UPDATE ON SMHENNADESIGNS!

I have made several changes to SMhennadesigns in the past few weeks and i'm excited to share! 

First, I would like to share a few words. I'm not very good at writing about myself but feel like its important for me to express myself. For as long as I can remember, I envisioned having a well settled business doing something I LOVE, something that I always have been passionate about, something that would always take my mind off of things. That is of course, Henna (well, one of the things, at least).  For those that don't know already, I have never taken any sorts of classes to learn Henna. I was self taught, and used my friends/family as canvases for my art.  

I dream of being the next Ash Kumar, or the next Paval Ahluvalia (SUCCESS WISE). I want to someday share my knowledge and secrets of my success (When I do get there).  I want for people to see my art, and recognize it. I want to inspire and be inspired by everyone I come across. Slowly, BUT surely I will get there one day. I have learned to believe in myself, and in my skills.  I have learned that I am a lot closer to reaching my goal, than I was yesterday. I have learned to never give up.  

There were/are many people who tried to bring me down in the past, but that gives me a better reason to keep going. Not only to prove them wrong, but to prove myself right. Luckily, Alhamdulilah I have many people who support me now and the number one are my parents! I would never, ever, ever be where I am today if it weren't for their love and support. and I still have a long way to go, InshAllah 

I am happy that they don't push me to only focus on my Nursing career, but that they have an open mind to my Henna business as well (and all the other crazy things I come up with). I am also happy that I DO have some close friends/loved ones who support me with even the tiniest things. That really means a lot because that is what keeps me going!  There have been many times when I felt overwhelmed with my job, Nursing career, personal life and my business. I would tell myself, that is it! I can't do this anymore (YIKES! that doesn't seem like an option at the moment, no no no!) Alhamdulilah, every single time I feel that way, something good always comes my way. I believe that my passion will lead to persistence and success! and that ONE day, I will reach my goals.

Ok, I am done, I think =) 

As for the update, here it goes. Please let me know what you think: 

                                                               Big Banner:

Flyers:

New Business Cards:

Sorry for the poor quality pic! will post GOOD pics of it once they are printed!

So, I was extremely bored of my previous design, and all the other templates from the website I was using (Vistaprint). I decided to create my own design, from scratch. Something that was original and something that I can live with! Hence, I created the floral boarder, which I used for everything above and designed it to my taste. I wanted something very simple, yet professional. Something that reflected my work and taste. Of course there had to be the color purple involved, because everyone knows my obsession with the color (:

Feel free to let me know what you think. Any suggestions, comments, questions are appreciated 

I came across a post on facebook about a craft event in the city. I checked it out, visited the site, facebook page and really liked what I came across. I was so inspired and excited by it and found such great crafts to collaborate with my own crafty side. So I decided to attend. It's something I wanted to do for ME. Something I always wanted to take time out for but never really got the chance to. And so I went. At first I was a bit hesitant, since I walked in there by myself but as I looked around I became more comfortable because of the setting and the crafty people! The place was called LOVE SHINE (http://www.loveshinenyc.com/servlet/StoreFront)  and the amazing event was The Crafty Chica's visit to NYC (check out her site:http://www.craftychica.com/) . There was great live music, cupcakes and crafts!! whats not to like. I was so ecstatic to meet her because I was already so inspired by her work. It just gave me reassurance and opened up my mind to so many possibilities. I would love to make art my full time job, because I love it passionately, more than most of you may know.  If I could do something I love, AND make money doing it, this is one of the things I would do. 

Since then, I gave myself a little push with my Henna business. Although I work a full time job, am still continuing my education, I always make time for my art. I have to, for me.  I hope to one day be an inspiration to someone, anyone. Whether they be right down the corner from me, or from across the globe. I want to touch someones life, and one way is through art. I want people to remember me, know me and my work. I want them to see how much of my passion is put into it and I know one day, I will get there. InshAllah. Until then, I will keep climbing the ladder until I reach to the top.

For now, that is all. and I haven't blogged for a WHILE, I know. It's something I did for me, whether someone read it or not.  but I'm back and want/need to share my thoughts!

Ban on sugary drinks, Hell yes!

So I was extremely excited to read in the paper this morning about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to ban large size sugary drinks in their ambitious effort to combat raising obesity! The ban is to take place by next March and it would affect restaurants, delis, movie theaters, and bodegas. This wouldn't apply to grocery, drug or convenience stores. 


According to metro NY- not all soda and sweet drinks would fall under this ban. The list of drinks that fall under the proposed ban are:

• Coke
• Pepsi
• Sprite, etc
• sweetened cofee or tea
• energy drinks(ex redbull)

The 16 o.z. drinks that do not fall under the proposed ban are:

• diet soda
• milkshakes and other dairy based drinks
• alcoholic beverages
• lattes
• cappuccinos
• fruit juices (with at least 70% real juice)

I think this is a great start! When people are forced to buy smaller drinks, for example-they're not gonna carry 2 16 o.z. bottles to the theater. That is the goal, but obviously people make their own choices and those that are addicted to soda and other sugary drinks will do what they have to do.  Our society needs to start somewhere due to the rise in obesity, and in the future years I hope for this 'drug' to decrease its addicts!

I feel extremely good about crafting! Doing my Henna to be exact (Or photography, and all the other crafty things I love). It honestly makes me feel SO good and I definitely see it getting somewhere in the near future. I just wish I focused more on it before but I had a lot to accomplish then. I guess it is all happening when its the right time! I don't know if it might seem weird, but deep down I feel so passionate about these things. I hope the passion shows in my work because every single piece I do, I make sure it satisfies ME 100% first.  If it touches my heart, then I feel good about passing it on to others (the things that I do sell).  If I had the money, I would definitely quit everything else and choose this as my career. With the nursing career I chose, I would like to try my best to squeeze the craft in somewhere. I refuse to leave it behind.


Here is an update of my new works =) 


Please give me some feedback, as it helps me decide which colors,designs,products are liked more! Thanks !! 


My new logo:

Weight loss goal

Lets see how many days it takes me to lose 15 lbs!
Day 1 of working out :


My, this is harder than I thought! Got one whole hour of exercise today nd I'm extremely exhausted.felt like my legs were gonna break. Hope to lose at least something by the end of next week :) can't wait to reach my weight goal of about 115 !


(I feel guilty cuz i'm eating a bag of chips while writing this :x lol need to work on my diet as well! only then will I be able to lose it) 

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


Sometimes you just need to appreciate yourself for all that you are inside AND out.   Self love is most important because it reflects how well you treat others.  If we feel good about ourselves, only then are we able to open heartedly accept others. There are enough critiques out there, for both women and men and we must not be one of them for ourselves.  Were always plagued about how a 'perfect' woman should be like, thin, tall, pretty,young etc. and how a 'perfect' man should be, tall, handsome,nice body, no bald spots, etc.  We need to let go of those stereotypes because no one is perfect nor will they ever be. There is always one flaw we can point out in ourselves only because of this "image" that society creates and our need to meet it. 


Give yourself a break! There is no need to please anyone but yourself. Get comfortable with WHO you are as a person. Set goals for yourself that you must meet in order to feel achievement. Lose a couple of pounds to maintain a healthy weight, NOT because people tell you that you need to lose it.   Do something nice for yourself, its ok to give yourself a treat whatever it may be.  Be kind to others and to yourself. Take responsibility of YOUR life, don't let others take it for you. You are more than capable enough to do so =) 


It seems a bit hypocritical of me to write this, because I judge myself a lot as well. BUT I thought i'd share my personal goals perhaps for some encouragement (for myself and YOU).  I always put others before me and I am conscious about what other people think (certain times, not all). 


What I would like to work on is my weight.  I was never self conscious about my weight, ever. but recently, this is one thing I have been wanting to do for myself. To get to my ideal weight 120lbs!  It would definitely help me love myself more, as well as boost my self esteem up!


How do you 'love yourself' ? I'd love to hear what you do to look/feel good about yourself. OR what your goals are to do so.

Follow up on my no soda diet: 


So the last time I had any soda in my system was this past Friday(3/30/12).  I had only 2 sips and I couldn't drink any more. It was extremely sweet and had a nasty taste. YES! I'm getting somewhere. I'm proud of myself because I used to drink it every single day and now I have withdrawals about once a month or so or the max twice! I've been drinking plenty of water, more than usual and of course my new fav drink, Vitamin Water! It tastes awesome and the labels are quite entertaining =)  My favorite flavors are dragonfruit, and the kiwi strawberry!

Spring 2012 Goals!

My goal for the next few weeks: 

• Organize a Henna Party! I'm deciding on a date to have a little henna picnic which will include henna, photo-shoots by me, and snacks! Deciding the location at the moment, most likely Central park or a park in New Jersey.  There will be a fee of only $5 per person to come to the picnic OR only $10 to get your henna and pictures.
• Focus on my Henna and Bangles page. This includes, coming up with new ideas to promote it, new items to put up, etc
• Work on some henna candle centerpieces for my friends baby shower
• Work on my website for the Henna page
• Have fun :D 

If anyone has any suggestions for a nice place (preferably somewhere with flowers and trees) Please do let me know as well as if you would like to be a part of the picnic!   

Giving up soda is not as easy as I thought! Since my journey to quitting soda began, this would be the first time I had a whole can of soda! I couldn't resist! You know when you have that one meal, that you cannot have without soda, because it just "tastes right" all together? lol yea, that was the case. but i'm not really too upset about it because I feel like i've made progress since then.  It helped me realize how nasty it is lol. Even though I was craving it, while I was drinking it I really tasted the difference. It was extremely sweet, made me gassy and gave me heartburn as usual when I used to drink it before. I'm happy to say that it will certainly be much easier to quit for good now, unless I have withdrawal symptoms again =) but I will try my best to substitute it with water or my new addiction, Vitamin Water !

Thirst quencher

I've been trying hard for the past few months to keep up with my health.  I've been starting with little things (like quitting soda from my diet, eating more veggies, and actually looking at food labels-something I NEVER EVER used to do before) 

One of the things I realized is that I barely drink water, I would go a few days without drinking even one glass because I never felt "thirsty". An average person should drink 8-10 fl oz. A DAY! The tiny 8 fl oz. (in the pic below) I would drink probably less than half of that a day :/

Water is essential for our good health and a prolonged absence of it can have profound effects over time. Some of them include weakening of the heart and shutting down of the kidneys.  Its a major component of blood and due to water loss from urination, perspiration, and stool, the body needs to be replenished daily to function at its best!

 I never noticed that all the minor issues I experienced (headaches, muscle weakness, nausea, dizziness) could be due to dehydration. So it became my goal to drink as much water as I can daily, I owe my body at least that! I'm happy to say that just yesterday I didn't realize how fast I had finished that little bottle, and was still thirsty (as opposed to before-when I would drink just a few sips and be fine) 

So this is another tiny goal I set for myself, and you can do it too!

Reaching small goals

We all have some bad habits that are hard to get rid of, soda is mine!  We've known for a while now that sugary drinks are extremely bad for you because of all the high fructose corn syrup and all the other crap that it has in it. I could never get myself to stop drinking it until a few weeks ago, finally!  

It started with my A&P2 class. We were discussing how diseases are growing rapidly and how the newer generations are growing sicker, and their bodies are basically getting destroyed quicker.  It all starts from our diet. I wont get into details because I can go on forever talking about how bad fast food is and how our society is driven by it. That's a blog for another day =) 

Anywho, my professor and classmates were talking about how much acidity soda has. Some students mentioned how in third world countries, people would use soda to clean out their cars, and pipes, etc. Some even said they tried pouring soda down the kitchen sink and saw how fast it got rid of the gooey gunk(that gets stuck). So of course I had to try it to believe it. and I did! I was disgusted and concerned at the same time. If soda can "clean" car and pipe junk, then I cant even imagine what it would be doing inside my own body! 

Just a thought: we would never drink/prefer hot soda because we can actually taste how damn sweet and nasty it is. Also, mostly all things that are not that good for you go on sale more often! why??!! Oh, you smart smart advertising agencies and media ! (especially targeting the youth and making it harder to keep them away, than in previous years!)

Well, i'm happy to say that this is one bad eating(drinking) habit i'm trying hard to get rid of! (promise, I only had a few sips just this Tuesday-after a whole 2 weeks since I started this). So i'm definitely proud of myself, because *whew* you might/might not know how hooked I was! 

On that note, just saying that we should be more aware of what we are consuming.  There's enough other things around us that are doing us harm. Start with something small, and work your way up. It makes a big difference!

Something to keep me busy!

Along with many of my other passions (photography, henna, sewing, painting, drawing, scrap-booking) , jewelry making is one of them! I keep jumping back and fourth from all of these and always love to stay busy. For as long as I can remember, I've been a crafty person. Sadly, I've been slacking due to my busy schedule and trying to focus a little more on my BSN. 

Although my career goals are heading towards the Medical field, I cant imagine myself doing JUST that.  My long term goals are to be an awesome photographer and henna artist  and to do it professionally for parties, weddings, etc. and also to open up a shop and teach people! It wouldn't be bad to make money along the way (: 

One of my resolutions for this year is to get back to crafting, and I've been doing a pretty good job so far! 

I can honestly admit, that after last night while making some of the bracelets below, I had such a GOOD sleep.  It really made me feel relaxed and more passionate about my work. 

P.S. Don't forget to check it out on fb: 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002444010201&ref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/smhennadesigns

So after months and months of debate, I finally made my first youtube video.. I was one of those people who said, "that will never be me, I don't wanna make a fool of myself"

Low and behold...here I am making it now lol.. I guess I got over the phase of caring too much about what other people think (well i got over it a WHILE ago) but finally grew the courage to make it.  My first video is just an introduction video, 25 random questions that I answered. My subsequent videos will be about facial cleansers/acne products I've used in the past, product reviews, how-to videos, my passion for photography and much more..

Stay tuned <3 

Here's the link: http://youtu.be/PccYcibaDq8

So, classes are starting again from tomorrow. Kinda have mixed feelings about it.  In a way, i'm glad this will be one more class out the way (for the pre-reqs for Nursing) and then I have just 2 left. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like i'm doing it for no reason, like what next? am I really gonna continue, cuz shit i'm tired!  I've been taking it slowly after my Bachelors (This past June) and deciding which way to head now.  I need to keep reminding myself what my priorities are, and why i'm doing what i'm doing. I've always been the one to push myself and that's one good quality i'd have to admit I have.  Been doing A lot of thinking lately, and just reminds me of how life is never the way u expect it to be. U plan one thing, but life has something completely different in store for you. Have you ever felt like you knew exactly what you were doing, but halfway there you felt completely lost? Share <3 

BRB....thoughts are pending =)