Stuff to Say to your Reflection
Hi Everyone, I hope you had a great weekend!
Starting the week with the not-so-glam Monday, as always.
This is a fun, practical post which involves mirrors and simple soliloquies! Too much fun for a Monday morning, I know.
It also involves learning a new good habit that might help get through Mondays...... and the week and maybe even life!
The New Habit: Talking to yourself, out loud
Studies show that talking to yourself is awesome! People who talk to themselves tend to be more productive, get things done faster, are able to motivate themselves right into achievements and might even be smarter.
Finally! What took science so long to vindicate us? I have been talking to myself for as long as i can remember, i survived the 'anyone who talks to himself/herself is crazy' era. Now, we can all safely come out of the closet and sing Hot Chocolate's 'Sexy Thing' to ourselves in the mirror.
People who talk to themselves always stop us in our tracks and evoke strange looks on our faces. I'm not sure why, it's really only strange because a bunch of people said it was. It's also believed to be a stereotypical habit of mad people scientists. Mad scientists, usually ARE geniuses anyway, so no harm.
Studies also show that the best way to talk to yourself is in second person as in, 'Ike, pick the orange as your snack, not that caramel-y thing.' Instead of thinking it, saying it stimulates a more favorable, positive response.....in most cases. In other cases, the caramel-y thing just finds its way down our throats.
Being vocal about your goals and plans, as well as saying them repetitively to yourself (a habit, christians refer to as confessions) actually motivates your mind and brain into accomplishing them.
Therefore, speaking to yourself, in second person, about your goals is a pretty handy lifestyle tip. Politicians, athletes, artists and a great bunch of achievers do it, so why let them and we, the pioneers of the habit have all the fun?
The Fun, Practical part: Get a mirror or go to the office restroom. Look at your fine self and say these words:
"*insert name*, You are remarkably brave and full of potential. You are talented and smart. You are not easily frightened. You care. You don't ignore the homeless and poor. You are creative and successful! Your thoughts are beautiful not ugly. You assume the best and not the worst. You are discerning. You work hard. You enjoy working hard and working out-- Ok, not really, but you will........eventually, this year (take deep purposeful breath). You drink loads of water. You eat healthy and live healthy. You make better choices. You do not spend money that you don't have. You invest wisely and save adequately. You are faithful and principled. You are successful and generous! You believe in miracles, where you from? You sexy thing. 🎶
Drumroll on the sink or wall. Then slowly back out (or moonwalk) and give yourself a little wink!
Gosh I need some chill!
p.s Insulting or berating yourself and saying things like 'I'm so stupid', 'I'll never amount to much', is a bad idea and can not be found in the lyrics of Hot Chocolate's 'Sexy thing'.
Any takers on this habit? Do you talk to yourself? How's Monday treating you?! What's your Monday morning theme song? Remember to share!
What's Wrong with Turning 30?
I recently turned 28.
Gasp! I wrote out my age! Why is age such a sensitive topic? A person would ask, 'How old are you?' Suddenly things on our bodies get tight and our breath gets cut in half, we start hyperventilating, our eyes dart around the room. After reluctantly answering the question, the person asking immediately starts calculating the difference, mean and standard deviation of their age from ours! Lol!
I always thought I had embraced my age until the eve of 26. 25 was such a fun age and I especially loved the '5' at the rear but with 26, 30 seemed nearer, and with the scary 30, you are so much closer to 50!
30, the age where your mid-rif won't let you be great and wear a crop top. By the way, who decided to reach into the 80's and bring back crop tops.....*side-eye* 30, the scariest age, even scarier than 40. I think by 40, you've made your peace with life, the elements and the wheel had been handed over to God, the Son.
I've decided to to hit the ground running with 30; by making a pre-30/ 30th birthday bucket list. If you are terrified of hitting 30, maybe you should too!
I would have written a list of to-do's before 30 here, but mine is pretty personalized and not everyone wants to go whale-watching, or fly to Rio or dye their hair red. Plus the jury is still out on the red hair.
One of the best ways to feel fulfilled every birthday, and even everyday, is to have achievable goals listed and achieving those goals through actionable steps. It's crazy but it's the way humans are wired. Fulfillment comes with achievements, which is why Maslow's hierarchy of needs, shows the several levels of the needs of man and right at the top is self-actualization. Man needs self-actualization!
According to Maslow, self-actualization is the desire for accomplishment; to be everything a person can be; to achieve all things within one's ability and sometimes beyond. Man's most apparent need is to be able to strive and obtain, which when partnered with hard work and the grace of God, is pretty close to perfect!
If you write out goals before 30, make concrete plans to achieve them. Even if by 30 you aren't quite there, you'd be on track and 30 will fly right by. You wouldn't even notice.
Something tells me Mark Zuckerberg wasn't scared of 30. Oh, Shut up, Something!
If you are 30 and above, of course you can write a list too! If not YOU then WHO?! Also remember to tell us under-30's what to expect. Are you spooked by 30? Do you have a pre/post 30 bucket list?
PGI March Feature: LAWYARTIST
The day I stumbled on Lawyartist's Instagram page, it was like #throwback on steroids! I took a delightfully dizzy one hour journey through the funky 1990's and early 2000's, skipping through this crazy kaleidoscope vortex of my favorite cartoon characters, all in in vibrant color; Inspector Gadget, Mario, Sonic, Speedy Gonzalez, JackJack Incredible, Pinky& the Brain, Johnny Bravo, even Cheshire Cat, for whom I have an unnatural dislike. Lol! They all felt so alive and real! I could almost touch them....and I tried. Even that cat *side stare*
Lawyartist is Adetunji Muiz Onibanjo and our March PGI feature! He's a practicing Lawyer and Artist. He is a complete riot and uber-talented! I see his work on the walls of my kids' rooms when the time comes! Here's our fun chat below! Enjoy!
But first...that Cheshire Cat!
What song describes you at 5.30am?
Survivor’s 'Eye of the Tiger' on weekdays and Ty Dolla’s 'Or Nah' on free weekends.
Please describe your art?
Mixed media, as I rarely restrict myself to one medium. When I have just an hour to spare, it’s almost always just graphite pencils and ink. A couple more hours on my hands and I usually add some colour (alcohol markers, oil/wax artist pencils, water colour). I aim to master digital art this year as well. *fingers crossed*
Lawyartist was One a few days ago! Could you please describe the last one year, asLawyartist, in three words? (This interview was conducted in January 2016)
Consistency. Experiments. Shock!
At what age did you begin to sketch/paint? What/Who encouraged you to continue?In what tangible ways have you developed this talent?
I have drawn/coloured since my earliest memories. It’s weird because I never thought my talent was anything special until I noticed my friends’ stick figures remained the same over the years.
Although my parents encouraged me to draw and colour early on, I’d say my first motivation was a rivalry. A primary and secondary school rivalry I had with a now late friend, Dapo ‘Stunna’ Adenuga (RIP). We were both extremely competitive and always trying to outdraw one another. It has also always given me joy to draw things, especially cartoons I watched or was just fond of as a child.
I have developed this talent over the last year by being consistent (drawing every single day for the last six months and every other day for the preceding six months), watching videos on YouTube, stalking my favourite artists on Instagram and most of all by the dreaded but trustworthy Messrs. Trial and Error.
What do you do with your drawings once you are done working on them?
Typically, I store them safely away in my portfolio or folder. If it’s graphite based, I spray it with an aerosol fixative first, to avoid smudging. If it’s a commissioned piece, I inform the client and have it framed, picked up, posted or hand delivered as the case may be. Sometimes high quality prints of my work are made upon completion, these are also for sale.
Lastly, I flip through my body of work periodically to see what I could have done better and how far I have come. Self-assessment is crucial.
What does your creative workspace look like?
Oh dear, it depends, you know. Over this last year I traveled a little more than usual, so my workspace has had to go mobile several times. Quite a few of my best pieces started on a moving train (shout-out to EastMidlands trains), others on a friend’s desk or in the school library. Wherever I set up, I prefer to have my sketching glove (a glove that partially covers my drawing hand to prevent it staining the paper), 0.3mm mechanical HB pencil, clipboard/sketchbook and good lighting. It’s simple, if you don’t have your standards, the overall quality of your art will suffer.
During the art process, my desk is usually messy, I clean up after I finish each piece and then mess it up again during the next one. It’s a cycle.
How do you balance being an Artist with being a Lawyer? I'm assuming they are both time consuming?
Your assumption is correct, this is the question. I will say this however; I love both art and law. They are both huge chunks of my life and personality, they both stand for different sides of me, so balancing them is super-tricky but a must. Lawyartist was born over the winter of my masters programme and existed side by side by all my seminars, essays, examinations and dissertation. As the Almighty and my efforts would have it, I triumphed.
This year sees me return to full time legal practice (i.e. a real life Harvey Specter, without the unrealistic fun) while remaining The Lawyartist. This will definitely test my limits but I am prepared to keep the healthy balance going.
If you could go somewhere, anywhere in the world, and sketch all day, where will it be?
The Louvre, Paris, never been there but it looks like inspiration will find you once you get there.
What are your creative work must-haves?
My favourite music playlist, TV show or movie I like and have already watched playing in the background. Already watched so I don’t have to pay attention to it at the detriment of what I’m drawing. Drawn a lot to shows like Sons of Anarchy, yesterday it was Boardwalk Empire Season 1, Episodes 3-5.
Thus, I usually prefer to have two screens if I’m drawing for long, my iPad and MacBook or my MacBook and my old laptop. One screen to search/display sources of inspiration and the other to show my slight distraction i.e. a video/my Twitter timeline (those guys are so funny). When no screens are available, the Drawing playlist on Spotify will do, highly recommended. Sharp pencils are also a must (which is why I prefer mechanical pencils for sketching, they don’t get blunt, just click).
Those cotton buds! Lol! Where did you learn to smudge with those?
I just improvised one day when I was too frustrated to sharpen a proper blending stump or as they are called 'tortillions'. It’s a bad habit, which has stuck.
Don’t worry, I have clean ears, I promise. I think.
What location/time do you get most of your ideas? [Examples of answers: on a run, driving, the shower, on the toilet seat]
All of the above, inspiration is such a strange creature.
Do you ever have a creative block? What do you do?
Well right now, I’m just trying to become a pretty sick artist so not every drawing is entirely creative. I make my own characters and concepts occasionally but primarily focus on old school cartoons and themes to draw, so I don’t have to be creative every single day (yes, remember Lawyartist draws every single day even after work).
However, even drawing something that already exists has its ‘block’ periods. So what do I do? I either watch a movie to ease up or if that isn’t feasible I look for something I would ordinarily really feel like drawing and force myself because I have an endgame in sight for my art. I have to be epic.
What/Who is your most recurrent muse?
I’ll categorise them for clarity sake:
Artist muse: There are sooooo many, mostly itsbirdy, Art_of_Supershinobi and Adxnna.
Fashion muse: Fisayo Longe, Estaregrams and TheOrangeNerd of OrangeCulture.
Cartoon muse: Stewie from Family Guy
What's the longest time you've spent on a piece?
A total of 18 hours, in four sessions. It was an Iron man oil pencil piece.
What is the quirkiest thing about you?
My thought process.
Who is your favorite TV villain, present or past?
So tough, it’s between Bane and The Joker from The Dark Knight Trilogy. Recently, Kylo Ren from Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens became number three. If I had to pick one, it would be Bane. Kylo Ren’s getup though, so coooooool!
Any other hobbies?
I am a former gym rat that now does home workouts. I run long distances, skip, swim and occasionally play basketball and football.
What app do you use the most on your phone?
Since Lawyartist’s inception, it’s been Instagram, easily. Spotify, Twitter and my Dictionary.com app are not far behind.
What do you feed your inner child? How do you keep your playful self alive? Do you watch cartoons/ animations?
Spot on, I feed my inner child anime and my favourite movies. It’s weird because I draw cartoons way more than I watch them, especially the new ones. e.g. Adventure Time, The Regular show, Frozen etc.
What are you reading these days?
I need to do better in this regard as I used to be an avid reader. Today, I read NatGeo’s 100 Events That Changed The World. Once work resumes in a couple of weeks, it will be court cases and case reports etc.
What would you rather be reading?
A billion zeros in my bank account. In Pounds.
Lagos or London?
Lagos
What do you love about Lagos?
Its unpredictability (such a gift and a curse). Both of Lawyartist’s parents are from Lagos, so it’s truly home.
Pounded yam or Amala?
You saved the toughest choice for last. ARGHHHH, URGGGGGH, Amala, forgive me.
Thank you so much, Lawyartist for this fun interview and for inspiring through your work and aspirations!
4 Things I learnt!
1. That someone else agrees with me on Kylo Ren's outfit! If I could, I'd wear it as Pj's. Looking dope in my sleep
2. "If you don't have standards, the quality of your work will suffer."
3. Cotton buds make amazing smudging blenders! After this interview, I tried using cotton buds (q-tips) to smudge my eye-pencil on my lower lash line! Thanks Lawyartist, for the unintentional makeup hack.
4. Believe in what you do, do not stop, ever, ever and cyber-stalk your fave cyber-mentors. *Grin*
If you'd like to contact or connect with LAWYARTIST, you can! Please find his contact details below!
Phone number: +2348129402878
Email: lawyartist@gmail.com
Instagram art pages: www.instagram.com/lawyartist
www.instagram.com/lawyerart
YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/thelawyartist
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lawyartist
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lawyartist
Tumblr: http://lawyartist.tumblr.com
Deviantart: http://lawyartist.deviantart.com
Snapchat: Lawyartist
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5 Random Things I learned off YouTube
I remember stalking my aunt, trying to get her to teach me to make Eastern Nigeria dishes. One day she goes, "Just check YouTube, that's what i do!" This was like 3 years ago and since then, YouTube, it has been. Before that, i used Youtube for music videos and school work *nerd-elle alert*
I personally think YouTube is the school of the future and this isn't even a sponsored post. I've learnt so much from watching videos that I should be handed some form of certificate. YouTube bachelors; although I keep having carry-overs with my natural hair YouTube classes.
Anyway, here are 5 random things i learnt off YouTube:
1. The Lyrics to Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' (I finally got rid of my primary school playground lyrics and learnt what he was saying......the things I used to say before .....smh....were not even remotely related to the lyrics...... LOL!
2. How to make Nkobi (I haven't tried it yet though, I know it in theory)
3. How to pronounce the words 'acai', 'Gotye', 'imgur' and 'schadenfreude'
4. That cats aren't about the leash life
5. Accounting *blank stare* Does it still count if you can’t remember anything you learnt?
What have you learnt off YouTube? If you always knew what Michael was saying in Smooth Criminal you deserve an honorary YouTube degree of awesomeness!
Don't forget to catch the second post of the day! Enjoy ✨
How to Make your Monday's Fly By
I only know one person who loves Monday's and she's from another planet. Moving on. Everyone dreads Monday's; in fact, I've often wondered why there hasn't been a collective agreement on moving the weekdays back just a little. Wait....there actually have been talks about that but the talks are more about lumping Friday with the work-less weekends and making Thursday the last day of the work week. You know, even if the weekend started with Friday, it still doesn't solve the MONDAY morning problem.
Clearly, we are stuck with Mondays for a while, we just have to make it work till that collective agreement we talked about comes to fruition.
Below are 10 practical ways to make your Mondays seem more bearable and maybe even lovable. Enjoy!
1. Rearrange your workspace
2. Do what you love!
3. Use up your entire lunch hour
4. Dress up for work
5. Make work as fun as possible
6. Notice people you wouldn't normally
7. Go to bed early on Sunday night
8. Spend the weekend planning new, exciting meals for the week (#foodies)
9. Set goals for Monday and ensure they don't get carried over to Tuesday
10. Make someone's Monday fly too (buy them lunch or tag them in a meme and send them this post)
How do you enjoy your Monday's? Have a great Monday and look out for post #2 later today!
107th Post Beauty-Hamper Giveaway!
This is our 107th post! If odd numbers aren't worth celebrating, I don't know what is!
So, here we are on this odd numbered post and one winner gets to win a hamper of beauty essentials worth over $150! Male readers, before you go 'Bleh', you can win this for any of the her's in your life! Why should you be left out?
What you should know:
1. The deadline is 29th February, 2016 at 11.59pm (Eastern Time US & Canada)
2. There are 4 ways to enter this giveaway, just follow the instructions in the widget below
3. The Giveaway is available in these locations: Nigeria, US, UK, Canada
4. I'm so entering this competition
5. I'm joking
6. The winner will be contacted and subsequently, the best of mode of delivery will be discussed! Please remember to read the terms and conditions also in the widget below
Best wishes!
Thank you for hanging out here daily on PGI and for your readership! 💋
Congratulations to our winner! (Edited 5th March, 2016)
PGI Feature: Men's Style by Deji Eniola
I met Deji within the first few hours of NYSC camp (you guys have no idea how much treasure i found on those camp grounds- no idea). We were on this ridiculous registration queue from noon until 9pm standing in the sun and then the moon! At about 8.55pm, it began to rain, most people ran for shelter and deserted the ridiculous queue. I looked to my right, saw a plastic chair and lifted it above my head as my make-shift umbrella; to my left was this guy who had grabbed a chair too. We were not kidding here, we were going to be registered no matter what- rain, volcano, avalanche. We stood there and instantly, i knew we'd be friends. He struck me as irrationally resilient and brilliantly resourceful; the perfect fuses for being an entrepreneur! Deji Eniola Osinulu, is the Creative Director of the Nigerian-based Men's bespoke fashion label- Deji Eniola. His brand is frequently sighted on the red carpet, and featured in the 2015 Lagos Fashion and Design Week last October. He has styled some of our favorite celebrities such as TuFace Idibia, M.I Abaga, Christopher Attoh, Dj Spinall, Gideon Okeke.
Here he is; the man behind DE:
Deji, what do you love the most about what you do?
The ability to birth forms and the grace to make something out of nothing
How did you know it had to be fashion?
It was the only thing that didn’t seem it would leave me if every other thing that could leave left. It felt like my ‘Ruth’. It was that thing that puts me in my zone. It was my element. Imagine Kanye telling you “Don’t let me get into my zone” …because there will be no respite for any lyricist challenger against him. *LoL*
How did you learn to design and sew?
Designing is innate for me. It is the only thing I didn’t learn, I definitely had to hone the skill though. However, you know when they say a writer needs to write all the bad stuff out of her system first before getting to the good part? Yeah, I had to design all the ‘rubbish’ out of me first. *Laughs* Then it got to the good part.
With sewing, I took tailoring classes twice actually, once, during my last year in college and also during my NYSC service year on weekends. I started with female outfits. Surprise!
What's your most creative period of the day?
Mornings mostly, probably because i'm still calm enough to be in tune with my mind and spirit. I get ideas and themes at other times of the day too but I find that mornings are most frequent
What's the most unusual inspiration you've ever had?
Colour block! Before the craze started, those words literally floated into my mind. I didn’t understand it to the extent of implementing it. Months later, “colour blocking” swarmed the catwalks and filled the magazine pages.
What’s your creative space like?
I guess by that, you'd be referring to my flat. My studio is quite comfy, and well laid out. I have tried to avoid clutter to give the illusion of more space than it actually has. My bedroom seems to have me more when it comes to designing.
If you could, what would you change about the world of fashion?
Christopher Attoh in D.E
Vanity- but on second thought, I'd rather leave it alone, because it forms the basic foundation of the existence and advancement of fashion, although, the indistinct borderline between ‘necessary’ vanity and ‘absurd’ vanity seems to have faded, the inability to define this borderline, is the ample reason why it should just be left alone. There is a saying “Kill all my demons and my Angels might die too”
The most stressful thing about getting a bespoke service is the wait time! How long does it take you to complete a suit?
It takes an average of 21 working days for our half canvassed suits and much longer for the fully canvassed ones. Waiting is an inherent feature of bespoke. You honestly can't rush the process.
Who are your most admired local (and foreign) designers?
I like the Okunoren twins, I like their story and that they have journied on roads that we now tread. I like Paul Smith for starting his business with just 600GBP and also Ozwald Boateng, for being the first designer (to the best of my knowledge) to lend an African identity to a British heritage.
Your most important work equipment?
My eyes! *Laughs*
After all has been done, from design concept to design execution, what determines if it will make the shelves or hit the runway is its appeal! Beauty doesn’t need a second opinion to know if it’s pleasing or not. I stand back and look at it and immediately I know if it will make it or not.
The most challenging part of designing?
Designing for another! To design for someone else, you have to become him, you have to think like him, you have to know what he likes to do, his preferences and tastes. All that factors into the creative process.
What do you love the most about Lagos?
The beauty in its chaos!
What app do you use the most on your phone?
What's your favorite game?
M.I Abaga in D.E
Grand Theft Auto, Baby!
Your first thought in the morning?
God. And then more God!
The most alarming incident you've seen on Ikorodu road?
I saw a Toyota Highlander burning right there on the express with no one trying to quench the fire. It just got charred and everyone continued their day!
Lagos Traffic survival kit?
If I'm driving; a chilled bottle of coke, (partly iced), music, air conditioning and interesting company. If I'm not driving-a book.
Can you cook?
Yes, I can. I find pleasure in cooking.
Alright then, what's your most exquisite Deji Eniola-made dish?
Haha, see trap! Well, remove the word “exquisite". That word might be a little tricky! *Laughs* It'll have to be noodles!
Deji Eniola with a model
Four things i learnt!
1. "Beauty doesn't need a second opinion..."
2. Understand your industry and what makes it tick!
3. "Write out all the rubbish" and then GOLD!
4. Deji came up with Colour block! What?! If he told me then, we would be gazzilionaires right now! Thanks alot, man.
Thank you, Deji for being PGI's February feature! Below are photos from the Deji Eniola Spring collection as seen at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week! Enjoy!
If you are planning your wedding and bae and the groomsmen intend to buy their suits the day before the wedding like most men do, Lol; tell them to check DE out! They can't go wrong!
Contact
Email: de.bespoke@yahoo.com
Phone: +2348169282829
Follow on IG @dejieniola
10 Maid of Honour Duties You Should Know
My first time ever as a Maid of Honour (MoH), I was so way off my MoH game! I was 16, lackadaisical and missed most of the ceremony; I spent the entire church service dozing and the reception with some guy that I was almost dating at the time, paying like zero attention to the bride (my sister). A million apologies, Sis. I really wish someone had sent me a blog post about my duties. Anyway after that, i've been a MoH twice and i've spent all the time trying to make up for that day.
If you have been recently graced with the honor of being a bridesmaid, congratulations! It, seriously, is a prestigious appointment; the bride literally just put you in a position where you could either make the wedding a success or a complete fart! Here are 10 things you should know as an MoH:
1. The wedding is not about you AT ALL
The 5th of April (or whatever date the wedding is) is not about you, not even one bit. It's a day you get to serve your friend. She has put you in charge of her well being for the day and to ensure the day goes as planned. So set your plans and almost-boyfriends aside and make your friend as comfortable as possible!
2. The Vendors are bae
Introduce yourself to the vendors, if they don't know you already and develop a good relationship with them. Once the bride wears her dress, all the vendors go through you. Ensure the only thing on her mind is getting to the altar and enjoying her reception. If the vendors haven't been paid or have a complaint, speak with the bride and resolve.
3. Contain drama...quickly
Disgruntles ex'es, a late bridegroom, a rip in her wedding dress, or even better, Egusi splattered on her dress at the reception, whatever the drama is, make sure it doesn't get out of control. If something goes wrong, fix it. She really doesn't need to know, if it isn't too important . Brides go through enough emotional roller coasters internally and if you can shed off the load that would be great. (Hint: You might want to ditch the heels at some point)
4. Get her a Unicorn!
Whatever makes her happy and cheerful, get it for her. As a MoH, you are responsible for keeping her comfortable and in a constant state of delight.
That night, after the wedding, you will feel like you have no feet and will be thoroughly exhausted but oh, the other feeling that warms your chest after caring for your friend. It's pretty darn good.
5. Keep her on time
At my church, if the couple to be wed don't arrive early, the minister starts without them. Lol! So if you really want your friend married that day with minimal frazzle, get her ready on time. Set deadlines and timelines for her dressing up, factor in the time needed by the MUA(makeup artist) , photographer, hair-stylist etc and be on your way.
6. Delegate duties to other bridesmaids
As a MoH, you are a team-lead. From interacting with the other bridesmaids, you should understand their strengths and utilize those strengths to making the bride as comfy as possible. Don't try and do the tasks all by yourself.
7. Provide spiritual support
I had two MoH's *Grin*. Bless my soul, the amount of spiritual support i received was remarkable. Months before the wedding, it's a great idea to choose a prayer day when the bridal party can pray towards the wedding!
8. Of course, organize a bridal shower
Organize the bridal shower with the other bridesmaids. Crafting a shower that works with her personality would be a great idea too! If she doesn't like penis-y cakes, then skip the penis-y cakes. If she doesn't like quiet, homely parties, then make some noise (in a non-residential venue). Remember to get gifts for her as well! (Gift ideas here!)
9. Eyes on the MUA
I love Makeup artists (MUA) but sometimes they just zap into the thinnest air! Make sure the MUA is available to touch-up the bride's makeup often enough or to right any smears.
10. Strap up your MoH Rambo kit!
Your MoH kit is your Maid-of-honor Rambo kit! Be prepared for contingencies. Weddings are the most probable places for rips, button pops and tears, so you must be prepared: Here's a list of what should be in your MoH kit:
Tissues
Pair of slippers or ballet flats for the bride
Bride's phone
Phone charger
Mints (no chewing gum, she'll regret it later when she gets the photos)
A snack
Safety pin
Mending kit
Hairpins
Tampon/ Sanitary towel (..because nature)
Nail file
Painkillers
Did i miss anything? Any MoH or bridesmaid experiences? Share! Share!