Guest Post: Fur you, but not for me

Here's another guest post from Yamini, my tall brunette friend who many say looks like my sister. If you have to find her in my phone book, you'd have to look for Beatrix Kiddo (she made me save her name like that). 

I love winter. Longer nights, shorter days, all the festivals and most of all winter fashion (hides the extra weight). 

I am a big fan of fur and leather - material you can only see in winter fashion. (I remember having a leather jacket and a couple of faux fur caps as a kid when we lived in cities with cooler climes. Unfortunately, Hyderabad is much too hot for all this and i miss those chilly winters.)

I know Ambica doesn't care much about fur/ leather but what about you? Have you worn a leather jacket or leather clothes or something soft and furry? 

Hope this trip in cold cold Bikaner changes Ambica's mind about leather or fur :) (Not at all babe. I still don't care for fur or leather or animal print either.)

PS: Beatrix is right now totally loving this polar bear rug/coat by Benjamin Cho donned by Lady Gaga. Beatrix loves wacky clothes - my only friend whose taste veers towards the weird. 

Gracias

deepa, beatrix, bila, divya, aru, vallapi, bagsi, naveena

thank u for guest blogging. each post had something new and interesting. you all added color and life to my blog.

XOXO
ambica

{do a better job of saying thank you than i did. say thank you in 14 creative ways}

PS: if you'd like to contribute again, you are always welcome.

Now that i have a laptop...

... i can blog. I dint realize how much i was missing it until today when i got a laptop to use and suddenly my heart surged with joy and life felt complete.

While i do miss my MAC, this VAIO which guruji has given me to use is pretty decent.(Even though i am still struggling and pressing all the wrong buttons.)

{Old fashioned Steampunk laptop. Quaint or Cute?}

PS: Are you a mac-nut too?

Guest Post # 11 ~ Cheap and Cheerful Decor

Am back again! yup...Arundati... the easiest route for me is to post a recipe (I am a food blogger worth my salt). But having something better to share and the fact that the Material Girl is out of her silent zone, but not fully yet able to administer this blog (although she does have access to it and is watching over us all) made me want to share something i tried a few weeks ago. In a way it was inspired by this post of the Material Girl. I'd been seeing this assorted bottles with leaves and flowers decor idea across decor blogs for sometime now...also pinterest is full of them look at this, this, this and omg this! 

A walk in the community garden gave me a handful of marigolds, leaves and a few bunches of pink flowers. Stick them individually or together in bottles of your choice, half filled with water, arrange them on a table or a shelf in rows of 2-3 bunched together by pattern, texture or the kind of flowers in it...and that's it! you have yourself an attractive focal point at zero cost. no need to buy expensive cut flowers. If you do not have access to fresh flowers, try stems of leaves or dry flowers or twigs. Look around... there is much more stuff you can use than you think there is. 

I've been reluctant to throw out any glass bottles i can find, used perfume bottles have gorgeous shape, texture and design, medicine bottles (all those beautiful caramel coloured tints!), jars that had broken lids, shot glasses, glass bowls and plain old jam bottles. and i just hate the way in which bouquets are made here. flowers, greens bunched together, stems cut mercilessly and stuck into florists foam. i take them apart and use the flowers and fillers in bottles and vases or bowls. they look so much better, last longer and you have way too many flowers around the house. Try it soon!

Guest Post #10 ~ Antique heirloom gifts

Guest Blogger of the day is Divya Rupender nee Dinker. Divya is the most unassuming of people. With traditional looks and cascading thick jet black hair falling all the way down to her waist, you would hardly believe that this chica was a singer in a rock band in the not so distant past. Happy, friendly and what you see is what you get, Divya is the girl who when she laughs, you know it really is mirth that comes from her soul. Customer Service Executive and Preschool teacher are just two of the many hats she has worn. She now freelances as an Interior Designer and Decorator. which explains her choice of blogpost as well.

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Ambi, thank you so much for asking me to write. I was really rattling my brain on what to write and all thanks to my Daddi :)

Well the other day my granny (Dad's Mum) called me over and handed a Jade Jar and said "this is for you to keep". I was thrilled, as a little girl I would wait for my granny to open her trunk and watch her clean every item in it and place it back and would have just one question to ask each time "when would I get this?"....I got married 4 years ago and since then each year my granny has been gifting me an item from the trunk that have been her priced possession. The Jade Jar is my Great Grand mum's and its more than a 100years old :), she used to keep her daily wear earnings in it.  I can't seem to be doing the same thing though ;)

The Om Tea Pot is twice my age and was given to me last year, its a set of 4 but granny gave me just one mug saying she din't want to be unfair to my brother and the rest of the 3 mugs are with him ...

I have always had a fascination for rustic items and this lantern I picked up at Dokra bazar last Jan and since then it has been in my favourite corner in the dining area. My evening winter tea is always next to this lantern.

So, who is going to join me for tea :)

Guest Post # 9 ~ Happy Thanksgiving and Pecan Pie

The Guest blogger of the day is that almost geeky girl from your class who you always knew would ace the test. What you dont know, is that rarely can a book be accurately judged by its cover. Fearless, honest and totally nutty (explains her choice of recipe), Naveena is someone who bravely crossed the Pacific with no clue what life had in store for her. She is a double master's in Marketing Research, lives in Los Angeles and yeah all those big budget money spinning hollywood blockbusters we spend our money on, are made with inputs through her research. 

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Hi, This is Naveena, from somewhat sunny California. I don't claim to be a serious blogger like my most talented friends but I like writing and I like Ambica - so here I am. 

I am writing to you on the eve of the most anticipated American holiday - Thanksgiving. The origins of this holiday are noble - they celebrate how the Native Americans (ahem the OTHER Indians) helped the first setttlers learn how to survive in this country. What happened after is a matter of much debate but the Americans have turned Thanksgiving into a celebration of family, food, football (the OTHER football) and slumber. 

I remember my first Thanksgiving. One of my American friends invited me over to her house and I heard all about the traditional food and how much everyone looks forward to it. In subsequent years, I have learned that each family has their own traditions and everyone claims that theirs is better. One year, my friend was appalled that her in-laws only served sweet potatoes and not mashed potatoes. Another Thanksgiving, I was subjected to a green, slimy, jelllo "salad" that the family I spent the day with swore by. Another time, my friends almost came to fist fights over whether crescent rolls or dinner rolls were better.

And then there is the matter of pies. When it comes to Thanksgiving, it's like a war of the pies. Be it apple, pumpkin, cherry, or pecan pie, someone always believes that the day isn't complete if not for that particular dessert. 

In my mind, the war has been won and the clear victor has emerged. If my taste buds could have their druthers, we'd dive right into the pecan pie and never look back. I love nuts (explains some of my friendships) and the combination of the pecans with the gooey, sugary goodness that binds it all together is something that I absolutely love.

When I first made pecan pie, I realized why the adage "as easy as pie" came into being. Once you make your crust (I use "Paula's perfect Pie Crust" recipe from Paula Deen), there couldn't be anything easier. I am sharing with you my recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Unbaked 9-inch Pie Crust 
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
• 1/2 cup Dark Corn Syrup
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup Melted Butter
• 3 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1 1/2 cup (heaping) Pecan Halves

Instructions

First, whip up your pie crust using Paula's recipe.

Next, mix sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.

Pour pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.

Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 375º F for 30 minutes. Then continue baking at 350º F for 20 minutes. Shake the pie before you pull it out, it shouldn't be jiggly. 

A few Notes

1) One time, I ran out of white corn syrup and just decided to substitute with the dark that I had lying around. It turned out so much better that I changed the recipe. You can just use light corn syrup if you can't find dark

2) It's important to NOT whisk the eggs too much. They create air bubbles in the pie. 

3) If you can't find pecans, use walnuts

Guest Post # 8 ~ DIY art

Blogger of the day is Bhargavi, she's the shopaholic Diva with impeccable taste in all things lovely ~ clothes (of which she has lost count), interiors and people..... She loves challenges and the best way to get her to do something is to say she cant! Bhargavi gives 100% to everything she does and is especially tenacious when it comes to her job. She's currently the butt kicking target driving Zonal Manager with Bharti enterprises...

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Hello All,

Hope your week end has been great and you are all set to take on the week ahead!....

To begin with  i must thank Ambica for the invite to write a guest blog....Although i took it up instantly only to figure later that it isn't an easy task....I have been all over the place to figure what will fit into the Material Girl's Blog series considering the quality and content that she would have expected...As such i am not too much in to blogging and what ever little that i write is very mood based and situation based considering the corporate maze i am in to.....So it was a massive task for last few days to decide what should i write on....

In one such quest of figuring what blog to write on is when Pinterest came to my rescue to bring to you all something too adorable and easily implementable for expressing our emotions to near and dear.....

This DIY idea...I fell in love with the moment i saw it and decided to use it for many Occasions not just one...I am sure you will like it too.....

Put a piece of line paper in a frame and with dry erase markers leave bed side love notes--- Doing this!

Guest Post # 7 ~ The Next Monday Syndrome

Guest Blogger of the day is Pallavi Nayak. I've heard the Material Girl always mention good times and Pallavi in the same sentence. So we know for sure that she is a fun person with a large heart for friends and family. Pallavi is an advertising and branding professional and lives and works in Bombay.

In her own words, this is Pallavispeak for you...

I am Pallavi, I weigh more than 80 kilos and yes I have made peace with myself that my weight has become a part of my identity. Besides that I am an avid fan of the arts faculty maybe it be writing, music or craft. I see myself as an observor of life and I strongly belive that what makes me happy is that I have very few hang ups in life. 

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Being a material girl makes me indulgent and spoilt for choice. Thats leaves me missing out or pushing some critical plans to some never gonna happen future date. I call this regreatble yet speedinly common habit to procrastination, the Next Monday Syndrome.

The same syndrome that has delayed this post by 3 days. A famous line from Golmaal sums up this feeling even more succinctly…aaj ka kaam ka karo, kal ka kaam parson…itni jaldi kya ha bhaiyya jab jeena hai barson and why not, being proactive promises a good future while procrastination assures a great today, I say. Ah! The Next Monday Syndrome, I have lost multiple trips, movies and mostly my head over it. The one thing I have not lost because of this syndrome is my weight. 10 years of saying Next Monday I will start to exercise, that is 560 Mondays come and gone.  Worse, 560 Sundays stuffing myself with food with a hope that I will start the weight loss program the next day.

So while there are more scientific reasons that psychologists will dish out for the ‘Next Monday Syndrome’ here are some of conclusions that I have arrived at, defending the procrastinator…

1. You are an optimist: You are a strong believer of a brighter future ahead, you know that the sun will rise back tomorrow and you will be here to execute your plan tomorrow. You defiantly believe that the world will not end in 2012.
2. You have mastered the art of thinking: You have thought about it so much times that you have a very vivid almost realistic picture of the end goal in your head. So realistic that just the thought that you will do it makes you think that you have almost done it. Here people are talking about teleporting and virtual reality, so been there done that, Meh!
3. You play lawyer lawyer with yourself: My Lord, mere kaabil dost states that achieving the goal will lead to happiness, making happiness the ultimate goal and not achieving the goal. So if procrastination gives happiness then the ultimate goal is achieved. Defense rests its case, My Lord! 
4. You are cool and spontaneous: You are not one of those uncool people who plan everything. Who wants to be like these first benchers of life, they not have a plan but they actually painstakingly stick to it. You don’t let a plan take over your life. You are as free to do whatever you feel like today just like you did last Monday.
5. You are more busy than Justin Beiber : Last by not least, it comes down to a fact that no one can refute. There are only 24 hours in a day and you are only carrying the work load of the world on your strong shoulders. You have a demanding set of friends and a family. If only there were 25 hours in a day then you would have surely squeezed in time to achieve your goal. But even a rockstar like you cannot make that possible. Such is life what to do.

There are many more reasons but I will reserve them for some other time, maybe next Monday J

Guest Post # 6 ~ How to create your own blog blur wallpaper

Most of my creativity is rooted in impatience. Well, most of my life actually. I am an extremely restless person and can’t come to grips with the whole philosophy of “let things happen as and when they must”. The good thing about it is that I discovered a new way to create interesting wallpapers for my desktop.
Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have plenty of them too:

1. Will yourself to get really, really, impatient.
2. Open a blog, or a blog post that’s really colourful.
3. When the blog/post is half-loaded (timing is everything here), scroll down immediately. Please note, impatience is key at this stage. Do. Not. Wait.
4. You’ll notice that the words and pictures turn into meaningless, colourful,  linear blurs on your desktop when you scroll. (If they don’t, then you’ve either lost your moment or will be getting one in seconds)
5. Immediately hit the ‘Print Screen’ button on your laptop. Do nothing else after that. I hit the Print Screen button at least thrice to make sure I don’t lose the blur, because I’m neurotic that way.
6. Open MS Paint, and hit Ctrl+V. Voila! Your blur is captured. After that , trim the edges out (you know, the stuff with the tabs, the task bar and all that jazz) so that you’re only left with a beautimous blur.
7. Save it as a picture.
8. Use!

Blog blur wallpapers are great useful time-wasters. And they’re totally original. So go try, and have fun.

 

About me: So you know I’m restless. What you don’t know is that I get very, very, very high on coffee and then, I’m as restless as a rubber ping-pong ball launched in a 4X4 room. I hate spiders and love books. I’ve been referred to as Bila on some occasions and N on some others on this blog, with a remote possibility of being called mad/crazy a couple of times too. I write here, here, here and here.

Guest Post # 5 - MJ's Red Jacket

Guest Post by Yamini

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I am a BIG MJ fan.  Actually, I was crazy about him.

Many would find his sense of fashion a little exaggerated but I think not. I like most of the stuff he has worn and would like to own some of them. One of them is the Beat It Jacket. Its red, has the bling and a lot of zippers.

I have seen few replicas but they are badly made.  I have found the jacket on Amazon. Com :http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Jackson-Beat-Jacket-Collectible/dp/B0050KTTNY/ref=sr_1_2?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1320913859&sr=1-2

 But I don’t think that I would be able to afford it in this life time.

Is there any iconic clothing you wish you had?

Guesy Post # 4 - Gaming Soundtracks Anyone?

Guest Post by Yamini

So Modern Warfare 3 is out and had the largest day one shipment in the gaming history. I am not much of a gaming fan and it’s not the game I am going to discuss.

Lately I have started checking out video games soundtracks.  I think Brian Tyler has done a very good job with the background score here.

My favorite tracks are

Battle for New York

End Credits

Check out the tracks and let me know what do you think??

Guest Post # 3 - Tiny Reads

Yamini TK is the blogger for the day. She and the Material Girl go back a long long time.... They went to goa together remember? and they hang out in stores quite a bit....

Yamini is a back eyed, black haired 5'7 footer with a crazy bling fling. one of the few people in real life who carry of really short hair with elan. Movies and music are her other interests. She works with Amazon.

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I find it very difficult (impossible) to finish a fat book. Anything with over 150 pages is a no-no.

 

I think this book is perfect for me. It looks interesting, and for the win its from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s (<3) production house. 

Here is a tiny example of the stories it has.The book is releasing on December 6, 2011 and is on pre- sale on Amazon.com right now. Can’t wait for it to come on Flipkart.com.

Guest Post #2 - What it meant to shop a long time ago:

Deepa is our guest blogger of the day. when i asked her to send me 2-3 lines about herself, this is what she wrote "Think of that quiet introvert you had sitting in the corner of your class in school. I am that girl. But a lot has changed since, I got a fancy degree in math, found my other half, realized I love paper and visual+mathematical-ish patterns. Lest you think I'm a geek, I should tell you I am that too among many other things"

Then she sidetracked and told me not to use this... but I am mean that way! Deepa masquerades as a Functional Analyst with JDA but is a closet photographer, deep thinker and rabid reader. She is also the godmother of my dog. If you want excellent profile pictures or gorgeous wedding pictures you know who to call. Check out her flickr stream here 

Read on......

I have taken a mad fancy to shopping for clothes online. Shopping in malls is not for me. I get claustrophobic and it's depressing to think that everything is mass manufactured and that something I own will also be owned by someone else. I was thinking about all this I noticed this guy, carrying a basket on his head which had both clothes and some steel utensils.

 It struck me that this was a sight I had not seen in a very long time. I never thought I’d see people like him again after all these years.

I remember my grandmother would indulge in this barter trade long after we reached a point in life where she did not need to. The haggling used to sound very strange to my ears.

Grandma: Two saris for that utensil.

Barter dude: Nahin amma, who nahin chalta…ye bartan dekho…Ye sari toh phata hua hau aur bahaut purana hai, nahin chalta.

His survival still depends on the barter system! He actually trades old clothes for utensils.

To think that shopping has evolved from that to my buys online today, is really something.

Guest Post - Asian Inspired ColeSlaw

Hi! I am Arundati, from Escapades who gets linked here quite a bit. As readers of this blog know, the Material Girl is away meditating in silence and then on a break and the daunting task of monitoring this baby  blog has been entrusted to me. the best way to get me out of my blogging slumber if you ask me.

there will be quite a slew of posts by friends in the coming weeks and that is most exciting....a bunch of surprises here for when the owner/writer of this blog is back. 

As someone who praises enjoys my cooking a lot, and someone who claims to suck at salads, I thought it would be fitting to post here a beautiful crisp colourful Asian inspired salad. You see the Material Girl loves colour and texture and taste. What better way than to put all of it in a bowl?

Like you can see, I ramble on quite a bit, and brevity isn't my strength. So the posts here for a while will be longer than usual. Please bear with us till regular programming resumes!

In the meanwhile, lets all wish the Material Girl a beautiful introspective time in meditation and may we all send her good vibes. 

Asian Inspired Coleslaw (makes 2 helpings)

Inspired from here 

1 cup finely shredded red/ purple cabbage

1/2 an apple, sliced fine

1/4 each of red and yellow capsicum, sliced into matchsticks

1/4 cup of fresh green beans, sliced into matchsticks and blanched for 2-3 minutes in hot boiling water

1 spring onion, sliced (green and white parts)

(can also use baby corn, blanched carrots, green cabbage, bean sprouts etc)

Toss all of the above in a largish bowl and set aside.

for the dressing

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 teaspoon tomato garlic /sweet chilli sauce (such as maggi/kissan)

2 teaspoon honey

1 green chilli, sliced fine (remove seeds if you dont want it too hot)

1 tablespoon warm water

whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl with a fork, taste and adjust.

pour the dressing over the chopped vegetables and toss well with light hands or a fork to ensure the dressing spreads evenly over the salad.

garnish with 2 tablespoons of lightly toasted sesame seeds and fresh coriander leaves

this is a refreshing filling salad. perfect for those days when you want some colour and texture on your plate. the crunch of the vegetables is balanced with the sweet spiciness of the dressing. this is a versatile salad and the choice of vegetables can easily be altered based on whats lurking in your freezer.

So i am off

I am off for quite a long trip - about 3 weeks and i won't be able to blog or post anything for about 10 days for sure and since i am not carrying a laptop i don't think i will be able to post for 3 weeks maybe (i hope not!)

While you are reading this i am possibly in Agra or nearing it. I will be here for a few hours and then at about 8:00 PM i will hopefully catch a train to get to Bikaner. (As with all my trips, everything is last minute and though i did book an Agra - Bikaner ticket, my money is stuck in cyber space and i have really no idea what i am going to do.)

Why Bikaner? It's where my guru lives and conducts Vipassana meditation courses so i am going there to do that. From the evening of the 16th to the morning of the 26th, the Material Girl will take a vow of silence and look within / meditate. I am also going to stay for a week longer just because i really like the place.

The other A will join me there around the 5th (again a booking that went nuts so i still don't know) and from there the two of us will head to Delhi and a hill station thereabouts, which again i will decide on later.

Meanwhile, don't stop coming here. A few Several of my friends, bloggers and non-bloggers will be writing for you. I am sure you will continue to enjoy your visits here and leave a note for them.

Love, hugs and luck,
Ambica aka The Material Girl who Loves the Material World

Wow Wow aka Katie and her stones

Katie picked some rocks.
She painted them pretty.
With little hearts on them.
And then left them on the sidewalks for people to find.
Sweetness.

{Meet Katie and her colorful world. Get colored. One of the most interesting / fun / pretty blogs i have found.}

Wow.

Is it the skirt? Or her legs? Or the black-white and red combo?

{Found on Pinterest}

PS: Would you wear such a short skirt?

PPS: Black, white and red is such a fabulous classic, no? 

Missoni coordinated

Three types of chevron and god-knows-how-many colors but it all goes together so well. Would you dare?

A not-so-scary way to combine two prints together in one outfit: printed top + printed scarf. Try it. Like a pink printed kurti with green printed scarf and jeans.

{Missoni for Target}

PS: Would you wear a leggings + skirt combo? I am going to rummage for the courage to do this and if i do, i promise to post a pic.

Keep walking

For all those contemplating starting a business or anything new, this is the best piece of advice anyone could ever give, don't you think?

{The best piece of advice from MakeunderMyLife. More to get you going here.}

PS: i need to start making a living soon because if i don't i'd simply start working again, and soon i'd stop blogging, stop crafting, stop cooking, stop living and go berserk in general. yes, i need to start something real soon.

The Immortals Vs Tintin

I did a B2B movie session yesterday after a long time. We watched Immortals and then The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

Immortals: Bad storytelling and character sketches, the violence is pretty graphic, the editing and graphics are a little over the top. Miss it. 

It's a blood and gore fiesta that you'd rather miss. At the end of the movie i was left wondering why a movie was even made on Theseus. He doesn't come across as the awesome hero who could save the world. There are glimpses of his bravery in some scenes but that's all there is. Some of the sets look tawdry, like the scene where the Gods are talking and another in the end where the wall friezes looks so fake and silly. Oh, I am sure you want to know about Freida Pinto. She does look extremely pretty and all and it's not a blink and you miss it role. Strangely her character starts out as a strong woman but half way through movie she morphs in to a weeping, scared, bundle of nerves. The only strong character is Mickey Rourke's Hyperion  who stays a hedonistic, evil man throughout.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn: Beautifully scripted and directed, TAoT can be watched more than once.  SS knows Dil to bachcha hai ji and hits the right notes. 

1. Spielberg does it again. From the first frame - the titling, to the last, Tintin engrosses. Snowy will pull your heart-strings and Captain Haddock will make you laugh till you cry. The T duo are not bad either. Adventure-loving Tintin will make you want to be a child again and dream of spectacular adventures fighting the bad guys.

PS: Will we see more terriers on our streets now?

The Wunderful Shoot

Last Sunday, i got an opportunity to spend the day with Kedar, a friend from fashion school, and a bunch of his frineds when they hit the roads to shoot his latest collection. The background was the historic Char Minar and lanes and by-lanes of the Old City.

We were certainly show-stoppers with crowds of people gathering around to gawk and wonder what we were up to. Surprisingly, most of them only gawked. Considering that the models were wearing short / shoulder-exposing dresses.

Of course, everyone was super helpful and let us use props / places without any to do.

It was a fun day despite the crazy heat because the models were all so fabulous and the photographer a dream to work with - talented, patient and unti. Of course, the designman himself was coolness personified.

{Kedar's collection is funky, eclectic, colorful and cheery; in one word kitsch. He retails from Wundershop, in Hyderabad. It's near United Designers Store, Rajeev's boutique}

{The models - Karuna, Sri Devi and Monica
The photographer - Shiv Kumar}

PS: I will post the pics i clicked when Kedar gives me the go-ahead but what i really cant wait to share are the pics that Shiv shot. 

I want to get inked

Love. Everything. About. It.

I don't mind being Ms. Copycat  at all for this.

{found on Pinterest}

PS: This is the place on my feet i wanted to tattoo something since a really long time now. but i wasn't sure of the words. i think the words are perfect for me.  

Sock bun curls

Sock bun curls. Without heat. Sweet.

{Kayla Aimee shows how-to}

Crazy cake

I don't know why this is called wacky cake but this chocolate cake has a simple no-egg recipe that i have to try once i find some cider vinegar or a replacement.

{Wacky Cake recipe}


PS: Yes, I am insanely in love with all things cocoa.

United Designers Store

United Designers Store has gorgeous outfits. The store is owned by Rajeev, a friend from fashion school. UDC sells kurtas and western dresses that have lots of intricate detailing. The stitch and finish is fabulous. Everything i saw recently is elegant yet fabulously glam and super stylish.

If you are looking for timeless pieces to wear to a party head to UDC.

{Take the lane opposite GVK One entrance. Keep going ahead, you will find the store on your left}

{Rajeev also does custom pieces}

PS: The clothes, books, shoes, stores i talk about, i talk about only because they left an indelible impression on me. I dont / wont endorse anything for money, friendship or favors. 

Say cheese!

My neighbor's daughter was a difficult yet delightful subject. She has a million expressions but a smile, ah, that took a lot of coaxing. 

I took these pictures a little long time ago and here they are, finally being shared. 

{Nikon D3100 / 18-55 VR kit lens, At my apartment, Processed using Picasa}

{more pics of her on my tumblr. finally, with a little help from Bila i have started using the tumblr page i created a little while back.}

We all need this maybe

Drunk texting - At some point of time we have all done this and wished we hadn't (when sobriety returned). Wouldn't this be a great application to have (if it exists)?

Have a wonderful weekend! Drink responsibly. Or at least try to. 

Book me a coffee table please

This room with the pops of color, the coffee table made of books, the mirror and the pretty floor lamp is inspiring me right now.

I don't really need a coffee table right now, but this idea of stacking them and covering with a piece of glass is so fabulous, i don't know how i am going to keep myself from not doing it. And this despite the fact that i can't think of a solution to keep it dust-free.

{via An Indian Summer}

Jumpsuited

1. Love this jumpsuit. And the clutch. And the chain. Not the shoes.
2. I got myself a jumpsuit. Not something like this. But one that's plain black, sleeveless with a deep round neck. And it falls just below the knee. (I am waiting for a party to wear it to. You know i have this irrational fear. )
3. The Sartorialist is a great place to get inspired. Fashion and photography both.

{Get inspired. Trip on fashion. The Sartorialist. Love it}