Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Blogging Again

It has been four years since I last posted a blog, but with 2015 in sight the prospect of what it might bring inspires me to pick up all the projects I had dropped over the years; blogging included. There has been a lot happening in the country and worldwide at all levels that would make for great stories.
A video clip showing a house-help torturing a toddler in the Kampala surburb of Naalya has gone viral on social media and the house-help has been apprehended and remanded at Luzira Prison. The video is very difficult to watch and has created a buzz through out the city, with parents feeling rattled and concerned about the safety of the young children they leave with house-helps who for the most part are total strangers. The story serves as a warning to parents and guardians to take the utmost care in thoroughly investigating the domestic staff they hire, as many seem to be chosen haphazardly and sometimes in haste. As more mothers are working outside the home, house-helps are sourced to not only look after the children but to do the house chores as well. This has created many challenges for the working mothers as it is increasingly difficult to find a house-help who can be trusted and who can stay on the job for even three months.
The child torture story has started extensive dialogue on how the house-helps can be verified before being employed in the homes, and we will continue to watch the space to see what interventions the concerned legislators will develop. 

Friday, March 12, 2010

March purple page

In the March purple page, I write about the possibility of making your wedding bouquet as a way of cutting down on costs. Of course this would only work for the creative, do-it-yourself bride, who would be willing to investigate and experiment with flowers, ribbon and bouquets handles. More information and ideas on bouquet making ideas can be found on: http://www.save-on-crafts.com

The project would have to be taken on with a friend or a sibling so that they can make the bouquets on the wedding day. It would not only be about saving money but also about learning a new art and about developing personal creativity; something that we don't have much time for because of our busy schedules.  

Making a Victorian wedding posy from eighty roses would cost as little as 17.000= Ugshs (USD 8.5), the roses would cost 10.000= the gysophyllia about 2.000=  from Harver Florists on Sure House. The  bouquet handle would cost 5.000= from Decor Plus on Uganda House. In making your wedding posy, you would save at least 13.000= Ugshs on each bouquet for the bridesmaids since many decorators charge about 30.000= for each posy.



Friday, February 26, 2010

Networking

The last few days have been rather busy as I have had some contact with business owners who came across purple weddings after the distribution of the purple page. I have since met a decorator, a chocolate artist and an owner of a beach. All of them asking if I could help them market their businesses and recommend them to the brides I am working with. 

I have also had more contact from potential clients who have been impressed by the website and the blog. So the last few days have been spent in alot of networking efforts as you never where each contact will lead you. This has been emphasized over and over in business workshops - networking, networking and more networking is very important for a successful business.

Monday, February 15, 2010

The purple page

Publishing the purple page has been my occupation for the last week. The purple page is our monthly newsletter. It has a feature article, vendor reviews and advertisements. It has been very busy, as I had to write the articles and find the right people to the production.

The feature article for February 2010 is about having a one-stop wedding ceremony and reception at home. This could be a residential location that would preferably be offered by a family member, relative or friend. This concept is not yet common in Uganda, but can be very beautiful and cheaper. The newsletter also has six vendor reviews focusing on wedding stationers.

Distributing the copies at key super-markets in Ntinda Kampala, was a success, and I have already had a meeting with a business owner that has been very eye opening.

A link to the newsletter will be placed on the blog in due course.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Op maat gemaakte trouwjurk

Na een trouwjurk gemaakt in Kampala is niet erg gebruikelijk, omdat de meeste bruiden een zal huren van de talrijke bruids boetieks die nu heel gewoon. Het nadeel van een gehuurde jurk is dat veel andere bruiden zullen hebben het al gedragen en het niet hebben dat nieuwe gevoel dat sommige mensen willen. Een aantal meisjes kunnen niet tegen de gedachte van een oude trouwjurk en dus zal opteren voor een nieuwe.

Met het oog op een nieuwe bruidsjurk dragen, de bruid Kampala heeft twee opties, is een aan een nieuwe jurk te kopen, die besteld kunnen worden door het aantal bruids winkels en twee, naar een trouwjurk gemaakt van nul hebben. Het is over het algemeen goedkoper om een nieuwe jurk orde dan een te maken, maar er zijn enkele kleermakers die kunnen mooie bruidsjurken te maken aan de goedkoopste prijs van ongeveer 250 dollar. Het merendeel van de kleermakers hebben een startprijs van ongeveer 500 dollar, de prijs is afhankelijk van het type en de mode-ontwerp van de trouwjurk, de kosten van de benodigde stof, de locatie van de kleermaker en zo verder.

Hoewel duurder, zijn trouwjurk stoffen voorradig door een aantal weefsel winkels in Kampala. Its all about de bruid en wat ze wil ......

Making a Wedding Dress

Having a wedding dress made in Kampala is not very common, as most brides will hire one from the numerous bridal boutiques that are now very common. The downside of a hired gown is that many other brides will have worn it already  and it does not have that brand new feel that some people like. A number of girls cannot stand the thought of an old wedding dress and so will opt for a new one.

In order to wear a new wedding dress, the Kampala bride has two options, one is to buy a new gown, that can be ordered by the some bridal shops and two, to have a wedding dress made from scratch. It is generally cheaper to order a new gown than to make one, however there are some tailors who can make beautiful wedding gowns at the cheapest price of about 250 US dollars. Most of the tailors have a starting price of about 500 US dollars, the price depends on the type and fashion design of the wedding dress, the costs of the fabric required, the location of the tailor and so on. 

Though expensive, wedding dress fabrics are stocked by a number of fabric shops in Kampala. Its all about the bride and what she wants......

Below are pictures of bridal lace and bridal satin that is available in some of the Kampala fabric shops.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Kampala Heat

The last few days have been terribly hot in Kampala, rendering every activity so tiresome.
It is common to see people wiping sweat at every turn.
The bottled water and juices companies must be making a fortune. It is such a contrast from the December weather that was tending to cold and rainy. So usual!