Friday, September 28, 2012

ANOTHER BALLING BEAUTY IN BLUE...TURQUOISE


This time of the year is a season for Matric Dance Balls or should I say Senior Year Ball in South Africa. Fashion designers like get very busy with teenage girls coming through to get their dresses designed and made. Thank God for Google images one does not really have to deal with sketches drawn as if by a kindargarten kid or having to draw what a young girl percieves in her mind as possible to put on paper and transform into a dream dress. I did not study Fashion Designing formerly remember (Please refer to my first post on this blog). However the challenge is some of them expect you to create an exact duplicate of some celebrity's dress and you have to explain how different the fabrics are and that you are not a copy machine. Every designer's touch is different.








I had the most dresses to design for Matric balls in this year as compared to previous years. I already made two dresses, one for Kealeboga and another for Benni (see previous posts). I also made one for a gorgeous young girl called Tiisetso whom I will share the experience of making her dress later. I just 

DRESSING THEM TO BALL AND DANCE



This year I had one of my desires come to pass through my love and passion of making clothes and dressing people. I always desired to make a young woman or women happy by designing and making a dress or dresses for them. I once emailed a huge email list/group I was in, that if they would contribute R10 or R20 each or buy fabric, we can look for young maticulant girls and I would design and make dresses for them at no profit to me but just out of love. Not even one of those people agreed with me. I guess they thougt I was looking to make a name or money for myself. But I believe that is not how God wanted it to be done. Or maybe it was not perfect timing.

We might take this gesture for granted or bring Romans 12:2 into perspective saying matric balls are things of the world forgettting that Jesus in John 17:15 said: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." There is nothing evil about young people celebrating a passage in their lives at the final year of their secondary schooling by having a formal function or ball where they dress up to it. The only evil comes when sin becomes part of the ball. Remember there was The Great Banquet in Luke 14 where people who knew how to dress up were the initial invited guests to the celebration.

Ok now that I put the Word into perspective as my life is governed by the Word of God I wanted to share in my appreciation of God allowing me an opportunity to make dresses for two of His own daughters, Benni and Kealeboga.

Shy and Beautiful Benni
An Epitome of Beauty
I was asked by my fellow Children's Church Ministry teacher, Thobeka Gonxeka to make a dress for one of the girls at a shelter where she volunteers. The girl's name is Benni. A very humble and beautiful young girl. Thobeka had found people who paid for Benni's hair, nails and bought her shoes and one lady bought her fabric for the dress. A beatiful navy blue crushed tafetta and a white and silver sequened fabric. Benni came for measurements and showed me what kind of a dress she wanted and by the help of God I managed to make the dress  she wanted.

It was so fulfilling making the dress and seeing Benni put it on and it fitted like it was made on her body. The feeling I had made me want to do more of that for other young girls. How I pray people can just be willing to do what Thobeka and her friends do every year. I heard God say: "It is just the beginning".

Shawl for Comfort to keep eyes off




Not one but Two Happy Faces
A week later I went to give a Motivational Speech for Best Man and Woman I Can Be Forum Seminar (under directorship of Lonwabo Maseko), in Daveyton. I met a mother and her son and daughter who came for the seminar. The mother, Linda told me she googled me the night before and she the asked me to make a dress for her daughter Kealeboga, The Word of God says: "Ask it shall be given." Without going into detail why Mama Linda asked me for that I agreed willingly and God reminded me of a brand new pair of shoes I never wore. How God-incidental that Kealeboga is the same size shoes as me.


What else to ask for than a Happy Teenager
I made Kea (Kealeboga) a black short dress with draping chains at the back and a kind of sequened front. She had requested me to make her a mini dress. She came with her mom to get he dress and she was so excited at how it really was what she wanted and the shoes fitted her as well. I was so overjoyed and bubbly inside by the excitement and joy on the mother and daughter's faces. Mama Linda also brought me a bucket of cookies specially baked for me, my fiance Paul and our families. Like she knew I am a sucker for home-baked cookies.

The Face of JOY
Kea could not stop Posing for pictures


I know the Word that says:""Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men." Matthew 6:1-2
I am not boasting about my charitable deeds but I am sharing the experience of God-given joy I felt by doing something I was not getting paid for. I enjoyed it more than a thousand rands or more I would have received from a client. The thought of a lifetime happy moment in the girls' memories and those related to them felt like a needed continuous dose of joy for my survival. I write this with the hope that you too will do something for no cost for somebody else. Above all, All this glory goes to God.




Two strangers' memories of God coming to their moment of need and my memory of happy faces through God using me as a vessel of His answers.

                                                           ForeverFaith Couture
                                                             "Designed To Fit You"










WEDDING DESIGNING WITH GOD- DRESSING THE BRIDESMAIDS

I am writing about this wedding two years later because what is brought to my memory is how it was all easy and how I never had any hassle with the bridesmaids or getting the correct fabric and the design itself. God rought to my attention, that everything is born in prayer. Knowing that the people I served in this wedding are all born again, prayerful, non-word-compromizing, whole-hearted-God-serving christians, I believe they did not just pray for the wedding ceremony but also covered me daily as I worked on their dresses.


Landing from Heaven Above

I had to design and make bridesmaid's dresses for Phumzile Nxumalo's wedding which was on the 15th of January 2011. Phumzile was referred to me by a friend of mine Florina, whom I gave the name Flawless Flo because her beauty and character are so Flawless. Flawless Flo is a make up and beauty technician and Phumzile's friend. Phumzile, her husband, Khaya Nxumalo and her bridesmaids, all fellowship where Flo and I fellowship in Grace Bible Church in Soweto. Like all the brides Phumy was happy, friendly, and full of peace. Her bridesmaids are also so much like her in personality and character. as the saying goes:"Birds of the same feather flock together." What was greata s well is that they are almost the same size and body structure so I did not work to hard with pattern grading and sizing.



Phumy's colour scheme was lilac and dark silver. The dresses were A-line strapless wrap-dresses with a grey fabric belt. The dresses had diamante details on the chest. The ladies came on time for regular fittings and sizing and everything was done in record time. I even had the priveledge to go and dress them on the wedding day. Flawless Flo did the bride and her bridesmaids' make up.







The Glory of God
The Fashion Designer and The Bridesmaid



I was invited to the wedding but I could only attend the wedding ceremony in church as the bride and groom exchanged the vows. I had to attend our Children's Church camp planning meeting. Well anyway for me, this is the wedding for me. Hearing to people vowing to God in front of witnesses that they will love each other as husband and wife and never separate.


The Exit Song and Dance after The Bride and Goom's Marriage




 The Bride looked so beautiful in her white gown.She looked like she came straight from heaven especially for the bridegroom. As you can see the joy on the bridegroom's face below. He looks like he cannot contain himself. What a blessed couple the Nxumalo's are.





The groomsmen were all suited in grey and lilac shirts and ties with white waist coats. The bridegroom's suit was darker/charcoal grey suits. The flower girl looked all so pretty with a white flowergirl's dress, white stockings and white shoes to match. The ringbearer was dressed somehow like the groomsmen. He looked so handsome in his miniature suit and bowtie. But truth be told he looked much handsome than all the men including the bridesgroom himself. LOL!!!


The Ever Beautiful Women of God
And all the man said: AMEN!!!


The Cutest of them All
A year later I saw the blessed couple, Khaya and Phumzile Nxumalo in church carrying a set of twins and my heart skipped with praise and joy to God. I look forward to seeing them every Sunday sharing the parenting responsibility of their beautiful twin boys and smile inside. Every time I see them I tell my fiance that I pray and hope for twins as well. Hahaha!! But it is all up to God. May the Lord continue to strengthen this beautiful union between the Nxumalo's.


God's Blessings of Honour

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

ANOTHER RED ONE






I love this red dress which is inspired by the 6 Way Grecian-Inspired dress. It is best for someone wanting a tight dress but not have it reveal her whole body shape.













           Worn with a belt to create silhouette and a waistline but still letting it loose at the back.



Tuesday, September 18, 2012

DRESSED FOR THE DURBAN JULY HANDICAP

Hey stranger....well I am referring to my blog as I have not written in it in ages. But I really appreciate you following my posts and hope you do enjoy them. i have been so busy since my last post. I was attending Entrepenurial workshops at Y- Age(you can google and find out who they are).

I also went to our Children's Church Ministry camp with the children for a whole week. ForeverFaith Couture is making waves and getting established and know to people living as far as Boksburg. I had the previledge of making dresses for three beauitiful women, Tumi Tshelane, Nomvula Masina and Cecilia Mathe, who were going to the annual Durban July Handicap. The ladies did not adhere to the theme which had something to do with conservation or recycling but preferred couture clothes they could wear again. They sure stole the attention at the horse race.

The ladies loved their ForeverFaith Couture dresses and felt like celebrities as they rubbed shoulders with some of them.



                          




I meant to upload Cecilia's picture in her red dress above but I need to find it and do so afterwards.
Oh i did find Cecilia's picture she emailed me. See her ready to step out in style and wowww people.

Lady in Red


See below Tumi and Vuvu at the event with familiar faces.

Safe to say: "They make an eye candy couple"

For some style is as easy as COUTUREGEOUS!!!




Thank you ladies for rocking ForeverFaith at the popular annual horse race. You all looked couturegeous!!!! Glory to God for everything.

                                                          ForeverFaith Couture
                                                          "Designed To Fit You"