matchmaker

prior to meeting kiwi, another single friend and i thought it would be a great idea to start a matchmaking service.. which would involve personal meetings with each candidate to gain a good perspective on their personalities and to understand what their match would be in a partner. seemed pretty standard, no? well, our ulterior motive was to actually use it to meet guys.. heh. yeah.

anyway, i was talking to a friend online today and i mentioned, for the 5 billionth time, he needs a wife. and for the first time.. he actually agreed! *dance* so i started asking questions.. likes? dislikes? requirements? age limits? height limits? location limits? and then he told me i better watch out before i turn into one of those aunties whose lives are consumed with matching people. he told me to start a business.. it's probably a lucrative idea. but what guju would actually pay for matchmaking when you can get it for free from a relative?

i decided to make a fake business card for the sake of it:

groom + bride + mandap

i saw this save the date and thought it was so cute!

and then i indian'i'fied it..

from weddingphotography.com.ph

Here are links for the different options:
Printable
Printed cards with envelope

giraffe baby shower invite

i was experimenting with different invite colours, and these colours seemed most appropriate for a baby shower.. why can't one of the bhabhis have a baby soon?!

my five: purses!

while in university, i used to have a slew of fun purses.  it was either a phase, or i got lucky finding unique items at not-so-original chain stores.  one of the purses i had was a chartreuse green purse with a bamboo frame and handles - so pretty.  i got a lot of compliments from complete strangers for that.  that purse no longer exists.. it eventually broke because i used to use it to carry my notebooks for classes or a textbook from time to time.  one of my other favourite past purses looked like a cuban cigar box.. and now, i don't see anything i like.

so then i google'd..


UM Bags
UMs developed from two creative challenges: The first, to make use of the unique properties of wool felt - its density, texture, pliability, and strength. And the second, to transform a flat surface using only the simplest of operations.




Quote Pleated Bag Leather and Canvas
Deliberately placed random pleating creates a relaxed, eye catching and attractive bag. Roomy, feminine and a little bit edgy. We really like it! This bag closes with a snap across the top keeping everything securely inside. There is a panel pockets on the inside.



Leather Clutch
This lovely clutch is made of high quality eco leather in light gray with pink flower patterned satin lining. It's uniqueness comes from beautiful rose in XXL size. The main body as well as lining have been reinforced with non-woven for additional strength and protection. This clutch is perfect for an everyday use as well as a glam party or wedding. There is definately enough room to carry the necessary (mobile, purse, tissues, keys, diary, mirror etc…). The clutch comes with a beautiful organza bag for a better care of the clutch.

Book of the Month Clutch
Whether you're adding to your library or simply starting a collection, we think you'll agree—the classics have never looked so good. Features laminated silk twill with metallic cowhide trim
clasp closure, interior zip pocket and 6 credit card slots, custom woven pinstripe silk faille lining in chocolate and cream, 14-karat light gold plated hardware, and kate spade new york embossed signature on hardware




Handmade, silk-lined clutches
Original handmade design-led clutch purse bags and accessories, featuring peacock feathers, exotic bird prints and floral blooms.

from sumthings, greedy girl

buttons!

i love these!

some of the phrases on the buttons:
"i heart weddings!"
"i'm a dance machine!"
"stirred not shaken"
"which way to the bar?"
"sorry i'm taken"

so cute! i should remember to use this idea for a party..

from oh so beautiful paper

indian mango - invitation set

so i had an idea for a "logo" of sorts, writing around a common indian shape - the mango! it worked out pretty funky, so i decided to run with it and try making an invitation set around it.

invite card (front & back), rsvp card (front & back), envelope

that turned out pretty good..

modern diwali

for diwali this year, my derani and i decided to go a bit non-traditional for our diwali food that we hand out to family. we took a couple of traditional diwali snacks and modernized them:

• honey almond biscotti
• chai truffles
• chevro poppers
• chocolate, walnut, almond gugara

chevro poppers were created out of an attempt to find a diwali-friendly alternative to rice krispies squares. it's just peanut butter spiced with red chili powder, tumeric powder, ground coriander and cumin, and salt, then mixed with chevro formed into balls. pretty simple.. and it turned out pretty delicious :)

i don't know how to make the standard gugara filling, so instead i made a chocolate alternative.

1. toast almonds and walnuts
2. throw them into a food processor with chocolate pieces
3. mix in cinnamon and icing sugar

the dough is the exact same as a traditional gugara. mum suggested i add a bit of cardamom in, which is a common spice for indian sweets. i would have, except i forgot to do that :S

i was lucky for the boxes. the local michael's had a scrapbook pad called taj mahal. the pad was all cardstock which was great for boxes, and the patterns in the book were perfect for diwali.

overall our plate turned out really awesome! i'm pretty happy with what we managed to accomplish.

pantry fun..

i made labels for the pantry to make it a bit more organized. i wanted to print on labels that won't be hard to take off if i needed to change the contents of the container. post-it has these removable labels (2" x 4"), "they stick securely, remove safely". they turned out awesome!

i didn't really think things through though. these labels can easily get ruined if some wet or messy fingers get on them. (already happened on the crushed red pepper jar with kiwi's pizza fingers..) i should have modge podge'd the labels before placing them on my containers. that would have at least made them easy to keep clean.

my other problem with these labels? they're a bit too easily removable. they kind of come off without being touched :S whenever i open the pantry, i usually find a fallen label.. not all the labels have had this problem, but it's still an issue. i think i'm going to keep these labels for a year and then try something else.

chalkboard calendar

i came across this really awesome idea of keeping your week organized in a fashionable way! instead of chalkboard pieces, maybe use mirror tiles with dry erase markers. mount the mirrors and the words on a large plexi glass, then screw the large sheet of plexi glass into the wall. functional piece of art..

from ohdeedoh

for my reception shoes, i wasn't going to settle for any silver pair of shoes. i had a specific look in mind, and if i can't find it, then i'm not going to waste my money; i'll just wear something i already own. i was looking specificially for silver, sparkly, pointed toe pumps. one of my coworkers suggested i check out zappos - an online shoe company that has more shoes than a girl can possibly dream of. so i started my search on zappos and i found them.. my dream shoes *sigh*:

romantic soles palisades.  this was the perfect shoe since they had two little hearts underneath the sole. i had them sent to kiwi rather than paying the +$20 in duties to have them shipped straight to canada. kiwi received them and told me the shoes looked good, so i didn't think anything of it..

a week before the wedding, saturday, kiwi and his family drove up from atlanta. they got in to mississauga pretty late, so dad and i went to their hotel to check to see how they were doing and if they needed anything. before leaving their hotel, kiwi gave me my box of stuff i ordered for the wedding, including my shoes! being the typical shoe-a-holic i am, i had to open up the box right there..

BACON FORECAST - SUNNY DAY WITH NO CLOUDS IN SIGHT: i was happy as pie :)

i pulled out the first shoe.. "this isn't the correct shoe.." it was a silver pointed toe pump, but it wasn't sparkly silver, it was made with sequins. a little disappointed, i pulled out the second shoe so i could try them on.. "this is the correct shoe.." so here i sat with two different shoes. yes, kiwi didn't check BOTH shoes!! *sigh* i suppose i should have asked if he checked both when he got them.. OR asked to see them during one of our video chats, but anyway..

in desperation, i could have worn the shoes for the reception hoping no one would truly realise the difference.. after all they're both silver, pointed toe, and the same height; only difference was one was shiny sparkles, the other was shiny sequins. i could pretend it's a new fashion fad coming out of europe or something, maybe? for the next minute or so i sat there holding the two different shoes, staring at them trying to keep from freaking out because it was not only kiwi that was there, but his entire family. it was at this point i noticed something else, "both these shoes are for the right foot." so really, i couldn't wear these shoes even if i wanted to.

back home i went, with my mismatched, right footed shoes.

BACON FORECAST - DARK CLOUDS, WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN: i'm sure i can have them expedite to canada considering the really horrible error that was made..

the next morning, sunday, i check my email for customer service information regarding my shoe order. "24/7 customer service" - PERFECT! i call the 1-800 number given. an automated message comes on the line telling me that their customer service team has gone on a team building retreat. for any urgent matters, please email using the link provided on the order confirmation and they will respond as soon as they can.

BACON FORECAST - RAIN WITH HIGH WINDS: did the entire department have to go at the same time for this team building exercise?!

i click on the email support link which starts to load the customer service page of the zappos website. "error - page not found." so i go to the main page for the zappos website, "sorry. our website is under routine maintenance. please call our 24 hour customer service line and they will be happy to help you!"

BACON FORECAST - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM: did the it department go on the retreat too?! i feel like a dog chasing it's tail..

at that point i was truly getting frustrated and was not impressed with zappos! i tried their toll free number one more time; this time i got connected to a customer service agent right away. i asked the girl if i should start off with my order number before explaining the situation, "actually ma'am, our systems are down. so if you were to give me your order number, i wouldn't be able to access your account."

i told her my story about the shoes. after explaining everything, i told her, "my wedding is this saturday.." she apologized profusely, probably knowing how crazy a bridezilla can get. she took down my information, told me they should be able to expedite a replacement shoe to canada or help me find an alternative pair if the one i ordered is no longer available. she said as soon as the systems are up she will call me or have someone else call if her shift is over. fair enough.

we took kiwi and his family to niagara falls that day. i didn't receive a single call from zappos that day.

monday morning i woke up bright and early and called zappos again. their system was up and running! so again i explained my shoe story. the woman on the other line said that she's really sorry about this error with the shoes. unfortunately the shoes i originally ordered are no longer in stock. if i found another alternative pair of shoes, they would only be able to expedite shoes within the u.s.; they're not able to expedite to canada. for my troubles, they will give me a $35 credit towards my next purchase.

BACON FORECAST - TORNADO WATCH: are you kidding me? i want to cry..

i mentioned they have a canadian subsidiary, can it be sorted through them? apparently the canadian zappos can't access the u.s. zappos' system. also, the canadian zappos cannot expedite to canada; they don't have a system in place for it. odd considering all major courier services have expediting services worldwide..

i asked to speak with a manager regarding this situation because i wasn't quite satisfied with the answers i was getting. so i was transfered to a "manager". (sometimes i wonder if it's actually a manager and not a coworker at the same level..) i went over the whole situation. she told me the exact same thing as the customer service agent before: they can only expedite to the u.s. and they can only give a $35 credit. i told her that i understood if a completely different pair of shoes were sent, but this situation doesn't make sense - two different shoes for the same foot? she said, well it's been returned a few times already. a few times? so when an item is returned, prior to being restocked, shouldn't it be inspected to insure the RIGHT shoes are returned?

anyway, they wouldn't do anything more than what they offered. so they issued the refund and i left it at that. instead of the perfect sparkly silver pointed toe pumps.. i wore my old beige guess pointed toe pumps. no one knew any different.

i suppose it's not all about the shoes after all :S i still don't like zappos though.