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 Anna, Aimie, 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!