Man made Gold

The Golden Jaggery of Kolhapur gets GI rights!

I have been fortunate during my childhood for having been served this golden jaggery directly from Kolhapur through my maternal grand father. And my mom still get her share of stock every year.

Can you imagine maharashtrian brahmin cuisine without the use of jaggery/gul? I cannot!
It is one of the ingredient without which my kitchen is incomplete. Gul poli, til gul, puran poli, modak, ghavachi kheer, amti, vangyachi rassa bhaji... name it and life is more live-able!

Thursday Blues

Colorful Blots

Today Google doodle is dedicated to Hermann Rorschach, known for the famous Rorschach Ink Blot Test for psychoanalysis.

As a kid, I loved making such blots and I still do...
What I like is the fact no two blots are alike, they are accidental and cannot be controlled. They are magic! These blots make you think beyond reality, they extend your limits of visualization and creative thinking.

On the birth anniversary of Harmann Rorchach's I get to post some colorful patterns I developed using the blot technique.

more color...

Recently I got a new set of Winsor & Newton water color and colored drawing ink... have been exploring them on and off. Will keep posting things... like the one below which I like. Do you?

Gandhi

Packing

Happy Sunday

Few weeks back I planted green chilies... now the little saplings have grown 6 inch tall :) 

I painted them today!

Saturday Night Saturday Bright

Modak

A surreal modak for my blog but a real one at home!

Fly Flip Flops

I have nothing to tell but to hear from you....???

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Fold-Unfold

Some paper fold patterns that I explored recently...

Thai Fest @ The Bombay Store

On a not so rainy Sunday after noon, while walking past the otherwise not so still roads of Fort, I thought of The Bombay Store. And an unplanned visit there was of quite an inspirational surprise - The Thai Fest. Colorful umbrellas, palm leaf craft and intricate soap carving are some of the Thai crafts I experienced with Mink and Moi who dressed in traditional Thai costume called Jongkaben and Sabai represent Thailand at the Fort store.

Colorful umbrellas, palm leaf craft and intricate soap carving are some of the Thai crafts I experienced with Mink and Moi who dressed in traditional Thai costume called Jongkaben and Sabai represent Thailand at the Fort store.

Effortlessly, Mink paints umbrellas with plastic paint and Moi slits the dried palm leaves and folds them into floral and fish shapes.

The Traditional Thai umbrellas are celebrated for its beautiful form and bright colors and are seen in various sizes. Mainly used for decorative purpose these umbrellas are inticately crafted from bamboo and are made in paper or fabric, then painted with cherry blossom and other oriental floral designs. The motifs are a blend of colors painted using brush and the minute details are finished with cone painting technique.

The handmade decorative lights and scented soap carvings add to the multisensory experience of the Thai art and craft fest.

Below images are a visual treat for... but for a hands-on experience a visit to Bombay Store is must!

Maharani & Maharaja

From fabrics to jewelry, motifs to colors, textures, elegance and everything is a complete package of inspiration: the Maharani's and Maharaja's of India! 

Hi Tea

Will a hi(gh) tea party need spoons and forks?
May be!
Depends what's on the menu...??

Illustrated Crocs

Indeed a pair of crocs is such a pleasure in the monsoon. How about having an illustrated one? 

Karvanda!

Last week on our way to Nashik, we took a halt near Kasara for refreshments. And we were refreshed by the wonderful karvanda also called as kali maina in Marathi.  Wikipedia describes karvanda here.

From the family of Plums and also categorized amongst one of the smallest fruits, these yummy things were packaged in ingenious baskets made using 2 leaves. I haven't seen the shrub of this fruit so I'm not sure whether these leaves are from the same shrub, but these completely natural leaf baskets are awesomely genius! The leaf stems are twisted together to make a handle, the leaves properly folded to have a conical shape are put together by stitching twigs onto them.

Couldn't take more pictures are Mahesh hurriedly bought 2 of these and made me rush back :)

Terry Trailor

My first exploration of terry with some indigo and madder!
Yeh toh sirf trailor hai! Picture abhi baki hai..mere dost!

with Cocktails?!

These linen squares with a little crochet detail will be good to accompany with cocktails?

Recently made these set of cocktail napkins and now waiting for an occasion to use them! On the soon approaching birthday may be?! 

Happy Holi

Aaj hai Holi! If Gabbar still does not know, let's tell him ki "Haan! Aaj hai Holi!" :)
Made Rice kheer today and sprinkled it with colorful sugar balls!

Changing names!

I have always contemplated on changing my surname/last name after marriage. It's difficult to let go a name you have used for almost 25 years of your life and suddenly adopt to a new one. I envy girls who get married to guys with the same surname as theirs. I know a few of them! At least they do not have to go through a conflict with their own self and the dilemma of changing names!

Yes, Shakespeare says, "What is in the name?" but what is the problem with the name I already have! It's not just about changing name, it is like changing your identity. Moreover its about changing all your official documents...I mean, really? Who's going to do that?

Today while going through tweets on Woman's Day, I found this happy news here, that says Maharashtra government will not insist a woman to use her father's or husband's surname. I'm really looking forward to the day when this will be applicable in reality!  After two years of marriage I have came across several people who question me on still using my father's surname. Now I have an official answer (Though I have always had individualist answers to this question, but you know how it is!)

This news indeed makes a "Very Happy" Woman's Day!

Water COLOUR or COLOR?

In school I learnt the spelling as COLOUR. I do not know when it became COLOR. Aarghh...now it is so confusing! MS word does not accept COLOR and emails show a red line with COLOUR. Internet reads COLOR while books have COLOR and COLOUR both. 

I just like it, be it COLOR or COLOUR. 

Here is some water color/colour from this week's work.

 

 

Butterfly Paper Clips

Do you like pattern-full and colorful stationery? I love it! Like I have these colorful rubber bands and patterned binder clips. Found a box full of tatted butterfly paperclips yesterday. I made these about three years back and had forgotten completely. But now they are up on the blog :)

You like?

Another wedding card...

I love designing wedding cards and last month I had a chance to design a wedding card for one of my friend. Made a pattern of stylized lily motif all over and colored it with auspicious hues of turmeric- the Indian Holy Powder. 

Wishing 

Harshal and Liana

a lifetime of love and togetherness. 

Homecoming

After a long, fruitful and tiring work schedule, I was just waiting to get back home. And here I am... not just in Mumbai but at HOME :)