Shaadi Belles Dream Wedding Sweepstakes

Lovely readers,

I’m excited to share with you an AWESOME giveaway from the fantastic South Indian Wedding inspiration site Shaadi Belles. I’m a huge fan of everything that they do, and have enjoyed sharing highlights from the site in previous posts on BollyInstyle. And now, they’re giving you the chance to win the wedding and honeymoon of your dreams!

Newly engaged? Or, perhaps you’re about to become betrothed. Even if you’re not a bride or groom yet, take advantage of this chance to enter the Shaadi Belles ‘A Dream Wedding’ Sweepstakes! One lucky winner will get a glamorous prize package including a getaway at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai & the Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, bridal makeup & hair, eight bridesmaids outfits, event design, wedding photography, and more! Plus, ten runner-ups will win a DVD copy of ‘Doonya The Bollywood Workout’. Enter before March 1st, 2013, for your chance to make your wedding sparkle that much more.

It’s incredibly easy to enter, all you have to do is visit the Shaadi Belles contest page HERE, register, and fill out the quick form. Make sure to like Shaadi Belles on Facebook as well to stay up to date on the contest and all things Shaadi Belles. The winners will be announced on March 3rd.

Best of luck, and if you win….share your pictures with me here on BollyInstyle!

source: Shaadi Belles

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Mélange

A peacock feather composed of gold and purple holds more meaning than just serving as the lovely logo of Luxembourg based shop Mélange. Gold stands for the “Golden Bird” name India was often called during the flourish of sea trade hundreds of years ago, and for India’s exuberant cultural heritage. As the royal hue of the Maharaja, purple represents the spirit of India and the fantastic experiences the founder experienced there.

Looking to update your home décor? Ready to collect some new art? Or, perhaps you’re simply looking for handicrafts and wellness products from India? Mélange—Inspired by India– has just the ticket.

Mélange makes various products from India available to consumers around the globe. With exciting items including enchanting beds, games, teas, trunks, and chairs; Mélange offers functional, striking items. Providing a delightful taste of South Asia.

The idea for the store began during a trip to India, and from the accompanying fascination with the rich design history & culture there. The goal with the store was to connect talented Indian designers with consumers. Goal accomplished: customers can purchase pieces both online and offline. Few places hold the sort of collections that Mélange boasts: textiles, furniture, natural treats, art, and then some.

Also providing information on the stories behind the items, Mélange allows the customer to connect with the artisans and designers of the highly covetable pieces available on the site. This also encourages consumers to support social entrepreneurship.

Ready to browse their goods? Check them out!


source: Mélange

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Zariin

Hello there readers! Today on BollyInstyle I’m quite pleased to share with you some breathtakingly baubles created by a team of sisters in India.

Based in Delhi, Jewelry label Zariin offers avant-garde, classic pieces, and has been highlighted as one of the top three jewelry labels in India. Big whigs in the fashion world have indeed taken note— at only a couple years old, Zariin has already been featured in magazines like Elle and Vogue in addition to now being available in over a dozen countries in 300 stores. I find this so fantastic as both women are also adventurers, and entrepreneurs, in addition to being designers!

To me, jewelry is an important part of my external expression of personality and taste. Most of the jewelry that I own has some sort of story behind it, or makes me feel a certain way when I wear it. I feel like the women behind Zariin (sisters Mamta & Vidhi) really understand this special relationship that women have with the pieces of jewelry that they wear. You can see really see their love of beauty and color in the pieces. All of the Zariin jewelry seems particularly idyllic for making you feel fantastic and lovely, which is so important! Their signature style is to wrap crushed gold around uncut, organic stones. The result is really stunning.

I’m adoring the entire ‘Showstopper’ ring collection!

What is the story behind your favorite piece of jewelry? Or, is it your favorite simply because it makes you feel like a million bucks?

source: Zariin

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Guest: Meenoo from Minou Bazaar

Hi All – How is your holiday season? I’m a little behind on my list of ‘things to do’, but I thoroughly enjoy the craziness and warmth this time of the year.

Today, I’m so excited to introduce one of BollyInstyle’s favorite designers, Meenoo from Minou Bazaar! She creates handmade Indian-inspired jewelry using vintage and contemporary elements. She writes about growing up in the eastern culture during the holiday season. Her upbringing resonates in her beautifully crafted jewelry. Be sure to check out Meenoo’s etsy choices that show a blend of both cultures.

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Of all the holidays I celebrate, the Christmas season is the one that’s the most emotionally mixed for me. Maybe some of you can relate?

I did not grow up with nostalgic holiday traditions. We did not have a Christmas tree until I was in college. I came home for winter break my freshman year and there was a fake Christmas tree in the living room. A short one, with lights and ornaments. My littlest sister was the American-born daughter, and by that time my parents had also assimilated to American mainstream culture inch by inch. My father was against the tree but he was won over when my mom tied a statue of Radha and Krishna as a tree topper. Tentatively we exchanged small presents on Dec 25.

When my family moved and bought a new house, they inherited a large Christmas tree from the previous owners of their house. The house was a large colonial with beautiful hardwood floors covered with carpet. My family put the tree in the living room so it looked out onto the street. It proclaimed: we are fine with having a tree.

Each year I would go home for winter break to a house transformed with holiday cheer. There was a large glorious tree trimmed with ornaments, tinsel, and Radha/Krishna on the top, as always. Soon a wreath materialized on the door, with red ribbons. An evergreen swag appeared on the banister, and electric candles in the front-facing windows. On Christmas Eve we would turn on the Yule log on TV, or the holiday music radio. Shopping for gifts became an event—always centered in the mall—where we would get dropped off and picked up. On Christmas day we would get up, run downstairs, and open gifts, just like the movies. But we would open each gift at a time so everyone would see and had an opportunity to admire. This was no simultaneous ripping and trashing of paper. The gift-giving ceremony took an hour at least. There were so many gifts! Our lack of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the US was never felt as keenly as those days.

Our main event of the day was cooking an elaborate Christmas feast. Because we didn’t have a prescribed menu, we felt free to experiment. Each year the theme changed. One year we made South Indian fish with coconut rice. Another year we made food inspired by the Silk Road. Our feasts were never boring!

After I married a non-practicing Jew, we came up with our own holiday traditions. Year after year we lean towards the natural aspects of the season, splashed with hot pink and turquoise vintage ornaments from my all-too desi predilection for bright saturated colors. Imagine pinecones dunked in glitter, red berries, and little red birds to mimic the cardinals that we feed at our bird feeder. Imagine sparkling paisleys, elaborate henna designs, and jewel colors to make your home bright.

Here are some items from Etsy that capture the mix of Indian and American celebrating the holidays. I hope you enjoy it!

source: Minou Bazaar

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Pearl Amour Jewels

It’s always nice to come across affordable jewelry that works well for both the everyday and the not so everyday. It streamlines things, especially when you are very much a busy bee! Pieces that you can wear that go with pretty much anything, that can be worn alone or with additional accessories to switch up a look. Something that you can slip on and feel great about how it and you look.

That’s just what I found when I discovered Pearl Amour Jewels on Etsy: ‘elegant everyday jewelry.’ Pearl Amour Jewels was started by an awesome full-time Mom in Toronto that specializes in handmade jewelry.

My favorites in the shop are the ‘Sari’ bracelets. With strips of lovely chiffon woven with light-catching rhinestones, the ‘Sari’ bracelets seem like a perfect way to add a touch of easygoing glamour to your jewelry collection. This Green Tea Sari Bracelet is such a soothing color and would be an unexpected pop to a simple outfit of jeans & a t-shirt, while also working well with dressier outfits. The ‘Sari’ bracelets have a bit of a vintage feel to them which I always like.

I am also eyeing these Crystal Rhinestone Matte Gold Earrings and this Nautical Anchor Bracelet.

You can check out the Pearl Amour Jewels shop on Etsy here—the pieces make great gifts too!

source: Pearl Amour Jewels

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• Jackson says:
  December 8, 2012 at 12:27 pm
  

  Its really a good quality of things.
  I would prefer to get 1 of those.

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