STILLCARVINGS STUMP #1 Sneak Peek: The Kalahari Necklace

Will officially be out in September!

#stillcarvings update!

Sneak Peeks will follow in due time (I'm guessing one will happen really soon!)

InsyAllah.

So happy to get everyone's support so far. 

The art of good intentions

People need to realise that when they want things to happen their way they have to bear in their hearts the purest of intentions. It mustn't be something that may hurt somebody's trust and feelings and especially not so that the pursuer may gain the most than the other. When you do something, you need to first set up the right niat. You have to think about the repercussion of what may happen if you do things with the wrong intentions. Like you intend it to be something in front of someone but in fact in your head it is for a different intention altogether. That's just wrong.

Think about what might happen if you start doing things with the wrong intentions. I don't know what might happen but things might take a 360 degrees turn and go the wrong way. It'll be the complete opposite of how you want things to happen. Say you want to donate to a charity, but if your intention to donate is so that you may be praised by others, that is already wrong. You need to do things correctly in order for things to go your way. Correct intentions - correct niat - pure heart - Allah's blessing. In abundance. Don't you see how beautiful this is? You'll be rewarded with the best of things when you do things correctly. Sure, there will be a certain people that may say that they have been doing things with the right intentions but they have been struck by the worst of lucks of late! Well, one things for sure is that Allah will not test you with something out of your capability. If you see yourself stuck in a rut in faced with a huge predicament that hurts you all the time, first you have to think about the bad things you have done that may have angered Allah. Then, you correct the wrongs. Don't come to me crying and saying that you have not had the best of lucks with things although you have tried so many times, when I see is that you are not trying at all but just sitting there like a spoilt brat just whinging and thumping your feet on the floor.

Not only is that NOT cool. You look immature. And also, you would not look like you have submitted to the creators test upon you. It would look like you are actually angry at Him for giving you such mishap. That is not the way.

Treat people nicely. Especially your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your neighbours, your friends and everyone else around you. Treat them how you want to be treated. Don't ever boss people around when they have been nothing but nice to you for when you have set your niat on something in the first place, but then you changed it out of greed, you will be pushed to the direction where the cliff is and it will be only about time for you to jump off and just stop existing. It wouldn't matter where you've stopped existing but the worst place to do that is in the hearts of people whom you used to know and treated wrongly.

Positive relationships with people will be what will help you gain a lot of deeds in return. Do not deliberately hurt somebody just because you're angry at yourself. If you feel that you are a disappointment so be it. As long as you realise it and try to correct your ways so that you will rise up in the end and bigger the person most seek after and admired by others. When you treat people wrongly, no matter how great you feel about yourself or how slick you are, you will be the most petty and the smallest person. You must make people love you for who you are and not because of your fame and to begin with that isn't the best thing to chase after. Ever heard of the term loving somebody for the sake of Allah? Yes, that will be the best thing a person can be or do.

Material things, greed and impatience are not the things that will make you be favored by others. Your good intentions and the way you treat people are.

The art of doing things with good intentions

People need to realise that when they want things to happen their way they have to bear in their hearts the purest of intentions. It mustn't be something that may hurt somebody's trust and feelings and especially not so that the pursuer may gain the most than the other. When you do something, you need to first set up the right niat. You have to think about the repercussion of what may happen if you do things with the wrong intentions. Like you intend it to be something in front of someone but in fact in your head it is for a different intention altogether. That's just wrong. 

Think about what might happen if you start doing things with the wrong intentions. I don't know what might happen but things might take a 360 degrees turn and go the wrong way. It'll be the complete opposite of how you want things to happen. Say you want to donate to a charity, but if your intention to donate is so that you may be praised by others, that is already wrong. You need to do things correctly in order for things to go your way. Correct intentions - correct niat - pure heart - Allah's blessing. In abundance. Don't you see how beautiful this is? You'll be rewarded with the best of things when you do things correctly. Sure, there will be a certain people that may say that they have been doing things with the right intentions but they have been struck by the worst of lucks of late! Well, one things for sure is that Allah will not test you with something out of your capability. If you see yourself stuck in a rut in faced with a huge predicament that hurts you all the time, first you have to think about the bad things you have done that may have angered Allah. Then, you correct the wrongs. Don't come to me crying and saying that you have not had the best of lucks with things although you have tried so many times, when I see is that you are not trying at all but just sitting there like a spoilt brat just whinging and thumping your feet on the floor. 

Not only is that NOT cool. You look immature. And also, you would not look like you have submitted to the creators test upon you. It would look like you are actually angry at Him for giving you such mishap. That is not the way.

Treat people nicely. Especially your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your neighbours, your friends and everyone else around you. Treat them how you want to be treated. Don't ever boss people around when they have been nothing but nice to you for when you have set your niat on something in the first place, but then you changed it out of greed, you will be pushed to the direction where the cliff is and it will be only about time for you to jump off and just stop existing. It wouldn't matter where you've stopped existing but the worst place to do that is in the hearts of people whom you used to know and treated wrongly. 

Positive relationships with people will be what will help you gain a lot of deeds in return. Do not deliberately hurt somebody just because you're angry at yourself. If you feel that you are a disappointment so be it. As long as you realise it and try to correct your ways so that you will rise up in the end and bigger the person most seek after and admired by others. When you treat people wrongly, no matter how great you feel about yourself or how slick you are, you will be the most petty and the smallest person. You must make people love you for who you are and not because of your fame and to begin with that isn't the best thing to chase after. Ever heard of the term loving somebody for the sake of Allah? Yes, that will be the best thing a person can be or do.

Material things, greed and impatience are not the things that will make you be favored by others. Your good intentions and the way you treat people are.

Ramadan Kareem!

Assalammualaikum lovelies, How's your Ramadan so far?
Alhamdulillah, if you're reading this you have been given another opportunity to experience the spark of life and the light of the holy month. Nothing feels better than being able to wake up for sahur, pray fajr and breathing, just breathing and taking it all in that Allah has given us this day to experience yet another gift from Him.
Brunei is still mourning for the lives of those who left us just before the first of Ramadan in the helicopter crash in Rampayoh, Labi. Even now when I think about it my heart gets wrenched into the most grievous of state. Many families lost their loved ones. Children lost their parents. Wives lost their husbands. Siblings lost brothers and sisters. And parents lost their children. What's more devastating is knowing some of these people be it mutually or closely. 
If you watched the video before reading this, I hope you stopped for a while to think about how death can take us away from this life with the blink of an eye. It is inevitable. You cannot escape it. You have no choice. We all will die some time in life and we don't know when. Yet some of us choose to be oblivious and think that we are invincible. We are not. 
I don't really care if you are a seasonal muslim or not, but I hope that the recent happening has given you the realisation that nothing is permanent. Only Allah is. He giveth and he taketh. Some of us, sometimes, are just so caught in the worldly matters that we choose to disconnect ourselves from the Creator but what for? Are you just so arrogant that you turn away from the Lord? Are you just so cocky that you think you were the only one responsible for the wealth you have gleaned? If you read Surah Al-Kahf, there is an excerpt there about this. About how human is so immersed in greed that they think they are the ones who are responsible for their on wealth and not Allah. "It was me who worked hard enough to be this rich," some would say. What they don't realise is that it is Allah that granted you all those wealth because He has tested you during your hardship and you prevailed. Yet you forgot once your bank account flowed like water. Astaghfirullahalazim.
Believe me. I am guilty of this too. But I do hope that I can be a better Muslimah. I want to be. Especially once I'm married and have children. I want to be the best example for my children, and to remind them about how this life is temporary and that you are responsible for your own fate by being pious to Allah the Almighty. 
We forget often. Especially when our lives turn around from bad to good.
And we also forget that we cannot escape death.
However, I must say that for those soldiers whose lives were taken in the crash, alhamdulillah for the blessings. First, they passed away on a Friday. Second, they passed away while they were on duty. They have been taken in as Syahids. They served our country and now their legacy remain as sweet memories in the hearts and minds of those who were dear to them.
Remember guys, Ramadan is the month of blessing. The gates of Hell are closed and the gates of Heaven are opened. If you take this opportunity to kneel and pray to the Lord, insyAllah your wishes will be granted by Him. It does not hurt to try. What is an extra bit of effort? Take this opportunity to get closer to Allah, read His book and learn the words. Shaitans are chained up, so this is your time to race towards Allah's mercy. InsyAllah when Ramadan is over, your knowledge about your beliefs and your own self will get much better and you will be a better Muslim. InsyAllah. There is no hurt in trying. It is the regret of not trying that will hurt you in the future, when it is already too late.
Lastly, let us all take this opportunity to recite the Surah Al-Fatihah for those who left us, be it recently or a long time ago. 

Beautiful Faith Anniversary

Assalammualaikum all,

Since STILLCARVINGS is on a break, Beautiful Faith will be taking over from 1st Ramadan on. It's so sad it had to fall tomorrow though, but it's OK, it gives me plenty of time to apologize to those I have hurt.

Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me another chance to live to see this new Ramadan. I have a feeling that it will be the most beautiful Ramadan. InsyAllah, with good intentions, Allah will make it an easy month for me, especially at work. As per family, I am quite glad that this year I get to share it with my fiance as he was still away last year completing his studies. Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed us with so much.

To my readers, may this Ramadan bring us a lot of energy to do good deeds. May Allah bless us all with his divine grace and may He show us His hidayah towards the righteous path. I would also like to use this opportunity to apologize to you all for any wrongdoings whether intentionally or otherwise.

To my readers who are also my friends that I will not be seeing anytime soon, please accept my humble apology if I have ever hurt your feelings with my actions or my words.

Beautiful Faith started last Ramadan. It has now been one year since. Islam really is beautiful and I'd like to get to know it much better this time. InsyAllah.

Thank you so much, Allah.

A stillcarvings Exclusive

Hello my lovelies!

The stillcarvings exclusive is yet again on display! Thank you ever so much to those who has gone the extra mile to get our first release of the Dreamcatcher Bracelets. 

Yes, if you realise, the bracelets are made big enough so that they can double as anklets as well so those who got them are extra lucky!

Aaandd it is already the 17th of July so stillcarvings is officially on a break! Of course I am still waiting for more pictures of people wearing the Dreamcatchers because it is the love but as for now I ain't takin nemore orders and/or requests. I is tired and re-opening in September leaves me plenty of time to recover, rest and most importantly concentrate on Ramadhan, insyAllah.

Anyhoo, thanks again and may the fasting month bring you a lot of rizq and energy to abstain from food and all the other things that make you human. May Allah bless you all with His mighty grace. Amin.

p/s You may have realised that I have been using stillcarvings which previously was Still Carvings. Reason being that I have registered and was adviced to "stillcarvings" it rather than Still Carvings (which I prefer actually, seeing how cool that actually is) by the Ministry of Finance. So yeay to the cool government and yeay to STILLCARVINGS! 

Lovely.

Received our Dragonflies today. 

I love them to bits :)

AND also thank you ever so much to those who went the extra mile of scouring through time to get the Dreamcatcher Bracelets. I have sent them out to be delivered today and some I have personally delivered. Biggest gratitude to those who has neverending-ly supported STILLCARVINGS. You are all so lovely. 

So, in light of that. I am very much expecting for pictures of your wrists/ankles wearing them Dreamcatchers. You hear? Thank you =)

Get ready for September!

P/s. In the picture my sister and I are both wearing STILLCARVINGS creations - Shine and Weave&Chain. 

LOL! Just realised that freckles and unhidden arm mane are quite obvious. Oh, iphone, you boggle my mind so.

Dreamcatcher Bracelets time!!

Assalam All!

Are you ready?

OK. Here's what you have to do. It's 12noon and it's time for your to book for your Dreamcatcher Bracelets.

When you've done that, I'd like to get your e-mail addresses so I can email you and tell you that you have been very lucky to get the bracelets from us. Easy right?

Well I hope there aren't too much traffic. But insyAllah you'll all get something =D

Great News!!!

*click for larger image*

Hey All!
My sister and I are joining powers (LOL!) If you are familiar with her Instagram account, she has been selling those real rad dreamcatchers that usually sell for hundreds in the shops!

This time around we are selling my bracelets and her dreamcatchers. Together. Hence, we have produced the Dreamcatcher Bracelets.

The Dreamcatchers take quite some time to make and they are not easy. So we have decided to give it a test run by making five bracelets first. If there are a lot of demands for it we will be making more and more and MORE!

The bracelets will be incorporated with the STILLCARVINGS Tribal Braid to give them a more authentic Red Indian slash Native American feel. What's not to like? All I can say is that they will be colourful and eye-catching. They will definitely become your wardrobe staple!

If you're not familiar with the cultural connotation of the dreamcatcher, you may click HERE for a little bit of fun read and links to more stories about the dreamcatchers.

So how to get them?
OK. At 12noon this Wednesday, 11 July 2012, I will be releasing all five Dreamcatcher Bracelets in this blog. I will post them so that they'll have individual comment fields. So all you have to do is type BOOK under the pictures. If you're in luck you'll be the first people to get them. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the next batch - which will be in September =)

May luck ever be in your favour! Thank you for always supporting STILLCARVINGS! Come September there will be more surprises at store for everyone!

Ciao!

A stillcarvings Exclusive

Nothing I like better than seeing my creations on the arms of others. I think I might have a little fetish for beautifully candied arms hence why this is the awesomest display of stillcarvings collections so far (OK, I am not taking extra credit because there are bracelets that aren't mine but they go along well with each other right so I'm just gonna talk about them as if they're mine too =p)

Thank you, Miss RR *identity a little secret due to extravagant awesomeness so as to avoid from being chased on the streets - but not so secret when you're on my Facebook* for your recent purchase! Seen on her arm are the Tribal Braids (custom made for her), the Still Hex Macrame and a Weave&Chain bracelet.

I had extra fun making the bracelets because they're so colourful and very pretty! I was just staring at them after they were complete and I couldn't help but think how these are the best Tribal Braids I've made so far. Hmm, this is getting a little bit obsessive and overly exaggerated but you know you have got to admit that they are very very nice.

You have 6 days left to place your orders for any of the bracelets by stillcarvings. Til then, if you find yourself keen to get anything from me do let me know at nisa202@gmail.com and I will try to assist you best I can. Just to inform you that we are not producing anymore Still Hex at the moment - production will commence in September but I will not be taking anymore custom orders; WYSIWYG kind of thing. Will talk about this in another post!

Til then.

Ciao!!

STILLCARVINGS WILL BE ON LEAVE

Assalammualaikum all,

I think everyone's been hearing how tired I am and how I have no time for myself and people around me now that STILLCARVINGS has been moving on accelerated speed. It feels like this ride I'm on keeps on adding its gear and frankly, I can only go until 5 (like normal people LOL!). 

So it has been decided that STILLCARVINGS will be on leave from 15 July 2012 until Hari Raya ends. I would like to apologize for any unanswered emails and requests prior to this date. I am in real need for a break! I actually need to get my wrist checked as I've incurred some kind of injury whilst braiding, hooking, bending strings, beads and other sorts of embellishments. It's a shame, I know. This decision is tough, but I think it is best that it's decided now than later (when regret is outnumbered by the many "I told you so!" comments). 

I will miss my babies for sure. Rest assured they will be safely tucked inside my box of treasures under a shady place where memories will take place. Come September I will be back with fresher ideas, designs and MORE materials to work with. For now, career, family and life come first.

Ramadhan is near. So long STILLCARVINGS and enter BEAUTIFUL FAITH =)

Jazakallah khairan for your neverending support. Will be sharing articles and ilmu for the blessed fasting month. May this coming Ramadhan be fruitful for all of us. Amin.

Xoxo

A Still Carvings Milestone

It was the best way to celebrate the end of June.

Still Carvings got invited to the first ever MiaMia StyleStudio Talk Show last night. It is also a first for Still Carvings so alhamdulillah I thank Allah for crossing my path with Mia's and to her for thinking of me for her first ever show! It was a fun and intimate set which made it easy for us to mingle and talk to each other.

The highlight of the show was probably our date with Putri Norizah. She is sooo pretty! I just could not take my eyes off of her! And her journey is very inspiring too. I just simply LOVE how she is so hardworking and despite all that can still look very fresh and unique!

I, on the other hand, am in dire need of a full-stretched rest. June was rough for me at work. I am hoping for a quiet July. Happy new month people! Many hugs from Still Carvings xoxo

Still Carvings Journey - Delhi, India

Alhamdulillah. Another Still Carvings journey. So happy and proud to announce that the Weave&Chain Bracelet has found its way to Delhi, India, in the hands of my dear friend, Dee! I am so happy because that was one of my favourite personalised creations.

Thank you so much for your support my darling. It is such an honour to fly my little baby. At least if I can't go there yet, a part of me is. Which means, this has gotten me a step closer to India. YES!!!