*grin* Now Available...

So it seems, I am back with a different plan I had initially thought up. Allah Kareem writes it best, so no fighting it :) Alhamdulillah, I'm back from what everyone keeps calling the 'honeymoon' stage of my life. I was in Hong Kong, and well, the visa didn't get extended long enough for me to sink into the sea breeze and mountains... Whatever excuse, whatever 'bahana' life may bring, one thing is simple, my risq from that place was lifted, and I was meant to be here, Pakistan :) I'll be sharing my Hong Kong adventures in another post... this is about something a little different.

Two years ago, when I hatched the idea of Firefly on my profile, it was with the intent that we have a Hallmark or gift related brand of our own in Pakistan. I didn't envision it to come this far, nor did I ever imagine it would be so well recognized or 'known' as it is now. MashaAllah. I never wanted to do what the other person did, I never wanted to copy that or lift this... I always had a bug to do some thing funky and fun, which I did Alhamdulilah! I brought in my hobby, scrapbooking.. introduced the tag books, and there sprung so many new pages with gifts, scrapbooking, 'made with love', offering their dose of 'sunshine' and adding 'color' to people's lives. MashaAllah, there should be a community for people like us, the rainbow and sunshine spreading, smile sharing facebook business pages. *since there are so many out there with these words in their about and info. Familiar? hmmm...

We are all familiar with brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, U.S based Coach, Juicy Couture, and even Prada... right? They are the most sought after high end brands, so are shoes by Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu and if we come closer to home, our Sana Safinaz, HSY and others... knowing these names are in demand, within no time, we see replicas, we see copies... The very same way, we proudly declare that Firefly's come up to par with these 'standards' and has replicas of its work across the country, courtesy 'exchange of ideas' and 'borrowed' creativity. I'd blame globalization in our nation for it too. :p

I am not angry today, I am not upset... I am not sad, and I'm certainly not peeved. I'm just thinking, if you wanted to take my words, you should have quoted me as an author, you know, like Maya Angelou, Ralph Waldo Emerson, M.A. Jinnah, or I dunno. Someone intelligent, eloquent and inspiring. That'd be nice now wouldn't it? Make you feel appreciated or respected... right?

If it isn't enough someone takes the samples you email them for a logo and slaps it onto their page without paying for it... you see your watermark removed, your designs cut... I mean nothing bites more than that.

If you wanted to share my doodles, why not have shared my page? or said it out loud, love your doodles Varah? Why'd you have to insult them by mixing them with the crappiest of background colors, horrible grammar and of course.. your watermark?

When I say Firefly roots from my journal, how hard is it to understand, I penned down every dot and line in a sketch diary, I purchased, with a pen, while I sat waiting for a flight, or while I visited a loved one? Nothing pains more than having your work taken for plagiarism, and furthermore profit. It flatters me that I can be an inspiration to so many who feel that taking my work and using it as their own is so thrilling and oh so creative :D Isn't?

How did you feel when you slaved on that project all night long in 2nd grade, went to school the next morning, and your classmate decided to scribble his or her name over it? Or wait, what about the group project where you did everything and your friend took credit for it? Or how about the time you baked that delicious as heaven vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting, everyone flipped for... didn't you feel that rush of guilt claiming you did it from scratch when it was really Betty Crocker's magic in a box talking to the taste buds?

I am not trying to judge. But it's a little hard. I fear my Rabb... I have never come out in the open and said it out loud, but I do. To date, I may have had delays, may have had misunderstandings, but Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamduillah, have not cheated or lied for my work. Why don't people think about their own little magic... it really is as easy as Hogwarts! Why can't they just kinda explore their own bit of fairy dust... why can't they gauge their deeds through their actions? Doesn't it bother them? How do they sleep at night thinking, they're earning from someone else's mehnat... they're gaining success by stepping over someone else's efforts? May Allah Kareem grant every hardworking individual the success and barakah they deserve.

PS: I don't work to earn because I have to, I craft and design because it's a bug, and I lose my mind when I'm not busy doing it!

And for anyone who brings up crap like 'don't you wear replicas'... for your information.. NO I don't. I'd rather buy a lesser brand than buy something copied, fake or unoriginal. Really.

But for those out there who are fond of purchasing copies, cheap ones.. you are welcome to do so.. the following will actually help you identify a Firefly original. Happy Shopping :)

PS: I am not mentioning the names, or flaming those behind this... I wish them luck with their work. And thank Allah Kareem that He blessed me with not just a mind, but a heart that drives me to work with ethics and a conscience.

I have an archive of more copied or plagiarized pieces of my work, but can't track them on the hard disk, so til then, here yall go. :) Others who'd like to advertise their new Facebook venture via copying the work of others who've busted their bum over the last couple of years, feel free to email your resume *ie your age and your name...since the work is already someone else's* along with a link to your Facebook page, we're totally interested in launching an agency to market your talent at watermarking and editing other people's work. :) Hope it feels great, cause I'm havin a swell day along with my Firefly Friends and Family... who too are on the look out for new pages wanting to mimic their brand. Who's with me? :D

Now Available in Pakistan! Firefly Replicas! Order yours today, to sustain crappy imitations and disrespect original art and disregard copyrights! :D

Exhibit A

we had made a strawberry shortcake...

I love red velvets, just not the ones that are copied from my strawberry shortcakes...

This is Sue. There are at least 7 people in the world that look just like you... 

didn't know they meant virtually too. Here's Law-Suet.

a friend of mine got married when we were in A Levels, the first one of our lot... I wrote this for her.

Looks like they wrote it for her too, I prefer my turtles more though. 

when I came up with piggy tailed Sue, I recalled the Happy Bunny series, for all occasions... just a little sweeter and more heartfelt... One is for my Baba, *stepdad*, one is for my father in law, Abbu... one is for Papa... my hero... and well...

this is Law-Suet version 2.

my little bro was in his first year in A levels when we made this one... worked pretty hard on the colors...

someone saved it in a crappy resolution which distorted the colors. Oh Well.

do you guys like the circles without the outline 

or with? I prefer the former...

I love my friends.. they've called me cuppy cake... and Cookie Baji made the awesomest cup-cakes... I love them with sprinkles...

Aww look! someone else loves cupcakes... green backgrounds... and they prally have friend who call em cuppy cake.. and woah.. they think on the same design wave lengths as Firefly! :D

I always hated the wordings on the cards I found at stationery shops, so thought I'd be my poet self with these... 

I like how they were creative in adding the Justice League-Alien Superhero Baby.. Nice touch. Horrible Blue.

This one's cute! Too bad the wordings are mine :) Aww...

Their booties are kinda cute.. too bad the colors are eww.

I hope you liked your luggage tags babe!

cause they launched their own with a corroded font...

don't yall love the owl family? flint, flutter, fleur and others...

not sure what they named them, but they'd have to be adopted, original parent.. Firefly. They look so blue here :(

If you'd like to be a feature here, again, share your url, send your resume and just tick me or any one of the young entrepreneurs who are working night and day to get where they are off... We are super supportive and helpful people... Any doubts, have a look. We're helping other businesses grow :D

Love.

PS: if you are a page owner and agree with this post and are in favor of a petition against plagiarism, unethical reproduction and replicas, and out right chhapas of your mehnat please leave a comment below with the name of your Facebook page and a url :) Let us unite. I've been getting emails from friends who face the same non sense every day. It gets old. Really old... 

So to those who like lifting other people's work.. no one has time to go after you or report your pages full of our work. Just a request, be original. You can do it! The fact you appreciate nice things or good work, means you have an eye for it... Fear Allah, and request Him to help you and grant you success in your endeavors the Halal way!

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