part. Getting to know Hana on a personal level brought more depth to our admiration for her. 
Did you know that when Hana met her husband it was love at first sight for her? 
And did you know that she uses A'kin hair shampoo? *something we have in common*
You heard it first from Colours of My Life! 

{courtesy of Ami Schaheera}

Gifts and games: We played a guessing game and Hana opened up her presents. Look at her beaming face!
Hana also gave Jezmine and Shea a very special surprise for their birthdays. Have a looksie here.  

All good things come to an end: Goodbyes aren't pleasant but I was happy at the end of the day because I was grateful. Hana threw this tea party just for us and all I want to say is...

Thank you Hana for bringing us together,
and thank you for spending some time with us.
It's one thing to know a person from behind a screen and it's another
 to actually get to know them on a personal level. 
You're a resplendent person - inside and out;
down-to-earth, composed, gentle and unbelievably beautiful,
I'm so fortunate to be able to call you my friend and my sister in Islam.
It's always a pleasure meeting you!
So... when's our next tea party? 
;)

Here's a video of the event created by the lovely and adorable Fatin @ HoneyPokaPoka. Thank you hun!



* Many thanks to Aimie Bahirah and Ami Schaheera for some of the images. I heart you girls! 

Comments

cendawanpink said…
wow..sume cantik2.. (^_^)
ogies_cuteis said…
waah... hana tajima.. cantiik~~
Lovely tea party! And you young girls are looking gorgeous. An inspiration to others InsyaAllah...
hanna said…
every smile - beautiful .
Simmy said…
I admire you so much sis Shahira, I love your blog so so so much I was a silent follower but I think not anymore hahaha :)
Is so nice to see sisters in Islam united and is an inspiration for all of us.
And I looooooove Hana's dress I want it so badly do you have any idea how?
pae dasuki said…
i envy you girls..how lucky to have a tea party with such fashionistas gathering together.

btw,it's pae here..lovely blog, inspiring stories and pretty lady you are.
hatim a.r said…
yes bloggers can never have too many pictures.and we are the only freaks who'll snap pictures of our foods before we eat lol

btw:white,black,red=gorgeous!
Rohima said…
AH! I love Hana and her stle! You all look so gorgeous and so does the foood :)
Aisha said…
this is soo lovely, i'm mega jealous lol. and you all look prettyful indeed, masha'Allah!

i love the sense of togetherness [is that even a word?] that Muslimahs have, this was something i was thinking about when i woke up today. random i know!
Rumaitha said…
Mashallah such a large group seems you had a great time..!!
Yunne Osman said…
i'm not familiar with the others except for you, aimie, ami, sue anna joe, jezmine and maria elena. all of you were looking gorgeous. but i love your top and skirt, aimie's whole outfit and ami's ruffles scarf. i'm green with envy now hahahaha and hana looked so sweet and shy.
Anonymous said…
Wow! How lucky are you girls!!
Not fair to post this on my bday! Jealousy is not a feeling I wanna have on my 2day... evry1 was looking gorgeous though...*sigh*
all of you in the pictures look immaculate!
that was an explosion of outfits...!
and what an elegant tea party!
Chloe said…
oh lucky girls! the photo looks awesome and you all look so beautiful :) it must have been such a fantastic time! xo
Halima said…
It's wonderful to have sisters in Islam to be there through the good and the bad in our lives, mashallah. It's a blessing from Allah SWT. That said, while it's great to share girlie pastimes and social ocassions together, I could do without the celebrity worship. Maybe if I met Aisha or Khadija (Radiallahu anum), maybe I would be that excited and in awe... Halima
You all look so gorgeous, mashAllah! The entire thing is such a wonderful idea, reminds me of the Mad Hatter tea party in Alice in Wonderland. Its quite similar dont you think?
:)
Shahirah Elaiza said…
Nadia Aziz: Thank you sis!

ogies_cuteis: She is very cantik =)

superheroes' mum: Aww thank you. InshaAllah, may people take is what good from us and leave what is bad.

I'm farra: Smiling is charity ;)

Stylish Hijabi: Aww thanks for your sweet comment. I agree that it is nice to have all of us gathered together. It was a special occasion alhamdulillah =) I think the dress is part of her new collection which will be on sale next month inshaAllah.

pae: Aw don't say that! InshaAllah when Hana holds another event someday you'll be able to attend. Thank you for reading my blog ;)

hatim: Thank you for the compliment. Last minute wardrobe change actually. I was going to wear something completely different but my Mum advised me to wear that out =)
LOL yes! I always have to stop my non blogger friends/family members before they dig in.

"Ehhhh wait wait! Don't eat yet!" LOL

Rohima: Thank you sis =) I personally didn't know what to expect from that day but alhamdulillah it flowed nicely. Hana is soo lovely you have to meet her for yourself.

Ashi: InshaAllah you'll be able to catch her in London =) Mhm, I agree. As an ummah we should definitely encourage this spirit of togetherness instead of zooming in on our differences. People who do that are at such a loss!

Rummy: Yes it was a large group of girls lol but alhamdulillah we all behaved =P

Yunne: Thanks sis ;) Everyone looked beautiful that day. Don't worry inshaAllah Hana will have more events like this because I know she would love to meet everyone who has been so supportive of her.

Anon: Happy belated birthday! I think Hana will be in Malaysia for a while, inshaAllah you'll bump into her one way or another ;)

Sorlisa: An explosion of outfits sounds just about right! lol That's what you get when you gather fashion lovers together ;)

Chloe: Thanks Chloe! I told Hana about you ;) She got married when she was 19, just like you. Come to think of it she reminds me a lot of you. Btw she's a September baby as well!

shufshuf: I can assure you there was no celebrity worshipping going on =) Hana is a sweetheart in the truest sense. You have to meet her to understand why I said that. She did a kind thing by hosting the tea party to say her thanks to us for supporting her in her journey. There's nothing wrong in praising my sister in Islam when I see something positive in her.

Although I do agree it would be amazing to meet the Women of Paradise! I'd looove to meet inspirational Muslimahs of today. I attended a talk about the 'Great Women of Islam' by Sh. Taufiq Chowdhury last night, inshaAllah I will be coming up with posts about these exemplary women subhanaAllah.

Smiley: Ooooh yes I agree with you! How smart of you to think of that ;)
Reen Tart Nenas said…
semua chantek2. dan sgt bertuah coz dapat jumpa Hana :)
shark said…
sangat minat dgn scarf from maysaa tu..sha,cemana nak dapatkan eh?kat melaysia ada jual?
Hijabs and Co said…
awwwwwwe, you loooooook stunning in red mashallah!!
hope you enjoyed your party !!!
lucky you!! we have no fun here in Australia!!

xoxoxoxo
www.cocospearls.blogspot.com
You bought a Canon G series :D Is that a G11 or G12?
Shahirah Elaiza said…
Reen Tart Nenas: Syukur alhamdulillah =)

shark: Check out maysaa.com

Hijabs and Co.: Shukran, it was beyond fun! You would've loved it. Wish you were there ;)

coco: Let's hope she drops by Australia soon! Get all the Muslimahs there to show their support for Hana =)

Fathishah: Yes I did, thanks to your blog post hehe. It's a G12.
Esra said…
Looks like a great tea party! And everyone looks absolutely amazing mA. Looking beautiful in the red Sha.