Designer Chat with Margot Potter

I have so privileged to meet so many super talented and amazing designers, crafters and artists over the last year from all over the world. They have have truly {inspired} me, so during this Christmas Season…. I decided to ask them to chat a little bit about Designing, Christmas & Love.

My first guest is the beautiful and super talented Margot Potter. I met her at the very first CHA the I ever went to and being the shy person that I can be (yes, this chatty little Ukrainian CAN be shy), Margot made me feel truly welcome. I think we chatted for maybe just five minutes but something about her lovely personality made me feel right so welcomed!

So… Without further ado, I would like to welcome…

Christmas Kindness

The Christmas season allows us a little glimpse into the best (and sometimes the worst) of human behaviour. The curtains are pulled back and people all get just a little bit more real this time of year. Everything moves at such a rapid pace, we’re busy and overwhelmed and disconnected. We spend more time staring at screens than we do staring at real people. It’s becoming epidemic, this constant need to be chatting or texting or messaging on social networking platforms. I’ve seen people stand in line at a checkout talking on their phone the entire time, completely ignoring the check out person as if they weren’t even there. People chat and text while driving, parking, shopping, dining. When we’re so distracted by virtual reality, it’s easy to forget to practice the little common courtesies, but I believe these have the biggest impact. A door opened for a frazzled shopper, a smile and quick conversation with the cashier, an extra something in the tip for the waiter...it all has impact. I like to think these small kindnesses are like ripples on the water, as they push outward they get bigger turning into waves.

It’s easy to point to the grand gesture or write a big check at the holidays, but these small kindnesses are important too. In fact, these small kindnesses are becoming an endangered species and they matter immensely. If we can move outside of what I call our ‘me bubble’ and allow for the opportunity to connect with others, magical things happen for all of us.

I’m going to try to hold this in the front of my mind this holiday season as I move through the world outside of my little studio. I, too, am busy, distracted and disconnected. Random kindness and senseless acts of beauty are at the top of my agenda.

Whatever you celebrate this time of year, may it be merry and bright.

Love,

Madge

www.margotpotter.com

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter™

The Fine Art of Shameless Self Promotion e-book is getting rave reviews, do you have your copy yet? (http://www.margotpotter.com/products/the-fine-art-of-shameless-self-promotion)

                       Be Happy DIY Feather Ornament

Thank-you SO much Margot for your wonderful words and for dropping by!
Stop by Margot Potter's Blog today... not only is she talking about the Christmas Love Campaign, but she has a little gift for you too!
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Please take some time to check out Margot Potter’s Blog cause it really rocks!!!  And…. Margot has a new eBook out that is really super neat that you can check out HERE.

Remember to stop by the Christmas Love Campaign Facebook page to see all the amazing contests and give aways that are going on! If you haven’t already…come on over and join in the fun and help #craftuplove!!! The Next Designer Chat will be on December 14.

Have a super CREATIVE day!

hugs,

Susan

Happy Birthday SMS! 20 years of text messaging

The humble text message, which celebrates its 21st birthday on Sunday, is past its prime for the first time in history, as new figures show a declining trend of SMSing.
After having done everything from sealing multi-national deals to shattering lovelorn hearts during the last two decades, text messaging volumes have declined for the first time since their inception, a new report has found.
From a tiny start with the world's first message - the words "Merry Christmas" sent from a personal computer to a mobile phone - on December 3, 1992, the use of texts exploded after 1998 when the UK's four major mobile-phone companies introduced "pay-as-you-go".
Now four billion people around the globe use SMS - Short Message Service - to communicate with each other. But, for the first time since their inception, text messaging volumes have declined.
New figures from the media regulator Ofcom saw two quarterly declines - by over a billion - in the volume of SMS messages sent in the UK.
The volume of texts sent in Britain reached a peak of 39.7 billion at the end of last year, but have now dropped to 38.5 billion - the first recorded decline.
The pattern is similar in the US where volumes of texts have also dropped, according to a new report.
"For the first time in the history of mobile phones, SMS volumes are showing signs of decline," 'The Independent' quoted James Thickett, Ofcom's director of research, as saying.
"The availability of a wider range of communications tools, like instant messaging and social networking sites, means people might be sending fewer SMS messages, but they are communicating electronically more than ever before," Thickett said.
Technological change is now so rapid and so unpredictable that no one can say how we will be communicating in 20 years' time. However the SMS messages have been defining texts of the past two decades, the reports  said

Only Vimal no more; RIL selling textiles biz

Reliance Industries (RIL) has put the division on which its massive fortunes were built — the textiles business along with brand Vimal — on the block.
The brand became ubiquitous in the 1980s pitched by the catchy “Only Vimal” jingle, which resonated for years.
Industry sources said RIL has been on the lookout for buyers for the past three months and is not keen on continuing with the segment.

“The deal is being brokered by a European player. Digjam anda couple of other Gujarat-based players, could be potential buyers for this unit,” said an industry source who did not wish to be identified.
Two more industry sources confirmed the textile division- which includes the Vimal brand, has been on the block for the past three months. “The company is no more interested in this division; its contribution to the total turnover of RIL is very less. The deal may be nearing closure,” another source added.
A spokesperson for Reliance Industries refused to comment on the development. Concerned officials from Digjam Ltd could not be reached for immediate comment.
The various brands under the textile division which produces shirtings and suitings include- main brand Vimal and sub-brands like Vimal White, Vimal Black and Vimal Red.

Nostalgia-Part 1

As adults all of us still try to remember our nostalgic memories  such as the school we went to, the games we played, the friends we had. And Whenever we rememeber our childhood  we will be in different world of joy and happiness. So I am trying to share some of  'old time things' that we  saw/experienced in our nostalgic memories.


1. Charminar  Cigarettes

    
Vazir Sultan Tobacco was started by Mr. Late Vazir Sultan in 1916. He died in 1923.
During the rule of Mir Osman Ali Khan in Hyderabad State the Vazir Sultan Tobacco Company Limited was incorporated on 10 November 1930, under the Hyderabad Companies Act No.IV of 1320 Fasli and now governed under the Indian Companies Act 1956. The name of the Company was subsequently changed to VST Industries Limited on 30 April 1983. The VST has its registered office at Azamabad, Hyderabad, India.




2.Tape- Recorder
    This tape recorder was one of the pioneer models in India. This model was famous in  late seventies and early eighties in India

3. Phantom Comics
    Kids who were brought up during 70's would know this guy.

4.     Most of the Hyderabadis would  recognise these instantly. Do you ?

5. Do you remember our parents always used to play Vividha Bharathi and All India Radio programs on these

    
       

6. If you were a cricket fan during 70' and 80's , you would appreciate me. These were our time
    Super starts and World cup Winners

7. Allwyn :- This brand was more popular till 80's .It was a Hyderabadi' Brand.
Hyderabad Allwyn Limited was established in January 1942 as Allwyn Metal Works. It was started as joint venture of Industrial Development Trust of the Nizam's Hyderabad Government and M/s Alladin & Company . Hyderabad Allwyn Metal Works Limited used to assemble Albion CX9 buses for Hyderabad State Railways. The ballot boxes for first ever general elections in 1952 were made by Hyderabad Allwyn Metal Works. The first double-decker buses in Hyderabad were introduced in April 1963. These buses were designed by Hyderabad Allwyn Limited with APSRTC .
In 1969 due to inability of its management to run the company efficiently, it was taken over by State Government . However, by 1990s the performance of the company was very weak and by 1993 all its reserves were washed off. Hyderabad Allwyn become a company with negative net worth. . The company had three divisions, bus body building, watches & refrigerators. The refrigerators division was privatised in 1994 and handed over to Voltas.

  

8.   Begumpet Airport was established in the 1930s with formation of Hyderabad Aero Club. Initially it was used by Nizam of Hyderabad as domestic and international airport for The Nizam's Deccan Airways, one of the premier and the earliest airline in British India. The terminal building was created in 1937. A new terminal building came up on the south side in 1972 and later became the main airport. The older terminal hitherto was referred to as 'Old Airport' at Begumpet. The new terminal building consisted of two check-in terminals; Rajiv Gandhi International and NTR National with a common arrival module

9. Binaca tooth paste:- It was renamed as Cibaca later on.                                                                  

10. Only Vimal :-                                                                                                                                   

BRAND VIMAL - The Onward Journey

VIMAL is an iconic brand for the past few decades, and is known as much for its product quality as for its innovative advertising. At core, the brand VIMAL stood for 'fashion for the young trendsetter'.

In keeping with today's youth and his expectations, the new brand VIMAL will be tuned to his needs and aspirations. It seeks to fulfill his requirements of fashion, styling and grooming in a relevant and modern way. The new VIMAL is perceived to be

• Trendy
• Young and Contemporary
• Charged and Energetic

11.Indian Postal covers

12. Lambretta

 

 13.Atlas Cycle

14. Bajaj Chetak:- Hamara Bajaj

15.Camlin Compass box

16. Cinkara:- do you remember this Ad

17. Dyanora TV:- our first black and white TV

 18. Luna: Chel meri Luna

19. Nirma:-

20. Vimal washing powder

21.Balms

22. Liril soap

23. Feat our first car

24. Ambassador

25. Tortoise mosquito coil

26.Paramapada Sopanapatam

27. NP Bubble gum

28.Vamana Gunthalu

29.Sapat Malam

30. Siddhartha Basu who use to conduct Quiz in Doordarshan

Indians in national anthem record

More than 100,000 Indians have sung the national anthem together in an attempt to break a world record which is currently held by Pakistan.

Residents of Kanpur city gathered at a stadium to sing the anthem on Sunday in the presence of representatives from Guinness World Records.
One of the representatives confirmed the size of the gathering.
In October, Pakistan set the world record when 44,200 people sang the national anthem together in Lahore.
A 14-member team from the Guinness World Records equipped with video cameras recorded the event at Kanpur's Green Park stadium, Rajesh Mehra, one of the representatives, told the BBC.
"It was a gathering of over 100,000 people. We will submit our report to the Guinness World Records in a week and then they will formally make it public," he said.
One of the event organisers Sumit Makhija said over 125,000 people eventually turned up to sing the anthem together - each participant wore a wrist band.
A local citizens' group organised road shows and public meetings and visited schools and colleges to generate interest in the event. They also reached out through social networking sites and mobile phones.
"We'd set a target of 100,000 people to break the Pakistan's world record but when over 125,000 people gathered we were forced to end the programme soon after the singing of the national anthem to avoid a stampede", he said.
Rajesh Chandra, one of the participants at the event, said: "It was a proud moment for me to participate, beat Pakistan and set a world record".
In October, Pakistan broke a previous record held by India when 15,243 people had gathered in Aurangabad in Maharashtra state to sing the national anthem together.

Wrap it Up–Christmas Love Campaign Challenge

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but a beautiful bow always excites me rather on a wrapped package or even a holiday gift bag.   How about one on a card?
Let’s give a fun challenge this week and you will be entered to win a FREE copy of Project Dig Deep Ebook by Becky Higgins with Big Picture Scrapbooking.  

• make any card with a BOW!
• don’t forget the envelope.  It’s all in the packaging, right?  Give the envelope any personalization or custom make an envelope.
• take pictures of your card and envelope
• give your card away to someone (try a random stranger in the grocery market or workplace this time)
• Share your project with us and tell us who or where you gave your card away on the Christmas Love Campaign Facebook Page
• come back to this post and leave a comment with a copy of the link to your post on our Christmas Love Campaign Facebook Page

Winner will be chosen from the comments left on this post that meet this challenge by 12/15/2012 and announced on 12/16/2012!  

DIY | The Fast Forward Clutch / VHS Video Clutch

For this project you’ll need to take a trip to a hardware store and your mom’s attic.
I actually made this DIY specially for Nastygal.com, they came up with the idea to name it 'the fast forward clutch', it was just too good not to share here too!

Materials:
• Two VHS video cases (I used frosted ones, one bigger than the other)
• A pair of tiny bolts and nuts
• Drill
• Copper parts used to attach pipes to a wall
• A strap from one of your other bags

Step One: Start off by ripping the plastic from the video cases. (Now you can check that off your list of things you always wanted to do but weren’t allowed to when you were a kid.)
Step Two: Drill two holes in the middle of the two cases with a small metal drill. Also decide where you want to place the straps and drill holes to attach the copper hardware.
Step Three: Screw on all the hardware; attach the two videotape cases together with two bolts in the middle, and add the rose gold copper parts on the sides.
Step Four: Add a bag strap with clasps or sew on your own.

LIFE | 3 Blogs You Must Check Out

images on the wall from: Pull Teeth, We have no style, Annaleenas hem
Here’s a little blog love. I think everyone already knows the big guns among blogs, so I'd like to do a shootout to 3 gems that you might not know yet. So go on, give them some love and add them to your reading list.

1. follow We Have No Style by Iris and Daniel
One of the few truly authentic things left on the internet. A blog of two friends who document their style with posts that look like editorials, featuring matching outfits and beautiful collages. There is no other blog that comes close to being similar to Iris' and Daniel's one. I seriously do not understand why these two don't have thousands of followers yet.

2. follow Pull Teeth
Andrew Chipman, the boy behind Pull Teeth must be my favorite male blogger. Besides his blog he is also an online editor over at MTV Canada. Andrew has a sick skill to put together vintage with new, outrageous prints with minimal pieces, masculine clothes and skirt (yes skirts) and make it look completely amazing. (He already knows that I really wish he would update more often!)

3. follow Annaleenas Hem
Annaleena is an interior stylist and product designer from Sweden. Her blog is quite well known among interior design blogs, but I'd also like to introduce it to you fashion blog readers. As she is into a different field than fashion, it is very inspiring for me to look at her different points of view and the moods she creates on her blog. The funny thing is; same goes for her with Love Aesthetics!

SO MUCH Going ON……Winners, Colors, Contests…

 

{cOlOrEd IcE} VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

So why the pictures of my colored ice….. well, I was putting this blog post together and my face is SO swollen from a little big of surgery that I had to have yesterday. When I came across these pictures that I took last winter… well, they looked SO inviting and refreshing and colorful…so I had to share them again!!! Which leads me to … COLOR! I LOVE color and PANTONE just announced … Drum roll please….

 

What do you think of the color of the year?

Personally I think it is getting us back to those earthy tones that were popular in the late 70’s – early 80’s. I remember my mom always buying fabrics in warm earth tones and matching tweeds. I would complain because she would lovingly sew me slacks that would itch me something terrible. Oh children sometimes! I really do love the color though. Very inviting!

Down to Business

Tags of Love Contest Winner

Thank-you to everyone who took the time to be part of this fun Christmas Love Campaign contest. The winner is Linzie Head. Congratulations Linzie please email me at susiebeestudios@gmail.com.

Linzie made these cute tags! Aren’t they wonderful!

To see Rhonna Farrer’s winner please go and check out Rhonna’s wonderful blog HERE. Thank-you Rhonna for letting us be part of the fun!

Get READY for the NEXT Christmas Love Contest!!!

SO….. Here again are the Links for FACEBOOK.

              

So have fun! And do something nice for that friend that is so AWESOME and always does something nice for someone else! Can’t wait to hear the stories!

Have a wonderful day!

hugs,

Susan