Hello, December :D

Alright, long due blog post... I figured I'd do it with  the last give away for 2011. Every month, one lucky Awesome Customer Card Holder gets a chance to win the freebie of the month... it can be a new product, a promotional item, a gift pack etc...

This month, to celebrate my Mission Graduation Success and to share the love and excitement with over 4000 Firefly friends... I wanted to share a very very big part of my life and my work with a lucky Firefly friend. I love scrapbooking and have been for a VERY long time. Over this long period of time, I have accumulated so much in terms of crafting supplies... my little brother calls it Scrap Crap. :p

So from this stash of stamps, ribbons, papers, stickers... embellishments and things.. I pulled out items that I don't really use and I felt someone else could totally totally make use of them. Some of these items, I've placed in the giveaway are mostly unused! :D

I hope that you make the best use of these. :D I will be back after my trip with more goodies inshaAllah.. and would love sharing them with you. :D Congrats Mahrukh Khawar! You're this month's Awesome Give Away's Awesome Winner *hug*

I think this paper stash is by The Paper Studio, it was a whole pack I bought a couple of years ago, they had cropped pieces in there with different prints... you see a lot of holiday related stuff, so I'm sure lots of gifts for winter holidays are in store. :) 6x6 pieces. Approximately 20.

I didn't count these.. there were so many. I would guess about 50? 3x3 in in size.

These are like 20 or 30 6x3 in sheets of the same Paper Studio Paper... I bought them all as a pack.

Riiiibbbooons!

The retro box one is self adhesive, I think there's a yard of the cupcake one... entire spools of the other 4.

The blue one is 6 ft long. That's a good amount of ribbon for a give away! MashaAllah!

You can see the designs better here.. American Crafts ribbon there too.. they're known for it!

I had so much orange.. I had to share some.. These are rosettes of different sizes.

Cupcake embellishments I made a while back :)

I felt bad about giving use stamps.. I love stamps.. LOVE them.. and I was so excited to see these unused pieces in my stash. :D The ink pad is in black, again, I don't like used ink pads for a give away. Hope you like it and enjoy it :) I'm sure you can try the dollar ink pads we have available locally... you just need to keep a bottle of thinner or oil to clean them right after you're done, cause that ink stays... I'll see if I can get you a colored ink pad set on my upcoming trip. :)

I love these, but I don't ever get to use them... there are 2 sheets in each I think. Paper Studio. Never used em.. still packed. :D

Alphabet stickers! :) they're so fun! brand new pack of these...

Okay, you have to love these.. like seriously... these get kinda hefty on the pocket but it works out at the end... and if you're gettin these in a giveaway, you'd be over the moon anyway :) It says 39 pieces, but I think after using them over the years, I have like 19 of them left in this box. They're pretty neat, good quality chipboard... and some are glittered or have rhinestones in the center.

OHMYGOSH.... I love these. There are actually two varieties of these tags being manufactured, both by K&Company... they both have the same exact print... but the difference is, one line is on cardstock, this one on paper. But it's so so beautiful man. You'll love these tags, they're perfect for little tag projects... I don't think I used these packets.. should be 24. I'm sorry if a piece or two are missing, I have so many of these, I probably don't remember which one I tore tags out of :p

Just a look.

Okay, THESE... the spring ones on the corner, I used one side... and the tags at the bottom, I used half. BUT they're amazing. :) so use em well.. there's an unused baby set, butterflies... and then I have some Miss Elizabeth's... Some are from the U.S... craft stores, others are replicas from Sunday Bazaar I think. Again, not sure when I got what...or where from. They're the same thing. 

VELLUM phrases. :) These are awesome to add to tags and albums! There were four sheets total, I used two. So these are two left.. I kept them in the packet, cause Vellum (it's like butter paper) gets these ugly creases if not stored properly.

I got this a forever ago, it literally collected dust sitting in my drawer. I NEVER used it... it's really tiny.. but super cute!

This is kinda neat, you wet your card stock/chart paper a little... and you use this tool here and emboss it :D 

In here I've got some of my favorite epoxy brads, some inspiring gromlets, a few mini safety pins, 20 floral brads AND some mini clothes pins. They are TOO adorable! I have a couple of Tim Holtz D rings too. Can you believe it.. Tim Holtz :p

I used this very little... and I think most of the sheets were bought.. but this stack is so beautiful.. and so just prettttyyyy... It has a lot of NEAT sheets left. At least 30-40... I'm sorry, I don't like counting paper :p

These are 8x8 sheets from the DCWV Indian something theme pack..  you're getting 7 of these my friend. :)

So that's a wrap :) 

What do you guys think? 

I will inshaAllah continue scrap-grabs like these in the future, because I know not everyone has access to them... I have recently spoken with companies abroad... let's see if they can get their products available to us down here :) If I become a registered name inshaAllah in Jan as planned, we might actually have that :D Scrapbooking supplies. Wohoooot. 

Til then, thank you everybody for taking part in this give away. Looking at everyone's feedback has given me an insight on what to include in my next one :D I don't know how many of you will believe me, but I have 20 boxes of unopened packages waiting for me when I get to the U.S. Yes, I ordered online. :P I'm really really excited and cannot wait to get my hands on my inks, mists... some new stamp sets... and of course PAPER! I've ordered some new dies as well, so let's see how those projects turn out. 

I have started planning on my Firefly exhibition.. you know the one most of you keep asking about. :D InshaAllah we will all celebrate Firefly's 2nd birthday with a bang! Yellow Carpet and all that jazz. :) If you have ideas or want to volunteer to help with the event, you are so very welcome to. :) I am going to have an official team of volunteers... inshaAllah... we will need help recruiting sponsors and media. So if you know or can help out in any way... write to me with Yellow Carpet as the subject line. I plan to have a make and take stall at the exhibition, and will be sharing those 'scrapper' session secrets there and then... free crafting class you guys... and of course, more gifts, goodies and give aways. Not to mention new products and awesome sauce exhibit sales! :D If you've made it all the way through this blog post, I want to congratulate you. Please use. ffgb085 as a code to order a maximum of 5 keychains at Rs 85 a piece. :) Are you excited? I am... inshaAllah.. lots of work to do.. so little time. Again, if you want to help.. write to me... whimsical.firefly@gmail.com.

Alhamdulillah to a beautiful last few months, it's been tiring and vigorous work! Thesis semester has been CRAZY! I'm so so lucky to have parents who stayed by me through it all.. that too without sleep. Congratulations to my awesome classmates.. we did it! And my teachers... things will never be the same. :) Blessed to have been mentored and taught by you all! :)

Thesis Work photos comin up in the next blog post :)

Lots of Love. Smile Sunshine.

Things every Pot of Gold Seeker should know!

• There is never a fixed 'time' for Pot of Gold, it is as random as me waking up and thinking let's have a round of Pot of Gold :) 
• Which means, you must follow Firefly regularly to be in sync with the coolest specials... apart from Pot of Gold, Firefly holds its 24 hour madness sales, as well as it's monthly specials.
• To know the monthly special, or current sale in progress, keep an eye on the 'note' titled 'Monthly' Specials
• memorize the email address: whimsical.firefly@gmail.com
• the subject line is always going to be POT OF GOLD
• An item once claimed, may return to the Pot of Gold if it is not paid for or collected in 3 days
• Items are NOT reserved by leaving comments on the photos or the album
• Pot of Gold purchases are acknowledged in the order they are received, first come first serve. 
• Pot of Gold items are updated with their status as soon as confirmations arrive via email.
• Pot of Gold fever is addictive, exciting and full of great bargains. 
• Those with queries regarding sizes, colors or customization options, are always always welcomed
• Pot of Gold items are not one off pieces! Firefly products are made to order and are processed on order basis... 
• Pot of Gold items are a result of stock accumulated over time.
• Must be intense work huh? organizing the Pot of Gold... 
• Honestly! All I need is good lighting, my scrapbooking paper, and my floor rug... I separate all items according to theme and group designs together. I photograph each piece. Photos are transferred, watermarked... and uploaded... And then the information on prices, quantity available and product type are listed. It's kinda fun, you stay energized...
• Pot of Gold items are always available on order at regular prices
• There have been times when keychains have been made available at Pot of Gold prices all month long!
• The magic lies in your dedication and love for Firefly...
• The closer fan you are, or the more interest you show in Firefly, the greater luck you have at seeking the rainbow that leads you to the Pot of Gold :)
• Firefly products are under warranty, bring back your old piece... you will get a new one while the old one gets inspected on what went wrong
• Alhamdulillah to our Round 5 of Pot of Gold! Thank you everybody for your immense love and ongoing support. :)
• Smile Sunshine!
• PS. I do not know when the next Pot of Gold is. :)

worth thinking about, today... and always!

I was sitting with my mother and we began talking about the Day of Arafat. We have a lot of these sessions, we sit around and speak about something or another related to the Quran, Seerah... or just something to think about, our deen, spirituality, etc.


Given that today was the day of Arafat for pilgrims from around the world, we recalled the Sermon of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam. Growing up and then being in an Islamic school from 6th grade til the 9th... this was always introduced to us as 'The Universal Charter of Human Rights'.


For any person who has not for ANY reason not read it, I'd like to share it here... hoping that we gain some merit from reading and revisiting the teachings of our Aaqa Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam. 


We are all sinful souls, but it is the Mercy from Allah Kareem that keeps these faults and deeds hidden and limits them to the knowledge of those whom He wills. May we all be granted an opportunity to visit Arafat, repent for our sins... and cleanse our faith to perfect it, as our Master Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam did.



"Universal Charter Of Human Rights"
THE LAST SERMON OF THE BELOVED PROPHET
سيدنا رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وبارك وسلم

"..This day have I perfected your religion for you * and completed My favour upon you, and have chosen Islam as your religion..."
The Divine Words from the Noble Qur'an,
Surah Al Ma'ida 5:3
On the 8th of Dhu-al-Hijjah, the Beloved Prophet
سيدنا رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وبارك وسلم left with his Companions رضوان الله تعالى عليهم أجمعين for Mina and spent the night there, and on the 9th, after the Fajr, morning prayer, He proceeded to Plains of 'Arafat where he delivered the famous sermon.

The completion of His prophetic mission implied His departure from this earthly home to the heavenly abode. The Beloved Prophet
سيدنا رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وبارك وسلم
had clearly visualised it. He, therefore, decided to give the finishing touch to his massive work and imprint its salient points on the minds of his devoted followers so that they might always keep before them the system of life-values enunciated by Islam. It was with this object in view that messages were sent to all parts of Arabia inviting people to join him in this great Pilgrimage.

The sermon of the Beloved Prophet
سيدنا رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وبارك وسلم
is not only remarkable for its eloquence, but it contains a sublime message for the whole of the human race. It was a declaration of Human Rights and moral values, a charter of Women Rights. The world has not been able to lay down better principles of ethics and morality than those enunciated in it. Every word of it breathes a spirit of magnanimity and aims at establishing righteousness and fair dealing among men on a workable basis. It establishes brotherhood among Muslims irrespective of the divergence of their geographical, racial and colour backgrounds and provides an outline of a social order, perfectly free from oppression and injustice. It was the declaration of Finality of Syedna Muhammad's Prophethood, the religion was being perfected by this Final Message from The Creator to his creatures for all times to come. 


"All praise is due to Allah, so we praise Him, and seek His pardon and we turn to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and 
from the evil consequences of our deeds. Whom Allah guides aright there is none to lead him astray; and there is none to guide him aright whom Allah leads astray. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. His is the sovereignty and to Him is due all praise. He grants life and causes death and is Powerful over everything. There is no God but Allah, the One; He fulfilled His promise and granted victory to His bondsman, and He alone routed the confederates (of the enemies of Islam). 

O’ People! Listen to my words, for I do not know whether we shall ever meet again and perform Hajj after this year. O’ Ye people! Allah says, O’ 
people We created you from one male and one female and made you into tribes and nations, so as to be known to one another. Verily in the sight of Allah, the most honored amongst you is the one who is most God-fearing. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for the white over the black nor for the black over the white except in God-conciousness. 

All mankind is the progeny of Sayyedna Adam عليه السلام and Sayyedna Adam عليه السلام was fashioned out of clay. 
Behold; every claim of privilage whether that of blood or property, is under my heels except that of the custody of the Holy Ka’bah and supplying of water to the pilgrims, O’ people of Quraish, don’t appear (on the Day of Judgement) with the burden of this world around your necks, whereas other people may appear (before the Lord) with the rewards of the hereafter. In that case I shall avail you naught against Allah. 

Behold! All practice of the days of ignorance are now under my feet. The blood revenges of the days of ignorance are remitted. The first claim on blood I abolish is that of Ibn Rabiah bin Harith (رضى الله عنه) who was nursed in the tribe of Sa’ad and whom the Hudhayls killed. All interest and usurious dues accruing from the times of ignorance stand wiped out. And the first amount of interest that I remit is that which Sayyedna Abbas ibn Abd-al Muttalib رضى الله عنه had to receive. Verily it is remitted entirely. 

O’ people! Verily yor blood, your property and your honor are sacred and inviolable until you appear before your Lord, as the sacred inviolability of this day of yours, this month of yours and this very town (of yours). Verily you will soon meet your Lord and you will be held answerable for your actions. 

O’ people! Verily you have got certain rights over your women and your women have certain rights over you. It is your right upon them to honor their conjugal rights, and not to commit acts of impropriety, which if they do, you are authorised by Allah to separate them from your beds and chastise them, but not severely, and if they refrain, then clothe and feed them properly. 

Behold! It is not permissible for a woman to give anything from the wealth of her husband to anyone but with his consent. 

Treat the women kindly, since they are your helpers and not in a position to manage their affairs themselves. Fear Allah concerning women, for verily you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made their persons lawful unto you by words of Allah. 

O’ people! Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has ordained to every one his due share (of inheritance). Hence there is no need (of special) testament for an heir (departing from the rules laid down by the Shari’ah). 

The child belongs to the marriage-bed and the violator of wedlock shall be stoned. And Reckoning of their (deeds) rests with Allah. 

He who attributes his ancestry to other than his father or claims his clientship to other than his master, the curse of Allah is upon him. 

All depts must be repaid, all borrowed property must be returned, gifts should be reciprocated and a surety must make good the loss to the assured. 

Beware! No one committing a crime is responsible for it but himself. Neither the child is responsible for the crime of his father, nor the father is responsible for the crime of his child. 

Nothing of his brother is lawful for a Muslim except what he himself gives willingly. So do not wrong yourselves. 

O’ People! Every Muslim is the brother of every other Muslim, and all the Muslims form one brotherhood. And your slaves; see that you feed them with such food as you eat yourselves, and clothe them with the clothes that you yourselves wear. 

Take heed not to go astray after me and strike one another’s necks. He who (amongst you) has any trust with him, he must return it to its owner. 

O’ people! Listen and obey, though a mangled Abyssinian slave is appointed your Amir, provided he executes (the Ordinance of) the Book of Allah among you. 

O’ people! No Prophet would be raised after me and no new Ummah (would be formed) after you. 

Verily I have left amongst you that which will never lead you astray, the Book of Allah, which if you hold fast you shall never go astray. 

And beware of transgressing the limits set in the matters of religion, for it is transgression of (the proper bounds of) religion that brought destruction to many people before you. 

Verily, the satan is disappointed at ever being worshipped in this land of yours, but he will be pleased by obedience in anything (short of worship 
that is) in matters you may be disposed to think insignificant, so beware of him in your matters of religion. 

Behold! Worship your Lord; offer prayers five times a day; observe fast in the month of Ramadan Kareem; pay readily the Zakat (poor due) on your property; and perform pilgrimage to the House of God and obey your rulers and you will be admitted to the Paradise of your Lord. 

Let him that is present, convey it unto him who is absent, for many people to whom the message is conveyed may be more mindful of it than the audience. 

And if you were asked about me, what would you say?" 

They answered, "We bear witness that you have conveyed the trust (of religion) and discharged your ministry of Prophethood and looked to our welfare." 

Thereupon Allah’s Beloved 
سيدنا رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وبارك وسلم
lifted his forefinger towards the sky and then pointing towards people said: 

"O’ Lord: Bear Thou witness unto it. 

O’ Lord: Bear Thou witness unto it." 

Credit;
(Khutbat-ul-Hajjatul Wida, Seerat Ibne Hesham) & of course, Mama, Umm Hayaat for writing this out beautifully!


It is but a mesmerizing connection, that the same religion has been in stew since the time of Prophet Adam Alaihe Salaam. If were to explain Islam to a non Muslim, it'd be easiest to put it this way, Islam has been perfected, all doubts and uncertainties have been clarified, all rights and rituals have been detailed and one point has been reiterated before any other, Tauheed... The Oneness of Allah Almighty! It has been the focus of ibadah for all Prophets of hundreds, thousands of years. We are blessed, to be the Ummati, let us remember all that we have been taught... and let us act upon that which we have been given by our Beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam.


Haj Mubarak!
Requests for Duas :)

heartbeat...

Rethinking the last few years, I reminded myself of how blessed I am to have the most beautiful favors of Allah and His Beloved Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam upon me. I reflected on circumstances of the past and much recent present. When some thing good is underway, Shaytaan derives pessimism and frustration from our own insecurities... And if we reflect and keep our hearts afloat in faith.. Those things that seem impossible pave way to move mountains. Time to gear up, time to take that breath and well.. Leap. One will either end up with wings, be carried to harbor or.. Fall to a bed of flutters and flowers.. Never to dark and dense evils or sorrows. Alhamdulillah to everything I have today... Alhamdulillah to every reason I may have to glow... And people wonder why I am fascinated by Fireflies...


These were my thoughts, my musings for the last two days or so. I've been just frying my mind, body and soul towards producing work for my thesis. I'm really slow paced, because it takes me REALLY long to get my sketches out and even longer to just resolve it all. I'm just on that tick tick moment in time. I'm very tense, super nervous... but at the same VERY optimistic. 


Mission Graduation means a LOT to me. More emotionally than proudly speaking...
My Papa has invested so much of his efforts and time in putting me through such a strong institution for education. My Mama and Baba have put in just as much if not more in helping me cope with everything from my monthly haul of art supplies to the late night 'I can't do this' tantrums... or the jitters and bugs along with the frozen leg and deep heat spray moments on jury mornings! I can't forget my aunt and uncle's endless pep talks, or even Api's for that matter. I can't even begin to not remember those times Nivy kept me from going crazy abot my work... I can't remind myself enough of Z's support... he's the biggest source of encouragement.. and WHAT worries me beyond words is possibly disappointing or giving my little Hayaati any sign of negativity about studying in an art school, or venturing to be a 'Textile Designer'... she's very confidently told her teachers she wants to be one when she gets older, just like her api. It makes me melt when she says things like, Api drawing ker rahi ho? Aunty ko acha laga? C-ster! You can do this, you can keep at it, thora thora kerke Aunty Khush hoyengi jayengi. Aap kerte raho. That's motivation for me.


Graduating is a VERY big thing. When growing up, my dad never attended my 6th grade 'graduation'... he never attended the 8th grade one either. When I made it out of A- levels, that too wasn't a big deal. Because his definition of accomplishment and achievement.. AND graduation.. was that thing you call a degree after 4 years of intense hard work. Alhamdulillah, he's ever proud of me for my Firefly.. but now it's like I just owe him and my mum so much by just possibly walking the stage in that gown with that dopey cap... 


MashaAllah, Dissertation Viva went well. I couldn't really figure out if it was constructive criticism or that my topic really stirred questions. I didn't get bashed for punctuation errors... and it was conversational all in all. Felt positive after my 12 minutes of sitting in the Board Room. Alhamdulillah!


Now for thesis, I took on linear floral.. in contemporary design... to accompany my flowers, I chose geometric elements as well as stripes and grids... We don't really see that in dupattas. We're always on the hunt for that 'somethin'. Well, that hunt is damn crazy when you yourself are in the designer's shoes... I have a lot to do... but I'm at it. Slow but steady? Is it safe to say so?


I'm a 'chooza'.. you know a little chick when it comes to things with colossal weightage.. like that degree thing... or the 'G' word... The first para of this post, those opportunities... those reflections.. I've literally  gone back and analyzed my 4 years at the valley, the people I've met, the experiences I've encountered, everything. It just adds to what I feel or how I think now. If anything, it brought me closer to my family, it gave me more faith in Allah and His Master Plans. You lose some, to win some... and when you win some... You realize the true value of that 'something'. Alhamdulillah! 


Oh! For everyone who reads this and wants to know what's up with the orders? I realized after a good talk with my parents that it was necessary I put Firefly on hold. *gasp* I know. I really really need to get through this inshaAllah to be able to get through more and accomplish more later on. :) So apologies to all those disappointed, JazakAllah to everyone sitting patiently, and love to all those who keep me in their duas and do let me know they're waiting or miss me. :) <3


To all those who have gone abroad for the Holy Pilgrimage, may Allah Almighty accept your beautiful ibadah and give all others that opportunity to cleanse their souls and fulfill this arkaan of our deen. 


Thank you Allah mian for EVERY blessing... please write me a good recommendation letter Allah Kareem, for the sake of Your Beloved, Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam. I really REALLY need one at the end of the month...


Oh and Allah Mian, thank you for giving me my Mama... because... :)

iWonder

So, the last two days, every newsfeed, status update, wall photo, and e-article covers the latest tragedy, death of Steve Jobs, co founder and CEO of Apple.

Mr Jobs, has been accredited as a visionary who impacted lives through innovations he created, that took the world by storm. He changed the world... Reminds me of the time Michael Jackson, the Prince of Pop departed...

Think and pause for a second... we have had the Quran and Sunnah for over 1400 years... unchanged. Same values, same benefits. Why aren't we appreciating that? :/ No disrespect to the departed soul, but seriously. Makes me wonder.

Every form of corruption, every form of grief, sorrow, hardship and is taken as a mis-judgment (Naoozubillah) or lack of hearing/answering our prayers. It is not taken with the idea that the Almighty gave us blessings in abundance, we just never sat and thanked Him for a minute... instead we rounded ourselves up into waiting since 4 am outside an AT&T outlet to purchase the new iPhone, when waking up for Fajr is just so dang difficult... -_-;

Allah Kareem just likes listening to us cry out to Him, loves hearing us call out to Him, speaks proudly to the angels when He is Praised, as He rewards His servants. It is never that this was 'wrong' or it 'shouldn't' have happened... the blast last month itself was an example. People say too bad, a young child lost his life. Lost his dreams.. lost his tomorrow... We don't realize he actually went to a much better place than you or me. He left this world in innocence, when a sin wasn't known to him, when evils were far from his sight... Allah Kareem has the Master Plan... and He writes it the Best way we can never think or imagine possible.

And for everyone saying Rest in Peace, and all the Heavenly wishes... Mr Jobs was a Buddhist.. A Muslim is to pray for his hidayat and forgiveness while he is alive, for a chance he may revert to the true path to Islam... after the soul has departed.. there  isn't a prayer we can keep for him. Allah Kareem knows best.

I never owned an iPhone, or iPod, or MacBook... I know people that have.. I know those who are affected and upset... and well... Everything's pre-written. Yes?

PS: This isn't meant to offend anyone or disrespect anyone's view, it is intended to provoke thought, to re-contemplate our own faith, our own heroes.. and OUR final destination, not the the technological revolution's.

shivers and shudder...

Well, sitting against the headboard last 2 nights and then today as well has been... slightly uncomfortable. The passing by of every tanker and trailer makes me feel like the ground is moving... an earthquake perhaps.. or maybe that's my little escape evading the thought of another blast somewhere.

My Monday morning was a jumpstart quite literally waking up on the wrong side of the bed to a sound horrifying. It felt like my windows would cave in. Everything was just moving.. shaking. I stormed out of my room.. and well. Within minutes we know what had happened. Taqdeer is written in so many ways... and life and death are ordained on the same patter. We feel sorrow, we feel the hurt... but we must awaken ourselves to accept that what God wills, shall and will always be!

With life's little chapters, I am grateful that I have one of the greatest sources of optimism and inspiration... Firefly. I never expected it to be where it is now. Alhamdulillah to the success I hold now... it is all because of Him. :)

I think it's kinda cute how several young people out there believe I'm not only an Indus Grad, but now teach there. Haha. Kiddos I'm in my final semester! Some ways to go! :) Prayers please? Time is flying by so quickly... and that farewell is nearing. The only thing constant in life is change. But how much change can we consider ourselves content with?

Believing in the Master plan.. I'm just taking each day as it happens I suppose. Alhamdulillah to all the little magical moments I've witnessed in recent weeks with my little sister. Who would prefer to be me if not my clone. She's four. And wants what I want. Wants to be what I want to be. And wants a visiting card as yellow as mine!

While we are talking about yellow and some happy thoughts.. I'm considering the scrapper session! Plans got delayed with the situation with the rains.. then the city.. and then.. well you get the idea. How does a five hour crafter's retreat sound?! Learn some techniques, get the hang of layouts, take a look at some really neat tips and tricks and get your mind going. :D All those interested.. send me a one liner on gmail.. so I get a rough idea about the preparations and response. :)

An exhibition is due.. but at the moment, it's just thesis madness... and well.. madness is.. mandatory to excel or proceed further in life ;) hehe. Happy Madness everybody! Smile Sunshine.

PS: I'm half asleep.

we are what we are...

I personally don't watch a lot of television, frankly because I'm too lazy to go to my brother's room and flip through channels, AND because I hardly get time between going to uni, working on orders... and hanging out with my little sister. I love movies, and am fond of music. But it's not the essence of my soul, as in, I can go days without listening to a track and I can Alhamdulillah, have good pace of work with or without a jingle to hum to.

Given that I hardly flip channels and the only thing I do catch glimpses of are the headlines and breaking news developments I happen to come across when sitting with my parents...

And of course, now that we're in this digital realm, all our articles and news updates are available online... even opening Facebook, all you see are threads and series of status updates about how everyone is suffering and how everyone is upset and enraged about the terror in the city and the utter chaos our people are falling to.

Here is what I've observed. In the middle of a fast, when your mind is to control anger, frustration and remember the Exalted Creator, you are posting about the horror tearing across town with such foul words and dirty language. Hmm... whaddia know. This is how we have welcomed our last Ashura, this is how we react to the evil deeds of the misguided, by wasting our hasanat in reacting to their wrong doings in such a manner. Point. 1.

We feel helpless, we want to carry forward on our marches and stand up for our people. We want change. How is creating an event on Facebook going to do so, if all you're doing is clicking 'attending' and logging in from the comfort of your pajamas at 3 pm in the afternoon? Point 2.

Recent controversy, related to tv personalities and scholars. Does everyone honestly think it was worth spending time posting and ranting about someone or his actions? When the least we could have done is maybe did Tauba and sought for protection from being misled? Aren't these signs for us, of that DAY? Our country is in divide, where a Pakistani is thirsting the blood of another Pakistani. It is not for religion, it is not for land. I'm really wondering, what's the purpose? We were warned of such doings... were we not? Point 3.

Everyone is crying out and pleading to the All Forgiving, All Loving Super Power. He has never EVER left us stranded. We have food on our plates, the comfort of our air conditioned homes, cars running smoothly enough for us to commute all across town. But when calamity falls, why is it we turn to Him only then? When we as a people are doing our level best to keep Him and His Beloved along with the values of Islam far from our work place and institutions? Is it not true? You want to take leave for Umrah, you are told to decide whether you want to pursue your education or do ibadah... You want to observe a Holy Day such as Juma tul Widah, you are told, we cannot give a holiday for every occasion, when duely so, our institutions can close due to excess rain, because the city is on fire or someone in some God knows what post was shot and his funeral has taken place but his people want you to mourn for 3 days even though you have no clue what he did, who he was or what exactly we are mourning.

Tomorrow is Yaom e Hazrat Ali... the day of his Shahadah. How many offices are functioning? How many are observing the day in respect. I am not a Shia' Muslim. I'm a Sunni, but that doesn't matter. I strongly, strongly Alhamdulillah believe in love for my Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam and His family... And I respect the significance of the day. But I don't get it, I'm utterly confused, when it's okay for people to skip work and play cricket on the streets the day it's raining, when it's okay for students to miss school and hang out with friends or prance on their rooftops in the rain, why is it not okay to stay at home out of respect for such important days of our history? :/

I know this is very different from what I usually post about, but today I just felt I had to. I am a very optimistic person when it comes to the state of my country and the matters of it's people. That we will survive... and we will rise beautiful, strong and free... but I also feel our deeds and actions as a people, our mindset regarding our being in this world and are attitude towards our deen and our Creator all add up to the state we're in. We have strayed, and we need to accept it. Deen wants that which is easy for us. I love how Ramadan is that prep camp, it's supposed to energize us for the remaining year, but funnily enough our battery discharges as soon as Chaand Raat nears. Did you know that that is the night in which all the rewards for ibadah are distributed? How many of us reminded ourselves that we are fasting when someone provoked our anger? Did you? How many of us fought our Nafs when it came to picking faults in our colleague or co worker, Did you?

Life isn't a report card where you get to repeat a course because you flunked. It's fair and final. And you don't know when you'll sit for your exam, best be prepared for it at all times. It is saddening to know that Kaffans are being sold instead of new clothes for coming Eid. Could this beautiful month have more a message for us? Those of us that are safe and Alhamdulilah alive, should be more aware of our actions and deeds, should be more giving, be more kind hearted... and should be more welcoming to fate.

As the Holy Nights descend upon us, I request each person who has read this to say a sincere prayer for our people. Not just those who have lost their lives, but for ourselves, that Allah Kareem, make us strong in our faith, strengthen our Eman, and make our deeds of those who shall enter Paradise... and make this month of immense Blessing and Mercy a turning point for us all. Cleanse our hearts, and purify our souls. Make the storms hovering over rain finally, washing away all that which is dark and devious. 


PS, I just had smile shine upon my face... read the last paragraph, and heard thunder. :)
Smile Sunshine...

We have nothing to lose, as all that is ours belongs to Him. Our joys, our pride... our existence, our everything. I am not here preaching. :) I'm just here posting the ramblings I've had exhausted within my head in recent days.

I am very very grateful to Allah Kareem to have been able to accomplish a few things I tend to miss or delay every year. I hope everyone took a thing or two beneficial by visiting the Firefly page this Ramadan. I've received several beautiful emails this month and one of them was for Makkah Shareef! What a lucky soul...

Please forgive me for my shortcomings, and keep Firefly as well as the Firefly-Girl in your lovely duas.

Just Because, this made me smile.

Dear Varah Baji
[Firefly Girl;) ]


Oh well, i needed a case instead. Still thank you very much Varah Baji for your cooperation, though i know you are very busy these days. And for taking out your time :) I really appreciate it! =) And again I'd like to say that I just really loved your work!! it's just of my type, funky and fun! :D May GOD bless you and your work always! :) Surely in the future I'd love to order from you as your work is irresstible!;) But for now, I'd like to cancel my order as you don't have the correct thing of my need:) Still, I'D LOVE TO MEET YOU ONE DAY TOO! ^_^

Thank you! :)
Love,
Alisha.
PS: I'll phrase your words for you: Smile Sunshine! <3 :D


Ramadan Kareem everyone :) May this month bring all it's beautiful noor, to illuminate our hearts, and enrich our souls with the strongest Eman! Keep the Firefly Girl in your duas. And KESC too! :)

Congratulations to Tanya and Tamim, who have finally received their Save the Dates. I pray for the most beautiful life ahead for you two. May you always have each other and live the happily ever after everyone dreams of and learns from in fairytales. Ek tha Raja, Ek thi Rani...

A special wave to Komal Riz, who's the patientest woman EVER with her order. Luck has it that it gets delayed due to light flux OR errors in process. Sorry!

A hello to Amna Hanif, who's anxiously waiting for special tags that need to travel with her.

A big smile out to Amna Iqbal, who probably thought Firefly will drive her crazy with her keychains. It's so awesome, she waited and waited. WAITED and waited... and now she wants more of em. hehe. SubhanAllah!

I want to mention Fatima Hamdani, one of the many younger Firefly fans out there who write to me and write to the world. She blogs you know! Thanks for always adding those little sparkly bits of life in our randomest google chat convos kiddo. :)

Alina, who's working for a cause... This is her message for anyone and EVERYONE who reads it:
We as Ronaq-e-Qainaat are arranging a GRAND iftari THIS friday for over 300 to 400 people and children in collaboration with Payaam's trust....Please if ANYONE is interested in contributing for this noble cause.....contact me ASAP....!! Donate GENEROUSLY....!! CONTACT: rqainaat@gmail.com
*Do mention you saw this at the Firefly-Girl blog* :)


Sonya, dude... you just love the luggage tags. :) She and her family as well as friends abroad have ordered uncountable luggage tags, in fact, she's the reason I started making them. Lots of love your way. I  hope you recover really soon from your little ankle, foot.. chronic.. injury thing. :) x

Cookie baji, you've moved away and I have a feeling I'm going to miss out on those heartfelt cupcakes... Lots of duas for your new beginning at the other side of the world. Hope the tags travel with you always... <3


My ESP partner, C-ster. My little bro, Nivy. I miss you. I miss our packaging plant sitting in our pj's wrapping God knows how many star boxes stuffed with Skittles. I do know you're off to great things and inshaALLAH you will find all the success in the world, and baad mein too :) Love you!

I want to say thank you to my other half, Z.A. in HK... you've been such a great help and so so supportive from A to Z of everything I ever do. From the surprise package over the weekend, to the research you took on since I didn't have time, and for helping me put together the Ramadan series... bubba, thank you. :) You're Mr Awesome (MASHAALLAH!) and I can completely rely on you to upload stuff for me when my internet likes to be  meanie. :) JazakAllah!

Little Hayaati. My darling little mithi. Api loves you so so much. I will always be beside you, to teach you how to use the light table, to teach you how to hammer holes to make a notebook, to teach you how to use the cricut paper cutter, and of course, help you use glitter glue to color all your beautiful drawings for Z and me. In no time you'll have your own Skype ID. hehe. Billy, you are growing up so quickly and so soon, KG2! That's big now. MashaAllah. Can't wait til you're old enough to start Firefly orders with your Jaan.

The electricity may be unstable, there may be chances of error while processing, the samples I gave for metallic embellishments may have come out all wrong, people may have abandoned their orders... but Alhamdulillah... the forecast is whimsical, with a chance of rainbows!

Thank you everybody, we crossed 2500 today. :)

Lots of Love. Smile Sunshine.

The story of summer...

The last 2 months of my life and that of Firefly have been nothing less than extraordinary. I received the charming news of having a pending grade for my mini thesis. Which meant I do it again. My topic was irrelevant. I was upset, stressed, an utterly utterly shattered. Because I had put a lot into it.

I had to travel. As I am a resident abroad. That was a concern. I escaped for two weeks, mentally I was focused on all that needed to be done. A topic needed to be decided, prep work had to be conducted. It was madness! I had two internships to deal with. One which is still lingering. And then... there's Firefly.

For those who know the story of Firefly, they know it's from the pages of my journal... the real Firefly. I haven't written in it since March of last year, around the same time I started the whimsical forecast. It means heart and soul, and this summer has increased my passion for it.

It roots from emotions, which are no longer just mine, but those I share with friends and now the world. It's core is based on our sentiments and our life's experiences. I get asked so often, how do you find time. Trust me. The half an hour I work on Firefly is my break. It relaxes me to craft something. It sets me at ease to work with inspiration to doodle or create something whimsical and bright.

This summer has tested these emotions to an extent where I've tried pulling myself together stronger. One after another, external factors such as, electricity, violent conditions in the city, and random glitches during printing and color control have added to a splurge of orders that have a) been delayed, b) been mixed up, c) been uncollected.

There are several that turn to the page and write beautiful wordings and excited emails. And I keep having to say I shall respond soon. It's not because I haven't the interest. But it's because one after another, I'm STILL trying to resolve orders. Things have been super duper tough this summer because of the factors above.

I used to be able to deliver urgent orders within a day. Now they can't make it in 3. Normal processing time would be 3 days. Now it's 10 to 15 days... Because one job itself takes forever, and if there are any errors like last week's lot.. it goes for reprocessing.

So for every person who is slightly apprehensive or trying figure out what Firefly is upto, please know that it's very much aglow :) It is still trying to resolve matters and surface with all issues rectified inshaALLAH.

Firefly runs on prayers. And Alhamdulillah, I have several of them. I had the craziest week this week. I hadn't been sleeping. I would be in uni til midnight printing. I had a jury on Thursday. Midst all the craziness and stress, I've developed a sort of leg pain. And man, having it ten minutes before jury did not help! I smelled like deep heat spray. I would sit and smell that iodex smell while waiting :/ not to mention, the heat the medication creates. Felt like something was on fire!

Anyhow. You all would be pleased to know that with your sweet messages filled with prayers and good luck, I did well :) Alhamdulillah! I realized my own potential. The entire project was unsupervised. It felt great receiving constructive criticism on design. And it made me realize that my creative energy is mashaALLAH very much alive and kicking. :) I am so so lucky to have my parents and relatives stand by me and support me so thoroughly. They've been so patient of my tantrums and chaotic-stress-induced moods. Alhamdulillah! And Mr Awesome, goodness. He had been the most stressed along with me. But MashaALLAH, Zaiq we've sailed through this too :) All set for mission graduation and mission 2012 ;)

So hang tight everybody, all orders are still processing and reprocessing TIL all glitches are fixed and you receive exactly what you with for. And a request, if you place an order, and by sheer luck, it gets ready in time, please don't disappear on it. That's one reason why I am not taking new orders til old ones are sorted and collected.

In the recent weeks I've had so many Firefly fans disappear on things they've ordered. All I need is an email out of courtesy mentioning please save my order, I shall collect it soon. I am discarding several of them this week. I also implemented the new payment policy because of this.

Once again, apologies to those who've had the bad luck of having their orders delayed or reprocessed more than once. And a big thank you,seriously, my sincere gratitude to every one who has been super super supportive and patient. At the end of the day, nothing makes me smile more than having to know, Firefly brought a smile to someone's face.

Firefly is going to keep glowing inshaALLAH, and will not be curbing into any of the negativity. :) Remember, the forecast is whimsical with a chance of rainbows!

Much love to everyone. Smile Sunshine!
Stay tuned. Lots of magic in store for the coming month inshaAllah!

Dear Allah Mian,

I need my miracle this week. Please?

Drawing 101-Part 1

Admission at the Valley comin up in August! And we all know what that means.. how do we prepare for it? If you're thinking there's a code book with precise information on how to ace the admission test, sorry to burst your bubble but there kinda isn't. It's all in your hands... well.. in your sketching & your intellect... and of course, help from Allah Kareem's Divine decree! So for those of you who are wondering where to run to for admission prep courses and crash drawing courses... here are some things you can do on your own to learn or improve drawing skills. They're really simple exercises that basically free up your hand and give you better control over line quality.

Sorry in advance, the photos are disaster-some, I think it's time we got one of those cool looking thingies with the goggle like eyes on the front... *DSLR* hehe. 

First up... invest in a sketchbook that will NOT run out on you. OR get a bunch of them that you won't mind sifting through to record your progress. 

You will need an HB pencil. You are not going to use a clutchy-mechanical pencil for your practice! And you will hide away all erasers in the house or eat them if you're afraid you'll find them in little nooks and drawers.

If you want to be cool, you can buy the Derwent or Faber-Castelle variety... but if you just want to learn how to draw lines, you can use a Mono brand or Staedler if you REALLY want to encourage the drawing enthusiast within :)

Have a small cup of popcorn to keep your hunger from distracting you. Nibble a few kernels when  you need a break :)

Hold your pencil, 3/4-1" away from the nip. Begin at one end of the sketch paper and draw a line all the way to the other end. 

Your line will warp and go down, up.. curve or just disappear. Don't panic. You'll do it again. And again. And again... and again... and again. For an entire FOUR minutes. EVERYDAY. :) So you'll get better. You'll see your hand get used to it. Used to stretchin all the way across. One little tip. Keep your eye on the end point. NOT the line you're drawing. You are SURE to make it straight that way!

Keep at it.. fill up the page.. or two.. or few. Four minutes of lines. One end to the other. Getting better?

Round Two.

We now spend four minutes... drawing ellipses. You are not trying to make it perfect... you're just rotating your wrist... in a swivel motion and creating these elliptical forms. You keep at it. Practice. Make larger ones so that your hand adjusts to the movement and your wrist get accustomed to strange angles without you jerking or having odd lines or limitations.

Round Three. You will practice line fluidity and control line strength. Practice drawing straight lines from one end to another, BUT increase the pressure as you move your hand across. You'll see the line darken. Loosen your pressure.. it'll go light again. Keep at it. Practice darks and lights within your lines. That's another four minutes.

Round Four. Pick your favorite canned, bottled, or boxed product. Spend time observing the container and begin drawing the basic shape. Let's say a square or a rectangle. If it's a jar... start drawing ellipses within an upright rectangle.. you'll see form come through. Four minutes on this.

You know that popcorn you've been keepin handy? Have a couple of munches... now pick up one popped fluff... and stare at it. Don't think of it as a piece of popcorn. Squint a little... Do you see a shape? Do you see a silhouette? Whatever it is, draw it out. Through scribbles, lines, pattern, illustration... express what you see. Spend four minutes doing this... keep the popped kernel in front of you. NOTE: you are not replicating the popcorn fluff. You are observing what you see, and applying your creative imagination and what pours out of it :) 

Hope this gave you a kick start... 20 minutes. Every day. Whether you're in the car... in the loo... in front of the tv... anywhere. Stay tuned for Part 2! 

Love.

overbusyworkingcrazyhourstiredofied

Well, there you go. I have a new word...
Alhamdulillah. I just finished up my dissertation submission packet... you know, the softcopy-hardcopy deal. I think the solar eclipse is showing its affects early... delays and glitches galore today! Wrong alignment, ink finishing, light going in the middle of printing... no light at the printer's. I am slightly upset about the loadshedding business here. I feel so bad, my luggage tags didn't get back in time for someone who was traveling. *sad face* There's behtri in all things... I'm positive of that! Can't put things on process fearing the whole job will get ruined.. and that's pretty expensive material right there.

Anyhow, emails are caught up. Man, Alhamdulillah... thanks Sonya! You were a good friend pushing me to do the luggage tags. :) I had been putting off doing something on that size for a long long time, and the luggage tags are the summer's in thing. *Well duh, people are traveling, they need em* I traveled with Musavvir tags myself this summer. And I must say, it DID make identifying my luggage on the baggage carousel. :D Eureka! Ribbons always worked, too... but these just look like you actually cared about doing something for your travel needs before hand instead of half an hour before the plane took off. :P No offense. Personally tried and tested.

I began my internship yesterday... which ended up being an off... and today was an official start. :) It was awesome. I'm working with a Rural Development Program. We strive to give livelihood to village craftsmen and artisans through innovation for their existing crafts. Which is actually important to our culture and heritage! We help sustain their traditions... well.. we give them a little spark :) So I'm really psyched about the next two weeks designing and intervening. We sorted through some stuff today for an upcoming exhibition in Dhaka. It was amazing to see what a few colors can do design... some of the embroideries and block prints were LOVELY.

I finally found inspiration for my Mini Thesis... Gustav Klimts fabulous work. The wheels are churning Alhamdulillah.. looking forward to having substantial development by this weekend inshaALLAH! Make dua for me everybody. I really really need it. :)

Shab-e-Miraj coming up. Please forgive me for any shortcomings or anything I may have said or done to upset you. I'm serious... things happen, life changes. May Allah Kareem keep everyone wrapped in His Grace and keep everyone happy and blessed. :)

2k and going!

MashaALLAH, we made the 2000. :) Allah Kareem is Supreme! He is AWESOME :D Not because of the number, but because all these people I keep meeting have turned out to be individuals with whom I've quite a bit in common! Alhamdulillah!


So to celebrate, I had posted that the 20th person would get a 5 pocket tag-album... a disaster this has been. I've decided, I will give out random gifts or not announce such things because I've come across people who've gone and dwelled into petty issues. If I see your comment is the 19th, or another person's the 20th, that IS what I will go by. Emailing me about 'previous' experiences... which I honestly have let gone of is really strange. I felt really hurt to receive such an email this morning. With comments such as
"cuz of the previous things that took place btw us! mujhey tumhare competition main part lena hi nai chahiye tha".  Frankly, I don't even recall what happened to the 'previous' things... it was mis-communication. And I believe I did pretty well letting it go! What was the point of bringing this up NOW?


This never even crossed my mind! And I would be fair over what's right... I do NOT hold things against people... well.. spammers yes. They get banned.:/ But this was just sad for me. I was gifting the tagbook to celebrate. Not sit there to read such things... OR have people count the comment number they have JUST to win it... Jeez. Firefly is about genuine sentiments, I will not be holding such give-aways anymore. Or not like this anyway.


Anyhow. This aside, I'd still like to congratulate Rida Rohail... she's the 20th PERSON to comment :) So Rida gets to pick out the theme to a 5 pocket tagbook... the metal wordings don't count, as well... they're slightly out there. ;)


I am holding a special for tagbooks til August 15th. :) This means the 5 pocket which is for 900, is down to 800. And the 1200 pocket page is down to 1000. Metal wording tag albums remain 1200 and 1500.


I have some fun chipboad albums I'll be playing around with inshaALLAH. Limited pieces, but that's what makes everything awesome. :D lots of new goodies to embellish with and nifty new tools to make work awesome. Alhamdulillah. :) Today is work day. So getting started on all those tagbooks I had booked while away. :) 


I did an inventory yesterday at about 4 am of all the patterned paper I have. SubhanAllah, I have over 500 patterns and designs. hehe... Planning to utilize them to the fullest now that they're all organized. :) New paper stacks to craft with, too!


Did I mention? the Scrapper Session Kits include goodies by EK Success (K&Company), Scrappy Cat, as well as American Crafts. I use the above products in all my scrapbooking and crafting projects! Love em to bits :) Other faves, although I was unable to sneak into the kits, are the Paper Studio and DCWV. Their stuff is out of this world. REALLY. Their paper especially. Love Paper Studio's ribbons and embellishments. Die Cuts With a View have paper stacks that are beautiful. And the range is so extensive! Paper Studio's slightly less heavy on the pocket in comparison to DCWV... but there are smart ways to shop for em. ;) Those who've enrolled themselves in the Scrapper Sessions will learn all about it. :D