Garam Garam Chai at my Charpai

Designer Stéphanie de Saint simon from France is as obsessed with Charpai's as we Indians are. Her cute charpais and trunks have brought back so many childhood memories of my Grandmother's house in Punjab where we used to eat , dance , sleep on these Manji's ( As called in Punjab). Now that we are settled in Delhi , I still get a chance to sit and sip Chai , drink lassi or eat sarson ka saag and makki ki roti on these charpai's in the roadside Dhabas while traveling to Ludhiana ( sweaters hub in punjab) for my work .

Her trunks & Storage boxes are close to my heart as I almost broke into tears when I first saw these . Looking at these , I could only think of my grandmother ( she is no more but lives in my heart every moment) - these trunks were the treasure trunks for me at that time as my grandma would hide her goodies in these and i would secretly open as and when i would get chance to control my excitement. My mother still possesses those trunks!!!!!!

Oh no !!!I got lost in my reminiscence.....

Back to Stephanie, after her frequent trips to India , she had fallen in love with India and its life. She started her brand Ouma Productions in 2008 which was inspired by Indian streets. Thali stools , sack pillows, gorgeous charpais - Her furniture is elegant , ethnic, creative that adds design and style to any type of home decor. I am sure you too will have your story when you would look at her designs . I can vouch for it!!!! Please check her designs at :
http://www.ivisual.com/ouma/







my treasure trunks!!!!!!!!


truck art inspired ........



By the way , my post about Stephanie doesn't end here . Her beautiful and creative house is featured in Elle decor . See for yourself..







More pics of her house can be seen at http://www.elle.fr/elle/Deco/Les-visites-privees/Toutes-les-visites-privees/Bollywood-design

Maya may be an illusion but Maya jewels is a reality

Maya in sanskrit means "illusion" but Maya Jewels is a reality . Maya Jewels is founded by designer Chhaya Kapadia in 2004. Chaya is born and brought up in Mumbai and moved to NY after her wedding. Having worked in Citibank ,NASDAQ, etc , she finally planned to become a jewelry designer to fulfill her childhood dream. Since , its inception Maya Jewels has never looked back. Her brand is based on three key principals : intricate and sharp designs, the use of forgotten art forms, and uncompromising craftsmanship. Chhaya has a fantastic eye for design. Her designs are very much appreciated all over the globe. Maya Jewels is a hit brand today. She is also winner of Town & Country couture award.
Though , all her designs are awesome, majestic , timeless and feminine but my personal favorites are her Jungle, Lace, Eclipse , Crime of passion collections . Every piece is stunning . Her entire range can be seen at :
http://www.mayajewels.com

Here are few designs from her vibrant collection:

Eye-catching

Studio Gorm is a design studio of John Arndt and Wonhee Jeong . They have designed Indian line of products in collaboration with artisans in Gujarat for Dastkar( The society for an upliftment of crafts and craftspeople in India). The India Line is featured below . Please click here for more creations by these brilliant designers:

www.studiogorm.com




The designs created by them are neat, aligned and "green " that they not only look good, but are easier to use and Eco friendly too. Their "Flow2 kitchen " is a unique product/concept in which Kitchen waste is used to grow the plants that too within the same cute little unit. Please click below link to find more on how it works , it is a detailed post by Deezen on the same.

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/08/11/flow2-kitchen-by-studio-gorm

India in Rome

Indoroman is a textile company in Rome owned by Ms. Baroness Gaia Franchetti. I think it is a reverse journey of India or I can say East is going to West. In their own words"Indian fabrics reflect a universe of cultural influences; they are like history books wrapping the immense reservoir of culture that is India".

The fine craftsmanship and the richness of Indian culture and textiles is elegantly exhibited through their collection. The range is variety of prints, colours, embroideries and borders on handmade textiles with the stamp of simplicity and classiness. The products are not inspired by India rather India is shining through their entire range.

Their vast amount of product knowledge and the passion is a contributing factor in preserving and further promoting the craft heritage of India's hand looms / textiles.
Please check their site for their passionate collection :
http://www.indoroman.com

Map of Indian Textiles........



Sacred Peepal Leaf









Lovely quilts.....


Embroidered tapes in elegant designs.....


Furthermore, they also organise events every year to present the new collections and to share their travel experiences with clients and friends.






It warms my heart to see India's craft and its textile's tradition is explored, appreciated and promoted.

"Am I seeing Peacocks everywhere?"

Every month , I will be dedicating one post to any concept that banks on its Indianness to carry it through. This month's theme is "PEACOCK"

Since, my childhood, I was enchanted by the timeless beauty of Indian Blue Peacock (as popularly known Mor in Hindi and Mayura in sanskrit)and used to keep those beautiful feathers in my books. It's beauty is indescribable , awesome probably God's one of the best creations and God's favourite too. Lord Krishna always had peacock feather in his crown. There are references in "Vedas" about Peacock . The great Mughals too were mesmerised by the charm and majestic beauty of this lovely bird that the architecture at their time & "Takht e Taus" a legendary Peacock throne shows their fondness for peacock. Peacock signifies India and proudly known as National Bird of India.

I just happened to read an interesting book on Peacock " Peacock in Indian Art, thought and Literature by Mr.Krishna Lal. Book revealed interesting facts about peacock and its worth in India in the form of art , literature , religion ,etc . If this beautiful bird stirs your imagination too , go grab the copy of the book it is available at :

http://www.indiaclub.com/shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=19571

Since ancient times right from Mohanjodaro 2500 BC till this date peacock continue to spark the imagination of many artistic souls. It is the spirit of this exotic bird that its regal charm and mysticism easily blending traditional to chic fusion in the fashion, style and culture of any part of the world. By the way, the peacock trend is catching up so fastly that I see peacocks peacocks everywhere in jewellery , clothing , textiles , watches , shoes ... ethnics with a blend of modern yet unique

Makes my heart skip a beat!!!!!!!!




Peacock inspired fashion accessories!!!



Feather effect!!!




As if peacock dancing in my house!!!!!!!



Kitchenware too !!



Out of the world !!!


P.S. We claim no ownership to any image used in the above post as the same is used only for inspiration source .

Eating is a big no no !!!!!

Yes, I am so captivated just looking at these beautiful cakes .These are simply irresistible. I literally can't take my eyes off... I wouldn't dare to eat such masterworks. These are unique cakes with innovative Indian influence, henna patterns, sari border, zari , ethnic feel. The essence and magic of India's is certainly captured in these elegant creations . Love them all !!!!!!!!!

Please do click on the images to see the closer look of intricate details on these cakes .


Wonderful cakes with timeless art of Henna
These Peacock henna cakes decoration are by darcitananda a henna artist from Henna Lounge based in Oakland. Her henna art is recognised all over and clientele list includes are Times Magazine, Levi Strauss,Macy's etc





I am awestruck by the colors of festivity, vibrancy , energy ...
All these beautiful vibrant colors cakes are from Icing Dreams by Maryam , Canada. Her cakes are stunning , bright, bold, vivacious rainbow of color with a gold ethnic touch, you can check many more beautiful cakes on her site :

www.icingdreams.com

a>







As if these are made for Maharajah's...
by Cake designer Djalmma Reinalldo from Brazil



Zari weaving - looks stunning
Cake by Dahlias cakes


Gota Kinari work
cake by Michelle Doll Cakes


I find this cake so cute and different . It is known as Bollywood kitchen Tea cake by Cake Lady cakes

When work is fun!!!!!!!!

I am talking about Charan Sachar a potter behind "Creative with clay". Charan is an Indian origin Seattle , Washington based clay pottery artist. Though he is engineer by profession, his passion drew him to this medium of art to show his inherent artistic quality. As the name reflects, the creativity in his work is often flourishing. His piece of work is not only aesthetic but every designs of his has its own uniqueness and the great deal of functionality attached to it. His work is eye catching and full of colors and inspired by Indian designs, fabrics, embroidery, colors and Bollywood.. Please see for yourself , his online store at etsy :
creativewithclay.etsy.com
and his website at
www.creativewithclay.com

Bollywood Shakes!!!!!!!!!!! below line inspired by Bollywood

Move it - shake it !!!!!!!!!

Incense stick holders and wine bottle stoppers........

Handmade Butter dish with butter knife - Charan's signature item.
Butter Dish, holds one 4oz stick of butter and is designed to hold the butter knife in the lid.

Love for Indian Handmade Textiles

Image source : www.thedesignfiles.net
I recently came across mind blowing and superb work of Sally Campbell from Australia. She set up her business in 2005 . Deeply passionate about her work and absolutely enthused by the Indian traditional textile art and craft by Women in Rajasthan , village weavers in Bengal, and intricate hand embroiderers in Lucknow.
The intensity of her passion for Indian Textiles is so obvious that her entire range of home textiles look so arty and creativity is limitless.It is not only her creativity but her purpose of helping the community she works with in her own way is exemplary. As said by her in one of her interviews: "Creating a new career for myself and doing my bit in helping to keep Eco friendly traditional crafts alive, hoping to give more employment and education to the families I work with, she is most proud of".I truly admire her determination for her work!!!!

I strongly recommend you to check out her astonishing work at :
http://www.sallycampbell.com.au/

Interesting patchwork...........













Too close to Indian cultural roots........













Cozy Quilts..........













you may click on the images for larger size.

Charming Little Sadhakas

Charming Little Sadhakas
It is my very first post on my blog and it could not be more excited about starting with the cute little sadhakas . I am rather elated!!!!!

The Masalababy is a hip New York-based India-inspired brand . Their Masala signature line has just launched. The clothes look so divine and comfy . " As mentioned by them - "A pinch of turmeric, a dash of cloves, a sprig of saffron, and a handful of rose petals provide the inspiration for our signature spice colors, all delicately layered in the threads of this new collection."

Fusion being the mainstay in the clothes, their love for Indian colors, heritage and divinity is evident. You can see the entire range at
www.masalababynyc.com

I adore everything in this Mor pankhi tunic
















Mischievous Monk










Truly Indian..........

















Lovely tunics!!!!!!









Cute Angrakhas!!!!!!!