Monday 18 March 2013

What is life.

Recently I find myself asking this question after going through some episodes on daily basis. Wondering what are purpose becomes and of course in His Master plan. I am not hiding this, I am honestly the lease patient person in the world. I'm not joking. I become anxious. I dislike waiting. And the second I take a deep breath and go, okay.. I'll wait.. the sabr works wonders.

I've tread on a path that's very different from a lot of people around me, and especially my age. Even where I am now, I learn a bit more about my inner capabilities day by day. That it doesn't matter where you live, it's how you live it. It doesn't matter how much you earn, it's how you spend it... so on and so forth.

When I moved to Hong Kong, I was not worried about what would happen to Firefly. I was relaxed... and thought and still believe strongly that when He has given me so much, He will make arrangements for me.

So here I am, every day is a bit of a struggle. I have never had such horrible customer service in terms of speed of order deliveries/processing. I feel it more because I'm a few thousand miles away. And have to worry about the city, the printer, my mother, my customer... and over all.. the stress of having to deliver on time. All learning curves? Perhaps?

I kept sulking and sighing that out of the 60+ job applications I filled out in 2 months, I only heard back from one... and that too to tell me that they're not looking for me... -_-; I missed out a lot of what was laid out flat in front of me though. I had Firefly. The amount of work that I do for it, equals to the work load of 5 people.. not exaggerating. MashaAllah. I've had help from Mama and a friend. But things just haven't been the same.

In the stir of crazy happenings, ie delays and disappearances. Thank you MERCURY, I discovered that while my work has slowed down this month. (I put processing on hold) I have heaps of things I should probably be getting out of the way... AND we have a packed April. MashaAllah MashaAllah. Now these 'happenings' happened by fluke.. or rather by fate. Out of the blue, I made a friend, n Indian friend.. who I can't thank enough or appreciate here after moving to Hong Kong. She's been very supportive of Firefly. We've been finding new avenues to explore... and before you can say April, we have 3 weekends booked with exhibits in 3 very diverse markets.

Our first one is at Discovery Bay, with Handmade Hong Kong. It's this beautiful island resort locations with heaps of foreigners. The place itself is too amazing to skip out. Our second one will inshaAllah be at Fill in the Blank. Waiting to get approved for that. Fill in the Blank is an equivalent to Karachi's The Second Floor. It's pretty awesome. And it's in the heart of Wanchai. Near Queen's Road. I'm assuming we'll have some Indian/Pakistani people as well as localites. Lastly, we have 'At the Peak'. It's more a religious thing.. you know like Islamic awareness and such. It's exciting for me because I get to prepare the Kalima Sets and Hayati Hijabi projects. :)

Anyhow, turning direction here... I've been stumped. I have a lot of committments to my customers. And I can't help but feel helpless sometimes when things don't go as planned. In due time, almost always though.. it's like fate smiles and laughs out loud when the 'better'-'khair' written thing comes forth.

For those who believe my life is perfect or easy, it's like everyone else's.. I have some ups. I have downs. I have dreams... and I still have limitations. In between this tussle... I accept however, that this is life. My mother is my reminder to keep sabr. And she has always told me to be thankful. To say Alhamdulillah... even when the going gets tough! At the end of the day, Allah Kareem is protecting me from that which isn't good for me, allowing me to experience things I would have never imagined otherwise... and pretty much preparing me for whatever is coming up next.

It is not easy moving to a place where you don't know anyone apart from the people you live with at home. It's very different to walk into a new culture or new surrounding. And it's very different to not be around people you're closest to when you need them nearest. Another blessing in disguise? I discover more about my biggest support system right now, my husband. Who's helping me plan and sort out our upcoming projects. He doesn't have a design background or anything. But we're just wandering through Hong Kong a day at a time. Seeing new things and putting thoughts in place.

We won tickets to the Affordable Art Fair. It was funny, 'cause I've never won anything like this before :) hehe. We saw a lot of art. Contemporary stuff. Some of it was breathtaking. Even saw some textiles!

This post just got long. I apologize yall. And I thank all my fans and customers for being super tolerant while I work out the ropes here. It's not that it doesn't matter to me... it just takes a whole new level of relay and process for us at Firefly. Don't get me started on shipping... our shipment from Ranger has been at the post office since the 14th... -_-;

Anyhow. This was a little vent. Not a rant. Just a reflection journal entry to remind myself that it's not over... til it's over. It's just the beginning.

x

Sunday 17 March 2013

Birthday Variety? a Competition!

So, I posted earlier today that with our Birthday celebrations being quiet with the weirded out processing arrangement and me being abroad, I figured I'd offer something to our crafty folk especially since it's Crafts Month too! I still have the Smile Sunshine Campaign happening for my fans, but I figured I'd go bigger on the 'giveaway' part to actually be of benefit to 3 individuals. :)

Are yall wondering where this is going? Keep reading.

Now we hope to conduct the Crafter's Expo in December this year InshaAllah. And as we work out all the details. We want to take the opportunity to put up a healthy and crafty competition for ALL our vendors that look forward to exhibiting with us this year!

New to all this jargon? Read some more! :)

The Crafter's Expo
The first of its kind event was coined in September last year as an initiative by Varah, me and some of my crafty friends. The idea was to exhibit together, to interact and engage specifically at the nd of my Ultimate Crafter's Workshops in Karachi. The idea grew to massive collaborative event coordinated, arranged and executed by Firefly.

The expo intends to cater to the passion behind crafting and promoting crafts of all kinds in Pakistan. The exposure is groundbreaking, and the response is larger than life! The Crafter's Expo has a turn out of over 2500 visitors, over 2500 visitors who have come forth because they LOVE crafts!

  • Publicity reaches an audience of over 10,000 people.
  • One day event, craft minded folk, craft minded taste, and craft minded pockets.
  • The expo caters to craft enthusiasts and hobbyists of all ages.
  • The event is open to families.
  • Publicity is via social media, posters and press.
  • Event has extensive media coverage and documentation.
  • Locale is secure and safe.
  • Clientele and crowd is from all parts of Karachi, inluding vicinity of Clifton and Defence. Pre event meet and greets are arranged to discuss concerns and address points by booth vendors.
  • All booth vendors will be met with in person before finalizing their booth.

Affiliations for the Expo include intl manufacturers of Craft and Scrapbooking products.

Last years sponsors included Die Cuts with a View and Graphic45!

We do not discriminate between our booth vendors and look forwrad to interacting with new crafters, and helping them with a platform to exhibit their talent! :)

TENTATIVE DETAILS:
Venue: Royal Rodale, Phase 6 DHA, Karachi
Date: December

The Competition

To commemmorate Crafts Month AND celebrating 3 years of Firefly we invite all of you to come forward and participate. What do we have to do?

Each participant must complete a Firefly themed project to be included as an entrant.
The projects must be original, out of the box, and must comply with the project guidelines.
The competition is open to all our fans, friends and fellow crafters across the globe! YES! across the globe!
There is no minimum age requirement, under 16 need their parent's consent to be on board. :)

The prizes?
*drum roll please*

The grand prize winner of the competition receives the following for their efforts and dedication:
- a FREE exhibition space at Crafter's Expo 2013, standard 2x4 ft table setting.
- a Rs 5000 cash prize to go towards your exhibition preparation!* The cash prize is an allowance provided to you for your expenses towards the expo. You will be reimbursed for expenses you incur for preparation which includes, banner printing, visiting cards, paper, display, pamphlets, etc. A receipt and account of these must be submitted at the end of the expo.
- a FREE listing at Firefly's website under the Crafter's Expo
- surprise gifts to be revealed on the Expo day!

Second Place:
-receives a 40% discount on booth booking!
-a FREE listing at Firefly's website under the Crafter's Expo for a year.
-surprise gifts to be revealed on the expo day

Thurd Place:
-receives a 20% discount on booth booking!
-receives FREE listing at Firefly's website under the Crafter's Expo for a year.
-surprise gifts to be revealed on the expo day.

OHMG! Now how do I participate? What is the project?

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

-create an art piece no smaller than 6x6 inches in size and no bigger than 15x15 inches in size.
-the art piece can be made of paper, felt, clay, ceramic, textiles, wire.. metal, so forth.
-the art piece can be 3D, 2D, a card, a textile item, a canvas, a painting, a sculpture, a box, a scrapbook, a wall hanging, an album, anything!
-the piece must reflect your original ideas and your creativity
-the art piece must reflect Firefly, the brand. Either symbolically, conceptually, or metaphorically
-the art piece must be prepared and submitted for entry by the 15th of October. via post to the provided Karachi address. If you are abroad, you may dispatch this submission sooner.
-along with the art piece, the entrant must submit a 200 word description/paragraph describing their crafted art piece and the concept they implemented in depicting Firefly.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Given the theme is based on Firefly and is open ended to an individual's interpretation. We will look into details such as execution, dexterity, neatness, innovation and creativity. How original and thoughout your project is, will show through in the final result.

Who gets to decide?
I, Varah Musavvir the Firefly girl will review each project submission for that Firefly energy.

The results to this competition will be announced on the 29th of November. inshaAllah.

Final details, stall applications and other information regarding the Expo will be carried out in October. If you intend to take part in the expo, gear up :)

If you are abroad and take part in this competition, you will need to ship your entry to us. If you get selected as an exhibitor, you will be represented in Karachi at the Crafter's Expo 2013. You will be sending us an inventory list and your products to display. Shipping of remaining items after the expo are expenses to be covered by you.

What happens to the artwork after that?

All artwork will be displayed, exhibited at Crafter's Expo 2013 and further kept with us, at the Firefly Studio. The day we have an outlet, we will display these pieces with your name :) So make an impression guys! :)

Question.
ask! :)

Why are we doing this to start with?
We love what we do and love giving others an opportunity to explore similar avenues. In Pakistan, crafting has taken on a new market. And with so many talented folk out there, we'd like to give em that stage to put on their best show. :) Wishing you guys heaps of luck. Rock it! :)






 

Saturday 16 March 2013

Crafts Month Inspiration Week ONE

Salaam everybody!

I love the craftiness in my newsfeed over at Facebook lately. :) It's amazing to see something bring so many people together... their passion is commendable.

I wanted to dedicate this post to all the Crafty folk who contributed to the Week One's Craft Inspiration Challenge :) Theme was Spring and the challenge was to incorporate a handmade flower :)

If I missed you, please tag Firefly on Facebook and I'll add you. :)

Please visit their pages and give them valuable feedback on their projects. And of course, please share this post with your friends. Congrats on being featured over at our blog this week! :) <3

Happy Crafting! Smile Sunshine. :)

 
Okay, so Noveen at All that Sparkle *waves* does beautiful work with damask. And she pieced this lovely piece together for our week one.

 
Aqsa at Art-esthetics is unbelievably talented and does amazing work with flowers. HANDMADE flowers. The colors here remind me of Zephyr from Prima, and they look so fresh and full of 'Spring' :) Love it!

The girls at Cartolina do such adorable little pieces with quilling. This is their project for week one.

 
Khadija at D's Creations put together this little card with some cute flowers :)
 
This was my bit for the weekly inspiration. It was actually a request by a client based off our 'sunshine' mini album theme. The colors here are so fresh and vibrant, I could stare at the yellow all day. Hehe. The background is from Prima's Sunkissed Collection. The damask has been embossed and distressed. The ornate frames are die cut and sentiments stamped. I was pressed for time so didn't assemble a handmade flower, I used one that I bought from a recent craft shop, made by artisans in cottage scale industries. The card is 5x7 inches in size approximately.
 

This was Faiza's project for Fizy's Art. Love her purple flower. Super pretty!

Anaum has a thing for files and folders.. and this one is super love! I love her flowers on here. Check out For Love Of!

I am in love with flowers... and Floral Art by Rida did this gorgeous piece! So so pretty! MashaAllah!!

Ghazal Pirzada Creative Studios did this SUPER fun sunflower set for prop set up! How cute is that?!

ET, my friend at Glitter & Swirls makes me want to cry every time I look at her work. For me, she is the Queen of Cards. Don't yall agree? her work is always very detailed, perfectly composed and looks like something you'd want to buy just to put up on your wall if not give away! Check out this beautiful piece with the perfect colors by Glitter & Swirls!

Amina at Handmade Memories pieced together a heartwarming gift tag using Graphic45's paper collection isnpired by Spring. I love vintage, I love G45 and I love this girl's work for this week's inspiration! Please visit her work and give her some appreciation! :)


You cannot expect anything less than adorable and heartfelt by Injela at Spectrum, it's all about colors. She pieced together this wall hanging for Spring! Her flowers look so cuuuute!
 

Wajiha, at Kaghaz kay Karnamay makes GORGEOUS paper... handmade paper! And this is nothing less than that!

Sabahat from Limelight Favors did such a CUTE project for Spring! Check out these party favors!
 

How pretty is this wreath? it's by Moam. Truly, lighten up your home!
 

LOVE the colors for this mini put together by Paper Madness. SO fresh, SO spring! I love the flowers.

Jaihan, whom I had the pleasure of meeting with in Islamabad put together this Tag. I LOVE it. Check out Pearl.Box :) Very spring!

 
This card was pieced together by Madeeha from Rangeen. I love the flowers :)

VERY spring! another piece by Madeeha!

 
Rubab does some lovely work! And this is no exception! I LOVE the flowers she's pieced on here :) They truly speak spring! Visit RB's Craft Bin

Kanza at Spring did this little piece for her bit of week one's inspiration :)

Violetta's spring inspired basket of kisses. :) super yummy and sweet! :)
 
 
 Phew! Done with Week One Shares :) Hope you guys enjoyed week one's projects! <3

Thursday 7 March 2013

Crafts Month Celebrations - The Hop

Super excited to be blogging on this today. *given again I got carried away with work and committments that I left out my thoughts and musings.* ANYHOW...

Last year in March, we got approved to be retailers for scrapbooking supplies. MashaAllah, we've been stocking for a bit now. Excited about new inventory shipping and even more excited that this year, mashaAllah.. everyone else is celebrating Crafts Month with us! :) We mentioned it over at the page, and some of our crafty friends thought it'd be a fab idea to do something collectively. *waves to Noveen from All That Sparkle*

Since several of us already decided on what we're doing and how we're going about, it was hard to get everyone into the loop. I figured, I could share everyone's pages and works compiled in this blog post for the Craft Month Page Hop. :)

By the way. Not to be suggestive, but your feedback on these Craft Month projects is super important to all of us. So make sure you visit all the pages participating and leave comments on their work for the theme of the week. :)

I'll stop jabbering and get to the point now.
Below are our themes for Craft Month. And you all are welcome to craft along with us. We share our projects every Tuesday. If you don't have a page, and are just a crafty friend, feel free to send us your work, we'll display it here for all our visitors. :)

Craft Month, Weekly Project Inspiration

Every Tuesday this month, we will share a project, either new or old we have pieced together to go with the theme of the week. The project doesn't have to be a literal interpretation, you can do something conceptual! :)

Upload it on your page sharing that it's dedicated to Crafts Month and the weekly theme, like some of us did on our Facebook Pages :)

March 5th:
Spring, incorporate a Handmade Flower
March 12th:
Memories, incorporate a sentiment (stamped or printed)
March 19th:
Patriotism and the challenge is to incorporate something green, a moon and a star, or something Pakistani.
March 26th:
Love and the challenge is to use stitching. (faux or real is up to you)


Please don't combine the weekly themes or swap them for your convenience.


Craft Month, Page Hop
Please note, only pages with original work have been posted. If you classify as a 'crafter' feel free to write to us!

All That Sparkle
Cartolina
Craft Circus
Firefly
FizY's Art
FLO
Glitter & Swirls
Ghazal Pirzada Creative Studios
Handmade Memories
Kaghaz Kay Karnamey (Magic of Handmade Papermaking)
LimeLight Favors
Pearl.Box
Spectrum It's all about Colors
Violetta



















 
The Rules:
Craft Hop participants that fail to produce a project will be removed from the Page Hop.
Hop status gets shared 3 times a day.
Please take out time and visit all these fellow crafters :) Show some lovin!
This is a collective/community effort, you may not be a part of other individual campaigns.
The idea is to bring crafters together as a community and to follow one code. If that makes sense. :)
 
Happy Crafting!
 
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