Archive for June, 2010
Cutest Lunch Ever
June 30, 2010
Oh My! I found the cutest tiffins. These would pair perfectly with the adorable steel thali’s I posted last month. I brought home some really nice tiffins from India, but I am smitten with the little mini tiffin containers inside the main compartments…handy for dressings or dips! If you are out with your kiddies a lot or even for daily work lunches, these would make your tiffin lunches way more fun. I think the tiffin box might be the next big thing!
Also, came across these adorable steel thali sets that will match perfectly with the tiffin for the complete look! The tin cups and tiffins are hand painted by Kashmiri craftsmen.
source: What a Girl Needs, To-Go-Ware, Nkuku, and HappyTiffin
by ST in Accessories, Children, Food, Kitchen
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Gagan says:
June 30, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Love the hand-painted tiffins!!
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itsy says:
July 6, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Where can we find the birdie and car tiffins? Can you send me a link to which site it is on??
Thanks!
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Sonal says:
February 15, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I knew tiffins would make a comeback. hurray for the original indian lunchbox. I want one.
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Gagan says:
Easy Breezy Style of Lulu & Nat
June 29, 2010
BFF’s Lulu McEvoy and Nat Robinson may reside in different countries but that didn’t stop them from sharing their love of India to launch a home lifestyle boutique called Lulu & Nat. Mumbai based Lulu and London-based Nat offers pretty linens and quilts using contemporary patterns, which are handmade in India using traditional techniques. I love that each piece is completely unique and nothing is mass-produced. Lulu & Nat also makes embroidered wall hangings, cushions, cards, and pjs! I have my eye on the Embroidered Border pillow.
Lulu & Nat can be found throughout Europe, U.K and a few stores in Mumbai and Australia. For U.S residents, you can find Lulu & Nat products on several web shops:
~ What a Girl Needs
www.whatagirlneeds.co.uk
~ Not on the Highstreet
www.notonthehighstreet.com
~ My Deco
www.mydeco.com
source: Lulu & Nat
by ST in Accessories, Children, Home Decor, Textiles Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 0 Comments
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bollyINSIDE with: MARIGOLDS & MITHAI
June 16, 2010
We have not done a BollyInside interview for quite some time but this one was worth waiting for! I’ve gushed about these two sisters before and am absolutely ecstatic to share them with you today, that’s right, today’s BollyInside with is Maimoona and Sanaa from the south asian wedding blog, Marigolds & Mithai.
For those tuned into the blogging world, you will understand when I say you can read someone’s postings and feel like you’ve been invited into their home because of all the similarities. I had that ‘inspirational aha!’ moment when I started reading Marigolds & Mithai. These two gals have incredible taste, unique ideas, and gorgeous pictures that will inspire any bride to put a mix of modern and tradition into their special day effortlessly. From chic veils to vintage bollywood hair styles, Maimoona and Sanaa has thought of every detail. Without further ado, here’s the two sisters in their own words…
1. How would you describe each other in 5 words?
Sanaa is…quirky, dramatic (in a good way:), expressive, friendly, good humored
Maimoona is…mellow, decisive, feminine, patient, poised
Even though we make it sound as if we’re complete opposites, we’re actually more similar than you would think.
2. Why the start of Marigolds & Mithai and blogging as a platform?
When we were planning Maimoona’s wedding we came across some amazing blogs – and we quickly became addicted. The thing we liked about blogs as opposed to magazines was that they were updated on a daily basis, with a constant supply of new ideas and inspiration, and they directly linked to other resources, so you were always just a click away from finding out where or how to get what you were looking at. We realized however, that the South Asian perspective wasn’t really represented (or at least we weren’t aware of it), and kept thinking, someone needs to do this for South Asian weddings and finally just decided why not us.
3. Were you creative as a child?
We’d say we both had a pretty wild imagination but that’s probably the extent of it. And now, as a lawyer and a finance analyst, there isn’t really much room for creativity in our professional lives. I think we surprised ourselves with Marigolds & Mithai.
4. Any advice you would give to aspiring bloggers?
Just do it. We spent way too much time flip flopping over whether we should do it or not, and started nearly a year after we first had the idea. Once you get started, it’ll feel natural quite quickly. We would say that you should probably post at least three times a week if you’re looking for continued growth and want to maintain and increase your following.
5. What do you hope to accomplish through blogging?
It started off as something we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could actually do – and has now become a place we come to when we need a break from everything else in our lives. We weren’t really the kind of girls who’d always dreamed of their wedding, we sort of just fell into the whole thing. Now Marigolds & Mithai is a home for anything and everything that inspires us, and at the end of the day, we hope that some of those things will inspire others as well.
6. Weddings is quite a saturated market. What challenges do you face writing M&M when their are now so many other blogs covering similar topics?
The wedding market is saturated but we think there’s still not enough out there for South Asian brides. Although new blogs are starting to pop up, all of them offer very distinct point of views – which is great! As long we stick with our point of view, we don’t really think of other blogs as challenges, but as an opportunity to build a community. We’re having fun connecting with all the other bloggers out there.
7. How do you get through a creative rut?
Oh we definitely have those, and that’s when we just step away and take a break. A few days off can do wonders.
8. Something you’re still learning?
We started off just worrying about what we were going to do tomorrow. Now that we’re a little bigger, we’re learning to see the bigger picture, so we’re constantly trying to figure out how to address the challenges and opportunities that come our way – be it collaborations with others, marketing ourselves, or trying to picture the future of Marigolds and Mithai.
9. What’s next for you, future goals?
That question is still a bit of a challenge, but we’re just excited about where this blog will take us next.
10. Can you define your personal style?
Sanaa – Definitely menswear inspired, I’m constantly stealing from my brothers’ closets and actually get excited when they shrink something, because then it’s mine! Always love a good thrifted item too. For example, my current favorite shirt is this $2 red striped button down I got from the same store that supplied the costumes for Mad Men’s pilot episode. But I also have a thing for long, flowy dresses.
Maimoona – Classicly feminine pieces mixed in with a healthy dose of trend pieces. Sanaa’s starting to rub off on me though, and I’ve been known to dip into my husband’s closet every now and then. But when I say feminine, I mean it – I really don’t even own any pants.
11. You need a new outfit, where do you shop? What are your favorite labels?
Our staples would be Madewell, J.Crew, Zara, Tucker and Steven Alan with occasional splurging at Barneys. For online shopping, gilt.com is always good for scoring deals and we’re really into shopnastygal.com for fun dresses, vintage pieces and slightly rocker items (type in the address carefully though, or who knows where you may end up). Throw in a good bag and we’re good to go.
12. Describe your perfect getaway?
Maimoona’s going to Rio next week, and that sounds pretty perfect right about now. But we both have been meaning to do a sisters’ getaway at the Parker in Palm Springs for a while now – complete with a spa day and roasting marshmallows on their outdoor grill. We just need to make it happen.
13. Three people you’d love to have a cup of chai with and why?
Andre Leon Talley because he’s just so fabulous and it seems as though he’d be a fun chai companion.
Leonardo Da Vinci but probably because we just went to the MFA last week and fell in love with him all over again. When we were kids, we remember going to the Leonardo Da Vinci museum in Italy and being in awe of everything he’d accomplished. We wanted to be renaissance women for the longest time but quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen.
Jane Austen because her writing is so witty and clever. We would probably include a whole slew of writers in that category.
Queen Rania because she just defines elegance and being a woman to us.
Some notable South Asians we would include are Gandhi (of course!), Satyajit Ray, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Asma Jahangir, Mira Nair and of course all the amazing designer talent we showcase on the website.
14. You don’t like the word ‘TRENDS’…please explain?
Well, in the sense that trends become all encompassing and people start to feel like that’s what they should be doing. At the end of the day, whether it’s your wedding or any other day, it should be about what you like and what reflects you, rather than what trends dictate – if you happen to like a particular trend, that’s great, but it should never feel forced.
15. What about South Asia inspires you?
The colors, textures, rich tradition and the diversity. There’s no other place quite like the subcontinent, and that’s why we love it so.
16. Where will we find you two on a Friday night at 9 p.m.?
Half the time we’re at home – we’re big homebodies and when there’s a choice between going out and staying in our pjs, we’ll always pick the pjs. The other half of the time we’re usually trying out new restaurants with friends and family – there’s nothing better than good food with great company.
source: Marigolds & Mithai
by ST in bollyINSIDE with:, Interview, Wedding Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 2 Comments
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Gagan says:
June 16, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Loved the interview.
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Sovina says:
June 23, 2010 at 7:36 am
Their blog is great..they have some awesome ideas & very pretty pictures..Great to know the people behind a fantastic blog
Sovina
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Gagan says:
Tutorial: Mirror-Work Embroidery
June 7, 2010
Embroidery is very famous all over the world…mostly in Pakistan and India. This technique of work with the use of mirrors is called shisha or abla embroidery, which is what my mother called it. It reminds me of a skirt I use to twirl in as a little girl…the mirrors would make hundreds of shadows! I found this wonderful tutorial at Joyful Adobe. Don’t you think it would look cute on a tank?
Thanks, Emily for this beautifully clear set of instructions.
source: Joyful Adobe
by ST in Accessories, Art, Tutorial Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 1 Comment
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Sovina says:
June 23, 2010 at 7:37 am
The mirror work is one of the most oldest form of embroideries in India & definitely it has not at all lost its charm over all these years..I specially loved the choice of colors in this one: )
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Sovina says:
June 30, 2010 at 7:22 am
Love the Birdie Tiffins!