Year in Review - 2014

Looking out the window, admiring nature with a nice hot cup of ginger tea in hand, thoughts about how speedily the year flew by stormed me, and so I decided to blog. (The "Flame of the Forest" actually triggered it all, no idea why)

2014 began with some "Crafty" wins Alhumdolillah; Country View Challenges announced me as the winner for the January challenge (there were 181 entries), and so I was their guest designer for March. As a gift I received the wonderful spellbinder border dies, some ink and faux stitching tools. So in love with everything! and thank you Country View Crafts once again.
February was no less, my work was selected amongst the Top 5 at Crafty Card Makers and More, and the blog was decorated with their wonderful badge.

Things got relatively busy by this time and I was traveling for work (eLearning, the other thing that I do), giving me little to no time to craft, however Favors & More continued to roll out personalized gifts, baby announcements and party favors etc. ordered.

By the time I got a breather, it was September already, Haha! what a joy ride it was. There was good news once again Alhumdolillah, I was selected at WomenX as one of the most enterprising women, and my project was Favorited at Craft Hoarders Anonymous.

That wasn't all, it was this sweet September that we at Favors & More introduced "Little Miss Tea Pot" which came with customized tea bags. Much loved and admired,  Little Miss Tea Pot soon met Mama Tea Pot designed for a bridal shower.

As orders continued to roll, and things got busy, I managed to take a break today only to realize that the year had gone by. Staying busy is a blessing alhumdolillah, and I enjoy every bit of what I do.

Most Admired Project- 2014
"Little Miss Tea Pot", though introduced nearing the end of the year has been one of the most intriguing and admired projects for this year. These beauties were nearly sold-out at The Crafters Expo 2014 too. The best and cutest part was that not only did the ladies want to hold them, but the gentlemen too were attracted to them. They held it, asked what its made of, opened the lid to see how it was done, and showered some compliments.
At exhibitions I usually witness instances where men literally drag away the ladies from the stall, in an effort to prevent them from over shopping, however this time, the men actually called the ladies over to the stall to show them the tea pot! =D

Most Memorable Request 2014
Through 2014 I have received some very emotional and gratifying emails/messages, the most striking and memorable of which was the one where a returning client, fearing loss of their life, asked me to design something that not only translates their love for their soon to arrive baby, but reminds the child of them in their absence too...  It left me speechless.

Most Challenging Project - 2014
When your clients are creative, you are blessed with opportunities to test your creative capabilities, explore and execute. This concept was provided by the client, I simply executed it. And packing it for shipping was equally challenging. Enjoyed working on it, nonetheless!

 


I have met wonderful people all through this year, in person and via the web, and look forward to a busy 2015 inshallah. We already have some wonderful projects lined up :)
Take care,
Happy Crafting!

Being Part of WomenX Pakistan

This post is not about a new project that I've completed or am working on, but to share a little something with which I have been involved lately.

A little background for perspective: Favors & More is my business venture which launched in 2010, with its key feature being, "exclusive hand crafted" products. With a little bit of creativity, lots of love and attention to detail we create memorable products for our clients. Since the business is young and growing rapidly, we can use some guidance/help, and so when my sister heard of this program she insisted that I apply, and I applied just a day before the deadline = D. After a few days it was humbling to receive an email which read (extract below):

"I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to join the inaugural Women^X Cohort in Karachi. With a pool of hundreds of talented women entrepreneurs, you were recognized by our panel as one of the 50 enterprising women to be invited to join the first Women^X Cohort..."

And soon I found myself standing with 50 amazingly talented entrepreneurs, each a source of inspiration in their own right.



Our session began with introductions and it was amazing to discover that the nature of businesses ranged from furniture, ladies accessories, to education, right through to IT and engineering.  Everyone extremely focused and determined.

Amongst us were ladies who "stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow their way, adjusted their sails." Ladies who started with nothing, no formal business education (and in some cases no education at all), finances or references, but were now running full fledged successful businesses. Each and everyone brings a wealth of knowledge to each session and there is tons that we learn from each other.

Our knowledge is further enriched with discussions on relevant case studies, formal business models and interactions with successful Pakistani entrepreneurs who are invited to share their experiences with us.

A special thanks to 'IBA CED' and 'Enclude', who have done a brilliant job in organising this World Bank funded program.

Already a few sessions into the program, and looking forward to more.
(Photo Credits: WomenX organisers)