Chimanlals.

Chimanlals paper products in intricate Indian traditional motifs & in vibrant colours. They take inspiration from age old Indian textile designs like Ikat, Bandini, Block-printing, Warli etc. I love their wrapping papers, gift envelopes & wine bags.

Saif Ali Khan in Omkara.

Saif Ali Khan's performance in Omkara- The hindi adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello is said to be good. Till date he has played mostly the chocolate-hero roles. In Omkara he plays Langda Tyagi an outlaw. Will be interesting to see him in a new avataar.

Flurys.

On his recent visit to Kolkata, Srinivas came back with loads of nostalgia & bags of delicious goodies from Flurys - The oldest confectionary in Kolkata. Yum! Alsatian Pastry.

God - The designer.

The simple Radish. If we look around us we'll find amazing designs and patterns in nature. I think God is the coolest designer of all!

Angular Bowls & Glasses.

I just flipped for these bright coloured angular plastic glasses & bowls. Great for serving snacks and drinks & is low maintenance. You can find them at Westside stores. Bowls are Rs. 75 and the glasses Rs.39 each.

Azulejo Tiles.

Goa still reflects it's Portuguese past in different forms, whether it's their architectural styles or these amazing Azulejo Tiles. Last year we visited Velha Goa- Studio in Old Goa. The tradition of hand painted blue tiles continues even today.

Old Goa is full of these quaint houses where name plates & street names have Azulejo Tiles. Truely beautiful.

Tilework completed!

The tile-work in our service wash area got completed last week and I managed to mount these hand-made tiles I had picked up from a crafts fair. I now like the neat white look with yellow 4x4 tiles.

Talking about tiles, I plan to do something interesting with the Azulejo Tiles we picked up from Goa.

Atmosphere.

The new furnishing store in Bangalore. 'Atmosphere'. Here you can find furnishings in various designs ranging from indian motifs, geometrics, florals in blends of cotton, linen & polycotton.

Magppie.

I don't care too much for stainless steel products but these clean contemporary designs from Magppie just are too good to resist. Simple designs using porcelain & steel, I liked the TEBE mugs and the porcelain cup & server by Nicolas Nicolaou.

Hand towels from AWWA.

Simple white hand towels made interesting by this delicate touch of shadow-work embroidery.
Interesting find at AWWA ( Army Wives Welfare Association) Shop. Priced at Rs.110 each.

Rag Cloth Doormats.

I went to pick up some doormats yesterday. Found these multi-coloured 'Rag Cloth Doormats' for Rs.10 each.
Very colourful and very useful for the monsoons.

Good Earth.

Good Earth Verandah showcases interesting furniture, unusual lights & home decor accessories. I also dig these silk cushions in vibrant colours.

Vedic Cosmos.

Vedic Cosmos is the newly launched sub-brand of Nightingale. Lovely illustrations of God & Goddesses like Shiva, Ganesha & Lakshmi on their wide range of products like Diaries, Journals, Books & Stationary.

Cook in Colour.

Horchow's Kitchen Accessories surely would liven up the kitchen with their bright colours and patterns. Modern Flask $29.90, Wooden Scoops $20, Two-Slice Rainbow Toaster $69.

Beth Orduna.

I have this passion for silver jewelry. While going through Sundance Catalog, I came across the jewelry designed by Beth Orduna. What I liked was the simple twist of the metal. The pearl-silver combination always looks great.

The Captured Pearl Earrings - $198. The Boulevard Ring -$119.99

Jute Cottage.

Jute is Cute. Love this jute bag from Jute Cottage. The traditional motifs, the colours of these eco-friendly bags are lovely. Priced at Rs. 200 or $4.3 its a great buy.
You can also find wine bags, gift pouches, folders & files.

Rang Trivia.

Aamir Khan, one of my favourite actors has done two movies with the word 'Rang' in the title.
Rangeela (1995) & Rang De Basanti (2006)

A tribute to our national bird - Peacock.

CAC is celebrating monsoons this year with a 'Peacock Theme' in their home essentials & accessories range. Love the colour palette & contemporary motifs.

Just Blinds.

Earlier called Blind Love, now in a new avataar Just Blinds is a blinds boutique. They specialise in blinds made of fabrics and natural fibres. I just love these blinds.

Live life Kingstyle.

Zeba's Kourosh Collection.
Grand embroidery on silk, organza & velvet in rich colours of maroon, red and gold.

I love the detailed applique' work and gold embroidery on maroon and red silk.

Luxurious. That's Zeba.

Amrapali Jewels.

I just can't begin to describe these exquisitely handcrafted silver jewelry from Amprapali. I just love the old silver pieces of necklaces made of coins & the bold rings.

Maya Bazaar.

I got to know of Maya Bazaar jewelry few years back when I picked up a pair of earrings & necklace from a Crafts Fair in Bangalore.

The jewelry has traditional silver pieces with beads and great thread work. I just love it.

Eka stores a lot of Maya Bazaar jewelry.

Beauty in fabric.

Delicate floral patterns on woven & block printed tablecloth. The thing that comes to mind is tall glasses of fresh lemonade being served on a lazy summer afternoon...
Fabindia.

Fabindia

Indian cotton fabrics with vegetable dye like Kalamkari, Bagh prints are irresistable. I love the swirl of these Ghera Skirts.

Fabindia has these skirts in lovely floral hand-block print motifs. Fab!

Tsunamika

I remember getting a purple piece of fabric as a bookmark in one of the Indian editions of Elle Magazine last year, when I looked closely I realised it was actually a miniature handmade doll.

The name. Tsunamika. The doll with a message. A project started to rehabilitate fisherwomen from villages in Tamilnadu affected by Tsunami.

Tsunamikas are never bought, they are only gifted. To receive your gift visit- Tsunamika

While we are on that subject.

Colourful handpainted incense stick stands are great gift ideas. I loved the bright & bold floral patterns. Can find more of them at Eka.

Incense Packaging.

Amazing packaging, great fragrances & cute ceramic holders...especially this tiny elephant holder.
Available at Wind Chimes for Rs. 190 or $ 4.1

Sparkly Diyas-(Oil Lamps)

In Indian tradition lighting lamps is considered auspicious - whatever the occassion. I love lighting lamps especially in the evenings. Everytime I go down to Chennai- a cultural hub of dance, carnatic music, temples ( more on that later) I manage to pick up a diya.

This one I picked for Rs.30 that is about $0.65 a piece from Giri Traders, Mylapore, Chennai. Truely illuminating!

Orange is a happy colour.

I am a sucker for handcrafted things and this hand-woven coins purse is just super cute.
It was gifted to me by my Mom-in-Law. She picked it up from a local market fair.

Mastheads.

An archive of all the mastheads designed from the time I started blogging.

Green Thumb.

Here is the Mint which I planted, which actually grew ...I am really proud of it.
I planted Garlic, Chillies, Oregano and Mint.

The Orange Toothbrush Family.

Today, while brushing in the morning I realised that all three of us had orange toothbrushes.

Thankfully Srinivas had marked his with a -'S'