For Blogs that need a lil' lovin'

Introducing Studio M's Blog makeovers! (yes the oh-so-secret-project is out in the open!)

So that’s exactly what I've been up to- spreading the makeover love :D Try one – its fun and as therapeutic as a spa indulgence or retail therapy.. honest.

The biggest challenge in launching the blog design service was putting together the pricing structure.. OK I'll say second biggest since the first (which by the way has a little story of its own) was being able to make time to get it started..

I realize there are bloggers out there all the way from SAHMs to students, people who live in developed countries to those who hail from developing nations like my own where the average man is losing hair over inflation that went up by a whopping 35% just in the past month!

And me, well I admit I am an expensive resource but I thought it unfair that those people miss out just because the service seems too pricey to afford. I'm working on some fun ideas to make my blog affordable even for the perpetually broke ones out there!

Ideas include :
Referrals
Where people can put up studioM blog design banners on their blogs and send traffic over. The idea is, you get a 50% discount if we sign up 5 blog makeovers or 10 banners for people landing on our page from yours.
Here are a few ideas:

Gift Certificates
You could get people to contribute to your blog makeover dream by contributing in the form of gift certificates priced right from $5 to $100. You will be able to redeem these gift certificates to pay for any of the services offered by Studio M. These would be particularly useful in getting a present out of the significant other around birthdays and anniversaries or perhaps pestering a few friends to finance your little indulgence. Ideas include little banners/ buttons for people to put up on their blogs especially around birthdays and bloggiversaries.. Please help me some by suggesting humorous and perky statements that could go on those buttons.. I know I could have one on my blog saying – "None of my friends are cheap bastards!" and would proceed to say "hey buddy head on to contribute some to my blog makeover fund " except that would make me look like a cheap bastard and I'm not too sure if they'd want to be friends with me after that!!

I am hoping to make some more time to be done with the functionality over the Eid break. Have set a self-imposed deadline for Oct 10th 2008 in need of some goodluck vibes yet again bring 'em on you nice people!

About the story that kick-started the blog design service.. the other day I was cribbing about my unfinished projects and dreams to a friend who is up and working most nights.. wondering how she manages to function with only a few hours of sleep. A superwoman she is, I tell ya.. two kids, freelances from home and religiously finds time to blog every day.. I really look up to be like her some day..

She said she didn't seem to have time to sleep because there's so much to do it feels as though life is passing her by... MM, I hope you don’t mind my quoting you here..

..as for sleep - i dont care.. i fall ill often because i dont get enough sleep - but there's so much to do and i sometimes feel life is passing me by. so no time to sleep..

I don't know how she managed to inspire me with that one line but she did!! I realized how my life was passing me by and there were so many things I had to strike off of my to-do list.. not that list which goes - wash dishes, do laundry,  go grocery shopping.. but the master list that I will regret paying attention to if I take it with me to my deathbed unfinished.. all because I was too busy with the "every day" to-dos... sigh.. I would regret not writing a book more than if I my fridge and larder were always well-stocked, I would seriously regret If I never got down to my dream of becoming an illustrator for children's books more than if I washed and stacked all dirty dishes to perfection, heck I would regret not going for a master's degree more than if my house was always scrubbed and spotless.. no time to sleep alright.. bring on the mugs of chai baybee!
I'm heading out to Kinkos to get these printed on my plain Ikea mugs:

So there, I just HAD to reach out and say thanks girl, I just managed to get a perpetually derailed personal project on board and I owe it to you! The great thing was that her birthday was just around the corner and so I made a personalized banner for her blog as a thanks+ bday gift and I am humbled that she loved it and put it up! Not only has that been sending blog design queries my way, it looks like she just might end up being the first one getting a free blog design done because of referrals! Go check it out! Vain as it may sound, it is quite cool ;D

If watermelons had no seeds...

...that would be one madness less in my life! Sigh.. The little one has recently acquired her taste for them watermelons but absolutely insists that she consume them daintily– take her time to figure which one of those same sized perfectly cubed chunks of watermelon goes next on her fork (that by the way has to match the plate she is eating from) and OH- the horror of horrors.. That there be not a single one of those unsightly seeds anywhere amidst those juicy red cubes :|

Now mommy dear spends most of her precious time separating the gazillion seeds from the watermelon wedges and proceeds to cube them with absolute perfection.. grrrr!

The last week has been nothing short of madness with the little one going down with a severe throat infection.. high fever, the works. Add to that the recent watermelon à la perfection fetish and I'm just not left with much time (read ANY) to get any work done!

All this when I was proceeding full throttle to launch two of my important personal projects.. one that’s forever been derailed since January and the other that although has been on my agenda for a looong while but still not as ancient as the January one!

Just wish me luck people! I'm in serious need of some :| and just in case you are wondering what I'm up to.. rest assured, I'll announce it right here. Just watch this space and enjoy a little sneak preview for now! Cheers :D

Of arty inspirations and money making ideas...

This whole stay-at-home idea is great, except the little one is not all that 'little' anymore and could really use some valuable lessons in self reliance and confidence without her neurotically vigilant mom around 24/7. Then there are those days I feel I can do so much more than scrubbing bathtubs and mopping floors. Don’t know if this happens to any of you but me, I feel terrible for not doing justice to the talents that God thought me worthy of possessing. Anybody can cook and clean but what mayG can do, only a few can.

I happened to visit the ARTE souk a few months ago – one of my (sad) attempts at creative warm-up, hoping to gather inspiration and explore prospects in putting my arty-ness to use to earn some pocket money.

It took me no less than an hour of chasing the little one all over the place, not being able to see a single thing in this while that I figured the inspirations and money making ideas can really wait till the kid either learns to stay put or starts school.

The irony in this whole scenario is the crazy sums any of these decent play-school walahs loot from us parents in the name of tuition fee - a month of playschool for my kid in Dubai costs more than what I paid for an entire semester for graduate program at a fairly *expensive* private university back home! Crazy I know, our parents used to worry about college funds and dowries.. we start right at playschool!!

Yeah so, the thing is before I can send the kid to school, I need to generate some cash in the name of the kids "play-school fund" and must improvise some complex scheme of juggling the kid-who-can't-stay-put along with money-making ideas that usually aren't all that kid-friendly.
Bah! nothing short of an infinite loop. (so speaks the once-upon-a-software-developer within!)

Back to the fateful day at ARTE Souk; as I went around lapping up the eye-candy I landed at the cutest little thing - this whole array of colorful handmade cards.. We've seen a gazillion hand made cards but these were the cutest and oh-so-simple to put together! The smiling lady sat right there, making cards on demand. A little girl insisted she wanted a cat on her card and sure enough saw the card featuring a cat made right in front of her eyes, all in 5 minutes! The brother wanted one with a sheep and I saw the little eyes light up as the artist dug out a "sheep card" from the colorful pile!

A pair of specs in my life

Remember that eye trouble from hell? It affected my vision a bit and now I have to wear specs. I was hoping it would make me look anything between hot or cool but it makes me look.. well.. studious 8-|

In this one month of randomly sporting a pair of glasses (most of the times I forget I have to wear one) I've begun to hate it already!

For one thing, it gets in the way of all cuddling and rough and tumble with fellow human species.
Then the glasses get steamed every time you take a sip from a hot cup of tea.
#3 – If you're supposed to wear specs every time you step out, even in the blinding afternoon sun, where do the sun shades go?
Oh and the same steaming nuisance follows every time you step outdoors from the AC... Bah!

Last week, the little one broke it beyond repair; I know technically I should be sad, but a part of me just can't help that satisfied smirk! *tee hee*

I'm thinking I'll take a trip down to the tacky "Everything for 5 Dirham Store "and pick up half a dozen of those she can break all that she wants; the hot designer numbers can wait :P

But enough about me.. you tell, do you sport glasses? Bet there are things you hate about it.. pray tell!

white chocolate - my new buddy

I'd always been trying to figure out a convenient cool way to garnish latte.. fresh cream was not always available plus you just used a little bit and the rest either HAD to be consumed or thrown away! Tried chocolate syrup swirls, they turned out beautiful but would sink to the bottom before the steaming mugs reached the guests.. only lately I tried white chocolate and it was the answer to my prayers!!

here's how I do it.. put a piece of white chocolate in a sandwich bag, dunk into a cup of boiling water. Snip a little corner from the bag after the chocolate has melted and pipe out shapes on a sheet of butter paper or cling wrap. (people with any experience at applying mehendi, silk paint gutta or glass painting leads are instant pros!)

The shapes set in no time.. dust some coffee powder or cocoa on the froth and peel off a white chocolate shape to place on top of the latte froth and taa daa! you're good to go :D


A little skill at handing the piping bag and the pattern options are virtually unlimited, just place your pattern under the plastic sheet and trace over it. The best thing is that you can store a whole bunch of them white chocolate shapes in the fridge/freezer layered between foil, plastic or butter paper sheets ready to use whenever you need them!
I even tried it to decorate hubby's birthday cake and worked just as fine!

Looks like its going to while before I'm done experimenting with white chocolate around the kitchen!

I miss..

I miss dressing up for weddings and festivities like I can back home...

Bangles, henna, fresh flower garlands, flowy grand ghararas, elegant sarees, intricate hand embroideries and shiny gota..

sigh..

The times that I am there, its either too hot or too cold or too ordinary a day to dress up...

Looks like the times I used to laugh at a certain somebody who'd moved to the US soon after getting married thinking what kind of a loony wears her wedding ghararas around the house AND clicks photos to send to the entire circle of friends and family..
sigh.. guess I laughed too soon!

No I'm not dying to wear my wedding ensemble - (that I fit into the clothes or not is another question) but yes would sure love to have someplace nice to go where I could dress up all fancy and not look stupid for it!

photo courtesy: the serial chiller - my official photographer.

listen to the song within...

This was supposed to be a zig-zag folding card, a good-bye wish I wrote and put together for a sweet kid going through a rough patch in life. Life happpened and we've never been able to keep pace with each other.. Just hoping things are good with you sweetie and you found what you were looking for...

Thought I'll share it with you guys... maybe it ends up making a difference in any of your lives and my good deed for the day is done..

cheers!