http://www.bikerforum.co.uk/forums/funny-video/13562-what-welshmen-do-when-theyre-bored.html

check the banter

Long long time ago

Wowzers. I can't actually remember the last time I wrote a new post, that is too too sad. Well I apologise profusely for being so slack but in my defense it has been completely mental here for what feels like forever!

We have just finished selling our b-e-a-utiful new Spring Summer 2010 collection. We showed at London Fashion Week for the first time in a while and had a wonderful time. Now I know you lot like to get a heads up about what's hot and what's not so here are a few of my favourite exhibitors from LFW:

For beautiful bags then look no further than our fave - Ally Capellino. Super stylish, practical and fun, these bags will last you a life time. Love love love.

http://www.allycapellino.co.uk/

For jewellery then head straight for Tatty Devine. Their goodies are so much fun and make the perfect gifts and if you feel like treating yourself then there's no need to feel guilty because the prices are divine too! Hurrah.

http://www.tattydevine.com/boutique/index.php

Another new jewellery favourite is Comfort Station. Amy's creations are a mix of quirky style and materials (gold, black onyx, walnut to name but a few) all put together in a really original way which make a statement without being overwhelming. I think her jewellery is absolutely genius and I'm sure you will too. Head down to their shop on Cheshire Street, just off Brick Lane or shop online!

http://www.comfortstation.co.uk/

For fabulous headgear check out Bernstock Speirs. Wooly hats with a pom pom and a veil? Yes please. Honestly it's just out and out brilliant. You can find the Autumn Winter Collection at Dover Street Market (impressive non?), at their shop on Brick Lane or online. Winter wooly must haves gang. (And they do boys and girls so you can get matching His and Hers styles! I'm sure your menfolk would LOVE that).

http://www.bernstockspeirs.com/

And last but certainly not least the wunderbar YMC. Now generally I try to avoid touting other clothing designers on here but I'm afraid I couldn't help myself this time - I just love YMC! They've got it all - Womenswear, Menswear, frocks, jumpers, shoes. It's win win win with this lot. If you aren't familiar with the brand already then I suggest you rectify this immediately. Here's how:

http://www.youmustcreate.com/index.aspx

Ok enough about everyone else already back to us!!!! Squat's going to be in the new edition of Selvedge which is very exciting - he's actually having photos taken for it now. Very funny watching him play dress up for a change, it's always us girls and the poor thing does feel ever so left out! I'm in super spirits because I'm taking my AW09 goodies home - I actually have one of the jersey dresses on now and it is brilliant. So comfy. (All I need to do now is persuade Squat to let me take home one of those delicious Harris Tweed jackets.......).

I'm afraid we've been a bit slow getting some of the new winter stuff online as we've been so rushed off our feet but it will be ready to in the next week or two and I promise it's well worth waiting for.

Photos of SS10 to follow tomorrow.

Wishing you all a happy Thursday night - try not to drink too many glasses of Cab Sav, remember there's still one day left until the weekend!

Much love to one and all xxxxxx

Exciting news...

Why hello there,


And how are we on this bright and sunny morning? Well, afternoon actually! Stuck at the office, slightly too hot and no air-con? Well, here’s something to put a smile back onto your face! I have something special to show you...


I hear you scream...."the suspense is killing me, show me, show me, show me!" - As you can't quite control yourself, I'll give in. Just for you lovely shoppers, I'm revealing a sneak peak of our Pre Season Collection, which I am pleased to tell you, this will be available online on Thursday - how fantastic is that?? - So have your wallets at the ready, here is a little taster...







You will feel this angry, if you don't purchase one of these cardi's before they are all gone!




Ahhhh but wait, there's more! Our main A/W Collection is full of beautiful goodies, which are perfect for making you look and feel fabulous this season! We have a fantastic range of Harris Tweed coats - not only will you be warm and cosy, but you'll look amazing while doing so! Love it; kill two birds with one stone! We have some lovely chunky knits (hand woven) for those chilly evenings soon approaching us....saving the best till last, we have some stunning floral prints and gold Lurex numbers that will have you as the envy of any event!

I feel you smiling already, waiting patiently for the new arrivals! - how exciting! but, If you have any questions or queries please feel free to ask, info@ghulamsakina.com! before i go and wish you a lovely afternoon...

Just a quick reminder about our cake competition, the last entries are needed by the 31st October, so get creative and send us your designs!

Much Love,

Ghulam Sakina.

A Fete Worse Than Death

Hello hello one and all,

And how are we this miserable Wednesday afternoon? I have once again been foiled by the weather and have got my outfit totally wrong. Yesterday too hot. Today too cold. I have had to steal some old socks I found in a drawer (possibly from a look book shoot as I think they're a little too glittery to be Squat's although I could be wrong...) Well in any case I am now sporting a rather fetching thonged sandals, knee high socks combo. Not very fashionable I'm afraid but I've never felt the need to suffer for my art.

Ok that's not entirely true, I have worn some pretty ridiculous things in the past.... I don't know if anyone remembers a little TV programme called Clarissa Explains It All. Hmmm well I went through a pretty awkward stage of dressing like a cross between Clarissa and Liam Gallagher. Oh god and then there was the semi-grunge stage, DMs a Fido Dido T-shirt and a string vest style jumper over the top. Oh well, you can't win 'em all right? Right?!

Still onto things far more fun than my fashion faux pas..... a fete worse than death!

Some of Squat's clever friends are organising a series of "summer" (I use that term very loosely) fetes, starting this Sunday 16th August at The Queen of Hoxton here in our very own fair city.

So what's it all about? They've taken all the best bits of a Village Fete and combined it with fun and games, a roof terrace, barbecue, local designers (like us) and djs. Pretty good huh. Yes, I rather thought you'd agree. You're so very smart like that.

Now I know not everyone lives in London, but if you do, or you have friends that do, then jolly well pop down I say! Follow the link and find out all about it for yourselves.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127677131293&ref=mf

It's going to be lots of fun I promise PLUS you get the chance to get your hands on some billy bargains from among others, the one and only, Ghulam Sakina! Woo hoo. I know. So bring your wallet, bring an appetite and bring some friends for goodness sake. It's the perfect Sunday afternoon filler.

Onto some rather more glum news - for you, not me - I'm only going on bloomin' holiday tomorrow aren't I which means no more ramblings for over a week. Ahhhhh how will you cope? Goodness knows but stay strong my friends. Eat cake, shop online and if you get the chance to watch My Monkey Baby on More4 do that. It is WEIRD.

Ohh ohh ohh and if you're feeling in a theatre mood go and see "The Girlfriend Experience" at The Young Vic. It was written by another one of Squat's very clever friends Alecky Blythe. We went to see it last night and it was phenomenal. It's funny, touching, poignant and gives the audience an incredible insight into a world we often try to forget exists. I give it a full 2 thumbs up.

http://www.youngvic.org/whats-on?action=details&id=2756

Anyway my dears enough from me. Don't forget the fete and get your bums down to the theatre. I'll speak to you all very soon. Oh oh oh and don't forget about the Cake comp!!!!!

Much love as ever xxxxxxx

G2 Ad AND a Brand New Competition!

Hello hello hello,

Exciting times are upon us. Not only have we taken our online sale up to 80% off (on selected items of course) but we've also gone and launched another blooming competition in The Guardian G2 today haven't we!

It is almost too much excitement to handle. Shall I tell you all about it? Ok well it goes a little something like this.... (and yes that was a reference to the dance CLASSIC "It's Like That" for those of you cool enough to remember it)!

Anyway... as you may know, it's our 10 year anniversary coming up this Autumn. And yes, we are planning something fun fun fun to celebrate. But what of the competition I hear you scream?

We're asking you wonderful and fantastic people to design a...... BIRTHDAY CAKE! Design and cake has there ever been a better combination. I think not.

The deadline to send in your entries is October 31st 2009. If you want to make a cake and send us a photo then you can, or you can just draw a design and send that to us instead. Whatever you want really, as long as it represents 10 years of Ghulam Sakina!

Send your designs along with you name, address, email and contact telephone number straight to our studio!

Ghulam Sakina Ltd

Studio One

Fairmule House

27 Waterson Street

London

E2 8HT

Of course if you have any questions or queries then don't hesitate to get in touch. We love hearing from you! Email us at: info@ghulamsakina.com.

I'm so excited! Big kisses to you all.

OH I totally forgot to say, I went to see Hamlet last night - the production starring Jude Law. It was AMAZING. I've got to admit that after Alfie and the whole Sienna thing I'd begun to lose faith but his performance is spell binding. Nice one Jude.

Enough.

xxx

Open Sailing

Ahoy there mateys!

I have an interesting proposition to put forward to you all. Squat's good friend Cesar is embarking on an extraordinarily wonderful cultural voyage. Cesar is studying Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art in London. As part of his degree course Cesar is developing software and hardware which will be used in the construction of a future International Ocean Station. Exciting? I know!

So this may all sound a little weird and wonderful at the moment but it's an incredible concept that he and his friends are trying to turn into a reality, and guess what - he needs YOUR help!

If any of you happen to be good with you hands - oh please don't force me to make a terrible joke here - or your heads then Cesar needs your help!

Carpenters, seamstresses, physicians, accountants, graphic designs, lawyers, mechanics, cheerleaders. Workers of the world unite and come together to get this concept off the group and into the sea.

For more helpful information about this project then check out Cesar's Gumtree ad:

http://www.gumtree.com/london/85/40179585.html

It really is a wonderful thing so even if you can't spare the time to help then have a look and learn all about what this talented young man's project is all about!

xxxx

Dresses and Jackets and Jumpsuits, Oh My!

Heydi-ho campers!

I hope you are all wonderfully well despite the somewhat erratic weather we're experiencing down in London Town. It's playing havoc with my wardrobe. But enough about me (for now).... it's Su-su-studio news time.

The last couple of weeks have been a complete blur here. Our Spring/Summer 2010 collection is nearly ready to head out to India for sampling and it is looking wunderbar. Hannah and Liz have worked wonders, cutting and sewing and cutting and sewing again to get everything together and I am getting increasingly excited.

I'd like to think that I provided Squat with most of the inspiration for the collection, but sadly that would be a lie! He is always very kind of me though and lets me have my say so I can pretend I'm designing too. I don't know how he does it but it's a lot of fun to watch! We've got toiles all over the studio and we've all been trying them on to see what looks best. So, essentially what I'm saying is we've been playing dress up. Great.

That all sounds like a terrible amount of fun I know but I can promise there has been PLENTY of hard work going on. We've added some more stock to the website so more people can get there hands on our goodies. Oh and I've been trying to learn about Twitter and Flickr. Now, I'm a simple girl so these things confuse me somewhat so it would be stupendous if you lovely people added us as a friend or start following us on Twitter. As you can imagine, the thought of having to condense what I say into only 250 character frightens the life out of me, but I'll endeavour to give it a jolly good go!

Pics and tricks to follow soon my dears. Until then, enjoy the sale and enjoy the sun that I've just started to see peeking through the clouds - yipee.

Much love as ever xxxxx

London Calling

Woo hoo it's Friday. Not that work hasn't been a treat this week, but with the sun trying to shine and an imminent trip to the seaside for me, I'm keen for the time to pass quickedy quick. But before I get too carried away lets have a quick round up of this week's Ghulam Sakina fun and games.

Pablo has joined the team as our new production intern. What a dear he is. Harking all the way from Spain we're now feeling very multi-cultural here in the office! We've now representing Wales, America, Canada, Spain, England, Ireland, India and Pakistan (admittedly some of those are cross overs but still, pretty impressive huh). 

Squat and I had the pleasure of going down to an amazing new 'pop-up' type bar in Battersea called..... The Doodle Bar! You can literally draw all over the walls! How great is that? We met Jasmin from Squint/Opera who helps run the bar and although I don't want to give too much away, we are planning something pretty special with Jasmin's help to celebrate 10 whole years of Ghulam Sakina in the Autumn! Very, very exciting stuff. 

You should all check out The Doodle Bar, the gang from Vivienne Westwood hang out there after work on Fridays apparently so if it's good enough for Viv, it's certainly good enough for me! Here's a link to the website, it really is such a genius place and they don't just serve drinks, oh no, they hold lots of different events there so go ahead and have a looksey for yourselves:

http://www.thedoodlebar.com/

Squat and I also headed up to Angel this week to check out the New Designers Exhibition. What fun, what talent, what a treat! I was a bit jealous seeing all these bright fun things but it was all very exciting and inspiring. There are too many people we liked to mention them all but here are a couple of people that particularly caught my eye:

Sarah-Jayne Guest is a very talented print designer whose colourful, eccentric prints displayed on a whole host of different surfaces really stood out. Have a look at her website:

http://www.sjguest.blogspot.com/

We also LOVED Chloe May England's beautiful surface designs.  Think the Nightmare Before Christmas with a sort of girlish, almost Victorian twist and you start coming somewhere close to this lovely lady's weird and wonderful offerings. My favourite is 'The Mime' but you can choose your own by heading to:

http://www.redshedtextiles2009.co.uk/gallery.php?id=128&section=3&img=560&rand=9118297

If, like us, you're a bit of an embroidery nut then check out Phillipa Spiller's inspired stitch work. Delicate and detailed, Phillipa's subtle artwork has an incredibly tactile quality and is simply a joy to behold. For examples of her work copy and paste this link:

http://www.contemporary-textiles.com/students/view/25

And finally have a little look at Jodie Byrne's printed textiles. Colourful, carefully considered, slightly naive illustrations with a really wistful edge there's something very special in this girl's work. See for yourself:

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1268110466626835211

As you may have guessed I seriously advise you to try and get down to the Business Design Centre on Upper Street for Part 1 this weekend. (Part 2 starts next week and will feature a whole new host of young designers which we're also really looking forward to seeing). 

One more thing - if you do head to the show don't forget to pop by the Selvedge stall. Selvedge is one of very most favourtist magazines in the whole wide world:

http://www.selvedge.org/

Polly, Beth, Rebecca and the rest of the gang are not only selling back issues of the magazine for very cheap prices, they're also selling a plethora of wonderful books. And if that wasn't enough Polly and her kids have only gone and made some delicious little cakes to help keep you sweet! What a woman. Oh and they've just opened up a shop. Bloody brilliant!

Ok I must get on with some "real" work now. Have the most wonderous weekend one and all and I'll be back next week with more offerings from the wacky world of Ghulam Sakina.

xxxx

Doodle Winner!!!!!!!!!

Hooray and hurrah we have FINALLY chosen a winner for our Design A Doodle Competition!So from all of us here, we'd like to wish Carrie Hill from Bath an enormous Ghulam Sakina congratulations! She's won herself £750.00 worth of GS goodies. Pretty wicked I think you'll agree.

I would like to say that I spied Carrie's design right from the start. It's perfect! Fun but not too fancy which sums us up perfectly I think, and with the website logo written in there too - what a clever lady!

Anyways we loves it and can't wait to get it made into a print to use on a........ Yeah right, as if I'd tell you lot what we're going to use it for. You'll just have to wait and see I'm afraid chickadees. 

Also, I want a fun and perhaps slightly patronising way of referring to your Ghulam Sakina lovers. You know, like the Ally Capellino gang we call the Capellino's and the Tatty Devine beauties we call, yep, you guess it, The Tatties. Ingenious I know. But what can I call you lot of reprobates? Sakina's? Ghulamites? Suggestions to info@ghulamsakina.com please.

Squat and I are off to the Young Designers Exhibition tomorrow afternoon in Angel to say hello to our friends at Selvedge and meet some up and coming bright new things. I'll be sure to mention anyone that catches our eye on this here blog. We're also planning to send out our intrepid new intern Alison on a sight seeing tour of London town to give us a new look at our fair city. (She's from America you see dears so it's all wonderfully new to her). so many more pics and tricks can be found here in the not too distant future.

Ok I'm tired now and I think you've all probably had enough. Try not to get hit by lightning!

Much love xxxx

Hot Potato, Iced Coffee

Hello friends, family and fans,

I hope this post finds you well. We are near melting point here in the capital city, struggling on bravely sans air conditioning, and surviving on a diet of iced coffee and lime squash.

The exciting news for all of you of course, is that we have gone into sale! Yippee. And what great timing now that the weather has picked up (albeit a little too much for my liking). Grab yourself a floral grandad shirt or a light jersey dress to soak up the sun in before they all disappear!

Still, we are yet to decide upon a doodle winner, for which I apologise profusely again! I promise, with hand on heart on MY life (seriously), that we WILL decide next week. You have all been very patient and for this we love and adore you all. Thank you.

Squat is in the process of designing Spring/Summer 2010 which is very, VERY exciting. We're bringing back some classic Ghulam Sakina shapes and injecting them with beautiful new prints and vibrant colours. But of course there will also be some fantastic new styles to shock and amaze you all. It's busy, busy, busy here but there's light at the end of the tunnel!

Oh we also have some really super new interns who I am a little bit in love with, in a totally un-creepy way. They are Hannah, Ola, Alison, Liz and Pablo (who I haven't actually met yet but I'm sure I'll love).  Anyway they're fab and I wanted to give them a little "shout out" (are people still saying that) and say a big, big  THANK YOU for all their hard work.

I have the day off tomorrow and I'm going to see Blur in Hyde Park so if you're doing the same, do say 'hello' if you see a short bottle blond floating about in the heat and singing along to songs she doesn't know the words to. (I'm a huge fan, I just never remember song lyrics).

So that's it kids. I'll be back sooner than you want no doubt for more ramblings. Until then, enjoy the sun sensibly and have a wonderful weekend!

Much love from all of us here at Ghulam Sakina, (but mainly me), Gemma xxxx

Gin and Doodles

Hello all,

I have been VERY slack recently on the old bogging front and for that I can only apologise. To make up for it, here's a hot tip for the Gold Cup Race at Ascot today - Veracity. Apparently. I don't really know much about betting and I do NOT endorse gambling (as a general rule) but I heard this from a friend of a friend, so it MUST be a good tip. Right?!

Anyway GS news. Still no doodle winner. SORRY! We just haven't had a minute to sit down and decide BUT we are planning something rather special to celebrate the competition and all the wonderful entries. I can't tell you much more at the moment as we are still in the planning stages but I can tell you that it is going to be pretty frickin wicked.

Ah ha I've got your attention now haven't I!!!! Well that's good and since you're probably in wonderful and excitable moods, how's about a little cocktail recipe......

It's called a Gimlet, but I'd like to rename it a Gemlet (see what I did there)!

Here's what you need, there are actual measurements for this but I prefer to free style so here's my way of doing things:

Gin. I free pour, it's much more professional I think

Lime juice.

Sugar (yes it's sweet treat)

Crushed ice, about a handful.

Ok ok so place the sugar in a shallow dish. Dip the rim of a chilled glass into the sugar so the rim is coated.

Put the crushed ice into a cocktail shaker (all smart drinkers should own one), pour the gin and lime juice over said crushed ice and shake well.

Pour the booze into the glass and drink it. Simple but effective.

Enjoy.

Gemma xxxxx

p.s. If you're in the Holloway/Finsbury Park area this weekend, head down to the DWS (that's the Designer Warehouse Sale), you might just pick up a bargain or two. But you didn't hear that here right.....

More doodles

More of our weird and wonderful entries x

Doodle Entries

If you don't have access to Facebook then here are a selection of entries from our Design A Doodle Competition. We haven't managed to choose a winner yet because there are so many wonderful entries but we promise to let the winner know asap!!!

If you're not already friends with us on Facebook then just search for Ghulam Sakina, we've got a friend page or you can become a fan.

Hooray!

More doodles to come, enjoy! xxxx

Tarts and Vicars

Ok, I lied. This blog doesn't have anything to do with tarts or vicars, but I was struggling to think of a title for today's post and that just seemed to pop into my head. It's probably got something to do with the fact that a) I'm craving sugar, so I'd love to eat a delicious cake/pastry good right now and; b) I'm going to a fancy dress party tonight..........dressed as a hurricane!!!! I am very, VERY excited about this. I spent a LOT of time getting my costume together last night which involved a great deal of sculpting wire, bubble wrap and spray paint. I can't say any more in case any costume spies are reading this but if you're anywhere near London Bridge tonight then keep youe eyes peeled for an electric blue storm or a giant crab (my friend James) and feel free to give me a wave.

Now, back to the important stuff. G.S updates:

After receiving a whole lorry load of entries to our doodle competition, the doors finally closed for entry last Friday. Liaqat was away this week in Ethiopia (!) so we haven't had a chance to sit down as a team and decide upon a winner, but we promise to let the winner know by the middle of June.

What else, what else.... this week has been so busy that my brain has stopped working. I'm also struggling to think of anything other than cakes since our friends from Treacle popped in to say hello earlier. Treacle is a genius tea room/cake shop on Columbia Road run by our friend Bux. If you happen to be at the Flower Market on a Sunday, I would definitely suggest you pay a visit. Your taste buds with thank you, even if your waistband doesn't.

Enough. I am too tired. I promise to do better next time.

Until then have then loveliest of weekends.

Much love,

Gemma xxx

Lentil Burgers.

So it's a Bank Holiday weekend. The sun is shining. Having or going to a barbeque is a given. But what to eat if you don't fancy a face full of "well done" meat? Avoid the taste of charcoal and get your chops around some delicious lentil burgers. Here's how:

You will need -

3 cups of cooked black or green lentils (the black ones are less mushy)
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup of toasted fine bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Chopped coriander, a pinch of cumin, paprika or chilli for flavour

Mix up the lentils, eggs and salt in a bowl. If you're lucky enough to have a food processor then whack the ingredients in there for a minute. If not, it's good old elbow grease I'm afraid. Now stir in the onion, the coriander and a pinch of your favourite herbs or spices to add an extra kick. Add the bread crumbs and let the mixture rest for a moment so the bread crumbs can soak up some of the excess moisture.

Now for the fun/messy bit. (You may want to sieve some flour onto a chopping board or plate as this can help to keep the mixture together). Get your hands into that big bowl of sticky mixture and create your burger patties. This recipe should be enough for 6 large burgers or 12 mini ones if you're feeling a little daintier.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the patties. Cook for 7-10 minutes on each side until they're nice and golden brown. Grab a bun, add some salad (maybe some caramelised red onions), a slice of mozerella if you fancy and Bob's your uncle, you've got yourself a tasty BBQ treat.

Studio Pics

I thought it might be nice for you to see where all the Ghulam Sakina magic happens. So here you go. A little look at what goes on behind the scenes! Sorry they aren't all the right way round, we're having a little trouble figuring out how to do that. For now though, you'll just have to strain your necks I' afraid! SORRY xxx

Sample Sales and Sunny Days

Hello hello hello,

So, I've been in charge this week while the other two rapscalians I work with are cavorting around on the other side of the globe. Usually I get a bit jealous when Tana and Squat head to India to visit our factories but this time I have to say I REALLY didn't mind being left behind. It's currently around 44 degrees in Delhi and not being designed to spend more than a minute in the sun without burning to a crisp means I'm quite happy sitting in our studio, enjoying the cool breeze flowing through my window. Ha!

Anyway, what (real) news do I have to report from GS Headquarters today I hear you ask. Well, this week we have mainly been getting ready for, and then recovering from, our sale with the lovely Ally Capellino gang on Wednesday. (And when I say 'we' I mean my lovely new intern Sonny, my friend Cathy and me). As usual, people were clawing tooth and nail to get their hands on Ally's wonderous bags. I managed to grab a genius laptop case that Ally designed for the Tate Modern, before fighting my way back to safety. But in between the madness we met lots of old and plenty of new friends who managed to get their hands on a GS bargain or two. Good work ladies.

We're setting up a new mailing list so please feel free to contact us if you'd like to join. We'll send you updates about future sample sales and general bits and pieces about any other up and coming events we're planning.

So that aside, it's a bank holiday weekend, which I only realised on Wednesday (!) so that means there's plenty of time for baking. I'm going to have a look through my cook book and post a nice new recipe for you to try out at home.

Back soon x

Doodle Do, Doodle Don't

Hello friends, congratulations on making it to the end of the week!

As ever, we have been busy little bees this week here at Ghulam Sakina HQ.

Not only have Squat and Tana been getting ready to jet off to India this weekend, (leaving me all on my lonesome for a week), but Squat's been preparing to give a talk at the V&A today!

While those two have been ferreting around packing samples to take away, I've been sorting out goodies for our sample sale with our wonderful friends at Ally Capellino next week. Check out our Facebook page or log on to: http://www.dailycandy.com/london/article/43422/Gone+Saleing for more details!

As for our doodle competition, well that is going just swimmingly! We're thrilled to pieces with all the entries we've received so far but one or two people have forgotten to include their contact details! Que horror! So please PLEASE don't forget to give us YOUR NAME, YOUR ADDRESS, CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER and E-MAIL ADDRESS if you're entering our competition!

I'm going to post some of the entries on our Facebook page so look out for your pictues there.

Well that's all the news I've got for you at the moment. Keep doodling and have yourselves a merry little weekend!

Much love xxxxx

G2 & Grazia

Bonjour mes beautés,

I hope this blog finds you all very well. Sadly I have been a bit ill (not with swine flu) so I'm a bit late letting you all in on this.

Did any of you happen to get your hands on the May 4th edition of Grazia? If you were then you may well have noticed one of our delightful floral print grandad shirts on the front cover! That's right folks, without us even having to lift a finger, the forever wise Laura Craig spied said aforementioned shirt in Matches and just had to mention it on her top picks page (p.61).

As you can imagine we were pretty chuffed.

As exciting though is the advert we ran promoting our new website which ran in the G2 today!

Check it out if you get the chance and for goodness sake don't forget to enter our doodle competition!

Much love to one and all,

Gemma xxx

p.s. Squat and Tana are off to India this weekend which means I'm going to be left in charge next week so expect a few more posts!

COMPETITION - DESIGN A DOODLE!

Hello!

To celebrate the launch of our new e-commerce website we’re running a “Design A Doodle” competition.

Your doodles can be big, small, abstract, funny, flowery, or simply a way of getting rid of some emotional baggage.

Whatever pops into your head we want it!

The winning doodler will receive £750.00 worth of Ghulam Sakina clothing of your choice AND your doodle will be used in either our new clothing or home range.

The entry deadline is 31st May 2009.

Please submit your designs by post to our studio address along with: your name, address, email and contact telephone number.

Ghulam Sakina Ltd
Studio One
Fairmule House
27 Waterson Street
London E2 8HT

www.ghulamsakina.com

NB: overseas entrants may submit their doodles by email to: info@ghulamsakina.com

PS: Even though we’re not allowed to join in the doodle competition ourselves (apparently that’s “cheating”), we didn’t want to be left out. So here a few “artist” offerings from all of us here at Ghulam Sakina. Happy doodling!

Emer's doodle:


Gemma's doodle:



Leah's doodle:


Squat's doodle:


Tana's doodle:

BANANA BREAD – YUM!!!

WARNING! Delicious recipe ahead. You may need to change into something with an elasticated waist.

This is by far and away my favourite thing to bake, which is why I wanted to share it with you all, (except Tana who hates bananas – sorry).

It’s REALLY easy to do and it’s ideal for using up bananas that you've kept for a bit too long.

4oz butter or margarine
6oz sugar
8oz self raising flour
2 eggs
2 large or 3 medium, very ripe bananas
a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 4; 180C
2. Grease a 2lb loaf tin.
3. Mash the bananas with a fork.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together and mix in the eggs.
5. Mix together the two yellow messes you now have.
6. Mix in the flour and the tasty spices
7. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes then lower the temperature to gas mark 2; 150C and cook for a further 30 minutes.
8. When it’s good and crispy on the top, take it out of the oven, place it on a rack, and try desperately to let it cool before stuffing your face.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can add pretty much anything you want to it. Personally I like to add a good handful of dark chocolate drops, but you could add chopped nuts, honey (for added moistness), blueberries, sultanas, the list goes on.

Sometimes I put melted dark chocolate on the top, or even a layer of butter icing, or I eat it warm with vanilla ice cream and raspberries….. Well you get the point. Happy baking!

WELCOME TO THE GHULAM SAKINA BLOG!

Hello and welcome to the very first post on the new Ghulam Sakina blog!

We’ll be posting pics of our trips, lookbooks and inspirations for everyone into the Ghulam Sakina magic.

Keep checking for information on work experience, upcoming sales, recipes and saucy links!