Pottery passion

Hello my loves...how is the week treating you so far? I'm busy doing nothing...I mean nothing very interesting. The weather hasn't been great since the beginning of the week with all the rain coming down. Looking out the  window, its grey and gloomy:(. I've been doing just the usual stuff - groceries, laundry, some organization around the house and multiple trips to stores (read Toys r us and Target) for birthday gifts- we have three birthday parties to go to, this coming weekend, yes, three. The forecast says that the weekend will be sunny and I'm so looking forward to it. With three parties to go to, my little one is all too excited. And for me, there won't  be much cooking happening on the weekend...Yayyy! 

Well, coming back to the title of the post- Pottery. A few years back, I tried hand building ( for those who do not know, thats a technique where one uses just the hands and some tools to create something out of clay).   Today, I'm sharing some of my pieces. Working with clay is something that I truly enjoy and it gives me a sense of creative satisfaction. I would love to hear what you think of these...good or bad...anything.

 A couple of pen holders, I use them to keep my cosmetics.

 Another pen holder...

A small vase. 

I'm linking this post to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home. 

Once in a while...

....I cook something different; try out a new recipe. And when that happens, I feel it needs to be put on record.

If I've not said it before, I'll say it now- I'm not much of a cook and I do not like spending too much time in the kitchen. But I do like love eating good food ...unlike my two year old...:( 

Anyhow, back to my time in the kitchen. I was having some friends over for dinner in the middle of the week- sometimes that's good to break the routine (Do you do that sometimes?). While planning on what to cook (not too elaborate), I was reminded of a new dish that I tasted at a wedding when I was in India this time. I had liked it so much that I decided to try it myself sometime. This was the perfect opportunity. After googling 'Spinach and corn in white gravy', I came across something similar here. A bit of tweaking, and here is what I brought to the table...

To go along with this was Dal Makhani

After cooking so much I had no energy for making the dessert. But.....I still served it. It was simple, but it did look gorgeous. 

Mangoes & strawberries with a whipped topping. What d'ya say???

Linking it to Show and tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Dreamy white bedrooms

I'm a gal who loves color, a lot of it. 

But who can resist these totally drool worthy bedrooms. Can you...???

I'm so loving this one below- all white with a little dash of color added by the block printed quilt and cushion.

Images: via

Color your life with the colors of Holi...

via

Holi wishes from my house to yours!

Stylish Blogger Award... I accept with a big SMILE:)

This post is long overdue. My dear friend Gagan @ P&P passed this award to me while I was away on my India vacation. All this while I never got a chance to actually claim it. Finally! Accepting this award is a big honor and a huge encouragement for me since I'm such a nascent blogger. Thankyou Gagan!

Here I am, revealing seven secrets about me:

1. I have a fetish for handmade paper. I hoard it like nothing else. Even without thinking what am I going to do with it, I just buy it whenever I get a chance.
2. I love pottery. A few years ago, I used to go to a pottery studio every week. I have done glazing, painting bisque pieces and some handbuilding. I 'd do anything for a chance to try my hand on the pottery wheel someday.
3. I'm not much of a reader. In my college days, I really liked reading fiction, but not so much anymore.
4. I live by my list of things to do and list of pending projects. Without these I feel completely lost.
5. I love, love shopping and anyone who knows me well, knows this about me. For me, no travel is complete without a trip to the local market. It's also my biggest destressor. When I did not have my own home, I mostly shopped for myself. Now, its mostly for my home and garden. 
6. I am a big fan of nature. I love being outdoors. When I was in college, I would go on hikes and treks so often. That's one reason I'd love to stay close to the mountains. 
7. I am so thankful to whoever invented the DVR. Its the only way for both myself and dear hubby to catch up on our favorite shows on TV every weekend.   

Now to the part where I pass this on to seven stylish bloggers. I have come to know so many talented and brilliant bloggers these past few months that its just too hard to pick just seven. So I'll choose those who have truly inspired me, those who I ardently admire and I'd really like to know those seven secrets about them (wink).

1. Priya @ Once Upon a Tea Time
2. Anu @ My dream canvas
3. Prachi @ Purplehomes
4. Bhavna @ An Indian Summer
5. Patty @ Colours Dekor
6. Neha @ PaperMagic twigs
7. Rajee Sood @ Styling & Design with Rajee Sood

I 'd like to add that getting this award from Gagan means a lot to me. She is a huge source of inspiration to me here in the blogosphere. I look forward to each post of hers at P&P....so glad she is back from her vacation.

Time well spent

Few weekends are as productive productive and enjoyable as the one that just went by. Mine are mostly spent relaxing, meeting up with friends, eating out, shopping and some mundane household chores. This time I was determined. I had to get some stuff done for my out of control to do list to get shorter.

Saturday was spent doing a lot of work in the patio and the garden. I cleaned up the patio, repotted a lot of my green plants

and brought some indoors.

With the nice warm weather, the soothing greens and my sweet smelling jasmine, I'm sure to spend a lot more time in my patio.

In the garden, lot of new spring plants went into the ground. I was busy working on my spring wishlist:).

I now have some lilies , yellow daisies, snapdragons, azaleas and jasmine in my garden. I will very patiently wait for the gladioli and calla lily bulbs to bloom. [Dear bulbs, please take your time but don't take too long as I am not a very patient person]

Saturday evening, we had a picnic at the community park. The kids and adults both had a very good time- kids were happy as they were outdoors with the swings and the slides, and the adults enjoyed as they chit chatted, got to know the neighbors and had some great food.

Sunday was the day to assemble my new bookshelves. I have been pining to get a bookshelf for my living room since a long time. Finally, it was assembled and ready to be dressed. Ahhh....the exciting part! Dressing it up!

All done for now. 

No, no, no... that's not all that we did over the weekend...there's more. Sunday evening, we had a fabulous time at a barbecue at a friend's place. The weather was just perfect and the food was scrumptious- a great way to end the weekend. 

This is what I call Time well spent.

I'm linking to Patty's Weekend Wrap Up at Colours Dekor
Also linking to the Green Thumb Decor party at Colors Dekor.

Snapshots from India

All images clicked by me

All images by my friend Ximena Ruiz

Linking in to Mosaic Monday at little red house. 

My cozy corner

Hello my friends! Today, I'm sharing with you a cozy corner from my home This is my most favorite spot at home. I like to sit here with my cup of coffee and soak the morning sun. The yellow walls look even brighter with the sun shining on them. 

And then in the evening, just sit back and listen to some soulful music. 

I did this wall with the motifs as a weekend project. Read more about it here.

I'm also linking up to Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Have a good weekend!

Peopletree, Delhi

This post is dedicated to Gagan @ Of peacocks and paisleys..., as she is also a fan of this store just like me.
'Peopletree' is a quaint little shop, hidden away in the alleys of Connaught place in Delhi. Peopletree has a wide variety of some very unique products-  books, stationery, jewelery, garments, accessories and some other knick knacks. Their designs are one of a kind and something that brings its customers back here time and again.

I discovered the store in my college days. One of my favorites was their block printed T-shirts. Here are a few shots of the products available here.

Wall full of knick knacks- jewelery, bangles, key chains, handmade paper journals...... 

Earrings made of croquet thread and kantha work....

Antique silver jewelery

Handmade cards

Silk Tie n die Stoles stacked up 

more silver jewelery...

Block printed fabric bags

Block printed Shirts 

For more information visit their website here.